Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with microphone

Fave (tube) dual-channel mic-pre for less than $1k?

bitterkitten — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:00:11 -0800

RecordingFilter: Favorite warm mic pre-amp for vocals & other stuff under $1k? I've had a Demeter H-series dual channel tube mic pre for years, and while it worked I loved it. However, it's had to have an unusual amount of service compared to number of years I've owned it, and although I think Demeter makes great sounding pre's, I do not want to pay them any more to keep trying to fix what seems like the same problem it's had the last 3 times I sent it in. So I give up. Instead I'm looking for something comparable in terms of sound quality. I know questions like this have been asked before, but I don't think they were aiming for quite the same range of mic pre I've been looking for in terms of quality.

I don't care if it has usb or not (I have a Pro Tools hw rig), and it should have XLR & line inputs with metering & phantom power. I have been a big fan of tube pre's for a while now, especially for vocals. It's not that the price is important per se, just that the last time I did comparative listening was at least 6 or 7 years ago, and the ones I liked were in the $800+ range. Naturally if there's something that is crazy awesome that is cheap and sounds good, bring it on.

Also if it matters, I probably won't use it very frequently (maybe a few couple hour days of use every couple of months, or less). I realize that the frequency of the usage may not affect how frequently a piece of tube gear needs repair (vs. just sitting around) but I've always had the feeling some gear is designed to be more of a 'workhorse' than others.

Thanks RecordingFites!

One never properly hears a snowplow, maaaaaan.

unixrat — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:30:58 -0800

I sleep with the window open during the summertime to hear the sounds of my small town. Now that fall is here and winter is coming, it would be awesome to be able to do this even with the window closed. So it seems like I'd need a hardy (Minnesota winters) microphone on the outside ledge and a small speaker on the windowsill. Or [insert better idea here]? If you know of the right hardware to do this, please mention.

Also, you can probably assume that I'm a total microphone/speaker noob. I've got a budget of $500 for this project - I'd really like this to happen.

Connecting a microphone to a network.

BrokenEnglish — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:07:17 -0800

I have an IP webcam which allows anyone on the local area network to connect to it and view. Is there an equivalent IP-addressable device for sound only? Basically I want an IP-addressable microphone which will stream audio over the LAN and allow people to "tune in" just as they would with a webcam. Changing the webcam for one with a mic is, unfortunately, not an option. Bonus if the device can take input from a sound mixer board. I'd prefer a device which was self-contained rather than needing a PC nearby but I could use a PC if necessary. This is for use in a theatre so performers in the dressing room can keep an eye and ear on the progress of the performance.

Help me attach a microphone stand to my Halloween costume.

23skidoo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:38:19 -0800

I have a H'ween costume idea that involves a person standing behind a microphone on a stand. I do not want to carry around a microphone + stand all night. What can I make so that the mic+stand moves with me all night without me having to carry it? I have a microphone, and I have a stand (which several years ago lost its heavy solid base). I'd like to use the actual thing, if possible, but could make something lighter and easier to deal with out of wooden dowels or something. What would be the best way to secure something to my costume so that it always looks like I'm behind a mic stand?

(Note: Actual costume intentionally not mentioned so that I don't get alot of responses saying "I don't think you need a microphone + stand for that costume".)

What is the best Electronic News Gathering microphone for my Zoom H4n on a $150 budget? Also, critique suggestions I've already received.

DumbPoet — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:37:34 -0800

What is the best Electronic News Gathering microphone for my Zoom H4n on a $150 budget? Also, critique suggestions I've already received. I decided to purchase the H4n after this post, which nearly changed my mind.

Now I'm looking for the perfect starting microphone to round out my kit.

Priorities

Price: $150 or less

Purpose: Conducting interviews in locations ranging from very noisy (Stadium crowd) to very quite (office). The mic will serve as my vocal track while I collect ambient noise with the H4n's onboard mics.

Style: Cardiod or Shotgun, dynamic or phantom powered.

Advice I've Received So Far

"If I could only have one microphone, it would be hard to decide between my MD46 and ME66, which are the two I probably use the most. I think for audio-only reporting (where you're not worried about whether the mic appears on camera), the MD46 would probably win. It's excellent, and durable, and you'll probably still be using it 30 years from now if you stay involved in the business.

Now in all fairness, I should say that the Sennheiser E835 is almost exactly the same microphone as the MD46; acoustically and electronically they are pretty much identical. The only real difference is that the MD46 is physically longer and heavier, and therefore it is easier to use as a hand-held interviewing mic. But either one would work fine from a sound perspective, and the E835 is a lot cheaper, even more so if you can share the cost of a 3-pack with a couple of your friends."

Is the Sennheiser E835 really that similary to the MD64? If so, do the E8* series (The e845, for instance) grow in quality for my purposes as their series number rises?

