BillyBoy Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 At a concert, is it OK to position the mic at chest level.. concealed under a thin shirt ?.. or does the mic really need to be in the open.. totally uncovered?thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 At a concert, is it OK to position the mic at chest level.. concealed under a thin shirt ?.. or does the mic really need to be in the open.. totally uncovered?thanks←it's not as much the problem that they would be covered by a thin fabric (windsocks are a sort of foamy fabric too) but that the slightest movement of the fabric against the mic will be recorded as quite a loud and most certainly annoying sound...just give it a test at home, and see if you can keep the noise down (I really don't think so...remember that you can't always stand really still at a concert)I also wouldn't place a mic any lower than shoulder height... unless you can be 100% sure that there won't be any obstacle in front of you (like sitting down in a steep theatre) 'cause any obstacle (and especially those soft and cushioned humans) will muffle the sound and too much of this will render the entire recording unlistenable... just try it at a concert, bend through your knees untill you're at the height you'd like the mic to be. I bet you wouldn't want to listen to the concert from there, and remember...even the best mics can only record the sound that is there... so if it sounds crap to your ears, it will most likely sound crap on the recording (yes I know that there are exceptions to this, as mics can be low sensitivity, which will respond better to very loud sounds than our ears; and that you can use Bass Roll-Off with mics to remove the lowest frequencies, but then you irreversibly destroy a part of the sound and a batt-box with B R-O would be one other box to hide,...)so, I definitely would recommend against covering a mic with fabric and placing it at chest level... try something like clipping them to your collar, hat/cap or glasses or something...greetings, Volta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBoy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 it's not as much the problem that they would be covered by a thin fabric (windsocks are a sort of foamy fabric too) but that the slightest movement of the fabric against the mic will be recorded as quite a loud and most certainly annoying sound...just give it a test at home, and see if you can keep the noise down (I really don't think so...remember that you can't always stand really still at a concert)I also wouldn't place a mic any lower than shoulder height... unless you can be 100% sure that there won't be any obstacle in front of you (like sitting down in a steep theatre) 'cause any obstacle (and especially those soft and cushioned humans) will muffle the sound and too much of this will render the entire recording unlistenable... just try it at a concert, bend through your knees untill you're at the height you'd like the mic to be. I bet you wouldn't want to listen to the concert from there, and remember...even the best mics can only record the sound that is there... so if it sounds crap to your ears, it will most likely sound crap on the recording (yes I know that there are exceptions to this, as mics can be low sensitivity, which will respond better to very loud sounds than our ears; and that you can use Bass Roll-Off with mics to remove the lowest frequencies, but then you irreversibly destroy a part of the sound and a batt-box with B R-O would be one other box to hide,...)so, I definitely would recommend against covering a mic with fabric and placing it at chest level... try something like clipping them to your collar, hat/cap or glasses or something...greetings, Volta←Thanks Volta,The rubbing of the fabric against the mic never occurred to me.. but it does now... I will try to disguise it somehow at collar level.. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 (edited) I have been thinking about a way to disguise mics, while keeping them in a good place for recording... I came up with a MIC-CAP (don't know if it exists already, and I won't be patenting myself ) I will post my production-scetch...[attachmentid=317]the idea is that two buttons are adapted to hold the mic-elements. Therefore I thought of the foam earpads on cheap headphones (you can buy sets of replacement pads real cheap)... just cut the middle of the metal plate of the button and fold the flaps in so they can hold the mic-element; replace the pin with a strong metal wire, bended so it sticks through the foam/front of the cap (to hold the button and mic in place) and cover the now damaged button-front with the foam padding...if you find some foam covers with tiny holes, you can paint something on them to make 'em look more like buttons, otherwise, I don't really know how to make them look 'natural'(you can always put some extra buttons on the cap to make the mic-ones stand out less)beware...this is only been tested in my mind...as I don't have any stereo mics yet... so try at your own risk! (and let me know if it works , or if you have any better ideas/recommendations to improve this one )greetings, Volta Edited May 30, 2005 by The Low Volta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBoy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 I have been thinking about a way to disguise mics, while keeping them in a good place for recording... I came up with a MIC-CAP (don't know if it exists already, and I won't be patenting myself ) I will post my production-scetch...