Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions

Posted by Deaf Ear (A) on December 12, 2007 at 11:44:01

Hello,

I have been asked to record and digitally sample some ambient noises from a kinetic sculpture! These are acoustic sounds produced by plucked strings and bowed metal plates. Some sounds are tuned, others are not. Some sounds are loud, others are quite subtle. All recordings will be done indoors and captured on a laptop and the end result will be included on a commercially available CD.

The trouble is that I am a microphone virgin. All of my previous recordings have been electric or electronic and have come straight off a mixing desk. I have an extremely limited budget for this project and I need to be as flexible as possible with the equipment I buy/beg/borrow/steal.

What I need to know is:

is there one type of microphone (condenser, dynamic, ribbon etc) that is more flexible and adapts more situations (close miked, room miking, low volume, high volume etc)?
To begin with, I'll have to limit myself to only 2-mics. For my situation, is it better to get a stereo pair, or different types?
A 'clean' recording with a low noise floor is important, but economy is a grave consideration. Are there mics that are known over-achievers in the price/performance stakes?
Is there somewhere I can find an idiots introduction to this subject: idiot being the operative word?

Thanks for indulging me, and I appreciate any advice you could offer me.

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Topic - Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 11:44:01 12/12/07 (30)

You need three things! - grhughes 09:04:20 12/17/07 (2)

RE: You need three things! - Inmate51 17:44:54 12/19/07 (0)

RE: You need three things! - Deaf Ear 12:13:58 12/18/07 (0)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - smcdonie@uwsp.edu 08:05:15 12/14/07 (14)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 12:01:11 12/14/07 (13)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - smcdonie@uwsp.edu 07:23:41 12/19/07 (4)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 10:22:20 12/19/07 (3)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - b.l.zeebub 02:21:23 12/21/07 (1)

Thanks for the Gearslutz.com tip. Very helpful! (nt) - Deaf Ear 07:46:23 12/21/07 (0)

AYE.........nt - smcdonie@uwsp.edu 07:14:01 12/20/07 (0)

Suggestion - b.l.zeebub 07:28:47 12/15/07 (7)

RE: Suggestion - Mike27 16:30:03 12/17/07 (3)

Thanks for the pointers Mike27--everything helps!(nt) - Deaf Ear 12:25:20 12/18/07 (0)

Alternative Suggestion - b.l.zeebub 06:17:09 12/18/07 (1)

RE: Alternative Suggestion - Deaf Ear 12:22:35 12/18/07 (0)

RE: Suggestion - Deaf Ear 09:34:50 12/15/07 (2)

Re: Suggestion - mpathus 20:45:56 12/15/07 (1)

RE: Re: Suggestion - Deaf Ear 09:57:36 12/16/07 (0)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Inmate51 09:25:35 12/13/07 (1)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 10:21:33 12/14/07 (0)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - mpathus 22:58:28 12/12/07 (9)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 12:51:24 12/14/07 (1)

What I've been reading... - mpathus 17:26:46 12/14/07 (0)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 12:09:57 12/14/07 (0)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - chi7 10:59:02 12/13/07 (5)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 12:24:06 12/14/07 (4)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - chi7 15:01:37 12/14/07 (3)

RE: Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions - Deaf Ear 17:52:29 12/14/07 (2)

Yet a n o t h e r suggestion! - George :-D 11:36:29 12/22/07 (1)

RE: Yet a n o t h e r suggestion! - Deaf Ear 23:28:17 12/22/07 (0)

Hopelessly Naive Microphone Questions

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