The measurement of the free field impulse response of microphones in a laboratory environment

A method is presented of measuring the free field frequency and impulse response of microphones by using a pulse technique in an ordinary laboratory environment. The pressure transient generated by exciting a loudspeaker with a narrow pulse is detected at some point in the loudspeaker's far field by a “reference” microphone whose response is assumed flat over the frequency range of interest. The microphone to be tested is then substituted in exactly the same position and its response to the transient measured. The outputs of the two microphones are accurately sampled and deconvolved by using a discrete Fourier transform technique to give the magnitude and phase parts of the “test” microphone's frequency response, and hence, via the discrete Fourier transform, its response to a delta function of pressure propagating in the free field. The computed impulse responses are presented and the accuracy of the method discussed.To illustrate the use of the method, the free field frequency response and free field correction curves of a one inch instrumentation microphone are measured. The method is then used to measure the pressure which occurs at the centre of the flat end-face of a long a cylinder when excited by an impulse of acoustic pressure propagating in the free field from various angles of incidence.