Webcam recording softwrae

gocubbies — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:36:47 -0800

I need to record myself giving a presentation for school. My laptop has a built in webcam and microphone. What free Windows software would you recommend for this task?

Need a microphone that can survive high temperatures (~500F)

gribbly — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:12:32 -0800

I need to amplify the sound of a carbon arc in a WW2 era searchlight. The mic will be inside the drum of the searchlight, about 25" away from the arc. The temperatures at that distance should be 500F or less. Are there any microphones that will operate happily at that kind of temperature? This is for an art project! I plan to plug it into a standard PA system, and would prefer not to have to supply phantom power.

Web app that detects notes?

gwint — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:56:07 -0800

Is there a web app where I can hum or whistle a tone into my PC's microphone and get back what note it is?

EV RE50N/D-B mic + Olympus LS-10 recorder = hollow, tinny sound

BugsPotter — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:03:19 -0800

Recordings made using an ElectroVoice RE50N/D-B microphone with my Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder sound quiet, tinny and hollow. Why could this be? I have an Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder and a ElectroVoice RE50N/D-B microphone which I use to record interviews for a show I do that airs on a college radio station. When I transfer the audio from the recorder to my MacBook, the audio sounds hollow, tinny and very quiet. However, the strange thing is, if I shift the balance on the internal speakers to the left or right (not centered), it sounds much much better. Recordings made with the Olympus LS-10's internal microphone (without the EV mic) sound just fine. This same problem existed with another EV mic that I used, so I don't think it's the particular mic I'm using now.

For a while I thought this could be a problem with my MacBook, but then I played one of the interviews on the air and it sounded the same. The audio sounds fine on some computers though. So, basically, I'm at a total loss. Anyone have anything like this happen before or have any thoughts as to why it could be happening? Thanks!!

Should I buy a suspension mount for my Blue Snowball microphone?

Ian A.T. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:27:33 -0800

I'm about to start recording an audiobook / podcast. I've settled on Blue's Snowball microphone, and thanks to previous questions here I know that a pop filter is vital. Should I also buy the Snowball's suspension mount? I'll be recording with the microphone on my desk or possibly my kitchen table. On my desk is an external hard drive, which I'll of course be unplugging during recording, though I should point out that my desk backs up to an exterior wall. I'll also be the only speaker on the recording, if that matters.

It's not terribly expensive and there are bundles available, so I don't mind spending the extra money if it'll improve the quality of my recording. Will it?

Good WinXP sound recorder for bad eyes?

de void — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:25:59 -0800

What's a good Windows XP open source/freeware sound recorder that is easy for someone with vision deficits to use? Suggestions for a microphone also welcome. Details and... Stepdad's father will be doing a piano performance in a week. Stepdad will be flying with his Win XP notebook to attend and would like to record it, direct to MP3 if possible (but I can help him with .wav to mp3 conversion if necessary).

He has some significant vision deficits (nearly blind in one eye, huge amount of correction in the other) and uses the sight disability features in windows (large fonts, mouse pointer trails, screen magnifyer), so a complicated/cluttered interface would be a drag for him.

Money is an issue as well, so open source/freeware would be ideal.

Suggestions for a cheap-ish microphone with decent recording ability that travels well are also welcome.

Looking for opinions on "Azden" audio equipment.

davey_darling — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:54:33 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with "Azden" brand microphones? I'm going to be getting into more ENG style videography with my students next year, and I'm looking at purchasing this:

I'm not familiar with the Azden brand and I'd love to hear from anyone that has any experience with it. They seem to be the budget choice here.

I am leaning towards this one because it has a dual channel receiver
(can use the lav and the handheld at the same time). A Sennheiser with this capability is up around $1300. Sennheiser single channel is
around $700.

Is the Azden of decent quality/durability?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Where are the ear-shaped microphones?

devnull — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:19:43 -0800

Ears have evolved over many many years to be perfect for us to hear with. Why have I never seen an ear shaped microphone?

I sound like an air raid; do not want.

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:58:59 -0800

Built-in MacBook microphone records an annoying buzzy/overloaded tone on loud vocals- is there a cheap fix? I've been practicing singing to YouTube karaoke tracks, recording it with PhotoBooth or GarageBand on my MacBook (the 13" aluminum one). Whenever I belt, it records my voice as a buzzed-out feedback sound, like I'm spiking the level or something. My old PowerBook G4's internal mic did not do this, nor does my friend's white 13" MacBook.
How to fix this?

I'm usually standing about 1 metre away and my head is about a foot above the computer. Overloading happens even if I back off the mic on loud notes. I'm a little limited in that I also want to record video of me singing so I can watch my breathing and jaw, so whatever I do can't involve me covering the whole screen or standing somewhere other than in front of the laptop. I know I could get an external mic, but I want it all to be as streamlined as possible so I'll be more likely to do it often (if I have to pull out gear I just won't do it, from experience).

