At 10:54 PM +0000 3/28/08, Mark Forry wrote:
>After much internet reviewing, I chose the Marantz PMD 620 recorder.
>I am looking to make
>bird song recordings to help identify birds in the field that I
>cannot see, but hear only. I have
>Thrayer's birding software that provides excellent song recordings
>for comparison.
>
>I made my field recorder selection based on 2 sources: oryoki's
>recent naturerecordist review
>and the transom.org review. Considering what I was looking for it
>seemed to be the best
>compromise.
>
>I am now looking for an external shotgun microphone in the $50-200
>range. This area is
>more troublesome for me to sort out. I have read I should get the
>best microphone I can
>afford. However, I want to start out with little in it until I
>understand how I am using the field
>recorder better and know more about what is needed.
>
>Your recommendations are welcome. My understanding is that this
>recorder does not have
>phantom power so keep this in mind when making your recommendations.
>My 2 primary
>uses for the field recorder will be for birding in the field and
>doing podcasts. I am new to
>the audio field so bear with me as I get acquainted with what is
>required. Plus, I am new to
>naturerecordists.
>
>Thanks in advance....
Hi Mark--
Sorry if my answer to your mic selection question seems overly
technical. The question you ask is very common. I've tried to provide
some "tools" you and others might be able to use in understanding
your options.
The role of "noise" is more important in nature recording because the
sounds and spaces we record are often much quieter than the usual
fare of voice, music, and loud sound effects/environments. Sadly, we
are finding that many of the newer, "point and shoot" recorders are
much better suited for the later subjects.
With a noise floor of -112dBu, the mic premp in the PMD 620 is
noisier than what many would consider very well suited for nature
recording. (Raimund's chart lists the noise floors of many popular
recorders http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm) This noise is
produced by the mic preamps in your recorder when you raise the gain
to high levels to record soft subjects. As a result of this high
level of noise in the PMD 620, the number of "well-matched" mic
choices is fairly limited. Of course, you can invest in "better" mics
you can use with a "better" mic pre/recorder in the future. Many
readers on this list would probably recommend this having purchased
mics that turned out to be noisier than they hoped they would be.
There's lots of bad advice out there!
Manufacturers specifications ("specs") are not to be relied upon
100% but they do provide a good reference. The mics in the White Area
on the below chart are a good match for your PMD 620 (with its noise
floor of -112dBu). The mics in the Pink Area will add a significant
amount of noise to your high gain recordings. The mics in the Blue
Area would be an investment for using with a "better" mic
pre/recorder in the future. The Brown mics, no matter where they
fall, have high self-noise that make them less than ideal for
recording ambience in quiet locations.
http://ad2004.hku.nl/naturesound/RobD/Table3_RaneNotes148_-112dBu.gif
For reference, below is another chart with mic options for a Hi-MD
recorder with its -124 dBu noise floor. The mics in the White Area on
the below chart are a good match for a Hi-MD recorder. The mics in
the Pink Area will add a significant amount of noise to your high
gain recordings. The mics in the Blue Area would be an investment for
using with a better mic pre/recorder in the future. The Brown mics,
no matter where they fall, have high self-noise that make them less
than ideal for recording ambience in quiet locations:
http://ad2004.hku.nl/naturesound/RobD/Table3_RaneNotes148_-124dBU.gif
Please note that if one is only interested in recording loud sounds,
even the brown mics can produce very acceptable results because your
record levels (and noise) will be low.
There are many experienced recordists on this list who can recommend
and discuss specific mics. My charts might help you refine your
search.
I just used model numbers on the charts. On this page,
http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-art-tech-gallery/pages/MicSpecs-Cover.html
you'll find the mics, by model number, with the manufacturers'
self-noise and sensitivity provided. In some cases, the numbers have
been changed to match tests that folks have conducted.
To avoid the predicament you are in, I suggest researching mics first
before buying a recorder. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be the
rule. The mics are the most critical component in a recording system.
Rob D.
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