Hi Frank,
There are many very knowledgeable and generous folks on this list from whom=
you will learn a great deal. Welcome to it!
David and Dan's questions are very important: what do you want to record an=
d how much can you spend? In the end you'll want several microphone setups =
for different purposes. But where are you beginning?
I wonder if you might find it helpful to hear how I progressed and where I =
am now. I knew next to nothing when I began about 10 years ago, and now alt=
hough I have added to my knowledge, perhaps I know a little bit less than n=
othing because the field of possibilities has expanded so!
Do ask questions and become familiar with the particular demands of nature =
recoding before you buy a recorder or microphones. For instance, I think yo=
u'll find that the Zoom recorders are not ideal for most nature recording a=
s they have fairly noisy preamps for external microphones. There are better=
choices.
My first microphone was homemade from two very cheap, low-sensitivity, high=
noise Radio Shack electret condenser capsules (cat # 270-090) and a small =
triangle of mahogany. I had no idea what I was doing. Horribly hissy. I cou=
ld not stand listening to those recordings for more than a few minutes. Reg=
rettable because the soundscapes I was recording then were irreproducible. =
I've simply never heard the like again in 10 years.
I was interested in recording soundscapes in stereo, so my next microphone =
was the Rode NT4, bought on eBay for a very reasonable price. I was sorely =
disappointed in the noise level of this microphone, until I discovered on t=
his list that the cable contained a -12dB pad that was killing the signal o=
utput. I removed the pad from the cable, and now I use this microphone ofte=
n. It works well for me for capturing a stereo soundscape in which there is=
also a focal point to the recording, something in the center of the image =
that I want emphasized.
Then it seemed to me that I wanted something more sensitive to "get in clos=
er" to certain animal vocalizations, so I bought a used Sennheiser ME66 sho=
tgun microphone. This is a solid performer, but at this point I do not use =
it very often. Two of these together make a nice lower-noise alternative to=
the NT4, but for me the convenience of the NT4 package means I am more lik=
ely to use it. This matters. The best mic in the world is no good if it sit=
s at home. How willing you are to haul gear around is a factor to consider.
Then I really wanted close-up, finely detailed recordings of birds, especia=
lly the woodcocks who are among the first arrivals to our fields in the spr=
ing, so I built a very inexpensive (<$100) parabolic microphone from a plas=
tic dish (eBay again!) and EM172 microphone capsules from Frogloggers.com. =
For my purposes this works very well, although it is cumbersome to carry ar=
ound. It doesn't roll up the way the superior Telinga dish does. But it sou=
nds pretty good. One lesson I learned is that parabolas do not work very we=
ll with low frequencies. Fantastic for birds. Nearly useless for grey seals=
, one of my main subjects, who vocalize at around 500 Hz.
Then I decided that I was interested in recording a variety of whole sounds=
capes, not just those with focal animals, and the Rode stereo microphone wa=
s too focused, lacking the spaciousness that I have heard in so many excell=
ent nature recordings. So I built a very, very inexpensive soundscape micro=
phone, again using EM172 capsules, and based on the boundary array designs =
of Rob Danielson (his PBB2N in particular). I love this microphone array. I=
t is rugged, It is fairly small, It is cheap and easy to make, and it works=
with a wide variety of relatively inexpensive portable recorders. The EM17=
2s have a pretty decent signal/noise ratio, especially when used in a bound=
ary array, and so far have worked very well for me.
Caught by the allure of ever-quieter microphones, I bought a pair of Audio-=
Techinca AT3032 microphones, which are very low noise, but I have yet to us=
e them effectively because I do not have the budget for one of the high-end=
recorders/preamps that they require. That was wasted money, so far. Used S=
ound Devices MixPre preamps, or the popular Fostex FR2-LE recorder, are oft=
en available used for around half the cost of a new one, but still beyond m=
y reach at the moment.
