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TCLow
New member
Hi, do anyone know what exactly is pieszo microphone?
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Piezoelectric transducers are crystal elements that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy or electrical energy into mechanical energy. Under-saddle pickups on acoustic guitars are piezoelectric transducers. Crystal microphones use piezoelectric transducers. Many cheaper tweeters are piezoelectric. That is a different technology from dynamic mics (which use a magnet and a coil) and condenser mics (which use a pressure sensitive capacitor).
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
To add a little bit more information, piezo contact mics are a reasonable choice when you're trying to eliminate noise from your environment. They are mostly useful for live work, not for recording, because you usually get much better sound by using a microphone a few feet away.
Also, many piezo mics have seriously non-uniform response curves. Although much of this can be the mic's fault, some of it is caused by the fact that you're expecting to hear the sound as it would be perceived from a few feet away, not with your ear glued to the top of the instrument. Instruments radiate sound non-uniformly, and the sound from a single spot on the instrument cannot realistically capture the sound of the entire instrument as perceived through the air.
You can certainly compensate for this with EQ and placement to some degree, but at least in my experience, piezo mics tend to require a lot more work to get an acceptable sound than more traditional microphone techniques.
Also, many piezo mics have seriously non-uniform response curves. Although much of this can be the mic's fault, some of it is caused by the fact that you're expecting to hear the sound as it would be perceived from a few feet away, not with your ear glued to the top of the instrument. Instruments radiate sound non-uniformly, and the sound from a single spot on the instrument cannot realistically capture the sound of the entire instrument as perceived through the air.
You can certainly compensate for this with EQ and placement to some degree, but at least in my experience, piezo mics tend to require a lot more work to get an acceptable sound than more traditional microphone techniques.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Besides contact mics any time something is called a crystal mic it has a piezo element.
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TCLow
New member
I see, the description of the pieszo mic i found on internet state it is used to record mandolin, piano and so on? does it work well with these applications?
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Piezo contact mics may be a good option in live sound but I can't imagine they'd get much use in studio recording.
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TCLow
New member
Is pieszo expensive?
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
it's piezo without the 's' and the prices can cover a wide range just like anything else.
In general they're not considered that good sounding for recording purposes.
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TCLow
New member
oh.. piezo... all right, thanks all =)