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SP-PSM-3, any good?

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DaikenTana

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Howdy all

I'm looking for a good sound recording mic. I was looking at the Sony ECM907 and ECM957, but I've heard that their frequency range isn't too good. I then found TSP's PSM-3 and read that it's better:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...i?item=SP-PSM-3

Has anyone had any experience with this, or is there a better option out there somewhere which I don't know of?

Thanks for any help in advance!

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How are you planning to use it? Recording your own playing? Recording concerts? Recording interviews?

You're going to need to hold that mic somehow: in your hand, or on a stand. As a one-point stereo mic, it won't have the kind of spatial richness that a pair of mics you can separate will have. It is also not something you will be able to conceal. But if you are recording interviews, lectures, or musical performances that don't require stealth, it might be fine.

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I have never heard of an omnidirectional one point stereo microphone before. The (ideally) non-directional pickup characteristic of omnis requires to have both channels physically separated (or at least to have a rather large baffle in between) in order to get a stereo effect. Otherwise you'll get (close to) mono. Maybe someone can explain this better than me. Check out my recent thread about omnidirectional mic placement. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11297

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I don't see a reason why it would be any better than your TFB-2s. According to the specifications, it seems to use exactly the same microphone capsules as the TFB-2s with high sensitivity option. Did you choose high or low sensitivity by the way?

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I have never heard of an omniaural one point stereo microphone before. The (ideally) non-directional pickup characteristic of omnis requires to have both channels physically separated (or at least to have a rather large baffle in between) in order to get a stereo effect. Otherwise you'll get (close to) mono. Maybe someone can explain this better than me. Check out my recent thread about omniaural mic placement. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11297

It is better to have the mic elements seperated, however when we first designed the Delta mic we used a number of foam shells to see how it would sound. I was surprised to find that the stereo image was really quite good. My best stereo image recordings have been when I placed myself infront of the subject at a distance of approx 10-15 ft.

We are working on two new single point stereo microphones, but at this point they are still very much in the prototype stage, and I'd rather not get into any specific details.

Sincerly

Gerry Bolda

www.reactivesounds.com

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My best stereo image recordings have been when I placed myself infront of the subject at a distance of approx 10-15 ft.

I can confirm this from my own experiences, at least for recording acoustic instruments in rather large rooms. It usually gives a good mix of direct sound and room reverberations. However, i never used single point microphones except for testing purposes. I prefer to space the microphones to approximately the distance of the human ears (about 6" or slightly more) and usually use my (or an artificial) head as a baffle. Had only good results so far.

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I don't see a reason why it would be any better than your TFB-2s. According to the specifications, it seems to use exactly the same microphone capsules as the TFB-2s with high sensitivity option. Did you choose high or low sensitivity by the way?

I bought the low sensitivity version. So the PSM-3 is really just a hand-held omni mic?

Could anyone suggest a microphone for me that would be good for recording sound effects? I'm not too picky about it being mono or stereo. I mean, if it's directly in front of the microphone, it's gonna be mono anyway right! It would be nice to have a mic which cuts out unwanted sound from other directions. The Sony ECM957 looks good but damn it's pricey.

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You want to get a cardioid (directional) mic. Take a look at the usual suspects: www.soundprofessionals.com, www.microphonemadness.com . Make sure you look at frequency range since some cheaper cardioids only go down to 100 Hz.

Depending on how big a mic you want to be carrying around, you could also go to a pro audio store like the Guitar Center or www.samash.com and get a mono cardioid mic that's used for recording instruments, but you'll have to get an adapter.

Even if you are recording a sound from one source directly in front of you, a stereo mic will make it sound richer and more realistic. Depending on what you are doing with soud effects--mixing them into something else? --Dex Otaku likes M/S (mid-side) mics which will record in stereo but also give you a true mono recording if you want it.

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