microphonicadj.n.
/ˌmʌɪkrəˈfɒnɪk/, U.S. /ˌmaɪkrəˈfɑnɪk/ A. adj.
1. Of or relating to a microphone or the use of microphones.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > audibility > sound magnification or reproduction > [adjective] > microphone
microphonic1878
microphoned1927
1878 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 106 270 Microphonic anticipations.
1879 New-Eng. Historical & Geneal. Reg. XXXIII. 158 Look at the amazing progress in telegraphic, microscopic, telephonic and microphonic arts!
1893 W. H. Preece & A. J. Stubbs Man. Telephony 121 The adoption of the microphonic transmitter in any case necessitates the employment of a battery.
1946 J. P. Eckert in Moore School Lect. (1985) 248 However, in new machines, which may contain tubes which amplify small signal levels, perhaps millivolts or less, I would anticipate considerable difficulty with microphonic tubes.
1950 Science 29 Dec. 789/1 Blood pressure was determined..by the microphonic method of Friedman and Freed.
1993 Hypertension 22 591 Blood pressure recorded by two oscillometric and two microphonic ambulatory monitors.
2001 Amer. Record Guide (Electronic ed.) 1 Jan. The sound is so bathed in fake reverb, so completely laden down with microphonic and studio sound-processing tricks.
2.
a. Designating, relating to, or characterized by the production of variations in electrical potential in response to sound waves.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > [adjective] > relating to hearing > types of responses to heard sound
microphonic1931
tonotopic1942
tonotopical1948
1879 Telegr. Jrnl. 7 132/1 The communication of the current with the vibrating plate..is effected by means of two small springs which are lightly pressed by the membrane..which act as a weak microphonic contact.
1919 Proc. Royal Soc. 1918–19 A. 95 51 The sounds produced to test the microphonic capabilities of the warmed wire.
1931 Jrnl. Physiol. 71 Suppl. p. xxix I conclude that the effect is due to some kind of microphonic action by which vibrations produce changes in the potential between different points in the inner ear.
1940 A. Wood Acoustics xvii. 478 The microphonic response of the cochlea of a cat to a pure tone of 1000 cycles/sec. is amplified and analysed with a wave analyser.
1951 Electronic Engin. 23 429/2 An attempt has been made..to determine the absolute microphonic performance of a valve by relating its electrical output to the frequency and intensity of a sound field in which it is situated.
1970 Nature 11 July 184/2 The microphonic response of the cochlea.
1995 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92 276 Signs of this tuning are the sharp threshold minima and resonance of the cochlear microphonic potentials and strong spontaneous and evoked otoacoustic emissions.
b. Designating, relating to, or vulnerable to unwanted noise or modulation produced in electrical equipment by vibration. Cf. A. 1.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > signal > [adjective] > characterized by noise > types of
microphonic1919
parasitic1921
staticky1925
ambient1926
impulsive1947
1919 R. Stanley Text-bk. Wireless Telegr. (new ed.) II. vi. 116 With some valve designs there is a microphonic effect in L.F. amplifiers so that the slightest jar given to the apparatus, such as tapping it with the finger or even walking near it, is strongly magnified.
1929 Proc. IRE 17 1621 Microphonic output is caused by relative motions between the various elements of the tube.
1930 V. K. Zworykin & E. D. Wilson Photocells ix. 114 Mechanical vibration of the elements produce what are generally called microphonic noises.
1947 Jrnl. Appl. Physics 18 242/2 A simple experiment was set up to check Eq. (7) by mechanically driving a tube and measuring the resulting ‘microphonic’ output signal.
1987 Making Music July 15/1 It does..create harmonic over-ring..in conjunction with microphonic pickups.
B. n.
1. Electronics. An undesired interference signal or modulation produced (e.g. in a thermionic valve) by mechanical vibration. Usually in plural.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > signal > [noun] > unwanted part of signal > types of
stray1901
atmospherics1905
static1905
pickup1925
ambient noise1926
background1927
ground noise1929
hum1929
Johnson noise1929
microphonic1929
thermal noise1930
parasitic1943
flicker noise1947
overhang1971
1929 Proc. IRE 17 1622 The simplest test for microphonics consists of an audio-frequency amplifier of fairly high gain, the tube under test being used in the first stage.
1931 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 131 400 (note) The latter is caused by mechanical vibration of valve filaments or other electrodes, and is very much easier to cure than ‘chamber microphonics’.
1947 Jrnl. Appl. Physics 18 245/2 It may well be advantageous to operate the input stage of a high gain automatic volume controlled amplifier with fixed bias to reduce microphonics.
1960 IRE Trans. Microwave Theory & Techniques 8 372/1 Waveguide under a high acoustical field can definitely contribute to microphonics via the mechanism of phase modulation.
1965 J. W. Gewartowski & H. A. Watson Princ. Electron Tubes v. 152 Vibration of grid wires in grid-controlled tubes is a principal source of ‘microphonics’.
2000 Electronic Engin. Times (Electronic ed.) 3 Apr. There's also a problem with microphonics on the board.
2. A microphonic signal generated in the cochlea.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > [noun] > faculty or sense of hearing > signal generated in cochlea
microphonic1938
1938 S. S. Stevens & H. Davis Hearing xii. 319 When the voltage of the cochlear microphonic is plotted against the logarithm of the sound-intensity..the function appears as a sigmoid curve.
1962 Laryngoscope 72 432 Is the reduction in amplitude of the cochlear microphonics due to an impairment of sound transmission or to a more direct effect on the organ of Corti?
1974 Nature 10 May 162/2 The ‘poor’ cochlear microphonic obtained from BALB/c mice after priming is indicative of hair cell damage.
1994 Hearing Res. 81 109 The cochlear microphonic from the ear distal to the sound source advanced in time and increased in amplitude when the ear proximal to the sound source was sealed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1878