A microphone is an acoustical-to-mechanical-to-electrical energy transducer.  There are four popular types of microphones: dynamic, ribbon, condenser, and piezoelectric. 

Dynamic Microphone

A dynamic microphone manages the acoustical-to-mechanical step via a light diaphragm that mechanically shadows and responds to rarefactions and compressions of sound waves.

The mechanical-to-electrical step attaches a light coil of wire to the diaphragm.  The diaphragm mounts over and slides the coiled wire into the gap of a magnet-pole assembly.  The magnet-pole-assembly surrounds the attached-coil. 

Sound waves modulate the diaphragm-coil assembly.  Its modulating magnetic field produces a corresponding modulating voltage. The voltage, an analog of the sound waves, then modulates a speaker or feeds the input of a recording device.

Ribbon Microphone

A ribbon microphone replaces the dynamic microphone diaphragm with a thin metal film placed and framed within a magnetic structure.  As the dynamic microphone, the mechanically modulating film within the magnetic field produces a corresponding modulating voltage of the sound waves.

Condenser Microphone

The acoustical-to-mechanical diaphragm of a condenser microphone is essentially one plate of an electrically charged capacitor.  The mechanical-to-electrical stage places the diaphragm-plate near a battery-charged electro-magnet back-plate.

The modulating distance between the diaphragm and the charged back-plate creates an instantaneous modulating voltage.  That voltage is a corresponding analog of the sound waves.

Piezoelectric Microphone

A piezoelectric microphone replaces the coil-magnet assembly with a piezoelectric crystal.  The microphone's modulating diaphragm applies pressure to the crystal.   The pressure squeezes voltage from the crystal.  The voltage is an analog of the sound waves.