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RE: Mic Terminology

Subject: RE: Mic Terminology
From: "Martyn Stewart" <>
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 19:48:50 -0800
A very good guide on the web can be found at 
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/MacaulayLibrary/contribute/equipmentOverview.ht
ml
Or follow the link on my page "what do I use to record"
Once you have read all the basics, step up to the next level.

A great deal of us have gone this way or another but find we have stopped at
MKH sennheiser mics, Telinga parabolic mics and top of the range minidisk
recorders like the HHB Portadisk or the long awaited Sound devices 722 or
744 flash card recorders.

Martyn

Martyn Stewart
Bird and Animal Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
http://www.naturesound.org
N47.65543   W121.98428
Redmond. Washington. USA
Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat!

425-898-0462



-----Original Message-----
From: D & m  
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 7:33 PM
To: 
Subject: [Nature Recordists] Mic Terminology


Im one those  who Walter  refers in a previous thread

"It could be very easy for this group to become nothing but technical
discussions. But that would not be very attractive to new folks to
nature recording. We need to get them hooked before we drop the ton of
technological bricks on them. You can record well without understanding
the terminology, though it's easier if you do understand the
implications of that stuff."

Even after followering to the group for several months now I still 
having a lot of trouble appreciating what is a good mic and how that 
relates to the dollar sign. From recent messages I'm not the only one. 
Some of this is terminology and unfortunitly I can not access the link 
on the groups home page which may help. Then there are varous 
specifacations one reads for example self noise, is very important but 
the difference between a mic with 25dB and 40dB are still figures. 
Something that I could relate to is how much closer am I going to get to 
that bird for the same recording. The some for self noise (how much 
extra hiss I'm going to hear in the background with an extra 10dB ) and 
there is sound to noise ratio. Other specifications such as output 
Impedance  and Dynamic Range are just figures.

I have looked at a number of sites that has a general advise on tools 
and methods.  Also there have been a number of references on what makes 
a good mic in this group but there is hell a lot of messages to read to 
get a grasp of it all. I'm asking the impossible, can there be a set of 
guidelines amongst the group that would make an ideal mic, one that 
would do the job and those that will disappoint you for individual calls 
vs ambiance recordings. There is no need to mention specific makes of 
mics or other additions such as barriers as one needs to get a grasp of 
the basics befor being side tracked down another path. Some one could 
explain in practical terms what the varies specifications are. This 
maybe a useful reference for the home page.
David





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



 







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