> Another option could be buying a Sennheiser m66/k6 mic, but this is more=
expensive than the rode and we will not have enough money for the blimp, c=
an I work without the blimp ?
David,
No, it is not a luxury. I haven't used the Rode shotgun mic or the Tascam
DR-40 so I'll let others comment on those. However, for outdoors recording =
a
good blimp is essential, preferably with a good shock mount if you want to=
be able to pan it while recording. If wind, even just a breeze, gets to the=
mic, your recording is lost. The best type of windshield is a blimp with a=
removable outer cover (dead cat), the larger the better.
A gunmic won't give you total control over unwanted sounds but for sounds
like otters it is much more directional than other types. Expect a pickup
angle of about 30 deg either side (and top) I use gunmics almost
exclusively, including for stereo but that rig is a bit clumsy.
No idea what your locations are, but I guess it is water. I get good result=
s
with the mic low down, and it doesn't blow over there easily. If you know o=
r
find out where the otters are going to be, leave the mic there in place and=
use a long lead for minimal disturbance, or just leave the recorder running=
and listen later. Record at a lowish level as with digital recording you ca=
n
safely bring up the level later, but you can't bring down overloaded sounds=
.
While I use high end Sennheiser mics myself, the cost is not proportional t=
o
the quality. What you get is a lower background hiss level, but if water is=
involved, the background level is often quite high anyway.
Keep an eye out on eBay for bargains - that is where I bought a lot of my
kit.
David Brinicombe
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