sp-bmc-1 mics

[pepper]

I bought a pair of these mics a few months ago and have only used them twice.I havent got what i would call a good recording with them as it seems so bassy and slightly dim sounding.On the sound professionals site the samples with thse mics sound fantastic,but its not what im getting.Also im thinking about using these mics for a concert next week and il possibly be right at the front,and not sure how these mics will cope,even though it wont be a loud show.When i recorded a blues band i was a good few feet back and didnt need to turn my levels up very far ( about 8 out of 30) to get a loud enough recording.If i was to be at the front of the stage itll be a quiet show and there are always people chatting throughout the shows at this venue hence my reason for wanting to be so close.Im guessing my levels will hardly need to be turned up at all if im so close??.Are my recording coming out as they are( not as amzing sounding as the soundprofessionals samples with thses mics) as im not in the right place in the venue,or are my mics not high enough to make it sound clearer??.Has anyone used these mics at a loud rock show or up close at a quiter gig??.

Edited October 19, 2007 by pepper

[A440]

I use BMC-2 all the time, which judging by the specifications are made with the same basic capsules. Where are you placing the mics? And are you running them through a battery box or an attenuator?

[pepper]

  A440 said:

I use BMC-2 all the time, which judging by the specifications are made with the same basic capsules. Where are you placing the mics? And are you running them through a battery box or an attenuator?

Yes im using a battery box with them.I have clipped the mics onto my camera bag and just left them when ive been filming.Ive never had them clipped to my jacket etc as i move sometimes when im filming and dont really want the audio from the md to be affected beacuse of this movement.

[A440]

OK, but where is the camera bag? On the floor?

My guess is that something is muffling the sound on its way to the mics. Once, back in the cassette days, I made a Walkman recording with the unit (built-in mic) under my seat at a theater. It went FOOM FOOM FOOM FOOM with a kind of distant memory of the guitar and vocal up above.

You need to put your ears where your mics are and see how it sounds there.

But if it sounds good with your ears and bad with your mics, then obviously the mics themselves are the problem. If you're in the US, you might also give Sound Professionals a call and ask them directly. They're very responsive to customers.

[pepper]

  A440 said:

OK, but where is the camera bag? On the floor?

My guess is that something is muffling the sound on its way to the mics. Once, back in the cassette days, I made a Walkman recording with the unit (built-in mic) under my seat at a theater. It went FOOM FOOM FOOM FOOM with a kind of distant memory of the guitar and vocal up above.

You need to put your ears where your mics are and see how it sounds there.

But if it sounds good with your ears and bad with your mics, then obviously the mics themselves are the problem. If you're in the US, you might also give Sound Professionals a call and ask them directly. They're very responsive to customers.

The camera bag is on the seat next to me,im on the back row( of a small venue 400 max) and so have people sat in front.Do you think the acoustics of the venue could be partly responsible?.

[A440]

My first guess would definitely be the acoustics. Lean down to the level where the bag is and listen to the sound there. I would guess it's not much clearer that what the mics are picking up. The mics really need to be up and out in open air, not at a level where every body in the building is blocking the sound that gets to them.

Is there any way to get them higher? The ideal with binaural mics is to place them where a pair of ears would be. Even if you draped a jacket over the back of the chair and clipped them to the jacket, it would be better than what you're doing--that would be like having the mics on the ears of a person a head shorter than yourself. If you can pile a bunch of your equipment or something on the seat and raise them even higher, that's better. The super-dedicated concert tapers mount their mics on a pole so they're 8 to 10 feet overhead: above conversations and not blocked by anything.

[pepper]

I dont think the venues i go to would be happy with a mic pole of any kind.I guess il give it a go next week when il be at a standing gig and see how the recording turns out.I can at least clip them to my jacket and at least itll ( hopefully ) be an improvment on what im already doing.

[A440]

Yeah, the mic pole is strictly for that jam-band world. I record nearly everything with mics clipped to a collar, and I think they come out pretty good although I'm not the tallest person in the room. Hope yours improve--that would suggest that mic placement is the big factor.

[pepper]

Well since i started this thread ive tried these mics a couple more times at live shows.Although,not perfect ( if theres such a thing) there has been enough improvment to make me a lot happier with these mics.Thanks to all the advice/info,it seems to be helping me quite a lot.I have something called bass on my recordings too,which is always nice.