A good mic for use with the MZ-NH700?

[smilingcrow]

I have an MZ-NH700 and want to use it for a number of purposes for which I need to choose a microphone. I’m not up on mic technology and could do with some help.

The fist thing I’m going to record is ambient background nature sounds, such as the sea, wind etc.

Secondly, I’m looking to interview people for a documentary.

They are very different types of recordings, so I’m wondering if I can get decent recordings in both settings with the same microphone.

The MZ-NH700 seems to offer the option to provide power to a microphone. Am I better off going with a mic that needs external power?

Any advice on the type of microphone and/or a particular model that would suit my needs gratefully received.

Crow

[mrsoul]

The Audio Technica 822 is a great all purpose mic that uses an AA battery source. You can run it through line in or mic in. It's always worked well with my Sharp DR7 and my Sony NH900.

Mark

[dex Otaku]

I would recommend looking at a mic such as:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...em/SP-ECM-MS907

.. for general-purpose usage.

I would actually recommend against using such as the AT-822 for anything that might be downmixed to mono [as most interview-type recordings are].

M/S stereo mics tend to be the most reliable and versatile kind, IMO. You can even take two of them and record [to 4 tracks] a perfect quad mix for use with DVD soundtracks and the like. The fact that they also have a forward-looking "middle" channel means that mixdown to mono always occurs properly and without phasing or comb-filter effects [as can be experienced with the AT-822 because of the Y pattern it uses].

[smilingcrow]

Thanks,

I forgot to mention that my budget is £30 - 50 and that I live in the UK.

I'm just experimenting at the moment, so not looking to spend a large amount of money at this stage.

Crow

[dex Otaku]

Woo. Not much of a budget.

Still, a pair of inexpensive binaurals should serve you well. Check out those offered by Sound Proffesionals and Reactive Sound.

[deafplayer]

M/S stereo mics tend to be the most reliable and versatile kind, IMO.  You can even take two of them and record [to 4 tracks] a perfect quad mix for use with DVD soundtracks and the like.  The fact that they also have a forward-looking "middle" channel means that mixdown to mono always occurs properly and without phasing or comb-filter effects [as can be experienced with the AT-822 because of the Y pattern it uses].

can you recommend a good pair of in-ear binaural microphones?

for environmental sampling... i want the in-ear ones because they're discreet and stereo

how much would i have to spend to get a good sounding pair?

im skeptical because of the very small size...

[dex Otaku]

I use a pair of Sound Professionals TFB-2s and their sound is quite stunning, to be frank.

Note that in-ear binaurals [which contistitute true binaurals since they not only sit in you ears, they point out rather than forward] are not optimal for recording in stereo to be played over loudspeakers. The fact that they point out rather than forward means a signficant difference in channel phasing compared to what is usually played over speakers.

Also, there is the issue that what you hear really -is- what you get; if you move your head in any way, the whole recording perspective changes. This can be severely disorienting when listening to it later. If you're very patient and can sit still and quiet for long periods, this isn't a problem. I tend to go out and meditate, myself.

I've made environmental recordings as well as "bootleg" type recordings, and the quality is way beyond what I expected from something so small. Sometimes things sound a bit bizarre through speakers, but they sound great through headphones.

They were $85CAD and so should be around £40 I'd expect.

Reactive Sounds also has a line of high-quality "binaurals" that make excellent general-purpose mics. They have a presence of this forum, as well.

[smilingcrow]

Thanks Dex,

The Binaurals sound interesting. I have no experience of such things and I'll need to read up on them.

Crow

[bhangraman]

The ECM-DS70P is about £50 retail and is a versatile enough Mic which you can use for all sorts of stuff and is also highly portable (you can at a pinch leave it connected all the time).

[smilingcrow]

The ECM-DS70P is about £50 retail and is a versatile enough Mic which you can use for all sorts of stuff and is also highly portable (you can at a pinch leave it connected all the time).

Thanks. I’m looking at the spec on the Sony website and it talks about ‘Plug-In Power’. Does this mean it will only work with a powered pre-amp? I’d like to also be able to use the microphone that I buy with my USB audio interface, which doesn’t provide power via the mic-in.

Crow

[Christopher]

Moving to correct forum..

[A440]

You can do better than the Sony ECM-DS70P. Its frequency response is 100-15K, while your ears and your MD accept 20-20K. In practice, that means you're going to lose bass frequencies, which don't matter in interviews but do make a difference in ambient recordings.

If you're worried about stealth, the DS-70P is also much bigger, shinier and more obvious than the little binaurals you can get from Sound Professionals or elsewhere for about the same price. Unless you are planning to do a lot of mixing down to mono--in which case get the Sound Pros version of the 907 M/S, which isn't small either--get a little unobtrusive pair of binaurals.

None of the mics mentioned here can go directly into line-in on your USB audio. I'm guessing that it's probably cheaper to buy a new USB audio input with mic-in than to get the pre-amp you'd need, though Church Audio on Ebay does offer a very affordable preamp.

[smilingcrow]

None of the mics mentioned here can go directly into line-in on your USB audio. I'm guessing that it's probably cheaper to buy a new USB audio input with mic-in than to get the pre-amp you'd need, though Church Audio on Ebay does offer a very affordable preamp.

