Macrophony

Macrophony is a method of operational recording in which the seemingly uniform-amplitude sound pressure perceived by the ear is added to the pressure of the surrounding noise and is amplified 2-5 times, and after a filter of the lower limit of hearing is suppressed. This method can significantly improve speech intelligibility. The sound of human speech is noisy. It contains 40-50% of low-frequency sounds - the most audible, and almost 60% of high-frequency sounds - less audible due to fatigue of the vocal apparatus. Noise reduction reduces speech intelligibility by up to 80%.

Macrophones have a resonator that amplifies the highest frequency range of the signal - in this case, the high-frequency components that set the tone of speech. As a result, the speech signal acquires higher quality characteristics: intelligibility increases, and the audibility of weak sounds improves. The use of macrophones provides better sound amplification of speech, especially in spectral bands above 4 kHz. At the same time, distortion in the bass lines increases, which can cause discomfort when listening. In addition, the high sensitivity of the macrophone to loud sounds and other interference leads to spontaneous switching to the mode of linear amplification of loudspeaker signals - a “short circuit”. U