From: Rob Danielson <>
> I'd venture to guess that a large part of what many regard as
> ambience has to do with clarity (more tones, better separation)
> between 125 and 700hz. I seem to consistently get more of this from
> these mics, so along with their lower noise, they have become my best
> option. I'd love to have omni-directional mics for recording
> ambience, but the NT1A's have provided important clues about some
> characteristics that are productive. Their "wide cardioid" polar
> pattern seems to grab a bit more below 1000 Hz from behind the mics
> than the usual heart shaped cardioids. The siren is directly behind
> the mics and there's a large hill (dam) between town and the river.
> Most of the sound from the siren that reaches the mics is either
> reflected from the hills to the west, north and east or has rolled
> over the hill and come in from behind. I think certain species/events
> feel more isolated on each mic than would be ideal if trying to
> capture a fullness of the space. The river splashing is quite
> detectable, but its exhibits less edge when its in the middle or off
> to far sides. I can work with these polar patterns and guess what
> critters are likely to show up more easily than I can judge how the
> land will shape more distant sounds. Sections of this all night
> recording have curious acoustic happening, but the same spot didn't
> reveal much magic the night before.
If I remember right shure talks of a dip in sensitivity in this area
with the 183's. Something to do with improving the sound quality.
The polar patterns of the Rode are likely not as smooth as higher end
mics, this may or may not be a problem depending on what you are
recording. Seems like you are finding the polar patterns of the Rode a
little narrower than the MKH as a general finding? Though you have only
limited experience with the range of MKH mics.
> If you decide to dive into NT1A's, it might be a good idea to tell
> the dealer that you intend to take them out into the field and that
> you have heard that some units can test to be more vulnerable to
> moisture and handling noise. Take them to a swamp or steamy bath room
> and give em a 100% warm or hot humidity test. A bad mic will produce
> fizz and signal break-up after a while. For the handling test, I
> guess you could gently vibrate them in your hands and see if this
> creates about the same amount of signal disruption on both mics.(This
> will sound awful, you're seeing if they respond about the same to
> vibration). You're not taking a huge risk, but out of the eight I've
> bought, I did sent one back that I felt should have performed better
> and the dealer was fine with this.
I work such that all my mic setups must be hand holdable, and I use them
that way very often. When buying a new mic it's a good idea to think
through how you will suspend and wind protect the mic. This is going to
be especially true with big, heavy mics like the Rode. A bare mic is
only part of a nature recording setup.
> It is mind boggling what could be possible with low noise mics, a
> Rolls pb224 and consumer recorders. I love my 744 and I'm pretty
> sure that the extra bits play a big role when it comes to coaxing
> body out of quiet settings. The background ambience bottoms at about
> 20dB that night by the river. That said, the gain on the NH900 is so
> impressive, its possible that the extra saturation one can pour into
> the 16 bits initially (with a high sensitivity, low noise mic and the
> rolls pb224) will also help one get more body, better local acoustic
> etc. There are lots more mics on the list of options to consider now.
> Your AKG could take on a new personality.
Of course part of this is experience. It's been noted before that
experienced recordists can coax more from their equipment than
beginners. That's why I keep telling folks to get out and record as much
as they can. And that one should spend some time recording with a piece
of equipment before coming to final conclusions. I don't figure I'm
anywhere near getting the best out of a mic until I've used it at least
a season or two.
Walt
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