Thanks, Steve
I didn't realise the vulnerability of condenser mics until I had a terrible time in Jammu. Nearly all the recordings (male "singers" who shouted at the tops of their lungs) yielded vilely distorted recordings.
My good friend Nishi Nakra in Delhi -- to my way of thinking, the best loudspeaker designer in India, thought it was the "capsules bottoming." But when I discussed the problem with Klaus Heyne, the microphone maestro, he opined that it was the FETs that caused the problem. So I paid his not inconsiderable fee to have the mics (KM84s) Klaused.
I use three basic setups in the field: Mid-Side, with a KM84 and a Sennheiser MKH30 configured in a Rycote windscreen, for street recording, and also small combos indoors; a pair of crossed KM84s to record Tibetan rituals, with the mics set up at the shrine end of the temple; and a spaced pair of RE50s--I've made amazing good recordings with the latter, in fact, they're the only mics I use in Bali, where I also insist on recording outdoors. The current crop of DAWs (I use Samplitude) make it a snap to turn Mid-Side originals into regular stereo.
Salutations, David L
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Smolian" <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: April 18, 2006 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] portable sound recording devices
If this is the David Lewiston who made the Explorer Series for Nonesuch, etc., he has more experience than all of us combined in recording folk instruments and groups under all kinds of circumstances. I've admired his skillful work from the git-go.
Steve Smolian
----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] portable sound recording devices
At 09:34 PM 4/18/2006, David Lewiston wrote:When recording such a loud instrument, the mic should not be too close to it. For pipes & shawms I prefer not to place the mics closer than 20 feet. Because such loud instruments are intended to be heard out of doors, that's where I record them.
If a condenser mic mic is too close to such a loud instrument, it may well overload diaphragm and/or the FET. I've run into this sort of problem.
For such an application I would leave the Neumann condensers in the carrying bag, choosing instead a dynamic omni such as the EV RE 50, which is very well behaved.
I don't disagree with the advice but the mic preamp may be what is overloaded, not the mic itself.
Do bagpipes really get up to 120 dB SPL where you would mic them? The Audio Technica AT-822 that I suggested as a good buy will generate 1% THD at 1 kHz at 125 dB SPL.
At that point, the mic will be putting out over half a volt AC.
If indeed the bagpipe is putting out in excess of 120 dB SPL, then the musician needs to seriously worry about hearing protection.
Cheers,
Richard
Tape Restoration Seminar: MAY 9-12, 2006; details at Web site.
Richard L. Hess email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
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