I've tried:
changing the height of the laptop; putting it on a hard desk or a soft vinyl kitchen chair seat; adjusting the angle of the screen (in case it's reflecting back the sound weirdly into the mic); placing a Tshirt around the mic part of the laptop to absorb some of the sound; and putting a tiny piece of dense foam (an earplug) on the mic holes to dampen the sound a little. None of those have worked.

The mic holes look like this: ~10 teeny holes in the aluminum, at the top left of the keyboard, near the hinge that attaches the screen. The webcam is top centre of the screen frame.

Any simple hacks I could try? Putting some kind of tape or other soft stuff on the hole? Putting the laptop on a different kind of surface to affect vibration? Any ideas welcome, feel free to think creatively or come out of left field. And I guess, as a final resort, recommend a cheap but decent peripheral mic I could buy?
Thanks!

What's the best (cheap) setup to do on-site podcasting?

HostBryan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:45:51 -0800

What's the best solution for my podcasting situation? I've checked the other podcasting questions on AskMeFi, and I haven't found quite what I'm looking for, so here's my situation:

I started off doing my podcast on the campus radio station, then recently moved to a podcast-only format. We've been using Skype since our crew is now dispersed around the country, and that works well. Thing is, a local business wants to do more promotional stuff with the podcast and wants us to do live-to-tape shows on location store during big events. We've done one already that was sort of cobbled together and it was OK, but I'd like to have my own setup tailored especially to my needs.

Basically, I'm looking for a good mixer and microphone to record directly to my computer. Here are the stipulations:

1. I'm running a 2007 Macbook Pro. It's a great computer but has no mic preamp built in, which makes a lot of un-powered mixers useless.
2. I want a mixer that preferably has 3 or 4 mic inputs. I can live with two, though.
3. I don't have a preference between USB and line-in mixers, but I would like a traditional board setup.
4. I'm recording voice only. No music.
5. I would prefer this to be on the inexpensive side. Preferably sub-$200, since I make no money on this podcast and I am but a poor grad student.
6. Something that works with Garage Band or Audacity would be preferable.
7. I'm not adverse to flash/other media recorders, but I still want a good mic input.

If you feel this question has been answered well in another thread, don't hesitate to point me towards that thread. Otherwise, I kneel prostrate before you, oh great hive mind.

Software to generate notated music from singing?

Flunkie — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:41:57 -0800

Can I sing (or hum or whistle) into my computer and have it produce notated music? I would like to sing (or hum or whistle) into my computer and have it produce some form of notated music - sheet music notation, MIDI, or preferably both. I figure there might be some software out there that would let me do this, given the existence of games like Rock Band (which detects the pitch you're singing at).

Assume (as I do) that I am not tone deaf, and that I have a halfway decent singing voice.

Windows, please; freeware is preferred but not required.

Thanks in advance.

Help me detect hidden cameras/microphones

kampken — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:33:12 -0800

Help me to detect hidden cams/microphones in a room. I have reason to believe that my friend's house has been bugged by her ex-husband and im looking for easy ways to find and remove these bugs. It may sound a bit paranoid, but there have already been other examples where he has tried to "track" her. First by putting a tracking program on her cellphone, and then by putting a GPS-tracker in her car. He then proceeded to follow her around and she involved the police at this point. He just got a warning and the devices were confiscated.

Now we have reason to believe he's at at it again. He's showing a eerie knowledge of what hours of the day she is home in, and information about personal matters he can't possibly know. Hence the suspicion that her home may be bugged with cameras or microphones. (i've checked her cellphone which is clean).

I've seen some detector devices on the internet, how effective are they? Example: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/5a42/
And is there any other method to detect them? Im guessing the microphones are sending out low-frequency noise and the cam must be using some other wave-length emissions i can somehow detect. Also if its wireless there's bound to be some RF noise.

Thanks in advance

Mic me up?

andruwjones26 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:19:49 -0800

What is the best wireless mic under 500$ (US) for a tenor saxophone? For both studio use and live (mainly live though.) I would prefer one without a wireless pack but those tend to be a lot more expensive so that may not be feasible. Thank you in advance for your suggestions-

High quality video capture device for Youtube?

brenton — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:24:23 -0800

What webcam or camcorder should I buy for my videocast?

I may run it as a youtube channel or as a vlog, but I want it to look and sound as good as possible. I intend to edit each episode with some yet to be determined video editing software and I am 90% sure I will be buying the Samson C01U microphone (possibly the whole podcasting pak).

