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Re: Alice Microphone for Field Recording?

Subject: Re: Alice Microphone for Field Recording?
From: "Eric Benjamin" ericbenjamin2
Date: Fri Sep 16, 2016 6:12 pm ((PDT))
The data sheet for the transsound tsb-165a is a bit misleading. It lists se=
veral electronic specifications but it doesn't show what FET is used to obt=
ain those specs. Previous communications with transsound say that a 2sk596 =
was used. I have measured several Alice type implementations and get self n=
oise in the mid teens of dB. =A0I think that it may be possible to do bette=
r.
I personally prefer small diaphragm microphones, especially when implementi=
ng ORTF or MS. ORTF has the microphones pointed away from the sound source.=
 =A0In that case, the microphone rolls off. It rolls off substantially if i=
t is a large diaphragm type. =A0Note that there is a contradiction between =
low noise that can be achieved with a large diaphragm type such as AKG C414=
 =A0and a small diaphragm Sennheiser MKH=A0

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

  On Fri, Sep 16, 2016 at 4:22 PM, Gregory O'Drobinak =
.net [naturerecordists]<> wrote:   =A0  

Tom:

A cello is a fairly loud instrument, especially when it is little over a fo=
ot away from a mic.Therefore, you probably can't hear the self-noise of tha=
t mic in that studio clip, but I'm fairly sure that it would be fairly obje=
ctionable in a quiet nature setting.
The data sheet for the TSB-165A alludes to a noise floor of 28 dBA, which i=
s 12 dB higher than the minimum that most nature recordists will tolerate.
Note that you will also need a portable recorder that supplies phantom powe=
r and that has realtime MS decoding built-in so that you can monitor the ac=
tual soundstage while you are recording. The Tascam DR70-D has those capabi=
lities, has quiet mic preamps and can be obtained for under $250.00.
I haven't tried them but Primo makes some cardiod capsules that have a much=
 better noise floor than the TSB-165s, but you would need to adapt the 'ali=
ce' phantom-powered circuit to work with the EM182 capsule.http://www.primo=
mic.com/php/get_products_details.php?model=3DEM182

M/S mics sound too 'confined' to my ears since there is no inter-aural dela=
y encoded during the recording process to define the sounds in space, only =
intensity differences.This is fine in close-miked studio conditions, but is=
 not optimal IMHO in the diffuse-field environment of the outdoors.The thre=
e mic elements of the 'Alice' mic must therefore be quite closely matched i=
n frequency response and level in order to preserve good imaging in the rec=
ording.

Personally, I like boundary-array mics that use omni capsules.They give a m=
uch nicer sound stage that sounds full with great detail with respect to so=
und sources within a wide space.
You can search the boundary mic newsgroup to get more information:
http://diystereoboundarymics.blogspot.com/If you use the Primo EM172 capsul=
es, there is no need for phantom power, they will work using only the built=
-in PIP (plug-in power) from recorders such as the Sony PCM M10. The DR70-D=
 supplies PIP as well.


The only other recording method I would use is ORTF, employing very low-noi=
se studio cardiod mics (<11 dBA self-noise).The ORTF mic capsule spacing ca=
ptures the inter-aural time differences of the sound sources similar to how=
 the ears do.
John Grzinich has done some lovely recordings using cardiod mics in an ORTF=
 configuration:https://soundcloud.com/maaheli/padoj-rv-5-45am-dawn-chorus
 
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Padoj=E4rv 5:45am dawn chorus, April 22nd by maaheli
 Pado lake is on the eastern side of the Meelva bog in Southeast Estonia.We=
 arrived quite "late" to...  |   |

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http://maaheli.ee/main/



 
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john grzinich - sound + site + situational research
 sound + site + situational research  |   |

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Another mic resource:http://www.wildmountainechoes.com/equipment/microphone=
s-nature-recording-ii-different-microphones-different-situations/
So, I hope that this helps answer some of your questions.

BR,Greg







From: " [naturerecordists]" <=
ahoogroups.com>
 To: 
 Sent: Friday, September 16, 2016 3:08 PM
 Subject: [Nature Recordists] Alice Microphone for Field Recording?
 
=A0   I tried doing some searches, but I haven't found anything really conc=
lusive to answer this question: Has anyone tried using an Alice microphone =
for field recording?
The reason I'm asking is that=A0Jules Ryckebusch posted a link to an Instru=
ctables he wrote that details his build of an Alice-based MS microphone:
Build the MS Alice Stereo Microphone

|    |
|    |        |    |       Build the MS Alice Stereo Microphone  This instr=
uctable will show you how to build and use an MS microphone. One of the cla=
ssic stereo microphone recording methods is the MS or Mid-Side microp...   =
 |    |
|      View on www.instructables.com      |    Preview by Yahoo    |
|    |


Jules stuck three=A0TSB-165 capsules in the mic body. One faces forward (pr=
oviding mid), and the other two facing sideways and wired in series to crea=
te a figure-eight mic (providing side). Each mic has its own Alice board, a=
lso installed in the mic body. The signals are fed out through a 5-pin XLR.
This would make for a very compact, very light MS setup for field recording=
. For travel or for locations that require long hikes to reach, there's a l=
ot of appeal here.
But it would help to know if anyone else had tried using an Alice microphon=
e for field recording, and what the potential pitfalls are.
Thanks,
Tom 

      








"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.



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