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What is Shure's Pneumatic Shockmount?
August 22, 2014 |
The pneumatic shockmount featured in Shure microphones, is an essential, but often misunderstood piece of audio engineering. We look at why microphones have shockmounts and what makes the Shure pneumatic design so unique.
For a dynamic microphone to work, the diaphragm and the coil need to move. In an ideal world, we only want this to happen when the signal we're trying to pickup produces a sound. In reality, there are all kinds of other, unwanted sounds that can stimulate the diaphragm and produce a signal. This could be anything from mechanical sounds to handling noise or a simple rumble from the microphone stand. Shock mounts are used to isolate the microphone from undesirable vibrations that would otherwise be added to the output signal.
In 1964 Shure introduced the pneumatic shock mount, which is a sophisticated system designed directly into the acoustics of the cartridge and has not been duplicated by any other competitor to this day.
To prevent handling noise, the Shure pneumatic shockmount pumps like a piston to cancel out vibrations. As the vibration occurs, a chamber of air (See point 1 above) behind the diaphragm shrinks, forcing more air into the microphone cartridge (See point 2 above). This increases the pressure under the diaphragm which counteracts the pressure being induced by the vibration, thus minimising movement of the diaphragm. The science and engineering behind the pneumatic shockmount is impressive to say the least. Conventional shockmounts (as pictured below) are more simple in design, and not nearly as effective.
Why Microphones Need Shockmounts
For a dynamic microphone to work, the diaphragm and the coil need to move. In an ideal world, we only want this to happen when the signal we're trying to pickup produces a sound. In reality, there are all kinds of other, unwanted sounds that can stimulate the diaphragm and produce a signal. This could be anything from mechanical sounds to handling noise or a simple rumble from the microphone stand. Shock mounts are used to isolate the microphone from undesirable vibrations that would otherwise be added to the output signal.
In 1964 Shure introduced the pneumatic shock mount, which is a sophisticated system designed directly into the acoustics of the cartridge and has not been duplicated by any other competitor to this day.
How Does the Shure Pneumatic Shockmount Work?
To prevent handling noise, the Shure pneumatic shockmount pumps like a piston to cancel out vibrations. As the vibration occurs, a chamber of air (See point 1 above) behind the diaphragm shrinks, forcing more air into the microphone cartridge (See point 2 above). This increases the pressure under the diaphragm which counteracts the pressure being induced by the vibration, thus minimising movement of the diaphragm. The science and engineering behind the pneumatic shockmount is impressive to say the least. Conventional shockmounts (as pictured below) are more simple in design, and not nearly as effective.
Marc Henshall
Marc forms part of our Pro Audio team at Shure UK and specialises in Digital Marketing. He also holds a BSc First Class Hons Degree in Music Technology. When not at work he enjoys playing the guitar, producing music, and dabbling in DIY (preferably with a good craft beer or two).