[attachmentid=317]the idea is that two buttons are adapted to hold the mic-elements. Therefore I thought of the foam earpads on cheap headphones (you can buy sets of replacement pads real cheap)... just cut the middle of the metal plate of the button and fold the flaps in so they can hold the mic-element; replace the pin with a strong metal wire, bended so it sticks through the foam/front of the cap (to hold the button and mic in place) and cover the now damaged button-front with the foam padding...if you find some foam covers with tiny holes, you can paint something on them to make 'em look more like buttons, otherwise, I don't really know how to make them look 'natural'(you can always put some extra buttons on the cap to make the mic-ones stand out less)beware...this is only been tested in my mind...as I don't have any stereo mics yet... so try at your own risk! (and let me know if it works , or if you have any better ideas/recommendations to improve this one )greetings, Volta←Thanks for this Volta.. I can see you have put a lot of thought into this... Problem is... I am in the UK.. and the only people who wear baseball caps here are teenagers and dick heads... I am well past the teenage stage.. and hope I'll never reach the dick head stage.. but thanks all the same.... How does this grab you?? .. I was thinking about fitting a band around the upper part of my chest.. either elastic.. or a bandage.. and clipping the mic to it.. I could then cover it when required with my shirt.. but for recording.. undo the top buttons and expose it... just a thought... I'm still thinking.. but I don't have much time.. my first concert is tomorrow night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 (edited) Thanks for this Volta.. I can see you have put a lot of thought into this... Problem is... I am in the UK.. and the only people who wear baseball caps here are teenagers and dick heads... I am well past the teenage stage.. and hope I'll never reach the dick head stage.. but thanks all the same.... well, I'm in Belgium and the situation is quite similar here... I'm also well past the teen stage, but if the recording comes out really good, I don't really mind looking like an early-midlife-crisised-turd for an evening (I mean, take a look at my avatar/personal pic...and that was just for fun )How does this grab you?? .. I was thinking about fitting a band around the upper part of my chest.. either elastic.. or a bandage.. and clipping the mic to it.. I could then cover it when required with my shirt.. but for recording.. undo the top buttons and expose it... just a thought... I'm still thinking.. but I don't have much time.. my first concert is tomorrow night...←it could work, even though it could look very funny with a couple of buttons undone and a mic sticking out ...if the mic has a clip, why not wear a shirt with a collar with big(ish) points... until inside, hide the mic(s) underneath the shirt...once in, clip it(/them each) underneath a point of the collar (only a part of the clip will be visible, the rest is hidden underneath the collar)a bit off topic: is it only one mic? stereo? if you are serious about taping music, search these forums a bit for (cheap) binaural/stereo mics that consist of two mic-elements, which you can separate a couple of inches so you get a much nicer stereo picture Edited May 30, 2005 by The Low Volta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBoy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 well, I'm in Belgium and the situation is quite similar here... I'm also well past the teen stage, but if the recording comes out really good, I don't really mind looking like an early-midlife-crisised-turd for an evening (I mean, take a look at my avatar/personal pic...and that was just for fun )it could work, even though it could look very funny with a couple of buttons undone and a mic sticking out ...if the mic has a clip, why not wear a shirt with a collar with big(ish) points... until inside, hide the mic(s) underneath the shirt...once in, clip it(/them each) underneath a point of the collar (only a part of the clip will be visible, the rest is hidden underneath the collar)a bit off topic: is it only one mic? stereo? if you are serious about taping music, search these forums a bit for (cheap) binaural/stereo mics that consist of two mic-elements, which you can separate a couple of inches so you get a much nicer stereo picture←HeHeHe... LOL... you might be right.. I would look funny.. I will be attending the concerts with friends.. I think if I wore a baseball cap I would lose all my street cred. HeHeHe.. but then it might be worth it.. I have a smallish mic Sony ECM-719.. I think I'll stick with this one.. but I am concerned about getting spotted and being thrown out on my arse.. I'm not sure I get your suggestion about clipping it to my collar ... would the mic fit under the collar?.. if so, would the same fabric rubbing still be a problem??.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 I'm not sure I get your suggestion about clipping it to my collar ... would the mic fit under the collar?.. if so, would the same fabric rubbing still be a problem??..←clip the mic underneath with the front just sticking out...yes, it tends to suffer from fabric rubbing (againts the sides of the mic) background noises, but already less than when the front of the mic rubs against something directly...it is always a bit of a search...my only really practical suggestion for tomorrow is...tonight, try as many setups as possible in fornt of your stereo (hifi)...see what works and what produces a lot of noise...and, if it is your first time out recording stealth, expect very little of the result...then it can only come out better than expectedAND make sure you pic a method that doesn't need you to focus on the mic all the time...as the recording will probably not be perfect this first time, make sure you enjoy the concert yourself, as you are there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBoy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 clip the mic underneath with the front just sticking out...yes, it tends to suffer from fabric rubbing (againts the sides of the mic) background noises, but already less than when the front of the mic rubs against something directly...it is always a bit of a search...my only really practical suggestion for tomorrow is...tonight, try as many setups as possible in fornt of your stereo (hifi)...see what works and what produces a lot of noise...and, if it is your first time out recording stealth, expect very little of the result...then it can only come out better than expectedAND make sure you pic a method that doesn't need you to focus on the mic all the time...as the recording will probably not be perfect this first time, make sure you enjoy the concert yourself, as you are there!←Thanks Volta for all your help.. I'm having trouble fixing the mic under the collar.. nothing to clip it to.. However I will experiment and persevere.. thanks again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.