Marty Michener wrote:
> Dear Recordists:
>
> The "input" equipment advice, I re-state, all comes down to this:
>
> YOU should decide about noise floors for yourself. You take your best ri=
g
> to wherever it is most quiet that you would be likely recording, and you=
> crank all the gains up and RECORD and then LISTEN, repeatedly, if
> necessary. I do this nearly every place I go, usually while companions a=
re
> asleep, and nature sounds have quieted down. Low sounds are invariably
> world-generated; high bands of hiss are usually water or an insect chorus=
,
> you will have to listen for the wide-band hiss typical of pink or white n=
oise.
>
> IF you DO hear a hiss that is NOT background, locational noise, it is
> either coming from your mic or pre-amp:
>
> There are simple tests to check which: turn off the mic switch, for
> example, and
> IF the hiss goes away, its the MIC (or, might have been locational
> after all). Then ask about or buy a lower noise MIC.
>
> IF the real sounds go away, but the hiss remains unaltered, its the
> pre-amp. Then ask about or buy a lower noise pre-amp.
>
> (The same (almost) can be tested by unplugging the mic from the pre-amp o=
r
> shorting across the pre-amp input, but there are technical complications=
> here, where results will depend on pre-amp designs.)
>
> IF you can hear NO hiss, that you cannot ascribe to the location itself,=
> then you are all set. Then you do not need the advice of experts. You d=
o
> not need to spend more money on lower noise mics or pre-amps. Go outside=
,
> and DO IT.
>
> My findings:
> When I do this with my Sony Cassette recorder and ME-67 pair, I hear NO
> hiss except the blank tape background.
> So I bought a DAT, then bought an MD recorder.
>
> Now, when I do this with the HHb Portadisc and ME-67 pair, I cannot ever*=
> hear any hiss, so I don't buy anything else but batteries and blank MDs.
>
> Marty
> Marty Michener
> MIST Software Associates
> PO Box 269, Hollis, NH 03049
>
>
> coming soon : EnjoyBirds - software that migrates with you.
>
> * Historical note: back a year or so (Feb 10, 2001 12:52 PM), I posted a=
> note that said I actually heard a hiss in the bg. of a recording at Cana,=
> Darien, Panama. I then miss-spoke. I later realized, listening to the
> same recording, made as I walked along the path south of camp, that it go=
t
> louder and then softer, and was IN FACT the rushing river a few hundred
> meters away from the path. Other recordings made the same day elsewhere=
> had much lower locational noise floors, and ALL were always well above
> that of the ME-67 mics themselves. I see no earthly reason so far to ev=
er
> triple my mic investment with MKH mics, but you should decide for your
> locations and equipment, based on your own listening.
I would certainly agree here, my Portadisc is the same and I do more or
less the same in checking out things. Don't find lab tests as good at
really knowing what you have. Good thoughts, Marty. It's easy to get
into chasing numbers. And as far as deciding for yourself, I'm very
nervous when someone takes what I say and buys without thinking about
their uses and needs.
As for MKH vs ME, I went for MKH for a number of reasons that I believe
make sense for me. The first that started it all was that there is a
figure 8 in the series. It was actually the first MKH I bought. A figure
8 mic is the key ingredient in MS stereo*. And I'm pretty committed to
recording in stereo. One advantage of MS not often mentioned is that the
package you are carting around is more compact than the equivalent
stereo package using two of your mid-mics. In fact I have a MKH-60 MS
setup that's fitting inside a standard mono blimp. The best match for a
MKH-30 is going to be another MKH, so this started a commitment to go
with this series.
My 2nd purchase in MKH (at almost the same time) was a MKH-80. A
wonderful mic that's several mics in one. There is not a multi-pattern
ME mic. And I had a MKH-30 which needed a partner.
