DSE, the information on the link you posted is waaay incorrect -to put it mildly. :)

Go here,if you need the proper explanation about microphones:

http://www.crossfade-forums.net/forum4/270.html

also:

http://www.proav.de/index.html?http&&&www.proav.de/data/mic_basics.html

Gerard

Hey, if there is an error there, I'm all for getting it corrected. Wouldn't be the first time I've made a mistake.
What errors are you referring to?
There are a couple typos the editor made when transferring it to the DMN site, but they don't affect the context of the article. The original version can be found on the old Sundance site.

The article you linked to has some inadequateties,so to speak.
For example:
<snip>
The dynamic mic works by having plates inside, that when pressed upon by air pressure, the plates move, creating voltage as a result of magnets coupled with the plates.<end snip>

It doesn't have any plates.It has a diafragm attached to a moving coil set in a fixed magnet.Therefore,everytime the diafragm gets moved by sound,the coil moves too, inducting a voltage generated by the set magnet.

(headphones work the opposite.Better stil, you can use your headphones as a microphone.Same applies for a DC motor which can be used as an dynamo...)

Furthermore,in this article there are statements wich will lead to false conclusions.If the only difference between dynamic and condenser microphones is the applied voltage,you can turn an dynamic into an condenser just by applying some voltage to it.

Mind you ,the article is incorrect in explaining the inner workings of a dynamic and condensers.( Not your "mistake" ,ofcourse)



Read the other atricles and spot the difference.

Quoting from the article...."On the simpler side of the microphone, it’s basically a speaker in reverse. If you apply voltage to a speaker, it makes sound that you can hear. If you apply sound to a microphone, it generates voltage that the receiving device can hear. "

And that's different from what you said above in "how?"

Like I said, the original version doesn't contain the typos inserted by the editor at DMN. He pluralized a couple things that should have remained singular. However, the explanation is accurate, even if not technical enough to make you happy.
Where do I possibly suggest that by applying voltage to a dynamic mic, you can turn it into a condenser? And which kind of condenser, as there are several. However, that article is written at the very basic level, so I didn't go into all the types of condensers, nor did I discuss other types of mics that aren't really relevant to video.
The unedited, and slightly longer version is found at :
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/hear_that.htm

I read the article last week and really got a lot out of it. I guess I didn't expect the article to turn me into an audio engineer or explain in a few paragraphs what it takes years of experience to understand. It is no easy task to take something so complex and make it child's play.

I think there may be a few innaccuries/oversimplifications in that article.

For example, not all stereo microphones work the same way (using 2 microphone elements). The mid-side stereo design needs 3 "microphones"/whatever you want to call each element.

Also, you can get stereo without using directional "microphones"/elements. i.e. mics suitable for binaural recording

2- The wire from the boom op drawing just kind of ends and doesn't feed into the mixer. ;)

Yeah, I'll agree that it's very, very simple. I also didn't mention a lot of different mic types, too. I got a pretty snippy note from someone today about ribbon mics not being included.
It's a starter article, and I didn't see the point of going into mid-side, Decca tree, AB vs XY, electret condenser, piezo electric, ribbons, etc. It also doesn't go into why you'd rarely use uni's for a stereo spread vs omnis, etc. That's all found in the Instant Audio book if the publisher would ever get it out of the print shop.
It's a 3 year old article that was written for where I felt a lot of videographers were at the time, based on questions in the forum.
But heck...read all of the 400 + tutorials, you'll likely find at least 1000 mistakes, oversimplifications, and probably an inaccuracy or too (or fuor)

Why do you need a mixer to plug the boomed mic into? Isn't that what phantom power is for? ;-)