Best Mics For Voice Recording

[f3choo]

I am looking for a quality Mics for my RH-910 MD recorder which use in seminar & interview. The requirement of this Mics shall be ;

1. Best for voice recording.

2. able to eliminate the background noise.

3. small enough to clip on the shirt.

Any recommendation?

Beside this, which input I should use? Mic in or Line in?

Thanks & Regards

[The Low Volta]

I am looking for a quality Mics for my RH-910 MD recorder  which use in seminar & interview. The requirement of this Mics shall be ;

1. Best  for voice recording.

2. able to eliminate  the background noise.

3. small enough to clip on the shirt.

Any recommendation?

Beside this, which input I should use? Mic in or Line in?

Thanks & Regards

←

I use a omnidirectional mono clip-on mic from Sony (ECM-C10), and that works pretty ok (suits my needs, which are basically interviewing and recording lectures, so close to yours) but not really high quality and only really worth it if you can buy it cheap, I guess

definitly use mic in and experiment a bit with the options (AGC or manual level control, high/low sensitivity,...)

oh and yes, don't try to record live music with this mic...really sounds ridiculous and BAD

[greenmachine]

2. able to eliminate  the background noise.

←

microphones with a cardioid pickup pattern are designed for this task

[A440]

Just about any mic that plugs into your MD will do a decent job recording speech.

No mic will "eliminate background noise." That depends on you putting it in the right place to pick up more voice and less noise.

But you can eliminate many sounds from behind you by using a directional or cardioid mic, rather than an omni mic .

You can get a one-point stereo cardioid mic like this:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...M-16&type=store

or cardioids from Sony like

the Sony ECM-DS70P

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=1627436

or the Sony ECM-719

http://www.minidisco.com/ecm-719.html

Shop around for price on the Sonys.

For ultra-cheap, you could get the "Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc" that's usually for sale on Ebay, though that is an omnidirectional mic and will pick up more sound from the room.

You should use AGC for recording speech--that's what it's for. Go through Mic-in and try both High and Low sensitivity and see how they work with whatever mic you choose. High will give you more background noise, but Low may not pick up everything you need if you're not close to the lecture. Try it at home when you get it-- start the MD and speak from across the room.

[f3choo]

Thanks for yours advice.

Regards

[greenmachine]

What's the point of recommending stereo cardioid microphones with two elements opposite to each other (180 degrees)? You will get something like a figure of eight pickup pattern, which is not really suited to isolate background noise. I'd suggest to use either a mono cardioid mic or a stereo cardioid mic with both elements directing forward.

[A440]

Do you think the SoundPros mic has the elements at 180 degrees? Would they be that inept? I have that mic, which came with my recorder, and while it doesn't have a lot of bass response and I don't use it much, it does seem to pick up what's in front of it, not 180 degrees.

[greenmachine]

Although it looks like that on the picture, it's hard to say for sure, since it lacks a detailed description. But if you clip any microphone directly to your body, you prevent soundwaves from the back to hit it directly. This gives some kind of additional directivity. If you put it in a neutral environment (on a stand), does it still seem to pick up mostly what's in front of it?

[A440]

OK, greenmachine, I made a makeshift stand and did a simple test walking around the mic while talking. It was clear from the front and part of the sides and grew more muffled as I moved toward the back. Since I was only 18-20 inches from the mic I didn't expect silence, but there is a recognizable difference. So it does seem to be directional facing front.

I happen to have another mic in exactly the same enclosure: the "Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc" sold for about $10 on ebay, and actually pretty good for the price. It's supposed to be omni; I did the same test with it, and front and back were the same.

Truth in advertising--what'll they think of next ?