Well again thank you all!
I have been thinking a lot about the recordings I'd like to make, and only =
a small percentage of them would really require the kind of wind protection=
I've mentioned.
I have decided on the Rode NT1-A's because I will be able to use them to re=
cord a few of the musical acts I'm involved in as well as the nature record=
ings I'd like to make.
I am ALSO going to be buying a set of the WL-183's and figuring out a good =
wind blind option just for those higher wind situations and for when it won=
't be appropriate to bring a large case full of equipment :)
Your points are well taken and I assure you I won't be expecting too much, =
given the inherent limitations of the equipment!
--- In Michael Oates <> wrote:
>
> I also agree with John,
>
> Cardioid mics (i.e. NT1a) are much more prone to wind noise than omnis, s=
o as discussed
> already go for some small electret omnis like WL-183s. Then either spend =
some time making
> a good windshield or buy a Rycote. 30mph with higher gusts is going to be=
a real
> challenge. It has also been said that you need an air gap between the mic=
s and the
> windshield, this is very important don't be tempted to use foam windshiel=
ds and add a
> layer of fur on top of that, it just won't work, been there got the t-shi=
rt.
>
> To be honest unless you are good at DIY, you should be looking at spendin=
g more money on
> the windshields than the mics, at least for your application anyway. DIY =
rigs are always
> heavier and larger than a commercial version like a Rycote. So if you int=
end to hike to
> your recording spot, bear the weight and size in mind, and remember you w=
ill also need a
> tripod or other stand, the recorder, cable, spares, batteries, food & dri=
nk etc, it all
> adds up.
>
> I am passing on some hard learned tips here having gone down the DIY rout=
e for a couple of
> years, only to realise that most of the rigs I have made are too large, h=
eavy, or don't
> perform in wind like I hoped they would. So after spending ages on making=
DIY windshields,
> making every increasing smaller and lighter versions (after realising tha=
t I can't carry
> them very far), I ended up buying a Rycote windshield and I wish I had do=
ne that in the
> first place and saved myself lots of money and more importantly time and =
spoiled
> recordings.
>
> There are cheaper windshields about, try ebay, there are some that come f=
rom India, I have
> one and to be honest for the money they aren't bad. I can't vouch for 30m=
ph winds though.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike
>
>
> >Hi Bruce and Rob
> >
> >Honesty, with my current windscreen design for my NT1A rig, recording in=
any breeze higher than 7 mph would likely produce excessive wind rumble. T=
his may be a consequence of my choice of windscreen fabric. I can often re=
cord sounds of stronger winds as long as they somehow miss my mics. Topogr=
aphy and ground cover often buffer the wind to manageable levels at microph=
one level. One solution is to find a spot where you can hear that wind with=
out feeling that wind. That could be very challenging for an open coastlin=
e setting, and especially with the gale force winds that Bruce is intereste=
d in recording. Perhaps building a larger wind blind to record from within=
would help.
> >
> >My recording of wind in the desert sage I made last year by placing WL-1=
83s a few feet apart on the ground below a sage brush worked well for the w=
ind, though I'm not sure this approach would sound good for surf also.
> >http://www.rockscallop.org/ear/jh-080425-1700_sage-wind.mp3
> >
> >John Hartog
> >
> >
> >--- In Rob Danielson <type@> wrote:
> >>
> >> At 8:00 PM +0000 6/29/09, brucethehoon wrote:
> >> >Thank you so much for your reply. The number of private email
> >> >replies I got rather overwhelmed me and as such I didn't get back to=
> >> >the group in my usual speedy manner.
> >> >
> >> >To update, I have purchased the PCM-D50, realizing that I really
> >> >don't care how much this costs, but ruggedness is a factor.
> >> >
> >> >That said, as requested below, my first and most important use will
> >> >be to record one hour or more of waves / surf at a california beach
> >> >with 30mph winds gusting to 50mph.
> >> >
> >> >I will have the unit on a sand compatible tripod (legs buried) and
> >> >would like to record the EXPERIENCE of being there. While not
> >> >necessarily suggesting a binaural setup, I would like to play it
> >> >back later and be fairly able to close my eyes and be there again.
> >> >
> >> >If I was able to pack the whole setup (excluding tripod) into an
> >> >average sized backback, that would be "portable" for me.
> >> >
> >> >Spending ANOTHER $300-500 on microphones seems reasonable to me. I
> >> >can appreciate that it might seem absurd to drop so much in advance,=
> >> >but I would rather take the risk of spending too much money than
> >> >take the risk of getting a lower quality recording during a once in
> >> >a lifetime trip.
> >> >
> >> >I am using Shure E5C's as my listening method, so I suppose anything=
> >> >they can't play, I don't care about, when it comes to quality :)
> >> >
> >>
> >> Hi Bruce--
> >> In the $300-$500/pair price range, the rigs that John Hartog and
> >> variations others have made for Rode NT1-A's have produced striking
> >> recordings and these ultra low-noise mics provide the ability to
> >> record very quiet locations too.
> >> http://www.rockscallop.org/how/barrier10.html Any condenser mic will
> >> require phantom powering which the PCM-D50 doesn't have. The cheapest=
> >> way to provide phantom powering (with no compromise in quality) is
> >> with a portable phantom power supply like an Art Phantom II or Rolls
> >> PB224.
> >>
> >> For dealing with steady winds that strong, Rich Peet has some designs=
> >> made with "Shop Vac" filters that work very well. [Contact him
> >> directly at If you go with a traditional
> >> zeppelin approach, I'd favor a larger than usual "basket" size with
> >> 3-4" of dead air space around the capsules, an inner liner made of
> >> taut panty hose stocking and an outer layer of long pile fake fur (2"=
> >> or longer). Here are some NT1-A ideas:
> >> http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-reports/Rode_NT1-A_Mics/NT1-A_index.htm
> >>
> >> Another thought. Surf and wind are quite loud so you can get by with
> >> small electret mics and put some energy into making wind protection
> >> for them. The tiny Panasonic WM-61A's mics are very accurate in terms=
> >> of tonal response and can be purchased in a variety of packages well
> >> under $100 a pair:
> >> http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-reports/PanasonicWM-61A_OtherBinauralRi=
gs/docs/CompareCommercialLavs_1_2009.doc
> >> The popular Shure WL-183's are larger and quieter. You'll find lots
> >> of discussion about the WL-183's in the list archive. These electret
> >> mics will produce considerable "hiss" if used in quiet locations
> >> where the record level is turned up high but they are fine in loud
> >> locations. Rob D.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >
>
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