Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931)

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Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use

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Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: J SMPE
Volume: 16, No. 1, pp. 3–22
Abstract: Of the numerous microphones which have been developed since Bell's original work on the telephone, only two are used extensively in sound recording for motion pictures, namely, the condenser microphone and the carbon microphone. The condenser microphone was first proposed in 1881 but owing to its low sensitivity was limited in its field of usefulness until the development of suitable amplifiers. In 1917 E. C. Wente published an account of the work which he had done on a condenser microphone having a stretched diaphragm and a back plate so designed as to introduce an appreciable amount of air damping. The major portion of the condenser microphones used today in sound recording embody the essential features of the Wente microphone. Marked progress has, however, been made in the design and construction of these instruments with the result that they are not only more sensitive but also more stable. The factors which contribute to this improvement are described in detail in this paper. Recently a number of articles have appeared in the technical press calling attention to certain discrepancies between the conditions under which the thermophone calibration of the condenser microphone is made and those which exist in the studio. The nature of these discrepancies and their bearing on the use of the microphone are discussed. Microphones in which the sound pressure on the diaphragm produces changes in the electrical resistance of a mass of carbon granules interposed between two electrode surfaces have been used commercially since the early days of the telephone. In recent years the faithfulness of the reproduction obtained with the carbon microphone has been materially improved by the introduction of an air damped, stretched diaphragm and a push-pull arrangement of two carbon elements. This instrument is finding extensive use in sound recording and reproduction fields where carbon noise is not an important factor. The outstanding design features of the push-pull carbon microphone are described in this paper and suggestions made as to the precautions to be taken in its use if the best quality, maximum life, etc., are to be obtained.
Publication Date: 1931-01-01
DOI: 10.5594/J16623
ISSN: Print: 0097-5834
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623
Author(s): W. C. Jones
Copyright: © 1931 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

1. Dolbear A. E. : “A New System of Telephony,” Scientific American (June 18, 1881 ), p. 388 . EXTERNAL
8. Aldridge A. J. : “The Use of a Wente Condenser Transmitter to Measure Sound Pressures in Absolute Terms,” P. O. E. E. Journal (Oct., 1928 ), pp. 223 – 225 ; Ballantine, S.: “Effect of the Diffraction around the Microphone in Sound Measurements,” Physical Review (Dec, 1928), pp. 988–992;. EXTERNAL
West W. : “Measurements of Sound Pressure on an Obstacle,” Inst. Elec. Eng. Journal ( 1929 ), pp. 1137 – 1142 . EXTERNAL
9. These curves are taken from unpublished work of P. B. Flanders of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. EXTERNAL
10. Barnes E. J. West W. : “The Calibration and Performance of the Rayleigh Disc,” Inst. of Elec. Eng. Journal , 65 ( 1927 ), pp. 871 – 880 . EXTERNAL
11. Sivian L. J. : “Rayleigh Disc Method for Measuring Sound Intensities,” Philosophical Magazine (March, 1928 ), pp. 615 – 620 . EXTERNAL
12. Ballantine S. “Contributions from the Radio Frequency Laboratories,” No. 18 (April 15, 1930 ). EXTERNAL
13. Oliver D. A. : “An Improved Microphone for Sound Pressure Measurements,” Journal of Scientific Instruments (April, 1930 ), pp. 113 – 119 . EXTERNAL
14. Rhodes F. L. : “Beginnings of Telephony,” ( 1929 ), p. 79 . EXTERNAL
15. U. S. Patent No. 400,567, 1889. EXTERNAL
16. Green I. W. Maxfield J. P. : “Public Address Systems,” A. I. E. E. Journal (April, 1923 ), pp. 347 – 358 . EXTERNAL
2. LaLumiere Electrique , 1881 , p. 286 . EXTERNAL
17. Bostwick L. G. : “An Efficient Loud Speaker at the Higher Audible Frequencies,” Journal of the Acoustical Society (October, 1930 ), p. 242 – 250 . EXTERNAL
18. Johnson J. B. : “Thermal Agitation of Electricity in Conductors,” Physical Review (July, 1928 ), pp. 97 – 109 . EXTERNAL
3. Wente E. C. : “A Condenser Transmitter as a Uniformly Sensitive Instrument for the Absolute Measurement of Sound Intensity,” Physical Review , (July, 1917 ), pp. 39 – 63 ; “Electrostatic Transmitter,” Physical Review (May, 1922), pp. 498–503. EXTERNAL
4. Crandall I. B. : “Theory of Vibrating Systems and Sound,” pp. 28 – 39 . Van Nostrand Co 1927 . EXTERNAL
5. Crandall I. B. : “The Air Damped Vibratory System: Theoretical Calibration of the Condenser Transmitter,” Physical Review (June, 1918 ), pp. 449 – 460 . EXTERNAL
6. Arnold H. D. Crandall I. B. : “The Thermophone as a Precision Source of Sound,” Physical Review (July, 1917 ), pp. 22 – 38 . EXTERNAL
Wente E. C. : “The Thermophone,” Physical Review (April, 1922 ), pp. 333 – 345 ;. EXTERNAL
Fletcher H. : “Speech and Hearing,” 1929 , Appendix A. EXTERNAL
7. Martin W. H. Gray C. H. G. : “Master Reference System for Telephone Transmission,” Bell System Technical Journal (July, 1929 ), pp. 556 – 559 . EXTERNAL

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W. C. Jones; Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931); SMPTE, 1931. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623

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W. C. Jones; Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931); SMPTE, 1931. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623

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<span class="citation">W. C. Jones; <cite>Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use</cite>, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931); SMPTE, 1931. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623</a></span>

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W. C. Jones; Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931); SMPTE, 1931
doi: 10.5594/J16623
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/J16623

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W. C. Jones; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j16623">Condenser and Carbon Microphones—Their Construction and use</cite>, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 16, Issue: 1, January 1931); SMPTE, 1931
<span class="doi">10.5594/J16623</span>
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