microphone

hardware, audio Any electromechanical device designed to

convert sound into an electrical signal.

A microphone converts an acoustic waveform consisting of

alternating high and low air pressure travelling through the

air into a voltage. To do this it uses some kind of pressure

or movement sensor. The simplest kind of microphone is

actually very similar in construction to a loudspeaker.

The analogue electrical signal can be fed into a computer's

sound card where it is amplified and sampled to convert it

into a digital waveform for storage or transmission.

(2002-11-04)