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Re: Fw: [Nature Recordists] diy mic outdoor enclosure

Subject: Re: Fw: [Nature Recordists] diy mic outdoor enclosure
From: "Randy Perretta" first_avatar
Date: Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:45 pm ((PST))
Hi there,

Good point about Logic. I use it for efficient workflow with Final Cut and =
Shake. I don't take on a lot of clients (very few - I have a life) but the =
steady ones are video post.  I'm trying to build up a library of found audi=
o stock for them and my own composing work. Never settled on a samplitude s=
tyle app. Tried Peak for a while.  Workflow issues from passing files aroun=
d rather than direct import and sync my be offset some by recording focused=
 apps.

I think that as more of the processing quality is plugin related, the lines=
 may blur. Sonoris Dither or any of a variety of good plugins can make quit=
e a difference regardless of hosts but it's a real caveat emptor - bad plug=
ins make bad recording.  I'm going to try Izotope Rx just to see how it han=
dles undamaged material - the same algorithms should be pretty effective.

I think the real deal is a good pre.  The Otaris I'm using are NE5534 based=
, state of the art when the consoles they went in came out - about 18 years=
 ago :)   Next generation (90's) from the 5532 which saw service in a lot o=
f consoles and pres in the 80's.  i have the 5534 data sheet and could calc=
ulate Ein and CMRR off of the schematic and that but I'll just wait and upg=
rade to Millennia Media in the spring.  That'll make a difference for sure.=
  Noise certainly isn't audible without looking so at least they're working=
 for now from a subjective sense.

Randy

--- On Sun, 11/29/09, John Lundsten <> wrote:

> From: John Lundsten <>
> Subject: Re: Fw: [Nature Recordists] diy mic outdoor enclosure
> To: 
> Date: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 1:18 PM
> Randy Perretta wrote
>
> Thanks to all for the good advice and the points that made
> me think.
>
> JL} Yes for sure "Nature recording" has "special"
> requirements far removed
> from the design criteria for good music studio stuff.
>
> Good point about 24 bit. Bit resolution is much better at
> low levels.
>
> To answer your questions...
>
> For pres, I use Otari mic/line pres pulled from spare
> boards for my console.
> Either Lynx PCI or Lexicon Lambda interfaces depending on
> how much I want to
> lug around that day. A Neumann summer on the back end.
>
> JL} I'm not familiar with the Otari mic/line pres, can you
> tell us what EIN
> (noise figures) they have & the CMRR (common mode
> rejection Ratio) at
> various frequencies, or how "well balanced" they are?
>
> IMO this stuff is critical to get the best out of fine but
> rather low output
> Ribbon mics.
> Must say i am very enamoured of what ribbons can do, and
> the idea that if
> only one could give them a hi gain / low noise Mic pre,
> (etc) they may well
> give the best sound in many applications.
>
> <snip>=A0 I do post at the studio in Logic.
> JL} seems an odd choice to me, IMO it's great at MIDI &
> Music scores, (which
> I don't understand at all well, to may regret) but as to
> it's Audio
> capabilities, well, not good, err quite bad IMO, but hey if
> it works for
> you, YMMV.
>
> Makes me wonder, how the rest of the folk here pull that
> one signal of
> interest out of the mud...
> Randy
>
> JL} Adobe Audition vers3, IMO forget Sequencers, fine as
> they maybe,=A0 that
> have "Audio bolted-on", for a full-on, micro precision
> treatment of audio AA
> is the best, and Samplitude is pretty good at this stuff
> too.
> John L
>
>
>
>
> --- On Sun, 11/29/09, Rob Danielson <>
> wrote:
>
> > From: Rob Danielson <>
> > Subject: Re: Fw: [Nature Recordists] diy mic outdoor
> enclosure
> > To: 
> > Date: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 7:38 AM
> >
> > At 11:57 PM +0000 11/28/09, John Lundsten wrote:
> > >>"Rob Danielson" wrote
> > >
> > >>>RODE D-PowerPlug seems like a good option
> ....
> > >>>As a phantom-powered, 20dB gain
> preamp,the
> > D-PowerPlug isn't
> > >>>overly quiet (-116 dBu A weighted), but
> > perhapsquiet enough for
> > >>>your ribbon mics.
> > >
> > >>This maybe a good option but I have my doubts.
> I
> > would be
> > >>interested in a comparison between a 24bit
> > recording of the ribbon
> > >>mics one with the Rode D & the other
> without
> > but raised 20dB in
> > >>post. My suspicion is that so long as there is
> good
> > low level info
> > >>as you get with 24bit, just raising the may be
> very
> > low lever
> > >>recording may well give lower noise &
> otherwise
> > give as
> > >>good if not better results.
> > >>The thing is ribbon mics don't really have a
> noise
> > figure, the
> > >>noise you endup with will be down to the
> basic
> > thermal noise of the
> > >>source Z and how "well balanced" the system
> is. IE
> > there will be
> > >>signals at the micro-volt level you wish to
> drag up
> > in level, so
> > >>RF, hum etc picked up on the cable needs to
> be
> > exceptionally low,
> > >>compared to a more robust signal level.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>John Lundsten
> > >
> >
> > Hi John-
> > I think you're right. Adding lower quality pres
> up-stream
> > from his
> > recorder would likely introduce more noise than
> > necessary. What
> > external mic pre or recorder are you using Randy?
> >
> > With mic sensitivity of only -56 dB +/- 2 dB (0
> dB=3D1V/Pa)
> > ~1.6mV/Pa?
> > and recording ambience in quiet natural locations,
> don't
> > you think
> > most of the noise will stem from the mic pre? This
> seemed
> > to be the
> > case in a couple of experiments Curt and Mike shared
> with
> > me, but I
> > had no way to know for sure.
> >
> > Are you getting sufficient monitoring levels in the
> field,
> > Randy? If
> > not, it might be better to add some amplification to
> the
> > headphone
> > output. If you don't have a great quality pre to
> continue
> > your
> > experiment with, maybe you could borrow one and crank
> the
> > line-input
> > gain on the recorder too for more sound file
> saturation to
> > see if
> > this helps. Rob D.
> >
> > =3D =3D =3D
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> > sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer
> via
> > Bernie Krause
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> > 
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
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>
>
>
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> 07:49:00
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via
> Bernie Krause
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> =A0 =A0 
>
>
>









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