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In Reply to: RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions posted by Deaf Ear on December 12, 2007 at 11:44:01
Ideally to capture the room:
A matched pair of large diaphram multi-pattern (omni, figure of 8, cardioid) tube (or fet) mics. Costly but never obsolete.
A low noise high sensitivity design will capture more "air".
Mic type, placement, mic preamp, analog to digital converter into your laptop -- all factor into your sound chain.
Shure's sm57 is a solid performing, versatile and rugged dynamic mic. Often used to close-mic snare drum. Ok for live vocals. I've seen them in front of guitar amps. A place to start.
There are some Asian condenser mics that are supposed to be good for the money. Research.
Calibration mic (small mic capsule) knock-offs might be worth researching as well. Sometimes they come in matched pairs.
You may want to consider some of the all-in-one portable digital recorders from Korg, Zoom, Edirol, etc., and download to laptop for playback. These may use SD memory cards.
Be free to experiment, as your budget may demand unconventional solutions: piezo electric contact mics, wiring speakers as mics (dynamic)? Innovate and improvise.
Best luck!
Follow Ups:
You may want to consider some of the all-in-one portable digital recorders from Korg, Zoom, Edirol, etc., and download to laptop for playback. These may use SD memory cards.
This is an intriguing idea I didn't even know existed. Is the quality any good?
...says that the Korg's MR-1 & MR-1000 1bit streaming format is outstanding -- "sound quality close to 15ips tape" for the MR-1000. The MR-1 is pocket sized (but has a non-removable battery).
I've heard the Zoom -- ok for handy practice recording.
These pocket digital recorders are new, so who knows how truely good they are but first users.
BTW -- A good working vintage tube reel to reel tape recorder might get capture results on the cheap.
Best!
Excellent advice mpathus! I'm already using pickups and diy contact mikes (Radio Shack piezo buzzers) but I hadn't thought of using speakers. Unconventional solutions for unconventional sound sources is a first class idea! Thanks!
Contacts are fine, but it's the airborne sounds that are causing problems. Thanks for the tips!
If you happen to have any sound companies in your area, see if they will rent you a AKG 451, this is a reasonably good condenser mike, quite sensitive, if you drop it you bought it! A D-12-E would also be a very God like choice for a dynamic mic, same rules apply. You can record it in mono and give the signal a psudo stereo image through the DSP in your sound card, also see if there are any compression plug ins for your DSP for an acceptable dynamic range between loud and not so loud signals.You could also try a "Shotgun" mike, (highly directional, very tight and controlled pickup pattern and large diaphragm) and look at an acoustically reflective surface of the room, (ceiling, wall) giving you a more ambient acoustic picture of the room. A Crown PZM would also give you a sensitive mic which would get the room sounds but controlling the pickup pattern is a bear, I would also be concerned about phase canceling of random freq.
Your going to need a preamp or mixer to power any condenser, some EQ would be good and it will give your sound card the line in's it wants.
Suggested Reading, Yamaha's Pro Audio Bible, My copy is on loan and I don't remember the title "Sound systems for ???-??? and houses of worship"?? (How fitting, I would remember the most unlikely phrase)
any way it's every thing you need to know about audio, Don Davis knows his stuff.
Sometimes the real trick isn't the right answer but the right question,
Enjoy!;) ps, if I can get a hold of this dolt I will post the title and stock #
Thanks chi7, this is great advice! If you can remember the name of the book I'd be hugely grateful! When I put your fragments into a search engine I get a book by Jon F. Eiche , is that it? Even if it isn't, it has led me to a plethora of other books. Thanks for the leads!
Hi,
the link pasted below will take you right to the "sound handbook" I was thinking of, used starting around $20.00
also check " If Bad Sound Were Fatal, Audio Would be The Leading Cause of Death" Don and Carolyn Davis about $20.00
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?SID=337714&z=y
Enjoy!
thanks chi7; I've ordered them both.
I like your choice of the m-audio but for the same price also check out the TC Electronic Konnekt 8 FireWire Audio Interface. It has a sample rate of 192k... very high resolution. (with the right software you could make sacd of dvd-a high-res discs.
Also, the Rode NT4 Stereo Condenser Microphone for $480 with it's fixed x-y patern can make easy work of high quality stereo recordings without renting and without having to be a recording engineer.
Cheers!
George
Thanks George.
Those are a couple of very interesting solutions. The TC Electronic unit looks great, but I've had the M-Audio Firewire 410 for a couple of years now, and money is tight so I'm afraid that beastie is a given for this project. The Rode NT4 has really piqued my interest, though. It seems to solve a lot of problems at once: decent quality, stereo matching, idiot operator damage limitation. I'm very excited by this one's possibilities--thanks!
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