Air Microphones

In DIY audio we made air microphones by soldering a 9 volt battery connector to a resistor, capacitor, and two female 1/8th inch connectors. We connected the microphone piece to one of the female connectors and then connected our miniature amplifiers to the other. The air microphone creates an electrical signal when the small diaphragm in the microphone piece is moved back and forth. These movements are created by the vibrations in the air otherwise known as sound. Air vibrations are known as compressions and rarefactions. The nine volt battery, resistor, and capacitor amplified the signal sent by the air microphone. This microphone was surprisingly effective and inexpensive. These microphones are easy to make and are also very compact. It would be easy to hide these microphones in a space for an installation or performance.