Recording and replaying bird calls

[pbrody]

I need suggestions for a highly directional microphone for the new Hi-MD player/recorders such as the MZ-RH10. The purpose is record birdcalls in the field and replay them immediately using a portable stero speaker, in this case an Altec Lansing inMotion iM2. What's needed is one high directionality in the record and with maximum volume and naturalness in the replay. I first looked at monophonic shotgun microphones; the Minidisc recorder manuals show however that these record on only one channel, the left. It seems to me that only one channel will therefore replay -meaning only one set of the stereo speaker would be activated limiting the volume and perhaps naturalness of the sound. Otherwise a small shotgun such as the Sennheiser MKE-300 Super-cardoid (designed for camcorders but with the proper 3.5mm mono-miniplug output) would seem ideal.

I did find the Sony-ECM ZS90. It's described as switchable with a unidirectional mode and would plug directly into the input jack but don't know if it would do the job well enough. It's a stereo microphone and thus would record and replay on both channels.

[A440]

Not familiar with the mics, but you can get a simple mono-to-stereo adapter that will feed the mono signal to both channels.

Here's a birdcall specialist that sells mics. Look under Recording Equipment.

http://www.wildsounds.co.uk/