As the cones vibrate, those signals get converted back into sound. These electrical signals travel through wires that go to your amplifier and speakers, which have an electrical coil and magnet attached to the speaker cones. When you speak into a microphone, the diaphragm vibrates, sending electrical signals down wires inside the microphone and into your mixer preamps. When a mic’s diaphragm vibrates, the magnetic coil attached to the diaphragm sends those vibrations as electric impulses. Despite this inverse relationship with each other, they’re practically comprised of the same components and operate under the same sonic principles. Microphones convert sound into electrical signals while speakers do the opposite, converting these electrical signals into sound. This works because microphones and speakers are similar in a lot of ways. It’s an old DJ trick that works pretty well, particularly when you don’t have any other options for mics. If you’ve forgotten your microphone, your headphones can make for an impromptu substitute at the last minute.įorgot to take your microphone to the gig? An old DJ trick can turn your headphones into a mic! All you need to do is connect your headphones to your mixer’s mic input.
