Are Microphones Input Or Output?

Microphones are used in a variety of ways, and there are many different types of microphones, but the way the microphone is built leads some people to wonder if microphones are input devices or output devices. Microphones are capable of producing sound in the right circumstance, so are they considered input or output?

Microphones are input devices. A microphone is always used to input audio signals into a system. Microphones are designed to receive external sound, replicate it, and send it into the system that the device is plugged into. A microphone diaphragm can produce sound but will be damaged if it does.

The construction of a microphone and the way the device works is very simple, but its multi-functional construction can be used in various ways. For example, the same technology and mechanisms that make a microphone work are also responsible for the function of a speaker, which is why so many people find themselves wondering if mics are input or output devices.

Table of Contents

Are Microphones Input Or Output Devices?

Microphones are used in many ways, and various types of microphones have different uses, but are these devices considered inputs or outputs when used in an audio system?

Microphones are input devices. A microphone is always used to introduce an audio signal into a system, be it audio or electronic system.

The construction of a microphone means that it is technically capable of producing a sound if a current is pushed into it in the right way, but no microphone is used in this way.

A microphone is almost always used as an input device. Sound from an instrument, voice or some other source of sound is projected into the microphone, and the mic changes the sound energy into electrical energy that can be input into the system that the mic is plugged into.

An output source is defined as a device that sends audio out, either as a digital or electrical signal or as sound. An output device must always receive a signal from an input device to have something to send. A microphone is an example of such an input device.

Even though some microphones can create a sound in the same way that a speaker does, they are incredibly inefficient and ineffective for this purpose, as they are designed to input sound rather than output it.

For this reason, even though they can output sound, all microphones are used as input devices. Everyone who uses a microphone uses it as an input device, and every microphone is built to be an input device.

What Makes A Microphone An Input Device?

We have established that microphones are input devices, and they are almost always used in this way, even though it is possible for a microphone to generate an audio frequency if used in a certain way.

However, it is important to know what defines a microphone as an input device and what makes it an input device, even if it is technically possible to use it as an output device.

To understand why a microphone is an input device, we must first understand how a microphone works. This will highlight the fact that it is not designed to be an output device and is always intended to input sound into a system.

The basic mechanics of how a microphone works is that the device contains a small membrane or diaphragm that vibrates when sound hits it.

This diaphragm is either suspended within the mic or attached to the chassis in such a way that it allows it to vibrate at nearly precisely the same frequency as the sound that hits it.

This diaphragm is, therefore, the component within the mic that senses the sound. This sensor is electrified with a small electrical current supplied by the device that the microphone is plugged into.

This tiny electric current flowing through the diaphragm allows the frequencies that the sensor receives to be transmitted electrically into the system that the microphone is a part of.

When the diaphragm in the microphone is placed in the path of a sound wave, the sound causes it to vibrate at the same frequency.

That frequency is then received by the electronics within the microphone and transduced into an electrical signal that can be transmitted down the cable that is plugged into the mic, sending the audio signal into the system.

Therefore, a microphone only receives a signal and sends it into the system it is used in. No signal is sent from the system back to the microphone to be output. The signal is rather sent into the system from the mic to be output elsewhere.

All of this demonstrates that microphones are always functionally used as input devices, as they receive sound from their environment, transmit it into a system, and the system uses that signal to output the sound from another device.

Check out: Best ASMR Microphone

Are Microphones Ever Output Devices?

The construction of a microphone is technically very similar to a speaker. A speaker also has an internal diaphragm that vibrates at the frequency of a sound, but that vibration is used to output sound rather than receive sound.

This leads many people to wonder if a microphone can ever be used as an output device, as the mechanism is technically the same.

It is technically true that a microphone can output sound. For this reason, some people determine microphones to be output and input devices simultaneously, but the reality is that microphones are only functionally used as input devices.

Some microphones have been used in experiments to output sound at a very low volume, and it is true that microphones can unintentionally generate a sound if they are used in the wrong way.

Some microphones will generate an audible tone if an electrical signal of the right strength is passed through the internal diaphragm of the mic.

This electrical energy causes the diaphragm to vibrate, which causes the mic to make a sound. This sound can be interpreted as interference, as the microphone is designed to send whatever frequencies are generated by the diaphragm into the system that is plugged into.

Therefore, any sound generated by the microphone is then input into the greater audio system that the mic is plugged into.

