Photo: A typical BBC-Marconi ribbon microphone used for radio broadcasts from about the mid-1930s. (I photographed this in the Think Tank science museum in Birmingham, England.) How to Set Up Your Own Podcast Recording Studio by J.D. Biersdorfer. The New York Times, September 9, 2016. Basic advice on microphones and software for podcasting.

Insect Ears Inspire Superefficient Microphones by Charles Q. Choi. IEEE Spectrum, May 22, 2023. Small, 3D-printed microphone parts are much more energy efficient. The soundproof filter in this microphone shield allows you to record like a professional, with outstanding results. Furthermore, it is compatible with microphone stands; you just need to position it behind your microphone for effortless setup and connect your microphone. If you remember that "condenser" is an old-fashioned word for a capacitor, you can probably guess how a condenser microphone works: much like a capacitor!Photo: Emergency telephones on trains, in elevators, and in public places are usually simple intercoms. There's a single loudspeaker/microphone with a button to press to attract someone's attention. When the button is pressed, the intercom functions as a microphone and transmits your voice. When you release the button, the intercom switches to a loudspeaker so you can hear what the person at the other end has to say in response. An intercom like this is much harder to break or vandalize than an ordinary telephone handset, so it's particularly suitable for use in public places. Wireless intercoms Sound— energy we can hear—travels only so far before it soaks away into the world around us. Until electrical microphones were

Ribbon microphones (like the BBC one in the picture up above) use a thin vibrating ribbon of lightweight metal that moves between the poles of a magnet instead of a diaphragm and coil. Old-fashioned broadcasting microphones from the early days of radio worked like this—and some modern microphones still do:

The high-density noise deadening barrier wraps around your microphone and acts like mini a vocal booth. This rare Soviet children’s microphone system was produced in the 1980s in the USSR and is an early interpretation of the modern walkie-talkie. A sound shield behind your microphone reduces interference and the result is a “drier”, more pronounced vocal. And before you know it, you’ll be on your way to attaining the acoustical magic every musician and vocalist strives for.

Graphene-Based Microphone Could Let You Hear Like a Bat by Dexter Johnson. IEEE Spectrum, July 7, 2015. Sonic scientists at the University of California, Berkeley develop an ultrasound microphone that uses graphene in place of the traditional diaphragm. The 1920s saw rapid improvements to microphone technologies largely thanks to the increased demand for broadcast radio services. In 1928 the first commercial condenser microphone was released. The changing distance between the two plates changes their capacitance (charge-storing ability). The microphone converts this into an electric current that corresponds exactly with the original, changing sound waves. Since then, microphones have continued to be improved upon, reducing in size, and increasing in performance and quality. Popular Vintage Microphone Brands Available TodayThe microphone isolation shield can be fixed on a countertop or tabletop or mounted to a microphone stand. What Would You Do With a Waterproof MEMS Microphone? Listen to Whales, of Course by Tekla Perry. IEEE Spectrum, December 23, 2016. The unexpected applications of an underwater piezoelectric microphone. Whether you’re a producer, recording musician, or voiceover actor, adding a sound shield in your studio is never a mistake.