Need to know....

Microphone
A small portable assembly for the pickup and conversion of sound into electric energy. Also called a "mic."

Handheld Mic
often used by a reporter in the field

 Lavaliere Mic
a small microphone that can be pinned onto clothing, often used in television news/talk formats

 Shotgun Mic
a highly directional microphone for picking up sounds over large distances. ENG cameras have a shotgun mic attached to the top

 Boom
pole (large or small) that allows an operator to extend a shotgun mic can be held over or around subjects for clearer pickup in crowded situations or for aesthetic purposes, often used in film

 Parabolic Dish
Satellite-shaped handheld audio device used primarily for picking up voices over large distances such as crowd noise in a sports stadium  

Pickup Pattern
the territory around the microphone within which the microphone can "hear well" or have optimum sound pickup

Unidirectional Pattern
pickup pattern in which the microphone can pickup sound better from the front than from the sides or back, shotgun mics and lavaliere mics have a unidirectional pattern

 Cardioid Pattern
a "heart shaped" pickup pattern, a long but narrow reach toward the front of the microphone, eliminates most sounds from the sides and back, handheld mics have a cardioid pickup pattern  

XLR
Standard cable used in television audio, a 3 pin cable : x=ground wire l=left side of stereo pickup , r=right side of stereo pickup

 Overmodulation
audio level that is too high and therefore sounds distorted

 Intercom
short for intercommunication system. used by all production and technical personnel , has headsets to facilitate voice communication on one or more than one wired or wireless channels

 IFB - "Internal Feedback"
allows control room to speak to on-air talent during a broadcast without being heard over the air, crucial in live broadcasts and sporting events to keep "talent" aware of what's going, what's coming next, and if something has gone wrong

 Snake
large, re-enforced cable that basically acts as many XLR's in one. Saves time and eliminates multiple cable runs.

 Mult Box
"snake looking" box available to members of the press at higher end press conferences. Offers multiple, pristine quality audio feeds from an in-house audio operator.

 Wind Screen -
usually made of acoustic foam rubber, covers the entire pickup area on a mic to reduce or eliminate the low rumble of wind noise

MOS - "Man On The Street"
interviews , everyday people's opinions or accounts of a newsworthy event  

Nat Sound – short for “Natural Sound.”
Refers to the existing sound in any given area. (Car Noise from a traffic jam, applause from a large crowd). Adds life to video that may otherwise be silent. Nat Sound is generally recorded by the Shotgun Mic mounted on the camera.  

Sub-Mixer
External device that can be used to mix down multiple channels of audio. Can be Used to boost the strength of an audio signal.

 IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER :
- Never run audio cable (XLR) over any electrical cable (AC). The electrical surge may cause interference in your audio signal.  

- Hard-Wired mics should be used whenever possible. Wireless mics are less reliable and have a tendency to fail more often than a wired mic. However, wireless mics are necessary for aesthetic and safety purposes depending on the situation.