Parabolic microphone
Article
A parabolic microphone uses a curved reflector to collect sound and focus it onto a microphone placed near the reflector's focal point. The dish increases sensitivity to sounds arriving from the direction in which it is aimed.
Its directionality depends on the dish diameter relative to the wavelength. It works best at higher audio frequencies, while low-frequency wavelengths are too long to be focused effectively by a practical portable reflector.
Parabolic systems can detect distant speech, wildlife, sporting events, machinery, and other sound sources. They are also used in field recording, surveillance, broadcasting, and scientific observation.
The recorded sound may be coloured by reflections, dish resonances, wind, handling noise, and the uneven directional response across frequency. Careful microphone positioning and shielding are therefore important.
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- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabolic_microphone