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Re: Stumped on a mic despite researching

Subject: Re: Stumped on a mic despite researching
From: "zplazm <>" <>
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 18:59:27 -0000
the ME-62, ECM-ms957, and nt3 ... sound like fantastic microphones...
I've just found out that the MZ-R37 minidisc, as part of cost saving
features has hat the -20 shelf ommited on the mic normaliser, which
would have been useful for very loud sounds. i expect that the loud
nt3 on battery would not be that astoundingly loud as to brickwall
given mz-r37's lack of a -20 shelf normaliser level, would it? maybe
i should look for a sharp (with the 24 bits of encoding, yummy) with
some defects on ebay...mt15 soudns pretty excellent budget gear.

I'll be really happy to DiY some fluffy material and nylon to make
wind sheilds and splash guards... (maybe i could make a party suit
too?)

there are wonderful places for sound collecting near my house,
abandoned housing full of gypsy junk, nature reserves, town... this
is great i'm getting closer. today i sampled a tennis ball bouncing
down some steps with marvellous rythm and warm wood plank sounds, and
some cows mooing their head off very loud... and sheep... i'd
definately do as much ninja nighttime recording as possible too.

I guess i'll use the md preamp, and may try mono to begin, because
eventually i'll apply lots of panning and stereo delay DSP on
recorded material.

easy on,

Ant
> zplazm  wrote:
> > Oh Gosh!=C2=AC
> >
> > I just wrote a long reply to thank everyone for the excellent
info
> > and yahoo did a login page/byebye letter trick... oh well.
> >
> > i'm starting to become more focused on what i should do...
> >
> > I've got a budget of around $200-330 purely for a mic (and
preamp?)
> > solution, because my sister has very kindly lent me her minidisc
M37
> > sony recorder....
> >
> > *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%If you were given 300 dollars to spend on
any
> > kit you wanted to go with a minidisc, what would you go for to
have
> > the "absolute best" results for recording medium level, close by
> > sounds effects like a forest stream or dropping a tv from a
window? i
> > think i should really get a cardioid bacause there are always
roads
> > and planes about nearby...%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*
>
> Nearby roads and planes cannot be eliminated by mic choice. They
are
> just too loud and reflect off too may surfaces. The forest stream
will
> be a lot easier in this regard than things in a city. It sometimes
takes
> a lot of creativity to get recordings. For instance, roads and
planes
> will be the least problem way in the middle of the night. And if
all you
> want is the water sounds of the stream, they flow at night...
>
> The best kit depends on what you want to record. My primary mic is
a
> parabolic, because my focus is much more on recording calls than
> ambiance. You interests sound more like ambiance.
>
> > the minidisc is great, i tried with a sony ECM-F9 (CR2020 power!)
mic
> > and it was my first recording experience, with squelchy leaves
sounds
> > and a flowing stream... premium sfx sounds!
> >
> > as the line in has automatic levelling, i think maybe i should
find a
> > worn up E-bay tascam portastudio or battery-able mixing desk with
> > phantom power and a line out to use as a preamp, or whatever is
> > cheapest and maximum 3 kilos...  or possibly even a microphone
with a
> > battery.
>
> You can set manual levels, though you have to set it to that each
time
> you go into record. Hold down the pause, slide the record and hold
it
> for at least two seconds and it will go into manual record setting,
> indicating that in the display. You can only set the gain manually
when
> in record pause.
>
> If you don't have a owner's manual, go to
> http://minidisc.org/part_Manuals.html
> And download the manual for that model in PDF format. Info like the
> above is in the manual.
>
> Stick with the minidisc it will serve you well. Focus your money on
the mic.
>
> > most portable preamps seem to provide 9/18 volts power, is this a
> > compromise? how would i research bettery mics
>
> Those are preamps designed for the concert tapers using other than
> phantom powered mics and are not supplying phantom power which is
48
> volts. Regular mic pre's like the Sound Devices MP2 provide
standard
> phantom power. In the case of the MP2 it provides phantom power at
48
> volts and 12 volts (switchable). For mics that will work ok with
the
> lower voltage you save battery life.
>
> In any case, as Rich has pointed out, you don't need a pre. As you
have
> already found out you can record just fine without a separate pre.
Same
> with the idea of a mixer in the field. The system used in music
where
> each sound source is miked separately is not practical in a outdoor
> portable environment. And remember each channel you mic is
additional
> cost for mics, stands, cables, etc. Start with a recorder and a
hand
> held mic. Do your mixing or whatever later in your computer. It's
> different thinking than standard practice in music recording.
>
> While Rich suggested a ME-62 omni, which is a good mic, I
personally
> think you are going to be happier with a stereo mic. A stream or
the
> shattering of a TV set on the pavement will be much better in
stereo. My
> suggestion is the Sony ECM-MS957. By hunting in Ebay you can easily
get
> this within your price range, would be the better quality in your
price
> range for a stereo mic. Because it's a Mid/Side stereo mic, should
you
> want mono, the two channels mix perfectly to mono, which will be
just
> the output of the Mid mic as the contribution of the side mic
cancels
> out. The mic runs on a single AA battery, comes with the right plug
to
> connect to the minidisc. Note you will see a lot of ECM-MS907 mics
in
> Ebay that are cheaper. The quality difference parallels the price
> difference, most who have tried



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>From   Tue Mar  8 18:23:12 2005
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 07:21:52 -0800
From: Wild Sanctuary <>
Subject: The abstraction of city ecology

Thanks for the article by Stille. I had read it and it is interesting
mostly because of it's cryptic defensiveness of human impact. My
problem with the basic premise is that, while humans have left their
booted footprints deep in the soils of the wild natural everywhere on
earth, there was a time (and still is among some few remaining groups
of humans such as the Bayaka, the Kaluli, the Pitjanjara, the Jivaro)
when we lived more closely connected to the wild and very possibly
lived within a kind of biological equilibrium. Within those
boundaries, as difficult as it may have been to survive, the natural
world offered a kind of solace and place of respite pretty much
unknown to most of us more tethered to the urban paradigm (whether or
not we live outside of a city).

It is (to me) just another form of abstraction (see Jack Turner's
"The Abstract Wild", Univ. of Arizona Press, 1996) for a more
thorough explanation.

Bernie Krause

Wild Sanctuary, Inc.
P. O. Box 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
707-996-6677 tel
707-996-0280 fax
http://www.wildsanctuary.com

>This is an article that many of you might already have seen, but since it
>came my way again, and (to my mind at least) has obvious implications for
>field recording / phonography (terms which have recently generated some
>debate on the phonography list), I thought I'd pass it along.  Apologies
>to anyone who isn't interested or has seen this or related articles
>before.
>
>-i
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------

--


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