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1. Re: the frustrations of engine noise

Subject: 1. Re: the frustrations of engine noise
From: "John Crockett" naturalcontemplative
Date: Mon Jul 9, 2012 6:26 am ((PDT))
I've been experimenting a bit with a borrowed extra ME66, and so far I would 
say that the "stereo ME66" is an interesting addition to the toolbox but not 
effective enough at attenuating noise from the sky to make it worth the 
investment (in mics and windscreens) for me at this time. It does not offer 
anything like the open, spacious sound of my prototype sass/pbba type setup. 

I love the way individual sounds pop out of the background with the sass, while 
the background remains rich and spacious. The stereo ME66 sounds to me much 
more like my Rode NT4. Competent but not brilliant. The stereo ME66 is better 
than the NT4 (two cardioid capsules) at localizing sounds that are near the 
center of the sound field, while the placement of sounds near the edges of the 
field seems quite similar, as one might expect. The NT4 tends to push all 
sounds near the center into the center. I hear very little difference in terms 
of rejecting noise from the sky.

This morning I was recording three chorusing Veerys with the stereo ME66. It 
was perfect for that because two of the Veerys were quite close, apparently 
defining their territorial boundaries, and my NT4 would have lumped them 
together, while the ME66 pair maintained their few degrees of separation. I got 
a few good seconds before traffic and air noise closed in on us (and the Veerys 
appeared to increase their volume to compensate - although I have yet to 
confirm that with a measurement). 

I think the boundary array would have also maintained the separation, so I wish 
I had a direct comparison. Maybe tomorrow if they go at it again.

John

--- In  "John Crockett" <> wrote:
>
> Thank you, Scott. That is what I thought. I'll be experimenting, but not 
> running out and buying another ME66 only to be disappointed in the result. 
> Surely there can be no substitute for real quiet, which around here may only 
> occur at 2 or 3am.
> 
> John
> 
> --- In  Scott Fraser <scottbfraser@> wrote:
> >
> 
> > 
> > A directional microphone does not have a horizontal nor vertical 
> > orientation. It picks up equally well above & below the horizon as it does 
> > to the sides. Also realize that adding a second directional mic makes the 
> > resulting stereo array less directional than a single mic.
> > 
> > Scott Fraser
> > 
> >
>








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