Hi Bruce,
Thanks for bringing up the shortcomings. One other issue that has been allu=
ded to in other recent posts is inconsistency in characteristics between in=
dividual mics. Included in the price for more expensive mics is higher qual=
ity control on critical components. That said, my two NT1As with sequential=
S/N seem very well matched.
I have recorded many times in the rain and fog with no ill effect. The mois=
ture problems I have had seem directly correlated to ambient temperature fa=
lling below dew point. In cool, high condensation conditions, I have had o=
ne or both mics go dead a couple of times.
John Hartog
--- In "natureguyusa" <> wro=
te:
>
> David,
>
> I still love the NT1a, but they do have some shortcomings. The NT1a's are=
very sensitive to wind, and I recommend a custom 2-3 chamber windscreens f=
or them. They are somewhat sensitive to moisture and may stop working under=
high humidity, foggy conditions. I use a small heater, while recording, un=
der such conditions after they failed on me twice during warm, foggy condit=
ions. The failure was temporary, but I lost some very good material. They a=
re sensitive to picking up low frequency sounds very well, and sometimes th=
at is too good for picking up distant jets/motorcycles. They tend to be rat=
her bulky/heavy compared to other mics. Overall, when the shortcomings are =
solved, you would be hard pressed to find a better mic for nature recording=
, where the lowest self noise is the most important factor. They are very i=
nexpensive and robust. I never noticed any sound coloration from them. To m=
e, the recorded material has been very life-like. There maybe some high fre=
quency issues if the sound source is at the right distance, due to them hav=
ing a large diameter diaphragm, that may cause a "hole" effect, but I never=
noticed that.
>
> Happy recording,
> Bruce Rutkoski
> www.natureguystudio.com
>
> - In "wildlifeanalysis" <david.michael@=
> wrote:
> >
> > Hello
> >
> > I am looking to pick up another stereo microphone pair for some surroun=
d recordings, but before I do, I wanted to get the pulse of the community o=
n the NT1a. After hearing a number of field recordings made with the NT1a, =
I am convinced that if I was just starting out nature recording, I would bu=
y a couple of matched pairs and save myself thousands.
> >
> > Are there any new value contenders out there I should take a look at, o=
r are the Rode NT1a's still the kings of low cost, ultra-quiet, mics?
> >
> > David
> >
>
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