naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Am I looking for omnidirectional or not?

Subject: Re: Am I looking for omnidirectional or not?
From: "Philip Tyler" macmang4125
Date: Mon Sep 3, 2007 12:22 am ((PDT))
Hi John

I will try and remember it is you in future!

Sorry the old brain erases the odd bits now and again!

Phil
--- John Hartog <> wrote:

> 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
> 
=== message truncated ===



      ___________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it
now.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/ 




<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