What is the most useful microphone?

[Ty Ford]

Hello Tony and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

There is no “one good mic” for audio. Speech, City Sounds and Live music are all very different. Each situation, even if it were for speech or one of your other three pursuits, may require a different solution depending on ambient noise and acoustical environment, just to mention two factors.

I’m from the buy what you need when you need it clan. Maybe you have one person talking, on-camera, a small hideable lav maybe. A countryman B6 or EMW may work if the H1 has the same voltage available at the mic jack as the H2 does. That wouldn’t be my choice for city sounds. I might want that in stereo. Oops! H1 is mono. Do you want to get everything with an omnidirectional mic or use a directional mic to purposely not hear some sounds in favor of hearing others?

Casual music is very difficult to record well, especially if it has percussion/drums. The sheer volume of live music can overload the mic/preamp combination of inexpensive recorders.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Tony Connoly]

Thanks Ty. I guess for now I want a mic to try on different subjects and learn with while getting better audio than the camera’s. Should I just stick with the H1’s built-in stereo mics until I learn more.

From the Zoom website:

“The H1’s stereo microphone input jack can provide plug-in power…”

Does that mean I can plug in mono or stereo mic?

[Ty Ford]

[Tony Connoly] “”The H1’s stereo microphone input jack can provide plug-in power…”

Does that mean I can plug in mono or stereo mic?”

Hey Tony,

Stick with the built in for a while until you learn what it does.

No, plug-in power means there a voltage at the jack capable of powering some mics, but not enough to power mics that require phantom power.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Tony Connoly]

Ok, I’ll stick with built-in mic for a while. But eventually, can’t I plug in a “stereo” mic and record in stereo?

[Ty Ford]

yeah, but remember, your recorder doesn’t provide phantom power, so you will be required to:

1. Use mics that can use the existing voltage.
2. Use mics that are battery powered.
3. Use a mixer or preamp that supplies phantom power.

1 & 2 usually are mics that aren’t top shelf. The Rode NT-4 and Audio Techinca AT8022 are exceptions. Both better than average.

3 lets you use better mics, but also has the extra cost of the mixer or preamp.

Regards,

TY Ford

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[Tony Connoly]

I understand. Thank you very much for your help!

[Tony Connoly]

Ty, I just listened to “Look Ma I’m Flying”. It’s a beautiful recording.

[Ty Ford]

Tony,

Thanks. That was my second attempt at doing something with a video camera. One mic, on the sofa arm. One mic on my cheek. The cheek mic is on to talk, off for music and then back on again to talk.

The sofa mic is a Schoeps cmc641. The cheek mic is a Countryman E6.

Stereo reverb, a little stereo chorus during the “c” part of the piece and then back to just reverb.

Given that it’s audio on the Internet, I was very happy with the results.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Tony Connoly]

What do you think of using Rode NTG-2 as a leaening tool and to record speech indoors and outdoors, both on video camera and off? Sometimes mic will be 2 feet from speaker, at other times 5 feet. Is there a better choice in that price range?

[Ty Ford]

I can’t change the laws of physics, Tony.

2 to 5 feet sucks for a boom mic unless you’re on a sound stage or in the middle of nowhere.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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