Microphone Accessories

Question 1

Clip-mic

Answer 1

microphone designed to be ‘clipped’ or fastened onto a surface in order to capture a direct signal; another word for a lavalier mic as well

Question 2

Boom stand

Answer 2

microphone stand with a boom attachment — arm that extends the microphone out horizontally from the main upright “pole” of the stand; makes it more convenient to place a mic over or around an object that would otherwise interfere with a standard straight stand, such as a guitar or bass, a piano, a drum kit, or another instrument

Question 3

Mic stand

Answer 3

free-standing mount for a microphone; allows the microphone to be positioned in the studio, on-stage or on location without requiring a person to hold it

Question 4

High-reach stand

Answer 4

another type of microphone stand which incorporates extra length to allow microphones to be sturdily placed at significant heights

Question 5

Shorty

Answer 5

another name for a “low-profile” or “guitar amp-stand,” which has a low base pole of around 1 foot, and a 2 foot adjustable pole

Question 6

Quick-connect

Answer 6

mic adapter that uses a push-button release system to easily attach and detach mics

Question 7

Pop (plosive)

Answer 7

loud low-end sound that is created by vocalists when using the consonant “p,” which creates a burst of air which hits the mic and creates unwanted artifacts in a performance

Question 8

Pop filter

Answer 8

meshy microphone accessory that can be fitted onto a mic-stand and placed before the diaphragm of a microphone to diffuse and prevent unwanted plosives from being recorded in a vocal performance

Question 9

Shock mount (suspension)

Answer 9

microphone accessory that acts as a suspended harness which prevents the microphone from unwanted vibrations caused by low frequencies

Question 10

Stereo bar (X-Y bar)

Answer 10

mic stand accessories that let you mount two microphones in a stereo array, and often feature marked spacings of up to 20cm, as well as angle and measurement indicators for ORTF and XY positioning

Question 11

Active direct box

Answer 11

DI box that includes a preamplifier in order to provide a higher output signal; often require 9V batteries to power them, or phantom power; well suited for instruments with low output level such as vintage electric guitars, basses, and keyboards

Question 12

Passive direct box

Answer 12

DI box which uses no active transformer and does not require an additional power supply; well suited for instruments with high output level, like electric keyboards, synths, and guitars

Question 13

Direct box

Answer 13

converts the unbalanced, high impedance signal output of an instrument to a balanced low impedance mic-level signal

Question 14

DI

Answer 14

electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level, balanced input, usually via an XLR connector and XLR cable

Question 15

Ground lift

Answer 15

switch found on many pieces of audio equipment which disconnects audio signal ground from earth or chassis ground; technique used to reduce or eliminate ground-related noise arising from ground loops in audio cables (may also increase or decrease noise from other sources)

Question 16

Ground loop

Answer 16

an unwanted electric current path in a circuit resulting in stray signals or interference, occurring, e.g., when two earthed points in the same circuit have different potentials

Question 17

High-Z

Answer 17

high-impedance; a point in a circuit (a node) allows a relatively small amount of current through, per unit of applied voltage at that point; low current and potentially high voltage

Question 18

Low-Z

Answer 18

low-impedance; allows a large amount of current through, per unit applied voltage; low impedance circuits are high current, low voltage, and have an impedance range of 4 - 16 ohms

Question 19

Instrument input

Answer 19

high impedance (Hi-Z) input that is designed for passive guitar pickups and other similar transducers that produce voltage levels of the same order as line level, but at very low power

Question 20

Amp input

Answer 20

high impedance input that serves at the input signal of the amplifier

Question 21

Pad

Answer 21

passive switch that reduces signal strength by a given decibel ratio; pads allow for greater maximum voltage before overloading the internal circuitry

Question 22

Polarity inverter (phase reverse)

Answer 22

circuit that is capable of taking a positive voltage with respect to the ground and generates a negative voltage also with respect to the ground, so that we can have both a positive and a negative voltage available at the same time to power another circuit, without using a dual power supply; flips the phase of a signal