Lavalier Mic Speech 3.5mm CD Quality

[burrenyoga2]

Hi,

I am looking for a Lavalier microphone to plug directly into a Sony Hi-MD, to be used for professional quality speech recording.

It will be used to record voice of a yoga teacher who may be moving around the room, and there may be background noise in the room of students moving about.

If some background noise strays in, i may be able to remove it later using Adobe Audition to clean up the sound. The finished product will be a CD to help the students follow the same class at home.

I am hoping to capture only the teachers voice, and to preserve as much quality and tone and expression in their voice.

Some of the speech recorded will be relaxation at the end of a class, and i would like to keep the subtlety of the teachers voice even when it may be quiet, and preserve all tone and feeling in the voice.

The teacher will be moving, so any advice on minimsing rustling noises against their clothes. They may also be moving their head from side to side as they move abaout, so don't know if this could affect choice of microphone type or positioning.

Minidisc will probably be on their belt, with mic plugged directly into it. I guess i will have to test recording levels before class starts, and then lock the settings and press 'record'.

The microphone should not be too intrusive, so preferably not a head set.

The microphone will not be used for anything else.

I don't think i can justify a wireless setup, as i think these will cost more than 500 euros.

I am not looking for the cheapest solution microphone. I would prefer to hear information on the best possible microphone (ok within reason, lets say less than 300 euros) to be used for this specific purpose.

I have seen many many people giving advice "you can use any cheap microphone if you are just recording speech" so i am hoping to avoid that type of advice.

After reading many of the topics in this Forum, my beginners understanding is that i am looking for

• Lavalier (to keep hands free)

Battery powered consenser

Cardoid Unidirectional (to minimise background noise)

40 - 16,000 Hz (or less to hone in on speech frequency and eliminate thuds ?)

Runs on plug in power (not Phantom) so can plug direct into Minidisc

High Signal to Noise (to give best quality)

I think Mono would be best from what i have read, as stereo can leave a missing area directly in front of the microphone? Can a Stereo Mic offer me anything that a Mono won't be able to provide for what i am looking for?

I have read that balanced lines could prevent interference includng that from Dimming light circuits. I am not sure if a Mic with balanced lines can plug directly into the minidisc ?

I am a newbie and am not familiar with a lot of the technical jargon, so hoping your answers can take this into account.

Recommendations on specific models would also be appreciated.

I am on holiday in Japan at present, so if i can pick up a bargain in the next week, that would be even better.

Looking forward to hearing your advice.

Dave

[Strungup]

Hi,

I am looking for a Lavalier microphone to plug directly into a Sony Hi-MD, to be used for professional quality speech recording.

It will be used to record voice of a yoga teacher who may be moving around the room, and there may be background noise in the room of students moving about.

If some background noise strays in, i may be able to remove it later using Adobe Audition to clean up the sound. The finished product will be a CD to help the students follow the same class at home.

I am hoping to capture only the teachers voice, and to preserve as much quality and tone and expression in their voice.

Some of the speech recorded will be relaxation at the end of a class, and i would like to keep the subtlety of the teachers voice even when it may be quiet, and preserve all tone and feeling in the voice.

The teacher will be moving, so any advice on minimsing rustling noises against their clothes. They may also be moving their head from side to side as they move abaout, so don't know if this could affect choice of microphone type or positioning.

Minidisc will probably be on their belt, with mic plugged directly into it. I guess i will have to test recording levels before class starts, and then lock the settings and press 'record'.

The microphone should not be too intrusive, so preferably not a head set.

The microphone will not be used for anything else.

I don't think i can justify a wireless setup, as i think these will cost more than 500 euros.

I am not looking for the cheapest solution microphone. I would prefer to hear information on the best possible microphone (ok within reason, lets say less than 300 euros) to be used for this specific purpose.

I have seen many many people giving advice "you can use any cheap microphone if you are just recording speech" so i am hoping to avoid that type of advice.

After reading many of the topics in this Forum, my beginners understanding is that i am looking for

• Lavalier (to keep hands free)

Battery powered consenser

Cardoid Unidirectional (to minimise background noise)

40 - 16,000 Hz (or less to hone in on speech frequency and eliminate thuds ?)

Runs on plug in power (not Phantom) so can plug direct into Minidisc

High Signal to Noise (to give best quality)

I think Mono would be best from what i have read, as stereo can leave a missing area directly in front of the microphone? Can a Stereo Mic offer me anything that a Mono won't be able to provide for what i am looking for?

I have read that balanced lines could prevent interference includng that from Dimming light circuits. I am not sure if a Mic with balanced lines can plug directly into the minidisc ?

I am a newbie and am not familiar with a lot of the technical jargon, so hoping your answers can take this into account.

Recommendations on specific models would also be appreciated.

I am on holiday in Japan at present, so if i can pick up a bargain in the next week, that would be even better.

