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Hello experts,

I am reading an article I can't quite understand, regarding something called "muffling".

My question is. Whats muffling? is it a circuit or piece of electronics inside the microphone? is it a physical isolating mount or fabric inside the microphone's housing?

This is what it says:

"Microphones are muffled with one objective: flatten their frequency response. Muffling is a resource by which vibrations are reduced. It reduces vibration of the sound that enters the device.
Muffling produces noise and reduces the microphone's sesibility.

A very effective way to reduce noise is to decrease or even eliminate muffling on the microphone."

Thank you for your replies!

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Comments

bouldersound Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:23

dortego, post: 406527 wrote: I'm new to all this but seemingly, Shure does it externally with the SM7B and Electro-Voice does it internally with the RE20, 27, 320 and perhaps more.

Assuming you're referring to the pop filters, they are there to diffuse blasts of air that would cause pops, not to tune the frequency response.

dortego Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:40

bouldersound, post: 406528 wrote: Assuming you're referring to the pop filters, they are there to diffuse blasts of air that would cause pops, not to tune the frequency response.

Yes, I understand that although when I read the OP's post it seems to me that it's referring to something other than circuitry. Oh well, what do I know.

BobRogers Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:48

I agree that a link or reference would be nice. I'm unfamiliar with any use of the term in English in the context quoted. I agree that it could be used in microphone construction and I wouldn't expect to be aware of it. But even there, I'd be surprised at its use. My top of the head guess is that it is a bad translation. And the quote just seems strange. My first reaction at the title was that it was referring to pop filters - but that doesn't seem to match up with the quote.

bouldersound Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:48

dortego, post: 406529 wrote: Yes, I understand that although when I read the OP's post it seems to me that it's referring to something other than circuitry. Oh well, what do I know.

Probably there are mechanical and acoustic ways of damping specific frequency ranges to even out frequency response. So I think you're right that it's not electronic.

bouldersound Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:57

The same thing is true of speaker drivers. If they didn't damp them to even out the response they would have higher output but sound bad. Unfortunately a lot of energy sent to the speaker is effectively thrown away as heat to make them sound better. Dynamic mics are just tiny speakers operating in reverse and likely have similar need for frequency response smoothing.

TheJackAttack Sun, 07/28/2013 - 17:22

I believe what we are writing of is the design of the headbasket and other corollary parts that either enhance or detract from a given response. In many chinese LDC's for instance the headbasket is multilayer and the "weave" of the layers is such that it acerbates the brittleness of said microphones. In the case of SDC one can easily apply the same principles. Take the KM140 and the MXL 603. They are similar in concept but the design varies significantly with regards the capsule and circuitry which is why they sound completely different. Mike Joly talks about the differences in depth at his website.