How much do you really know about microphones?
Make sure to keep track of your answers throughout this 20 question quiz and check them against the key on page 3.
1.) The dB is used when measuring mics because:
A.) It’s more fun
B.) It’s more logarithmic
C.) It’s the standard for acoustic pressure measurements in audio
D.) It helps the companies sell more mics
2.) 20 micropascals is:
A.) The pressure present at an Atlas III launch
B.) The sound pressure level of the average human’s ability to detect a sound
C.) The reference unit for 0dBm
D.) The output pressure from a mic at 1 watt/1 meter
3.) What is a Frequency Response Graph?
A.) It illustrates the accuracy with which the mic converts acoustical energy into electrical signals with respect to frequency
B.) It shows the frequencies that the mic will change from acoustical to electrical energy
C.) It’s a chart that shows the pick-up patterns
D.) Both A and B
4.) What is Sensitivity?
A.) It explains the condition of a used microphone, based on road abuse
B.) It is the amount of dB-SPL that the microphone can handle
C.) It is the measure of the electrical output of a microphone with respect to the acoustic SPL input
D.) It’s the pressure in ft-lbs per inch that the mic can take before breaking
5.) What happens if you connect a speaker to a mic input on a mixer?
A.) Nothing, as there is no signal
B.) The system goes into unavoidable violent feedback due to oscillations
C.) The speaker works like a big microphone
D.) Your co-workers laugh like hell because they think you’re an idiot
6.) Proximity Effect:
A.) Occurs when two transducers get too close to each other
B.) Is an increase in LF response when a cardioid mic is close to an acoustic source
C.) Happens when measuring a speaker with an RTA
D.) Happens when a mic gets too close to a speaker
7.) When a mic that is 3 inches in front of a singer is moved to 6 inches, the level will:
A.) Drop 3 dB
B.) Drop 6 dB
C.) Drop 9 dB
D.) Stay the same
8.) The tightest cardioid pick-up pattern is:
A.) Sub-cardioid
B.) Cardioid
C.) Super-cardioid
D.) Hyper-cardioid
9.) An omni mic placed a few millimeters away from a reflective surface creates an effect identical to a:
A.) Rifle or shotgun mic
B.) Lavaliere mic
C.) Parabolic mic
D.) PZM or Boundary mic
10.) What stereo micing technique uses a coincident pair of two bi-directional microphones in the same point, angled at 90° to each other?
A.) M-S
B.) ORTF
C.) Decca Tree
D.) Blumlein stereo