Cheap Condenser Microphones

One type of a microphone is a condenser microphone, also called a capacitor or electrostatic microphone. It is a variation of a microphone that stores energy in an electrostatic field. A microphone's capacitor converts acoustic sounds to electrical energy.

The condenser microphone was invented in 1916 at the Bell Labs by E.C. Wente. The design included a capacitor and separate plates with one acting as the capacitor's diaphragm. The capacitor stores electric signals created by the plates, while the diaphragm moves in response to external sound. Because the diaphragm is mounted to a back plate, the vibration caused to the back plate by the diaphragm creates electric charges. The amount of the electrical voltage signal the device produces by mechanical vibration depends on the capacitance change.

Different types of microphones are used for different recording purposes. Professional and home recording studios most commonly use condenser microphones. This is because condenser microphones have a unique characteristic to capture small sounds. It is very audio-sensitive which makes it ideal to use in vocal recording sessions.

There are two kinds of condenser microphones: the large diaphragm and the small diaphragm condenser microphone. Large diaphragm condenser microphones are ideal to use when recording deep sounding acoustic instruments. Other acoustic instruments such as the guitar and violin, and clanging sounds produced from cymbals are recorded with small diaphragm condenser microphones.

A condenser microphone requires an external power supply before it can be operated. It is different from a dynamic microphone, which generates its own current and therefore has no need for a power supply.

Condenser microphones can be considered as the type of microphone with exceptional performance, which is why this type of equipment is pricier than other microphones. Compared to dynamic microphones, the condenser microphones are more responsive and can pick up more sound which makes it perfect for use in recording studios. A condenser microphone is different from dynamic microphones in that the former has more moving parts than the latter. Because it has less moving parts, dynamic microphones are less sensitive than condenser microphones. Dynamic microphones can also be used with acoustic instruments. But, acoustic instruments work best with condenser microphones because this will give you more detailed sound. A dynamic microphone acts more as a general-purpose microphone.