Tom wrote:
>Hi All
>
>In message #21580 of 12th February this year I outlined my start in
>nature recording and mic building. This post is an update of my
>progress since then. I hope the sharing of it encourages other
>beginners who are members of the Group.
>
>I continued playing with mics made with the very cheap capsules and
>constructed a couple more; a "T" mic and a stealth mike based on an
>old bum bag. These are shown in the "DIY Mics" album at
>
>http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos
>
>These mics worked fine and the results achieved with them suggested I
>follow a non binaural route in the immediate future. Accordingly I
>have purchased a Rode NT4 stereo cardioid.
>
>Compared to the cheap omni capsules the NT4 is more sensitive and very
>prone to handling and wind noise. I have therefore built a
>windjammer/carrier. This seems to work reasonably well but wind noise
>is still evident in anything more than a gentle breeze.
>
>The windjammer is based on a metric equivalent of 4 inch, thin wall,
>PVC pipe. It will, hopefully, accommodate different sizes of mic
>should the occasion arise in the future.
>
>A series of photos showing the parts of the assembly is shown in the
>"NT4 Windshield_Support" album at the above address.
>
>On the basis that a second is always easier to make than the first I
>made two. These are shown in the "Twins" photo (thinking of the
>future when two separate mics might be deployed :-)
>
>The arrangement seems to be working OK. Here is a 4 minute excerpt
>from this morning's dawn chorus which includes the faint sound of my
>first cuckoo this year and the doppler? sound of a close flyby.
>
>m("btinternet.com/dawnchorus1.mp3","//uk.geocities.com/g0sbw");">http:
>
>I am amazed at the sensitivity of this mike =96 in another part of this
>morning's recording I can hear a clock inside a neighbour's house
>chiming 5 o'clock.
>
>I made the PCM recording with a Sony MZ-NH1 at rec. vol. 23. The NT4
>used the internal 9V battery and I used a resistorless mic lead.
>
>Maybe I should invest in a phantom power supply. I wonder if this
>will improve the performance of the NT4? It will certainly widen the
>choice of mics for the future ;-)
>
>Any comments on any of the above will be welcomed.
>
>Cheers
>
>Tom Robinson
Hi Tom--
Thanks for sharing your clear morning with us!
(The rain has been "blowing sideways" here all
day long.) I couldn't get to your photos via that
link.
Re:
>Maybe I should invest in a phantom power supply. I wonder if this
will improve the performance of the NT4?
When I tested this, there was no change or
improvement that I could detect comparing 9 volt
to phantom powering through a Rolls PB224 for the
NT-4. The mic's poor performance in the first
few tests proved to be from the attenuation
circuit in the cable XLR5->1/8" mini cable.
Continued success with your recordings. Rob D.
--
Rob Danielson
Film Department
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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