[Ty Ford]

Hello Richard and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

The answer to your question is, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

I have improved the audio quality of my Sennheiser G2 wireless by using better lavs than the ME-2 that came with them. The G3 are supposedly better sounding than the G2, even with the ME-2. I understand that Sennheiser now sells the G3 with the MKE-2, for more money, of course.

You could always try a new mic and if that doesn’t help, trade up to a new TX/RX as well.

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Susannah,

The Zoom micro cameras I have used and reviewed – the Zoom Q4 and Q8 have very respectable audio sections. I could envision one of them being used as both the audio and video recorder.

https://tyfordaudiovideo.blogspot.com/2014/11/zoom-q4-1080p-with-lcd-viewer-and-2496.html

https://tyfordaudiovideo.blogspot.com/2015/05/zoom-q8-like-q4-but-more.html

You might also do well to consult with Julian Treasure who speaks a great deal about sound and noise. I was with him yesterday on a shoot concerning an Armstrong noise reduction product. He’s given a number of TED talks about sound.

Yes. there is quite a lot to know about how sound affects us; not only physically, but psychologically…and spiritually. I do believe that noise pollution can be toxic; more so to some than to others. Likewise, sound therapy can be expected to be more or less effective, depending on the individual.

I’ve been working with therapeutic sound for about eight years now.

https://www.tyford.com/Ty_Ford_Chakra_Soundscapes.html

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Joe,

you know you can change the sample rate on audacity to make it play at the proper speed, right?

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Susannah and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

There are several companies that sell smal mics that clip on eye glasses to record ambient sound.

https://www.core-sound.com/mics.html

There are also mic systems from SonicStudios. https://www.sonicstudios.com/dsm.htm

Here’s a review I did some time ago for their DSM mics.

Regards,

Ty Ford

DSM Mics

Pro: easy to use, hard to spot Con: slightly noisy

Ty Ford Baltimore, MD

Surreptitious recording, stealth mics, recording stuff when you don’t want
somebody (or anybody) to know about it. That’s not EXACTLY what Sonic
Studio’s DSM mics allow you to do, but it’s a fair description. I mean, if
you saw somebody walking around with two small wired pods, each the
size of a dime, attached to their glasses frames, it would raise some
questions. That’s provided you noticed in the first place. I’ve worn the DSM
mics in public without them being noticed. The bigger the crowd, the less
likely anyone will notice.

DSM stands for Dimensional Stereo Microphone. The DSM-6 Signature
series ($400) I tried are hand-selected for full frequency response, -.25dB
and phase matched. The DSM-6 Standard set ($300) is matched within 1dB
at 1KHz. Sonic Studios in Reedsport Oregon makes these high-quality,
electret condenser mics and other cabling paraphernalia to hook them up
to DAT machines and other audio devices. Granted these are electret mics,
so there is some noise relative to RF condensers, but in cases where
portability is important and the sound levels are high enough, the smaller
electrets are hard to beat. And, there’s no phantom power supply to worry
about.

Each mic is an omnidirectional pressure type, using a proprietary back-
electret omni-directional condenser element. Frequency response starts
at 5Hz and goes as high as 23KHz. The capsule is totally sealed except for
a pressure relief hole for altitude equalization. Omni they may be, but like
the human ear, they are directional at higher frequencies. Each mic is
encased in water-proof vinyl and comes with a small loop that slides over
the side pieces of a pair of glasses. There’s a windscreen/headband (DSM-
WHB, $100) or you can try the 16lb. dummy head (DSM-GUY, $1,000 with
head, tripod, WHB and two cases) which means you don’t have to stand in
one place not moving your head during recording. The good thing about
using your own head and headphones is that you can move to precisely the
right spot to get a very nice stereo recording.

DSM’s will also power the hard-to-find Sony 24-bit SBM-1 (Super Bit Map)
outboard A/D converter that uses the proprietary 7-pin I/O on the Sony D3,
D7 and D8. Super Bit mapping is always ON on the SBM-1 and requires a
heavier outboard battery, which of course, Sonic Studio also has. They
even have a $75 mic plug-in upgrade that allows direct power and input
deck connection for the D8, so you don’t need the PA-6 power adapter for
powering the electret. The DSM-6 and 6S both come with a 1/8″ molded
stereo plug. I needed XLR’s. Sonic Studios had them plus six others kinds of
connectors, a number of headphone/line drivers and external power pack
that can greatly lengthen continuous recording time.

IN THE FIELD I’ve walked up on live performances wearing the mics and a
portable DAT machine, and walked away with a very good representation
of the performance. You get better results when the performance is done
without a PA. With a PA you get a nice recording of the performance
through a PA. You also get better recordings when the audience doesn’t
make noise, which never happens. So, logically, that means the DSM’s are
really good at recording people ambiences.

They’re also useful in the studio. I got some very nice stereo acoustic
guitar recordings by attaching the mics to my glasses and leaning over the
face of my D28S Martin while I played. The binaural effect made for an
extremely and natural sound. If you’ve got some extra tracks, recording a
few instruments this way could add a lot of dimension to the mix, even if
you pan the pairs around a bit to make room for other instruments. Instead
of using delay on a single track to spread the sound of the instrument, this
method may result in something more real or dimensional. Combining the
two tracks to mono caused a very minor amount of high frequency loss due
to the expected phase cancellation. Also, if the sound source is low in
level, you have to get very close to keep the electret noise minimized.

For standard playback you’ll have to tweek your monitors to reproduce the
stereo image correctly. Angling them in to cross at a point a few feet in
front of me resulted in success, otherwise I had trouble placing elements
of the sound in the right place on the stereo spectrum. The same sort of
thing happens with X/Y mic techniques. Headphones work best. If you’re
planning on a “headphones only” show, the DSMs are indispensable.

Ty Ford may be reached at https://www.tyford.com

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hi Salem,

Can you please send me your email address to tyford@tyford.com

Thanks,

Ty

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Salem and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

I’m afraid that I must disagree with you. Your english is very good! 🙂

We have a saying in audio. “You can never have enough inputs or tracks.”

Have you considered a Zoom F8? I have not tried one yet, but have heard some very good reports.

I thought B&H shipped internationally. I may be wrong. Here’s a link to the F8 on the B&H site.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1140426-REG/zoom_zf8_f8_field_recorder.html/BI/8631/KBID/9745

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hi Tom and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

Your brain processes sound binaurally. Presuming that you have two ears, no, I would not get just one speaker. Maybe if you had one ear, yes.

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Apparently, Pro Tools First stores sessions on a cloud, not on your computer.

If you don’t mind that model, that’s OK.

I prefer to won the software and have it installed on my computer along with all of my audio and sessions.

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Cameron and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

Does the MKE 6000 record to two channels in Audacity?

Your camera input is stereo. You are using a mono mic. Your cable is not bridging the audio to both channels. You need a cable that is correctly wired to hit both channels.

Like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/158476-REG/Hosa_Technology_XVM_101F_Mini_Stereo_Male_to.html/BI/8631/KBID/9745

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Ty Ford]

Hello Sebastian and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

You may not be able to get playback of one source in both headphones.
What program on your computer are you using to receiver the audio via USB from your Zoom device?

Yes, latency (delay) is common with USB devices. Try monitoring via your Zoom rather than your computer.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog