Portable Recorders

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Comment by Terry Angelli on December 26, 2012 at 5:44pm

Great tips from all and I thank you for them. I plan on trying all of the techniques once I get my little studio set up. And I was "shocked" to see shock mounts in the $250.00 range on music equipment sites. :-)

Comment by Rick Heenan on December 26, 2012 at 7:42am

There is a technique called "working the mic" that the folks in radio use. Just like mic'ing an amp, move your head around the mic to find the optimum spot.  Where the P's don't pop.  Angled to one side or the other works best, so the energy of the pop doesn't slam full force into the diaphragm.  JMHO

Comment by Fran Guidry on December 25, 2012 at 9:16pm

I've been experimenting with vocals lately, in the past most of my recording has been exclusively instrumental but I'm branching out a bit. I'm a Pretty BaD PoPPer so that's something I'm addressing. I've found that moving the mic out of the direct air stream can be more effective than a screen. Either above the mouth or off to one side about 45 degrees or so really goes a long way toward cleaning up the sound.

Shock mounts - good ones are expensive and not good ones are not much good.

Fran

Comment by Phil Manuel on December 25, 2012 at 6:28pm

Happy Holidays to you too Terry!

As for both of those items, yes they are good to have, especially the pop filter.  The shock mount is nice, but if you are careful not to bang around too much while you play, you can get by without one.  The pop filters aren't that expensive, I got mine from Amazon for about $20 or less on sale.  If your lady has a pair of panty hose with a run, save them, and you can fashion one using it and an old wire hanger.  Take a look at them and you can see there's really nothing that much too them.  Some kind of thin foam, prolly find some packing foam like in something you've bought.

The pop filter is nice because it gets rid of those harsh 'shuhs' and 'tuhs' and 'peas' and protects the mic from overloading your recording with spikes.  Again, it depends on your mic placement.  The closer you place your mouth to the mic while recording the more you will need it.  If you are 8" or more, shouldn't be much of a problem. 

Comment by Terry Angelli on December 25, 2012 at 5:03pm

Fran & Phil,
Happy holidays to you too and thanks for the condenser mic info. I got a large diaphragm Sterling brand mic I just cant remember the model. I was aware that the condensers are much more sensitive but having never used one I had no idea just how much.

Since we're on the subject is a shock mount a necessity? And what about a pop screen? My guess is that it wouldn't hurt to have them but right now the budget is stretched due to the holidays. What do you think?

Comment by Phil Manuel on December 24, 2012 at 2:34pm

 I've got a MXL v67g large condensor type mic and a v67n small condenser.  Not trashnig these mics, just havent found a way to get the presense and warmth I'm looking to get out of the small condenser.  I don't have very expensive gear or software to help in the mixing, which may improve my results.  Through all of my recordings, I've grown to appreciate folks who have the talent to engineer and record sound. 

Comment by Fran Guidry on December 24, 2012 at 2:16pm

Phil, I'm trying to get a sense of what you find unsatisfactory about the result. Noisy? Shrill? Dull?

What are the mics specifically?

Fran

Comment by Phil Manuel on December 24, 2012 at 2:14pm

Fran, no matter where I place this small condenser mic, it just doesn't give me a very good result.  It could be just the particular mic I have, or some other variable, but the large condenser mic works well for me.  As with all mics and guitars, I think experimentation and personal prefs rule the day.  So, I agree with all you say.

Comment by Fran Guidry on December 24, 2012 at 2:01pm

Phil, what is the issue with your small diaphragm condenser? What don't you like about it?

The common "wisdon" about the difference between large D and small D mics is mostly garbage. There are LD mics with flat response and SD mics that are hyped and shrill or dull and muddy. It's really all about the individual mic.

It's also the case that suggestions for mic placement are just suggestions, not rules, and a lot of the game is trying different mic placements to match the characteristics of the instrument, player, room, and mic.

Fran

Comment by Fran Guidry on December 24, 2012 at 1:56pm

Terry, the main thing to know about condenser mics vs dynamics is the greater sensitivity they exhibit. This means that at the same preamp gain setting the condenser will capture a much louder recording. Many folks complain that their condenser "hears everything" but it's worth understanding that the level on the recording is a function of total system sensitivity - that is, mic sensitivity plus preamp gain. So if the condenser hears too much turn down the preamp gain.

Condensers often also have an extended high frequency response, but this is less significant than most people think, because the extension is beyond 12 khz or so, where there is very very little acoustic energy (unless one is playing the triangle).

Fran

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