slightly ot: battery driven microphone

[Magnus Danielson]

From: Martin Czech <czech at Micronas.Com>
Subject: slightly ot: battery driven microphone
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:59:25 +0200 (MET DST)

> I need a (condenser) microphone with good frequency response and noise
> specs, which should also run with battery for outdoor or portable things,
> 48V as well.
> 
> Very often these thing have cardioide or hyper-cardioide, but seldom
> spheroid characteristic.
> 
> As you migt have guessed, I need that for better recording of room
> responses.  I don't know which characteristic is needed , I guess
> spheroid, but a switchable char., would be nice anyway.
> 
> 
> Due to the correlation technique (thanx Magnus and Ingo!)  the quality of
> speaker and microphone are not that important, but good hardware always
> is a good idea.

It is certainly a good idea.

Oh, do you use the early wave trick or not?

Please refresh us on what you are doing and how. (Show me the code!)

> Ladies and Gentlemen, could you please recommend such a microphone for me?
> I'm not very experienced with microphones.

Well, I would use my lovely Neumann U87A mike, which I also have the
appropriate suspension. This mike is a condenser having spheriodal, cardioide
and 8 responces. There is also a nice little lowpass filter to pop in if the
suspension noise is too high. Then there is the -10 dB pad if you are near
strong sources. Anyway, the two 1 inch membranes is really part of what makes
the mike. Internally you have a small switching-supply which eats your -48 V
phantom and converts it to +/- 60 Vdc. The amplifier is a JFET transitor.

If you can lay your hands on a U87A, U89 or similar then you have a very nice
mik for many purposes.

Another mike which you could be using is the Soundfield mike, but now we are
talking about pocket-openner buissness. However, if you where doing the
4-track B-format recording of the Soundfield, you could really kik ass with
your roomresponces, since then you pick up one spheric responce and three
8 responces (one for x, y and z axis respectively). This would require you to
use an ADAT or something, but hey, now we are into the exclusive department ;D

Cheers,
Magnus