a little help finding the right mic

[jay209]

hi, i'm still new here or hear and i'm trying to learn a little about recording

i just purchased an rh10 and i was hoping to do some recordings with it. i'd like to try recording my own guitar playback while learning how to sing in sync ehhe.

i'm looking somewhere between 30-70$

mind you that i'm a newbie so closer to 70$ isn't always better.

i see stereo... i see binaural... i see that i'm confused with which to buy.

i see sensitivity... then i'm thrown back that sensitivity will lead to clipping. but an attenuator may help. hell what're croakies?

[Crowfriend]

hi, i'm still new here or hear  and i'm trying to learn a little about recording

i just purchased an rh10 and i was hoping to do some recordings with it.  i'd like to try recording my own guitar playback while learning how to sing in sync ehhe. 

i'm looking somewhere between 30-70$

mind you that i'm a newbie so closer to 70$ isn't always better. 

i see stereo... i see binaural... i see that i'm confused with which to buy.

i see sensitivity... then i'm thrown back that sensitivity will lead to clipping.  but an attenuator may help.  hell what're croakies?

←

I am also a newbie, hoping to make some mics, rather than buy them. Croakies are the elastic bands that attach to glasses. The type used to hide a mic are cotton.

[The Low Volta]

well...

stereo, binaural etc... are pretty confusing terms but: the main attention points are:

you either have:

• mono: one channel only... good for upclose recording of one instrument/singer
• stereo: two channels (L&R) which can differ in the way the stereo image is created
  • one point stereo mics: both mic elements are in one cover and very close together, which is easy to use but doens't provide that wide a stereo picture
  • separable two point stereo (often wrongly called binaural in descriptions): the two elements can be separated and this can give a very good stereo pic (especially depending on the placement)... these can be found easily/cheaply, are very versatile and the choice if you want to record with a nice wide stereo image (and you do not want to wear your mics, see next option)
  • binaural: should actually be reserved for mics that are worn in the ears so their pickup is essentially what you hear (even colored by the shape of your own ears/pinnae)... this is very good for stereo (when listening back over headphones at least) but less versatile as they are shaped quite specifically

further... just read this thread, as it explains a lot of the thing the mic descriptions mention and which are/aren't important

PS: for DIY mics, just follow the DIY greenmachine mic link in my signature

[greenmachine]

With a separable 'binaural' microphone you could also use one channel for the guitar, one for the voice if you plan close miking and mix it later in some kind of editing software. For far miking it's also preferrable if set up properly IMO.

Clipping can occur if you record loud music (with highly sensitive mics) through the mic-in of the recorder. In this case an attenuator or a 'battery box' through line-in usually helps. For recording acoustic guitar and unamplified vioce there should be no problem with clipping though.

The SP-BMC-2 seems like a (very) good deal in your price range if you don't feel like to DIY.

[Roamer]

Strictly speaking, 'binaural' is a stereo technique. By extension, it is also used for mics made for this technique, but they can actually be used the way you want.

Some info also on this site :

http://www.dpamicrophones.com/page.php?PID=1

[jay209]

i'm guessing SP-BMC-2 a good newbie mic no? i guess i'll give it a shot. thanks for the tip. is a more sensitive mic going to pick up highs a little better? i heard the recording and it sounded okay.

Edited September 10, 2005 by jay209

[A440]

SP-BMC-2 is a very good newbie mic. More sensitive means more sensitive to everything, high and low. If you have an attenuator you shouldn't have any problems, and if you're recording acoustic guitar, give it a try without the attenuator.

The mic preamp in the Sony is sensitive to heavy bass, and the attenuator cuts back the signal enough to make it work better. But with acoustic instruments, you may well be able to do without it. Experiment a little, and you should get good results one way or another.

If you get the BMC-2 from Sound Professionals, you can try it for 30 days. Get it with the microphone clips on it, since clips can be hard to find.

[jay209]

thanks for the info... once i pull my head out of debt thanks to a supermacro purchase, i'll pick a mic up.