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Liquid Microphone
Liquid microphones, invented by Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson, were among the first working microphones to be developed, and they were a precursor to what would later become the condenser microphone. Early liquid microphones used a metal cup filled with water and sulfuric acid. A diaphragm was placed over the cup with a needle on the receiving side of the diaphragm. Sound waves would cause the needle to move in the water. A small electrical current ran to the needle, which was modulated by sound vibrations. The liquid microphone was never a particularly functional device, but it makes a great science experiment

Condenser Mics

Condenser microphones are the rich, frilly cousins of dynamics.

They’re more complicated than their dynamic counterparts, so they’re more fragile and expensive (though they have gotten much, much cheaper than they were in the past).

Ribbon Mics

Ribbon mics are the black sheep of the family.

These microphones were very popular in the 50’s and 60’s, before dynamic and condenser mics came onto the scene.

As such, they’re very fragile and very expensive.

These are the most sensitive mics around, so they’re meant to be used on softer sounds, like voice or strings.

Ribbon mics are also always bidirectional. So they’re better used in a room that is well treated to lower the amount of room sound that is captured.

Condensor Microphone

A condenser microphone is essentially a capacitor, with one plate of the capacitor moving in response to sound waves. The movement changes the voltage of the capacitor, and these changes are amplified to create a measurable signal. Condenser microphones usually need a small battery to provide a voltage across the capacitor. Many modern consumer-grade condenser mics can also get their power from a USB connection to your PC.

Small diaphragm condenser microphones are much more common for home recording or live performances. Distinguished by their pencil-like appearance, small diaphragm mics are less sensitive than large diaphragm mics, and generally better at handling high pressure levels and wider dynamic ranges. Whilst large diaphragm mics can be considered almost as instruments by themselves, adding depth to sound, small diaphragm mics are more akin to tools that accurately record sounds as they are in real life.