Microphone Sensitivity Ratings: What does it all mean?
| sound pressure level (dB SPL) | microbar | Pascal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| conversation, 3 ft | 60 | ||
| speech, 1 ft | 74 | 1 | 0.1 |
| speech, 1 in | 94 | 10 | 1 |
Conversion from mv/Pa to dBV
| 20 mV/Pa | -34 dBV |
| 10 mV/Pa | -40 dBV |
| 1 mv/Pa | -60 dBV |
Typical dynamic microphone: -75 dBV/microbar or -55 dBV/Pa or 180 µV at 74 dB.
| setup | sound pressure level (SPL) (dB) | sound pressure level, Pa | dBu (0.775 V) | dBV (1.0 V) | voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dynamic microphone, 1 ft | 74 dB | 0.1 | -72.8 dBu | -75 dBV | 0.2 mV |
| condenser microphone, 1 ft | 74 dB | 0.1 | -57.8 dBu | -60 dBV | 1 mV |
| condenser microphone, 1 ft | 74 dB | 0.1 | -47.8 dBu | -50 dBV | 3.16 mV |
| condenser microphone, 1 in | 94 dB | 1 | -37.8 dBu | -40 dBV | 10 mV (7-15 mV typical) |
| consumer line level | -7.8 dBu | -10 dBV | 0.32 V | ||
| professional line level | +4 dBu | +1.8 dBV | 1.23 V |
For group conferencing, you might also consider surface-mount microphones, which provide additional gain by picking up reflections from hard surfaces like table tops or ceilings: