Importance

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Abstract

A ribbon microphone having a housing made of wood, a wood laminate, or another suitable composite material having a characteristic impedance and density and a ribbon transducer assembly with metal support chassis having a higher characteristic impedance and density. By engineering a body housing and the ribbon support chassis having a similar or equal total weight but differing greatly in density, a rapid attenuation of internal harmonics is achieved, particularly reducing the undesirable metallic resonance of the metal bodies of conventional microphones. The improved tonal quality is achieved, not by uncoupling the acoustic mass of the housing, but rather, by tightly coupling the wood housing to a slender chassis on rails that support the ribbon. Advantageously, this cooperative effect also acts to dampen unwanted rumble and external shock outputs, and in a preferred embodiment, magnetic pole pieces are eliminated by designing air gaps between the chassis and the magnets. The chassis is a conductor and electrically connects the ribbon to a transformer, eliminating the need for solder connections. Thus the ribbon support system of the invention achieves a synergy of function by eliminating unneeded parts, simplifying assembly, and improving the tonal quality of the microphone.

First Claim