Looking forward to hearing your advice.

Dave

Dave PM me , I have your mic.

TC

I am also in Japan , Yokohama area to be exact

[A440]

Definitely take Guitarfxr up on that PM. Hope you two can hook up.

Otherwise, high-quality cardioid lavalier mics are made for exactly this purpose. TV talk shows would be lost without them. Your best bet is to go to a professional audio or musicians' store and ask them what they have within your budget.

Mics made for the purpose will have a frequency-response curve tailored to speech--a big bump in the midrange and less response where you'd get background noise.

I've never been to Japan, but Guitarfxr's photos from Hardoff discount electronics make me think they'll have something for you if he doesn't.

I don't know if you're anywhere near New York City, but two stores I trust are:

www.bhphoto.com on 9th Avenue

and

www.pro-sound.com on 43d Street

Don't get the Sony DS70P, which has a lot of self-noise and will be pretty clunky for your teacher's lapel.

Rustling is minimized both by the mic's frequency response and by a good clip, which should keep the mic slightly separated from the speaker's clothing.

I regularly use AGC for speech recording. It works well for recording conversation. If there are long patches where the teacher is silent, you may have it raising the level of whatever the background noise is, but I assume you'd be editing long silences out anyway. And it might be better for when he is moving his head.

With a one-point stereo mic you don't really have to worry about a "hole" in the center. But you could just as easily use a mono mic wired to a stereo plug. A mono mic wired to a mono plug will only record into the left channel of your recorder, so if your high-quality mic has a mono plug, make sure to get a mono-to-stereo adapter. To lessen the pressure from leverage on your mic jack, the adapter should not be just a plug, but a short cord with the mono plug on one end and a stereo jack on the other.

All that said, I have gotten good speech results with this mic (which is mono wired to stereo):

http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmlaplapstyl1.htm

It's intimate--I did an interview in a cafe with someone and you can hear them swallowing the tea.

But a bigger budget should get you a smaller, better mic.

Positioning is going to make a lot of difference. You're probably going to want to clip it as close to the center of the body and as high up as is convenient. When you get the mic, put on your own yoga robe and do some experimenting.

Finally, be reasonable in your expectations. You do not have the teacher in an isolated sound booth with a nice bit of subtle reverb. But a high-quality cardioid should give you a very lifelike recording. If you want, I can PM you a snippet of my cardioid AGC recording in some quiet and noisy settings--let me know.

Edited December 14, 2007 by A440

[burrenyoga2]

Thanks A440,

Your tips have been very useful.

This has been a real case of "seek and you shall find " :-)

I posted the message a few days ago, and happened to mention i was in Japan on holidays, ad within an hour GuitarFxr replied to me letting me know he had the exact mic i was after and was in Yokohama in Japan...... and i also happen to be in Yokohama.

Yesterday i met GuitarFxr and he is a really nice guy, very knowledgable and very helpful.... and the mic is certainly what i was looking for.

So thanks to this forum and you guys, no more looking, its down to recording and editing now ;-)

If any of you sound enthusiasts are in Japan or visiting, make sure you say hello to GuitarFxr. Thanks

Best Wishes,

Dave

[Strungup]

...... ok I am really blushing now

[hawksandsparrows]

Yesterday i met GuitarFxr and he is a really nice guy, very knowledgable and very helpful.... and the mic is certainly what i was looking for.

Hi Dave and GuitarFxr, I'm a little late here, but I'm in the same boat as you once were I believe. In terms of the type of mic you were looking for for the yoga class, I think I would need something very similar. I am looking for a good lavalier mic for web video production, and need the best balance between price and sound for interviewee audio. I'm thinking also that wireless might even be a great option, especially since I may want 2 separate audio tracks to record at the same time.

What was the microphone you chose for your yoga application?

Thank you for your help if this message every makes it to you,

Steve

[Strungup]

Hi Dave and GuitarFxr, I'm a little late here, but I'm in the same boat as you once were I believe. In terms of the type of mic you were looking for for the yoga class, I think I would need something very similar. I am looking for a good lavalier mic for web video production, and need the best balance between price and sound for interviewee audio. I'm thinking also that wireless might even be a great option, especially since I may want 2 separate audio tracks to record at the same time.

What was the microphone you chose for your yoga application?

Thank you for your help if this message every makes it to you,

Steve

Actually he wont be able to answer that , the mic he got from me was custom made , and of pro quality , not a cheap mic , but I had it for awhile and wasnt using it any more There are some underground audio places in Akihabara , and some places back in the US I deal with .

Fullcompass is a good source for audio gear , they are online , and have a fully browseable catalog .

Edited June 4, 2008 by Guitarfxr

[hawksandsparrows]

Fullcompass is a good source for audio gear , they are online , and have a fully browseable catalog .

Thank you, I will check them out.