naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Kit guidance needed for a newbie...

Subject: Re: Kit guidance needed for a newbie...
From: "Raimund Specht" <>
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 19:47:14 -0000
Rob, please note that the statements on my website are mainly
addressed to recordists who are interested in getting good species
recordings (certainly scientists who investigate animal
communication). I agree with you that the properties of the
preamplifier might be more important for recording quiet ambience.

I agree that a combination of the Rode NT1-A and the PMD 671 is less
optimal (-118 vs -121 dBu). The 3 dB difference would theoretically
add 1.8 dB of noise. However, I believe that the MKH 60 (-114 vs -
121dBu) is still a good match. I also believe that these small
amounts af additional noise are irrelevant under practical field
conditions. In my option, it is more important to care about where
to place the microphone and how to protect it against shock and wind
because these factors usually have a much more significant impact on
the overall quality of a recording. Rich's and John's hummingbird
recordings are good examples for the microphone positioning issue.

Regards,
Raimund


--- In  Rob Danielson <>
wrote:
>
> Excellent suggestions Chris and Raimund. However, putting them
> together, I would not invest $2500UK in mkh30/40 pair and then
invest
> in a Marantz 671.  Raimund's recent tests suggest the ME series
mics
> are a good match for the 671 but his assessment on his web page
that,
> "Consequently, there is no relevant noise added by virtually any
> professional recorder as long as a sufficiently sensitive (hot)
> microphone is being used"  may not hold true in cases when low
noise,
> high output, mics (like mkh's and Rodes) are used with maximum pre
> gain to record ambience in quieter locations. Granted,  these
> recording circumstances are not typical, but they may be useful
for
> some recordists to consider who are very interested in
> communications, capturing context and roles of local acoustics.  A
> recorder's overall mic pre gain can also play a role in final
quality
> in terms of generated bit depth saturation when ambient sound
levels
> are low. This said,  it is important to distinguish that recording
a
> fore-grounded bird call, as an example, does not usually present
> these demands!
>
> Its my experience that if the "effective" or performed self noise
is
> of the recorder's mic pre is not 7-10dBA lower than that of the
> mic's, the recorder's mic preamp will definitely introduce noise
if
> higher mic preamp gains are used.  I agree that field performance
can
> be significantly different than what specs suggest, but in this
case,
> side by side listening tests may be the best guide for these
> demanding situations.  If a long-term recorder investment is the
> goal, the HD-P2 or Fostex FR-2 _might_ make a better match for
mkh's
> or Rodes, but side by side tests at this point are lacking to the
> best of my knowledge. I wholly agree that powering options can be
> very important to look at. CF, for example, may not the best
choice
> if one wants to leave the gear in a location for long periods of
time.
>
> Understanding the basic concepts behind condenser capsule high
> humidity performance should help us make better mic choices; but
one
> thing we can do on a list like this is compare whether the
theories
> are consistent with field experiences before making general
> recommendations. This is important because innovative field
recording
> is quite dependent on finding and exploiting exceptions because
the
> demands on the gear are very high. For example, I believe the high
> serial number NT1A's are externally polarized large condenser mics
> and the two I use regularly under very humid conditions have
> performed flawlessly including several times when my mkh 30 and 40
> have failed. The AudioTechnica AT3031 with its fixed-charge back
> plate as Raimund predicts, has also not failed but I've only run
it a
> dozen times for long periods in high humidity. A single failure
> recording on a special trip can turn a recordist sour. Through a
list
> like this, we can access community-generated "best odds" and this
> dialog is perhaps behind the mkh suggestions-- especially for a
> "pack-up and head-out situation."  After a pair of mics has proven
to
> perform without failure, repeatedly under known conditions, one's
> forecasting gets much more meaningful.  I am not confident that
> there's a mic one can recommend that is 100% immune to high
humidity.
> Rob D.
>
>   =3D =3D =3D =3D
>
> At 11:26 AM +0000 1/8/06, Raimund Specht wrote:
> >I think that you are on the right track.
> >
> >Both the Marantz PMD671 and TASCAM HD-P2 are easy-to-use and
rugged
> >recorders. Both have a pre-recording buffer (which is not
available
> >on the MicroTrack2496) and can be operated from
> >8 AA-type rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, these battereis
> >cannot be charged within the recorders. So, an additional NIMH or
> >NiCD battery charger is required (I would recommedn a model than
can
> >charge all 8 cells at once - most are designed for 4 cells only).
> >The advantage of the Marantz PMD 671 woudl be that there is a
> >dedicated NiMH battery (model RB6151) that can be charged within
the
> >the recorder (in this way, you could save the weight of an
external
> >battery charger).
> >
> >The directional Sennheiser microphones ME66 or 67 are also a good
> >choice. The slightly less directional ME66 is more compact, which
is
> >in my option an important advantage in the field. NOte that you
> >could save some money (and 4.5 cm of the total microphone length)
if
> >you purchased the K6P phantom power powering module instead of the
> >(optionally battery operated) K6 moduler.
> >
> >In Costa Rica it is important that your microphones are immune
> >against high levels of humidity. The Sennheiser MKH series would
be
> >slightly better in that regard. In any case, I would avoid any
> >common condenser microphones that are externally polarized.
> >
> >As far as I understand from the Rode NTG-1 specifications, it uses
> >a "condenser transducer". Such a true condenser transducer is
> >polarized with a relatively high voltage of more than 50V that
might
> >break down (and cause loud noise and/or loss of sensitivity) under
> >humid conditions. However, I still have no practical experience
with
> >the new Rode NTG-1.
> >
> >On the other hand, any fixed-charge back plate, permanently
> >polarized electret condenser microphone (as the Sennheiser K6/ME
> >series or AudioTechnica AT3031, AT815b) should (theoretically) be
> >less sensitive to humidity as externally polarized microphones.
> >
> >An additional mic preamp is absolutely not required. Even the
> >preamplifier of the MicroTrack is good enough for the hot
Sennheiser
> >ME66/67 microphone series. I recently prepared some hints on
> >microphone/preamp noise myths:
> >http://www.avisoft.com/tutorial_mic_recorder.htm
> >
> >Shotguns are usually held in the hand. Therefore and because such
> >directional microphones are very sensitive to even slight handling
> >noise, I would strongly recommend a good shock mount or pistole
grip
> >(eg. Sennheiser MZS 20-1). You should also consider a zeppelin and
> >hairy wind cover:
> >
>
>http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/products_micro
p
> >hones_accessories_outdoorprotectionmkh60mkh416
> >
> >Regards,
> >Raimund
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>






________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU