Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is an indicator in dB of how much background electrical noise the microphone’s MEMS element and ASIC will introduce into the system. This ratio looks at the reference signal (measured when sound pressure is 1 Pa at 1 kHz) and the residual noise at the microphone output. A larger SNR is desired, meaning an SNR of 59 dB is better than 36 dB.