At 3:14 AM +0000 6/11/06, cfmspencer wrote:
>
>the Oade Bros. website offers Hosa's comparative product (albeit a
>1/4" version) coupled with a Denecke ps-2 phantom power unit as a
>low cost mic preamp.
>
>http://www.oade.com/microphones/low_cost_mic_pre.html
Even though this Oade page suggests to use the PS-2 "with a Sony
MiniDisc Recorder, Edirol R1 or any stereo minijack input recorder
and get the quality of phantom powered studio microphones without the
cost of studio mic preamps,"
I found that the Denecke PS-2 was one of the units that I could not
get to work well with either older MD or newer Hi-MD recorders' mic
inputs without substantial noise. I tried a number of solutions
including external powering and caps which helped a tad, but the
Rolls and Art tested with considerably less noise. I believe, Allan
Haighton had a PS-2 for his HiMD's and has since gone with an Art
unit. Perhaps the Hosa addresses the problem I was having with the
PS-2, I cannot say.
>
>
>it seems I should start with great microphones no matter what else I
>might decide downstream. low noise / high output mics might lessen
>the possible need for high quality preamps.
Or vice versa, as you suggested before. The noise from the
(camcorder) pre can mask the quality of the mics- especially when one
records with high gain in quiet locations.
Its often hard to judge which device, mic or pre, the noise is coming
from. To get a sense of this with a mic pre/recorder combination, I
first run mics with very low noise (Rode NT1A's) into the
pre/recorder I want to test and then the same mics into into a SD
Message: 722.
Subject: I match playback volume of the sound files and listen to the
differences. Then I run the mics I want to test into both recorders
(both at highest gain). match the playback levels and compare them.
> per Rob's spreadsheet,
>it is wasy to see why the MKH series are so popular.
>
>thanks Rob for the suggestion to try the MKH-30 in M-S config.
>after listening to some recent recordings made with my NTG-2, it
>seems as if I will appreciate stereo recordings more than mono.
Yes, definitely.
>
>it also seems that M-S is the simplest manner to get good stereo,
>are there significant issues/downsides to using M-S?
For compact stereo with "shotgun" and "ambience" capabilities at the
same time, there are not many options. I like being able to shape the
stereo image quite a bit in post. Another way to explore this
question is to search "M-S" in the on-line archives e.g.
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=m-s&submit=Search%21&idxname=naturerecordists&max=10&result=normal&sort=score
or"
http://tinyurl.com/fnlgj
There are quite a few matches but you can roll through them pick-out
specific strings to follow.
>
>after being impressed in an audition of the MKH-416 at B&H, I had
>originally thought of getting an MKH-418S stereo mic, but it seems
>the side mic is rather noisy for ambient recordings at 22db.
>
>what is the ideal pattern for the Mid mic?
The only one I know of that works for the side mic is what is called
a "figure 8." There aren't that many choice in fig 8's mic with
small diaphragms. Rob D.
>
>cheers,
>clay
>
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