Thanks Phil,
That would be me. "Tree Ears" is my own trademark for some of the
microphone mounting and windscreen systems that I have invented.
The idea however, for mounting omni laveliers to the side of a tree is
not my own. I first got the idea several years ago from Paul Matzner
at a Nature Sounds Society event. Paul likely got the idea from Bernie
Krause who has been using the technique for years. I like to call the
technique Bernie Binaural.
Many examples of my recordings, including ones made with wl-183s and
Tree Ears, can be found on the Sound Journal page of my website
www.rockscallop.org. There are also a couple pages with descriptions
of a couple of gear setups. I have not found much time for web
maintenance, so I apologize that my site is still pretty rough.
The wl-183s work great with plug-in-power, but you will need a cable
modification or an additional adapter cable. Not to hard to DIY, but
some soldering experience would be helpful.
Wl-183's are not quiet enough for some nature recording, but can do a
great job in certain applications. Besides quasi-binaural, they also
work great in a parabolic dish. That reminds me of an unfinished
project I must get back to.
John Hartog
rockscallop.org
--- In Philip Tyler
<> wrote:
>
> Omni's are good, especially for ambiance recordings, giving quite
natural stereo sound so something like the WL183's work very well. I
can't remember who it was who first used the term 'tree ears' but
someone on this group who uses the Shure WL183's a lot, and I
apologies for not remembering their name, has made some excellent
recordings using this method. Basically he attach's his WL183's on
either side of a tree, the tree acting a bit like a dummy head, and he
has made some really nice recordings using this method. Another
recording he made was of a stream where the WL183's were put on rocks
near or in the water, the mic's being above water :-)), I really liked
that one. They can also be used to capture bird song I have some small
omni's I made out of Panasonic electret capsules and have clipped
these to branches of a tree and then run a long cable, about 12
meters, connected my recorder and sat down and recorded. It's amazing
what you can get using
> this method.
> So if money was tight then the WL183's would be a good option, but
if you use them with something like the Fostex FR2-LE you will need to
make a Plug In Power supply for them, the FR2-LE supplies 'phantom
power'. This is very easy and requires a couple of capacitors and a
couple of resistors and a battery.
> Going up in price there are the AT3032's another excellent
microphone that performs very well. Although bigger you could use them
in similar ways by adapting the method to suit the size of the mic.
Again some very fine recordings have been made with these microphones
by members of this group. These are phantom powered so would work with
the FR2-LE with no problem.
> Now I am not sure on the pricing of these but soon to be released on
the market by Telinga are the EM23's, I believe they are called that.
These are again small omni's similar to the Shure WL183's but have
much better noise figures. It may be that these could even be
configured to run on phantom power. I am waiting for these as they
seem to tick all the right boxes for me, small, sound good, omni and
low self noise.
> Going up in price again would be the Sennheiser K6/ME62, yes more
expensive, but the K6 module can have alternative capsules put on it
like the ME66 short gun mic for instance.
> I think that about covers it for the 'cheaper' end of the omni market.
>
> Don't forget have a look on ebay as you can get some real bargains.
I picked up two Sennheiser K6/ME66 microphones for about half price,
one was from the UK and my second came from the USA and actually
worked out slightly cheaper than the one I got here, including taking
into account the shipping charge and import duty from the USA!
> It would appear that initially from new they seem to drop quite a
bit, then as second hand then they appear to hold their price.
>
> I did a quick check on prices, now as I am from the UK so I am not
sure about sales tax so this may need to be added or not. Sweetwater
do a pair of AT3032's for $340 and B&H Photo do the Fostex FR2-LE for
$599 making $939.
> The K6/ME66 from B&H Photo would set you back $700 for a pair. While
a pair of WL183's from B&H Photo would seem to be $177.
>
> I hope that helps you.
>
> Phil
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: paulmcnelis <>
> To:
> Sent: Saturday, 1 September, 2007 12:42:45 AM
> Subject: [Nature Recordists] Am I looking for omnidirectional or not?
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> As I continue to do my homework, I am finding out that the WL183's are
> omnidirectional. And omnidirectional is great for true stereo imaging
> in 360. Sounds great. But is this good for ALL nature sounds - from
> forest ambience to babbling brooks to bird calls to buzzing bees?
>
> Or in order to capture all of these sounds, will a shotgun mic like the
> ME66 serve my purpose?
>
> Or can the NT4 suffice as well?
>
> In order to pinpoint the type of microphone I need, I need to figure
> out what omnidirectional is better for and what shotgun is better for.
>
> Whichever type is better for ALL sounds, I would appreciate your advice!
>
> Thanks again! I think I have decided on the FR2-LE.
>
>
>
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> Want ideas for reducing your carbon footprint? Visit Yahoo! For Good
http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/environment.html
>
>
|