Thanks Concert Pitch,

I’m aware that microphones don’t work with a line level input. My USB interface does have a microphone input, but it is not powered. My question was; does the Sony ECM-DS70P require an input channel that does provide power? I believe that the MZ-NH700 does provide power.

I will almost certainly buy two separate microphones anyway, but I’m trying to ascertain what the electrical requirements of each microphone are first. It would be preferable if I have the flexibility of using either microphone with either recording device.

Crow

[smilingcrow]

Can anyone recommend a supplier of binaural microphones in the UK?

Also, am I right in assuming that the MZ-NH700 will work with microphones that don’t require external power?

Crow

[KJ_Palmer]

Don't know about the first question (http://www.soundprofessionals.com are very good though if you'd consider importing), and eBay UK often have people selling such things.

Yes, the NH700 can accept a non-powered mic. The 'Plug-in Power' bit means it has a mic-input jack, ie. with a microphone pre-amp that supplies power to an external mic...

[smilingcrow]

Thanks,

I know the answer seemed obvious, but I wanted to be 100% sure.

Crow

[A440]

If you have Mic-In then you're all set--it means the same on the USB as it does on the MD.

[smkranz]

I use a pair of Sound Professionals TFB-2s and their sound is quite stunning, to be frank.

Note that in-ear binaurals [which contistitute true binaurals since they not only sit in you ears, they point out rather than forward] are not optimal for recording in stereo to be played over loudspeakers.  The fact that they point out rather than forward means a signficant difference in channel phasing compared to what is usually played over speakers.

Also, there is the issue that what you hear really -is- what you get; if you move your head in any way, the whole recording perspective changes.

I am looking for a pair of stealth mics to record live classical music (i.e. concert hall) concerts with a MZ-NH900. The Sound Professionals in-ear TFB-2 and the SP-BMC-12/Croakie combo look like my two best choices (I've only had my 900 for a month or so now, and I suppose I'm a little more easily amused than some, but man, isn't some of this stuff just too cool?)

The recordings will most definitely be burned to CD and played by others over loudspeakers (as well as thru headphones on portables). Would the frontward-facing Croakie combo be a better choice for that reason? Any other considerations or experiences from others would be wildly appreciated.

Oh...and if I went with the in-ear TFB-2 mics I'm thinking I'd want the high-sensitivity version...right? Not recording loud rock concerts, but mostly classical (concert hall) and maybe some live bluegrass concerts.

Steve

[A440]

Since you have a sensitivity switch on the MD recorder, I'd suggest getting the High Sensitivity mics, because you can always lower it via the recorder.

And you'll have to experiment, but you may find that low sensitivity works best for anything but the most quiet music. Classical music has strong dynamic peaks, for one thing, and for another, little threshold sounds, like people shifting in their seats or pages turning, get ignored on low sensitivity. But get the high for more flexibility.

[obsideo]

Can anyone tell me how these mics deal with very loud volumes, i.e. rock band rehearsals. I'm looking for something that will give me a nice recording in that kind of setting, essentially for simply recording live jams that too easily get lost to the wind, but I'd love them to sound decent enough to post on our website etc... We have a recording setup but I just want something easy to use with my MD that I can just plug in and go with. I've been using the Sony ECM DS70P and it sounds excellant (considering the price) for acoustic work and field recordings lectures etc. But for our higher volume jams the mic just doesn't seem to be able to handle it.

Any help is perfect.

Cheers - Y'all - Nice community you have here. Glad I stumbled in. :smile:

[obsideo]

http://forums.minidisc.org/viewtopic.php?t...reactive+sounds

That thread answered all my questions and MORE.

You guys rule!

[smkranz]

I went with a pair of in-ear TFB-2 (high-sensitivity version) from Sound Professionals, which arrived yesterday...very prompt shipping. My first impressions:

It takes a few minutes to figger out how they fit (and it's a GOOD thing they marked the Right one with a little red pen mark or I'd still be playing with them), but it quickly gets easier and once they're in properly, they're very comfortable to wear (almost unnoticable after awhile) and seemingly secure...unless there is an inadvertent tug on the wire (like if it gets hung up on clothing, etc.).

It seems that the cable length could be a little longer to allow for more slack if the MD needs to go in a jacket or pants pocket rather than a shirt pocket, but I'll cope with that.

Also ordered a set of windscreens...little puff balls that you have to be careful with to get them onto the mic or else they'll rip. Fitting the mic into the ear structure with the windscreen installed is a little more challenging. It does work, but it's not as comfortable and (at least in my ear) if it is not seated just right it will tend to come out.

The sound: these little guys are incredibly sensitive! I'm planning to use these to record classical music concerts, but I tested with a few tunes on the banjo, and with my NH-900 mic sensitivity set to high, there was much background hiss and considerable distortion of the highs. Of course, the instrument was barely 2 feet away from the mics. Switching the mic sensitivity to low made a remarkable difference...they still pick up almost all ambient sounds, but there was very little background hiss and no perceptible distortion. Switching the AGC (?) setting to Loud Music (as opposed to Normal) seemed to make little if any noticeable difference. I will also experiment more with the manual recording level settings...I tried it at level 8 and it came out too low.

Can't wait to get these things inside a concert hall.