When buying a new microphone, or even choosing between existing microphones, it is important to always take the microphones sensitivity into consideration. The sensitivity should be matched to the application you are using the microphone for. Lets say you wanted to record an isolated snare, the thing you would be looking for in this case would be a Microphone with a low sensitivity rating. This is because, the greater the sensitivity the more sound the microphone will pick up. So if you wanted a low amount of "bleed" a lower sensitivity mic would be the most appropriate choice. On the opposite end of the spectrum, recording an acoustic guitar with a microphone with a low sensitivity level could sound weak and dull. In this case high sensitivity is needed to capture all the detail of the sound as it is more complex.
Sensitivity is usually measured in mV/Pa this is an abbreviation of Millivolts/Pascal. Millivolts is a small measurement of voltage (1/1,000) and Pascal is a universally recognised figure of 94 dB SPL. It basically measures the output voltage of the microphone at the 3 pin connectors. This means if on a microphones specifications sheet it says 10mV/Pa, this simply means that at 94 dB SPL (1 Pascal) the microphone is emitting 10 millivolts. So in conclusion, the higher the value of mV/Pa the more output voltage the microphone has and therefore the more sensitive the microphone will be.
SPL - Sound Pressure Levels, this is what occurs when sound is created. The louder the sound the higher the sound pressure level (130 dB SPL = Threshold of Pain)
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