An acoustic wave transducer useful in sonic logging while drilling a borehole includes an array of transducer elements mounted circumferentially around a drill collar. The elements are bonded in an elastomer ring that is received in an external groove in the collar and are protected by a shield having windows. The elements are electrically connected in parallel so that when excited by an electrical pulse, the elements generate a monopole acoustic wave that propagates out into the formation. When used as a receiver, the elements detect averaged acoustic waves from the formation around the circumference of the collar and have minimum sensitivity to multipole waves traveling through the drill collar.