Acoustic emission (AE) is a widely used non-destructive method for monitoring and control of machining processes. Vibratory finishing is a surface modification process used for polishing, deburring and finishing of components (aerospace, automotive and other industries). The polishing action takes place due to the action of abrasive particles called media on the components subjected to finishing. The media motion is complex and involves a combination of normal and oblique impacts, scratching and rolling. This work deals with the characterization of basic types of media contact occurring in the vibratory finishing process using acoustic emission signals. A novel one dimensional vibratory simulator was developed for this purpose using a tribometer setup. The one dimensional simulator was used to differentiate between the normal and scratching types of media contact and corresponding AE signals were measured. The preliminary results shows that the AE signals obtained for normal and scratching type of contacts are different. In addition to this, AE signals were used to characterize the amount of media. Copyright © 2013 by ASME.