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Re: NT4 vs 957

Subject: Re: NT4 vs 957
From: Michael Gallagher <>
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:24:26 +1000
 >B McWilliams asked
 >For those who have worked with the NT4 and the Sony
 >957, could you describe the results you've gotten with
 >both? I'm in the same boat as the original poster -
 >little money, but looking to get one of these stereo
 >mics.

I have been recording intermittently in the field for nearly four
years. I have accumulated sessions on several hundred mini discs. Work
commitments restrict me three or four sessions per month.

I have been using a Sony ECM MS957 mic from the beginning. I got a Rode
NT4 about eighteen months ago.  I usually use the mics on a stand,
attached to the mic input of a Sony MZR900 MiniDisk recorder via a 20
meter cable. I usually record extended soundscapes from a fixed mic. I
often start recording well before dawn and record for several hours.

Both units are sturdy enough for field use. I prefer the sound of the
Rode. It is more sensitive that the Sony and picks up distant birds
better. However, it is more prone to problems in the field than the
Sony. Its diaphragms are buffeted by the slightest breeze. I enclose it
in a diy wind shield with some loss of high frequencies. It is affected
by moisture. I now keep it packed in refreshed silica gel.
Nevertheless, on dewy mornings, after about an hour, its diaphragms
start to flutter. Through bitter experience, I no longer attempt to use
it on humid or rainy days.

I like the sound of the Sony mic, but I wish it picked up distant birds
better. It lacks the sensitivity of the NT4. It is more reliable that
the Rode, because it is much more forgiving. It works well on rainy
days and  can be used with its foam windshield in a light breeze. A
single AA battery lasts for hundreds of hours.

I will persevere with the Rode in the field. On still, dry days, it
gives me the best sound I can get. I will fit a professional quality
windshield. I hope to find ways of reducing the effects of moisture.

For several weeks before I brought the Rode, I used a borrowed
Sennheiser MKH416 and a SoundDevices MP2 feeding the line input of the
MZR900. That equipment gave me the clearest sound I have ever recorded.
I would like, one day, to put together an MKH ms stereo rig feeding to
quality field mixer or a recorder with quality preamps - an outlay of
several month's wages.

In the mean time, I am learning to get he best sound my mics can
capture. When I am unwilling to risk missing a clean recording in the
field, I  use the Sony. I use the Rode NT4 outside only when the
weather permits. When recording inside, I invariably use the Rode.
Whenever I need to be in the field with only one mic, I take the Sony
ECM MS957.

Regards

Michael Gallagher



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