Hi, my first post, so it’s a bit of an introduction, but with some specific questions, sorry if it’s a bit long.
I have been making audio recordings for a couple of years, but of music and lectures, certainly nothing outside in nature. This is partly because my recording equipment is not very portable, i.e. a rack of equipment including a 24 track digital recorder and enough equipment to record a full orchestra. Anyway, I wanted to make some of my recordings much more easy to setup and lighter to carry, this would allow me to travel by train for example to a venue for simple stereo recordings. So I have just bought a Fostex FR-2LE.
Now that I have experimented with it and realised that I am now VERY portable, I took it outside to see what sounds of nature I could record. That’s when I suddenly realised that I need to change how I record and/or possibly get some other equipment. I tied using a Rode NTG-2 (Hyper-cardioid) with windshield and deadcat. I got far too much background noise and not enough gain for the subject I wanted to hear.
Firstly I would like to record using what I have if possible and buy as little as is needed to get started. I have got some very fine microphones, a pair of Sennheiser MKH20’s. Just the job in damp conditions, but not very good when you want to focus on a particular animal, bird or other natural sound. So I think the first thing I need is a parabolic reflector.
What I want to end up with is stereo recording using a parabolic reflector with the Sennheiser MKH20’s at the focus with a separation plate between the mics as shown in http://www.telinga.com/stereo.htm.
So my initial questions are:
Where can I buy a parabolic reflector dish, just the dish as I can make any fittings needed or perhaps adapt a Sennheiser shockmount to suit. Or indeed, make my own dish, fibreglass etc, the main problem being obtaining the former the right size and shape.
Are these omni mics suitable for use in the parabolic reflector. From what I have read, using a reflector alters the frequency response of the recording loosing the bottom end, or is that increasing the higher end, which ever it is, you get a biased recording towards higher frequency. My thought was by using the MKH20 mics, this would help as these mics have a very flat response curve. But what I don’t know, is how will they fair.
Does the use of damping material on the outside of the reflector help reduce the higher frequency bias, or is this purely down to the size of dish in relation to frequency, i.e. the larger the dish the lower the frequency is reflected to the focus. I realise this will increase the weight.
I should add that I am not a bird watcher, but I am nevertheless very keen to record lots of subjects to the very best quality I can and birds will definitely be high on the list for recording.
Thanks,
Mike
I have been making audio recordings for a couple of years, but of music and lectures, certainly nothing outside in nature. This is partly because my recording equipment is not very portable, i.e. a rack of equipment including a 24 track digital recorder and enough equipment to record a full orchestra. Anyway, I wanted to make some of my recordings much more easy to setup and lighter to carry, this would allow me to travel by train for example to a venue for simple stereo recordings. So I have just bought a Fostex FR-2LE.
Now that I have experimented with it and realised that I am now VERY portable, I took it outside to see what sounds of nature I could record. That’s when I suddenly realised that I need to change how I record and/or possibly get some other equipment. I tied using a Rode NTG-2 (Hyper-cardioid) with windshield and deadcat. I got far too much background noise and not enough gain for the subject I wanted to hear.
Firstly I would like to record using what I have if possible and buy as little as is needed to get started. I have got some very fine microphones, a pair of Sennheiser MKH20’s. Just the job in damp conditions, but not very good when you want to focus on a particular animal, bird or other natural sound. So I think the first thing I need is a parabolic reflector.
What I want to end up with is stereo recording using a parabolic reflector with the Sennheiser MKH20’s at the focus with a separation plate between the mics as shown in http://www.telinga.com/stereo.htm.
So my initial questions are:
Where can I buy a parabolic reflector dish, just the dish as I can make any fittings needed or perhaps adapt a Sennheiser shockmount to suit. Or indeed, make my own dish, fibreglass etc, the main problem being obtaining the former the right size and shape.
Are these omni mics suitable for use in the parabolic reflector. From what I have read, using a reflector alters the frequency response of the recording loosing the bottom end, or is that increasing the higher end, which ever it is, you get a biased recording towards higher frequency. My thought was by using the MKH20 mics, this would help as these mics have a very flat response curve. But what I don’t know, is how will they fair.
Does the use of damping material on the outside of the reflector help reduce the higher frequency bias, or is this purely down to the size of dish in relation to frequency, i.e. the larger the dish the lower the frequency is reflected to the focus. I realise this will increase the weight.
I should add that I am not a bird watcher, but I am nevertheless very keen to record lots of subjects to the very best quality I can and birds will definitely be high on the list for recording.
Thanks,
Mike