This can be a serious problem, as it can cause intense feedback in the system and even damage sensitive equipment. Any microphone that unintentionally generates sound is therefore considered faulty and needs to be repaired to be useful.

This means that even though a microphone can technically produce a sound, these devices are never used in this way and are only ever used as input devices.

Microphones that produce a sound are only ever output devices if something in them breaks or if they are designed to do so for experimental purposes.

Why Are Microphones Not Considered Output Devices?

We have learned that microphones can produce audio frequencies if they are faulty or if they are designed to do so, but why are microphones never used as output devices for practical purposes?

The answer here is somewhat simple. Even though a microphone has the same basic technology and components as a speaker, a microphone is very small, and the components within it are very small and very sensitive.

This means that even if a microphone is used to output a frequency, the sound it produces would be so quiet that it would be practically inaudible and functionally useless. If the sound increases in frequency to become audible, it is highly likely to cause irreparable damage to the internal components of the microphone.

This again highlights the fact that microphones are input devices, and they cannot be effectively used to output audio, even though they may have the functionality.

Microphones are input devices and should only ever be used for their intended purpose, or the device is highly likely to be damaged beyond repair.

Check out: Best Microphone Isolation Shields

How Do Microphones Input A Signal Into A System?

Microphones are input devices that receive audio and send it to audio or electrical systems. Microphones are very successful at this and are used in a wide range of applications to this end.

However, it can be confusing when learning that microphones send audio as an electrical signal into systems. This may lead you to wonder how microphones even input audio into a system at all.

Microphones input signals into a system by receiving sound frequencies from the environment around it by means of a diaphragm or membrane that vibrates when hit by sound waves. This diaphragm vibrates at the same frequency as the sound and is, therefore, able to transmit the same frequency into the system.

This audio frequency causes the diaphragm to vibrate so quickly that it generates an electric current, which can then be sent down an electrical wire into the output jack of the microphone, down a cable, and into the system that it is plugged into.

Some microphones have diaphragms that are too thin to generate an electrical signal when they vibrate, and these have a mechanism that powers the diaphragm with an external electrical current known as ‘phantom power.’ This electrical current enables the diaphragm to transmit the frequencies it receives and input them into the system.

The audio signal sent by the microphone is very weak and therefore needs to be amplified for the system to use it. The signal is therefore transmitted from the microphone into a microphone preamp or into a mixer or console that has a built-in microphone preamp.

This preamp amplifies the audio signal to usable levels and pushes the signal to the rest of the system, where it can be used.

This signal is now an electrical signal input into the system by the microphone. It can be used to output the audio that the microphone received or to record the audio that the microphone input into the system.

Check out: How to Adjust Microphone Sensitivity

How Effective Are Microphones As input Devices?

Microphones are only functional as input devices and are only ever used practically as input devices, but how effective are microphones as input devices? Does a microphone effectively capture, replicate, and send audio into a system? How reliable are microphones as input devices?

Microphones function at varying degrees of effectiveness and reliability. Every microphone functions in basically the same way and uses the same fundamental hardware and technology, but the efficiency and effectiveness of a microphone are determined by how sensitive the internal hardware of the device is.

Some microphones are significantly more sensitive than others, and some are only sensitive enough to perceive specific frequencies.

Certain microphone models are designed to pick up the smallest frequencies and the weakest sound waves, while others are made to only receive very loud sounds and intense frequencies.

However, with that said, most microphones are very effective at what they do. If a microphone is designed to be used for singing, it is likely to be very good at receiving and transmitting the frequencies that the human voice can output.

If a microphone is designed for an instrument, such as an electric guitar, the internal hardware is tuned to make the mic very good at receiving and replicating the frequencies generated by the instrument.

Microphones are very good at what they do, but the effectiveness and reliability of an individual microphone are determined by what it is designed to do, how well it is made, and what it is used for.

You cannot expect a cheap mic that is designed to pick up a spoken voice to do well in recording a trumpet. It simply will not work well, but you can use a mic that is designed for brass instruments to pick up audio from the trumpet, and it will be very effective.

Conclusion

Microphones are input devices. These devices are never used as output devices outside of experiments and only output sound in regular use if they are faulty. Every microphone in practical applications is always an input device.

Microphones are very effective for introducing sound into a system and make very good input devices for audio. Every microphone is designed differently, but every microphone is an input device.

References

Was this article helpful?

YesNo