My 3rd purchase at about the same time was two MKH 816's. This shotgun
mic is a excellent choice in that type. And the offering of these, new
unused, phantom powered, was too good to pass up. They are not a current
mic, and I like them better than the current MKH-70's. Though it would
be hard to pin down just why. Note, I'm not anti-shotgun as some might
think, I just consider shotguns to be a higher priced choice if done
right, and less capable than a parabolic for reach, therefore they
follow after the Parabolic in my sequence of which to buy.
Next first one and then another MKH-40 turned up at good prices. A
MKH-40 paired with a MKH-30 for MS is fairly classic. A pair is also a
classic stereo choice. And they also work in a SASS enclosure I'm
making. That enclosure will work with either those or MKH-20's.
Next to appear was a MKH-60, this fit right in as the short shotgun for
me. The MS combo based on this is very nice indeed. I had listend to
recordings from that.
With, now, four different possible MS combo's, another MKH-30 turned up.
It takes a bit of fiddling to get a MS all set up in a shockmount, so
having more than one figure 8 was definitely attractive.
After about a year of watching for bargain prices I've got what I'm
hoping is a good long term collection of mics. I recently got a matched
pair of MKH-20's (one of the toughest mics to get cheap off ebay, and
this was a matched pair! Unbelievably it was hardly bid on) and a 2nd
MKH-60. I'm pretty much not looking for more mics. And my wallet is a
whole lot thinner.
I have a huge amount of work to do making shockmounts and wind
protection systems. Commercial setups for this list for more than the
price I paid for the mics they would protect. I have managed to pick up
a number of good pieces off ebay for somewhat reasonable prices, though
they commonly are bid up way too high. I pass most auctions up that I
watch in that category.
Pricewise, if you don't count all the hours watching Ebay, all the
auctions I did not even bid on because they went too high, I have
averaged about 40% of normal new price for the entire set. The mics are
mostly near new condition, or new. Many of them seem to be mics bought
for some project and never used. This is still probably double the price
of equivalent ME's where available. As I noted, the ME series has less
types.
The order in which I bought this set of MKH's was dictated by when they
turned up. If I were buying without such limitations, my purchase
sequence would probably have been different. And probably spread out
over longer.
With MKH, you must have phantom power, no internal battery option,
though Sennheiser and others do have battery supplies available. The
mics tend to be a little more compact than the combo setups of the ME
plus it's power module. The Phantom power of the Portadisc or the Sound
Devices MP2 power all of them fine.
Like Marty, I don't think it's justified against ME's if you are only
trying for lower noise. Most recording situations the environment is
providing your noise floor with either. I find once you get into mics
sub -20dBA on noise you just don't have much trouble with that. I got
into the series because of certain requirements in mic types that are
not met by the ME series. I was after MS Stereo and MKH come highly
recommended for handling moist environments (other figure 8 mics were
unknowns on that). Then, since the mics are being used in combination,
it was better to stick within the series for more consistent sound.
Stuff that would work in a SASS and other similar setups also provided
some push, particularily with the MKH-40's and 20's. The low noise is
just a bonus.
The MKH-110's I'm working on in a SASS are a special case. They are a 40
year old design. They have some special capabilities, but I got them
primarily because they could be had pretty cheap and were a quality mic
to use in experiments. I did not expect to find MKH-20's in the bargains
in ebay any time soon. While I could get them I got enough to equip a
SASS and still have some for other experiments. I believe that
SASS/MKH110 is going to become my mic for thunderstorms and such.
In any case, before committing to such a set as I've accumulated, do
some soul searching of yourself about your long term commitment to
nature recording. Even though with something like the MKH, you can
pretty well count on being able to sell them back off for much like you
paid if you bought originally from ebay and such like. Good mics are a
long term investment, in my view much longer than the recorders.
And, BTW, I am investing in or making suitable protective storage of all
this. Some came in the original Sennheiser cases, but some did not.
These mics are going to be well cared for.
Walt
*I got my first experience in MS stereo with a Sony ECM-MS957. This is a
all in one MS, and considerably less money than a MKH combo. I still
like what I get from that mic, and it still comes along for situations
where I don't want to expose the expensive stuff. In those situations,
it's higher noise floor is not important at all.
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