At 6:16 PM +1000 11/3/05, Judy Parrott wrote:
>Hello Rob. I have a project lined up in the Antarctic, taking still
>photographs and also recording sounds for a sound scape to accompany the
>images in the exhibition. So the sounds don't need to be broadcast quality
>but do need to be of a professional standard. The sounds I usually record
>can range from things people have to say to water lapping, work noises,
>recreation noises, birds - basicly anything that will reflect the total
>environment. I collage 30 second snippets into a CD. I had a look at the
>Schoeps but like you say they are expensive. I could pay up to about AU$500.
>It needs to be something that will go with a sony MZ NH1 hi-minidisc
>recorder. Many thanks if you are able to advise.
>Judy
>
Fun! Perhaps the ability to make hands-free location/ambience
recordings and take photos at the same time might be in order? There
are several, ingenious home-made stereo micing rigs people on this
list have made for "body-mounting" Shure 183's. I think Gerry's
designs are in the group photo files,
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/lst?.dir=/Shure+183%27s+mounted+in+a+Telinga&.src=gr&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/
Dan's is on his website:
http://www.dandugan.com/downloads/1647%20dan_vest_in_action.JPG
Rich's Hat Mic,..There are many others too we were intending to
collect in one place.
The 183's might be the best, low-profile mics available new for under
$500/pair. [The Studio Projects C-4 "pencil" mics ($300US pair with
omni and cardioid capsules) can be shock-mounted in a pretty small
X-Y package but body-mounting this rig isn't as easy as the 183's.]
The Shure 183's are omni-directional which work well for ambience. I
made a stereo rig that sits on top of my backpack to get the mics a
little further away from camera and breathing sounds.
When you are not moving around and can "work" an area for a period of
time, stand mounting the mics up in the air 6' or higher should help
increase the number of useable minutes and the recordings can be more
spatial. Curt Olson has some great wooden wedge/boundary designs
http://www.trackseventeen.com/mic_arrays/ which could probably be
modified/made out of lighter materials. There are quite a few
light-weight 8' light stands that collapse to about 26"
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=114161&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
I see that Sweetwater here in the US is still posting the great deal
on the 183's
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/WL183/ You may have some
trouble finding the Shure's locally. They are pretty unique in terms
of noise and output compared to other manufacturers' options for mics
of this type/price range.
Also some wiring needed to use the 183's with your HiMD recorder.
This was covered earlier today on the subject string, "power and
adapter cables." Unfortunately, some soldering is involved.
It seems like one _should_ be able to come up with slightly better
mics with the additional $300 you would consider spending,.. Maybe
others will have some ideas that meet your needs. Rob D.
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