Comments on: Which microphone should I buy?

Question: Which microphone should I buy?

mateuslee — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:15:11 -0800

Which microphone should I buy to do fieldwork in the jungle?

I'm looking for a microphone to use to do some linguistic fieldwork with some indigenous communities in South America, but I'm not sure what kind to buy.

My needs are a bit unique, so let me explain a bit more:

I do not want a unidirectional mic (this is not for interviews); this one has to be able to capture surrounding speech – I want to, for example, hang it from a tree and record speech in a 5m radius. Also, it should be battery-powered.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

By: DiscourseMarker

DiscourseMarker — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 09:11:11 -0800

Hmm, well you might try something like this AKG mic...it's got an omnidirectional pickup pattern, and it's designed for electronic news gathering, so it's likely to be more rugged than a studio mic. As a bonus, it's a dynamic mic which means it doesn't require an external power source or a battery, just plug it in to your recording device (minidisc, DAT, whatever) and go.

Good luck!

By: umbú

umbú — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 09:39:29 -0800

I used a Rode NT4 to do ethnomusicological fieldwork in South America, and loved it. It is a rugged stereo mic with the condenser capsules in an X/Y pattern, plugs in with either xlr or 1/8", and has a 9V battery so you don't need an external power source.

If you're recording outside, and it's at all windy, you'll need a furry windscreen (not just a regular thin foam one) like this one.

By: the duck by the oboe

the duck by the oboe — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 15:09:21 -0800

Electrovoice make some dynamic omnidirectional mics that are worth a look. The 635A and the RE50 sound pretty good and are indestructible.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:04:33 -0800

Core-sound makes great binaurals with battery boxes. You can clip them anywhere and they sound fantastic. There's a low-cost (under $100) and a regular ($200-something I think) version.

I have the regular ones and I use them for all sorts of field recordings. They sound terrific, and they're tiny enough to be unobtrusive.

By: fvox13

fvox13 — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:20:41 -0800

I always recommend Visivox. The Hammerhead might be what you're looking for.