Smoke/Laser Microphone Captures "Pure Sound" With No Interference

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 17:07 in Physics & Chemistry

Technological advances have brought audio recording a long way over the past several decades, but, as with so many things, microphone recording is limited by the very technology that has pushed it forward. In this particular case, that limit is the diaphragm that converts sound into electrical signals by measuring vibrations made by incoming sound waves. Because each diaphragm has its own characteristics, all microphones are not created equal; and because the sound waves are converted by these diaphragms, there is always some degree of mechanical interference with the sound. Enter digital audio innovator David Schwartz’s Laser-Accurate microphone. Using a laser to measure the deflections that sound waves make as they travel through a steady stream of smoke, this wholly new type of mike eliminates virtually all mechanical interference with the sound. That means crisper recordings, and more consistent sound quality coming...

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