One mic that does it all...or am i dreaming

[Vautex]

Hi again all. Its been a while since Ive been here. Couldnt stay away it seems.

Ok here is my problem. I have a relatively limited budget which can theoretically finance but 1 task and I have 2 tasks at hand. I love going to music events and would love even more to record them. Second, I also like to play my didgeridoo and djembe and would like to record myself and my mates doing so.

The simple question would be can 1 mic do it all for me?

The didge has lots of bass with a fundamental frequency probably as low as 50HZ and a range well into the kHZ. Therefore id like a responce to be no more than 40HZ at the lower end which rules out most carioids ive seen.

Ive seen a lot of artists use AKG C418/9 in a live situation and these are condensers with a range about 50HZ - 18kHZ I think. Im sure they only have 1 element to them aswell as opposed to 2 used for binaural recordings.

Im guessing cardioids with a good low end would be the choice if I could only have 1 mic but I would also like a set of good omni's too for both purposes.

How would a set of stealth type binaurals go in a instrument recording situation when most instrument mics have only 1 capsule. Can I have 2 seperate elements that can be kept seperate when recording my didge which also allow me mic different locations and mix them, and then be able to join them together via an adaptor of some sort for binaural concert recording.

Is there any major disadvantage to doing this?

Another potential problem may be the SPL when attached to end of a didge which can be pretty loud. Will the stealths be sufficient?

Also most instrument mics have a XLR connector for which I happen to already have cable. So is it possible to get an adaptor to XLR.

Also im guessing the impedance will differ from the stealths to the standard instrument mics and im not really sure what the implications of this are. Maybe someone can help here also.

The clips and mounting problem is another issue all together but it would be good to keep the elements fairly basic and be able to fit whatever type of clip I want to attach.

My hope was pretty much that 1 pair of binaurals used for concert recording could potentially be used to on two didgeridoo's for recording or a live pick-up situation.

If one mic does suit both purposes the next problem will be if someone like sound pros or core sounds has it available of the shelf or be able to make it for me within my budget.

I know this is a lot to take in and answer all at once but any help certainly would be appreciated.

PS my emails to core-sound have been rejected. the email address doesnt seem to exist. Can anyone help here also.

Thanks again.

[A440]

I hope some recording-studio expert like Dex or Ozpeter chimes in, but in the meantime:

Cardioids are used to reject sound coming from unwanted directions. People may be using them on stage to prevent feedback. But I don't see a reason to use them for recording when your didj or djembe are easily going to overpower any audience noise. You don't want to isolate the instrument from the ambience, especially in a drum group.

What I'd suggest is a pair of good omnis, perhaps a notch or two up in quality from the basic Soundpro BMC-2's, and a battery module to let them withstand more SPL. The mics will be a pair on a long cord--you can separate them.

If you're really undecided about cardioid versus omni you could get the SoundPro CMC-4

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...=specifications

which have interchangeable elements.

You might also call Soundpros or Core Sound and ask them specifically about recording such loud instruments.

There are XLR to mini-stereo adapters, so if you have some XLR mics the easiest thing to do is to try them. If you do have mono instrument mics available, another possibility would be to run them through a mixer, which would allow you to adjust the level of each mic/instrument separately.

I've sent email to Core Sound at this address:

No z on moskowitz.

moskowit(at)core-sound.com

Edited March 26, 2006 by A440