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Re: Best mic for recording with Tascam portable dat?

Subject: Re: Best mic for recording with Tascam portable dat?
From: "fieldrecordist" <>
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 04:23:19 -0000
Thanks again for the info



I wonder if the hydrophones record sounds in water which are 
simply the atmospheric sounds, like the little clicks/scrapes, that 
one hears while scuba diving, etc, not only just whale or dolphin 
vocal sounds. Somehow I fear the mics might not be detailed 
enought to get an ambient under water sound. Have you noticed 
this?
 Im going to check out the whale watching site. I think I already 
found the one you are talking about..

Thanks again

--- In  Walter Knapp <
> wrote:
> From: <>
> 
> > 
> > Olivia,
> > 
> > I found the following list of available hydrophones:
> > http://www.dal.ca/~whitelab/marmam/hp.htm
> > 
> > The great news is that there are a variety of hydrophones 
listed in a
> > variety of price ranges.  Unfortunately, apparently a lot of 
them require
> > some sort of charge amplifier to convert the signal to 
something useful.
> > That is why phantom power would seem to be a good thing.  
Getting a
> > high-impedance device like a hydrophone to work while 
immersed in salt
> > water, and to keep working, must be a tough engineering 
job.  If you were to
> > make it battery powered, then that implies that you would 
have to be able to
> > open it up and that implies an entrance for corrosive salt 
water...
> > 
> > Eric
> 
> >> Heres a dumb question-why is the phantom power so 
important? Simply
> >>because you dont want to use a battery under water?
> 
> Both the hydrophones I have pass the battery power down the 
cable from a 
> power box that's not immersed. The power box could be a 
small pelican 
> box and thus waterproof, though mine are not. You do not open 
up a 
> hydrophone, they are made and permanently sealed typically. 
The cable is 
> of course sealed with them. Everything to and from then goes 
via the cable.
> 
> For a inexpensive hydrophone, look into places associated 
with whale 
> watching. That has resulted in a number of low cost 
hydrophones, 
> typically with a headphone amp and a output to a recorder. 
One I have 
> like that is from:
> http://www.aquarianaudio.com/
> I have that entire hydrophone system (long cable version) 
along with a 
> miniplug to XLR adapter cable stored in a Pelican 1060 case. I 
got it 
> off ebay this year and have not had a lot of opportunity to use it 
yet. 
> Seems to work fine.
> 
> Phantom power is more important because it's the power 
used in pro 
> equipment. As you move up in mics you find plenty that only 
work with 
> phantom power. So, having it available removes a equipment 
limitation.
> 
> Phantom power is also associated with balanced cables. 
These are far 
> less likely to pick up interference and send it into your pre. This 
is 
> not a big issue in nature recording where we are generally 
fairly far 
> for sources of interference. However another thing about 
balanced cables 
> is that they usually allow longer cable runs, which can be a 
issue in 
> some nature recording.
> 
> There is a lot to say for not having a variety of battery powered 
> equipment. Using all phantom powered gear means you only 
have to support 
> your recorder, which uses it's battery to power the mics. I find 
this 
> does not use enough battery power to be a problem, and the 
convenience 
> of just plugging in any of my mics without worrying about their 
> batteries is well worth it.
> 
> Walt
> 



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________


"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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