For the past 6 or 7 years I have been using a Sony MZRH1 Hi-MD recorder for=
all my recordings (before that I had a used Sony MZ-R70 minidisc recorder)=
. This little unit has served me very well. It has very quiet preamps. Its =
only flaws, in my opinion are a cumbersome menu system and an excess of mec=
hanical noise as the disk spins up and down every few minutes. These are lo=
ng discontinued.
I just graduated to an Olympus LS-11, which is a very nice flash memory rec=
order, sadly no longer in production in the U.S. The other recorder that is=
often spoken of highly is the Sony PCM-M10. For me it was a tossup between=
the PCM-M10 and the LS-11, and the LS-11 won on price (refurbished, for un=
der $200, again on eBay. Without eBay I'd probably still be recording with =
that crummy little Radio Shack homemade mic, the only thing that was availa=
ble to me locally in 2003!. Amazing to think how things have changed in the=
se 10 years.).
You'll want to acquaint yourself with Raimund's list of recorder preamp noi=
se levels:
http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm
The quieter recorders are at the top of the list. But as David pointed out,=
a sensitive mic, like the ME66, does not need a super quiet recorder pream=
p. Anything above about EIN -116 will work for the ME66 and the EM172s. You=
'll see that the Zoom recorders are not so good, however. I own the Zoom H2=
, but never use it for nature recording with an external mic, although the =
built-in mics are about as good as any of the other built-ins. I use it to =
record our concerts and for capturing musical ideas.
One thing to note is that the built-in microphones on any recorder, no matt=
er how expensive, are not that good compared to a decent external microphon=
e. Good for catching a spontaneous recording where the signal is strong, bu=
t not so good for recording really quiet soundscapes.
This summer I was recording grey seals in the Bay of Fundy, and I had the p=
arabola, and the ME66, and the Rode NT4 stereo mic. I did not have the soun=
dscape array with me because I have not fully worked out the wind protectio=
n on it and it was very windy. I have purchased (you know where) a Rode Bli=
mp for the NT4. Works great.
As it turned out, the NT4 was my best microphone in that situation, where I=
thought either the parabola or the ME66 would carry the day. It seems most=
of the signal was not coming directly from the source (seals over a mile f=
rom shore), but reflected off the water and the rocks around me. The more d=
irectional microphones missed most of the signal; it is lost in the sound o=
f wind and waves. The NT4 captured much more and those are the recordings I=
am using.
I would say that in all I have spent a little more than $1200, spread over =
about 10 years.
If I were starting now with a limited budget I would probably get a PCM-M10=
and the Rode NT4 with blimp. Without full wind protection, the NT4 is almo=
st useless outside. Even though the NT4 is not the quietest nor the most se=
nsitive, nor does it have the most exciting stereo image, it is a handy pac=
kage, and I grab it more often than anything else for that reason, and I am=
happy with the results.
This is of course just one person's experience, driven by limited budget an=
d particular needs. There is better pro gear than I have mentioned here, if=
you have the budget for it.
It's worth noting that most of my recordings are played through two loudspe=
akers in a PA system, and the NT4's paired cardioid mic capsules work well =
for that purpose. For private listening with headphones, I'd rather listen =
to the boundary array. Check out Rob Danielson's and Curt Olson's and Vicki=
Powys's web sites. Many ideas for inexpensive DIY soundscape microphone ar=
rays. Also the DIY boundary mic blog at
http://diystereoboundarymics.blogspot.com/
best wishes,
John
John Crockett
Westminster, Vermont
www.naturalcontemplative.com
Let us live in harmony with Earth
And all creatures
That our lives may be a blessing.
--- In Frank MacDonell wrote:
>
> Looking for some advice regarding equipment to get started. My research
> indicates a shotgun mic with a balloon cover and a digital recorder like
> Zoom HN2 would be a good way to start. Your comments are most welcome.
> Thanks in advance for your time.
>
> --
> Frank KD8FIP
>
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