What's a good small one-point stereo mic?

[CuRoi]

I recently bought an MZ-RH10 to replace an old Marantz portable cassete recorder that gave good results but weighed half a ton. I planned to keep on using the Sony ECM909A mic I used with the Marantz, but it appears not to be compatible. The ECM MS-907 is the same size and shape as the 909A and looks like the logical successor, but there are quite a few out there in the $50-$80 (US) price range, including the Sound Pro Stereo T, Reactive Sounds Delta, and others, so I'd be grateful for some advice from experienced MD users.

What I want to record, mainly, is fiddle/banjo/string-band music in small sessions where I'm often one of the players. I want the sound to be as clean as circumstances permit, and I want it to be in stereo because I think that helps the definition, but I'm not concerned with capturing the exact ambience of a hall or anything like that, and I won't ordinarily be listening through headphones, so binaural sound is not a priority.

I was quite satisfied with the sound I got from the 909A (but that little "stand" that came with it, and comes with the 907, was far from ideal). I don't want to pin microphones to my clothes or clip them to my glasses or stick them in my ears (which are already full of hearing aids). Small size and ease of setup are essential, and of course I don't want muddy sound -- which, assuming that at least some of these mics perform better than my 10-year-old 909A, I shouldn't have to settle for.

Most contributors here seem to do much more demanding kinds of recording, requiring higher quality mics than I think I need. But this seems to be the appropriate forum for my questions, so I hope someone who sees this has some experience that might help me shop intelligently in the bargain basement.

CuRoi (raw noob, if you didn't already know that)

[ethornley]

I have had great results recording my church's worship team using the Reactive "Delta" with their mini tri-pod. Both are lightweight and quite small but the mic yields excellent recordings. I have a small recording studio in my basement and I am blind so I have very demanding ears. The Delta can sound as good as most low to mid range pro mics.

Edited September 7, 2005 by ethornley

[CuRoi]

Thanks, ethornley. Testimony from people who have actually used the equipment is valuable, especially when they are critical listeners. Google pointed me to another forum where one participant who considers DAT sonically superior to MD is nevertheless happy using a Delta mic with his DAT recorder. Here's the link:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t275293.html

CuRoi

[A440]

If you use the Delta, you are going to have to separate it from the recorder, either in its pod or attached to something else. Ditto with the SoundPro T or anything else--the recorder is just too loud.

For ultra-cheap one-point stereo, there is a Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc usually on Ebay, like this listing. I have one and it's good as long as nothing is rubbing the case.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-STEREO-LAPEL-MICRO...1QQcmdZViewItem

Again, you're going to have to place it somewhere.

But for recording a string band, I really hope you'll try a pair of mics you can separate. Mimicking the six-inch distance between your ears and pointing them forward or sideways will provide you with far more depth and separation of instruments and give you a sound much more like playing in the group. Acoustic instruments in a small room are ideal for separated stereo mics.

You could get Sound Pros' BMC-2's with clips and clip them to anything (preferably not a hard reflective surface), like a pillow or even an open wallet, in front of your band. They have a 30-day trial, but I'd bet that once you heard the difference, you won't send them back. Or if you have more to spend, get a stereo pair with even better basic capsules.

[CuRoi]

If you use the Delta, you are going to have to separate it from the recorder, either in its pod or attached to something else. Ditto with the SoundPro T or anything else--the recorder is just too loud.

←

I do intend to buy the pod and use that.

I'm sure you're right about a pair of separate mics producing better results, but I think I'll pass on that for now. At the moment, recording is something I do pretty casually and not all that often. If that should change, I'll probably look into a better mic setup in the future.

CuRoi