Hi Robb--
I see a couple of ways to do this-- one quick and the other quite
involved. You can take one of our recommendations for mics, mount and
windscreen and see if it works well enough or you can run extensive
comparison tests based on clues gathered from list experiences. I
suspect you might be able to devise a set-up with extremely high
performance with testing.
As wind and water protection will both affect audio performance and
the solutions have to work in sympathy with your stereo array, I'd
start off with side by side comparisons of existing mics in arrays
that enjoy a reputation for wind resistance without any additional
apparatus-- just the bare mics. From my experience with wind
performance, I'd test "PZM" mics, large diaphragm omni mics in a
Parallel Boundary array. I'd also test a smaller diaphragm mic like a
Sennheiser MKH-20 in a SASS enclosure and in Parallel Boundary array.
Others will, undoubtedly, have mic/array suggestions. Because I
happen to own multi polar pattern Rode NT2000 mics, I'd also include
M-S and Blumlein in the comparison of large diaphragm arrays.
I'd start testing by recording the selected mics/rigs under the same
wind conditions to determine which bare capsules/array combinations
offered the best, "bare-state" protection. Try them facing into the
wind, 90 degrees to the wind and facing down wind. Wind performance
has many subtleties so you might have to test the finalists under the
same, exact wind gusts/steady velocities. Once you are comfortable
with the most promising mic/array choice, there are quite a few, very
clever DIY "wind screen" solutions to experiment with that have been
proposed on this list and on line. (Though, for some reason, the
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/naturerecordists/
list archive link has been down a couple of days,..)
After selecting the best performing mics and array, I'd address the
shock-mounting challenges under sail next. It will probably be
necessary to address vibrations from the vessel itself in addition to
jostling.
As for keeping the rig free from sea spray, hogshair over rip-stop
nylon inner-jacket would be be where's I start my water testing. Its
an effective, largely sound-transparent solution.
Other than the above steps, it might be helpful for us to know what
sound sources you hope to record and placement restrictions you might
already know about. Rob D.
At 9:38 AM -0500 1/3/09, Marc Myers wrote:
>My thinking is similar. Rather than trying to protect a microphone,
>perhaps a really tough microphone should be built. A motion sensor
>glued inside a piece of heavy duty membrane that acts as a diaphragm?
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