microphones

n. device which converts sound waves into electronic signals for recording and amplification or broadcast.

A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, tape recorders, hearing aids, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, in radio and television broadcasting and in computers for recording voice, VoIP, and for non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic checking.
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n. microphone, device which converts sound waves into electronic signals for recording and amplification or broadcast.

<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)

Noun
1. device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
(synonym) mike
(hypernym) electro-acoustic transducer
(hyponym) bug