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Re: Recording "Hiss"

Subject: Re: Recording "Hiss"
From: "userno232000" userno232000
Date: Thu May 31, 2007 4:13 pm ((PDT))
--- In  Steve Pelikan <>
wrote:
>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Is this anything other than regular old noise? The MKH30 is listed as
> having a self noise of 13 dB(A) and a sensitivity of  25 mV/Pa. The
> ME-62 (that some have comment on as having too much noise for
recording
> quiet ambiances) are listed as 15 dB(A) and 31 mV/Pa.
>
> That doesn't seem like a very big difference to me; I'd expect them
to
> sound pretty much the same in that one would have  unacceptable
noise if
> the other did.

When you're recording some thing that is at a given fixed SPL the
second mic is 2dB noisier. The extra sensitivity does not compensate
for the worse noise. You need to convert everything to voltages at the
preamp and you would see this. If you set your recorder at 64dB SPL
reference level even the Rode NT1-A is only 59dB below this. I did a
quick back of the envelope computation today and even that mic has
about 4-5nV/rtHz noise at the output, easily achievable with current
IC technology.

There is a second factor which takes into account the psycho-acoustic
masking effects where the spectrum of the noise matters too. This is
where you try before you buy.





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