Editing Microphone (section)

=== Speakers as microphones ===
A loudspeaker, a transducer that turns an electrical signal into sound waves, is the functional opposite of a microphone. Since a conventional speaker is similar in construction to a dynamic microphone (with a diaphragm, coil and magnet), speakers can actually work "in reverse" as microphones. [[Reciprocity (engineering)|Reciprocity]] applies, so the resulting microphone has the same impairments as a single-driver loudspeaker: limited low- and high-end frequency response, poorly controlled [[directivity]], and low [[Sensitivity (electronics)|sensitivity]]. In practical use, speakers are sometimes used as microphones in applications where high bandwidth and sensitivity are not needed such as [[intercom]]s, [[walkie-talkie]]s or [[Voice chat#Voice chat in gaming|video game voice chat]] peripherals, or when conventional microphones are in short supply.

However, there is at least one practical application that exploits those weaknesses: the use of a medium-size [[woofer]] placed closely in front of a "kick drum" ([[bass drum]]) in a [[drum set]] to act as a microphone.  A commercial product example is the Yamaha Subkick, a {{convert|6.5|in|adj=on}} woofer shock-mounted into a 10" drum shell used in front of kick drums. Since a relatively massive membrane is unable to transduce high frequencies while being capable of tolerating strong low-frequency transients, the speaker is often ideal for picking up the kick drum while reducing bleed from the nearby cymbals and snare drums.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/tapeop/yamaha-subkick/ |title=Yamaha SubKick – The Tape Op Review |first=Larry |last=Crane |website=RecordingHacks.com |date=July 2004 |access-date=April 11, 2023 }}</ref>