Now I need a video recorder to match! There seems to be consensus that the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is one of the best webcams. However, I am wondering if I would get better image quality if I left the high-end webcam world and entered into the low-end camcorder world. A webcam would obviously be the most convenient since it plugs directly into the computer, doesn't need batteries, doesn't need media, etc...

What should I get to go with my microphone that will give a good balance of quality in the $100 range?

Why is my USB headset/mic only buzzing when I use Dragon Naturally Speaking?

omnigut — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:43:56 -0800

buzzing noise in Dragon Naturally Speaking, but not on other programs. Using VMWare fusion to run DNS on my Mac, and recording/listening through a Dinex USB headset with microphone. Any suggestions? Hi. Here's the problem:
There is a changing amount of buzzing when I use DNS (version 10). Sometimes a lot, other times only a little. There is always some. I'm using it on my mac (OS X 10.5), running VMWare Fusion to run it on Windows, as necessary.

When I heard the buzzing noise, I thought it had something to do with the mic, but there doesn't seem to be a problem on Photobooth, so I'm guessing it isn't hardware problems.

So I thought it was the fact that the USB headset/mic was being shared by both the mac and VMWare. So I changed all the mac settings, trying different combinations (also changing VMWare's sound settings, and then the control panel's sound settings) all to no avail. Also, when I downloaded "Free Sound Recorder" to use with VMWare fusion, the noise was a lot less, almost inaudible. So I think it's actually DNS that's messing up.

Please help. I'm trying to overcome pain in my wrists, and all this trouble is just exacerbating the situation. Thanks!

Mic level vs. Line level FIGHT!

knowles — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:50:00 -0800

How do I build a microphone preamp for a Macbook Pro? Oh hai. I just recently learned that the 3.5mm input on my MBP (core duo, 2.16ghz, 17in) is not actually a 3.5mm mic in, but a 3.5mm stereo line-in. What's the simplest circuit I can build to remedy this? What about more complex ones?

I bought a Zalman ZM-MIC1 and assumed that it would work out of box, not knowing that I would need some kind of preamp. I have soldering skills and a decent understanding of what electronic components do, how do I get the mic output up to line level for like six bucks at Radio Shack?

If you're so inclined, explain what is making the loudness happen and suggest cool modifications for this circuit as well.

Mic me up!

yoyoceramic — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:48:39 -0800

I would like to start to voice record my entire day because I think it would be fun to be able to chronicle my daily conversations (for reflection purposes). What kind of wireless/wired microphone/recorder set up would I need? The three main criteria I can think of are:

1) The mic and recording device cannot be visible.
2) Mic should be able to be worn under tshirts, polos, button downs.. and be able to record both sides of a conversation I might be in.
3) Recording apparatus should be very portable

I would love your thoughts everyone!

looking for an iPhone "microphone amp" application

helios — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:11:49 -0800

Is there an iPhone app (jailbroken or legit) that simply outputs the sound from the microphone directly to the headphones with no delay, as if it were an amp? I tried searching google and the iPhone store with no success.

Singing in the Car

sonicbloom — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:34:44 -0800

How can I set up a mobile singing booth in a friend's car? I have a friend who likes to sing, and I think it would be a great gift to be able to make her car a mobile singing booth. I previously gave her a small home setup with an amp, an Alesis reverb box (great for reverb and 'space' effects) and a microphone.

I was wondering if a setup could be created for mobile use. I'm thinking something involving a microphone and an FM transmitter, probably something like a Mr. Microphone (do they still exist?), preferrably without feedback, and preferrably with some effects. Something that plays through the car's speakers.

Any suggestions?

Any camcorders with mic input and easy digital recording format?

wuntu — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:12:22 -0800

What currently available video cameras will record to a commonly viewable digital format (ie. something Quicktime supports with no additional add-ons) AND has a microphone input jack? I'm in search of a video camera that will allow professors to record their lectures. I'm looking for a camera that will:
- store video in a format that can be copied to a computer quickly (so Flash Card or Hard Drive based)
- produce video in a format that can be played on most people's computers with software they already have installed (ie. Quicktime)
- in a format that isn't huge (likely some form of MPEG4)
- has a microphone input jack for attaching an external microphone (this is a must as the speaker will potentially be a significant from the camera.)
- easy to use. ideally there would be an automatic mode so that the person setting it up can just turn it on and press record, then drag a file to a file server for distribution.

It looks like the Sanyo Xacti HD2 fits the bill, but I believe it has been discontinued. Sanyo's newer models appear to record in AVCHD. I tried a Canon HF10, which also records in AVCHD format. The raw files will not play in Quicktime, and importing them through iMovie takes longer than real time (on a MacBook Pro).

VLC seems to be working on support for AVCHD, but unfortunately, I don't think it is ready for general use, and most student computers still don't have VLC installed.

The Focus Enhancements Fire Store products look promising as well. However, it would significantly increase the price of the system and I believe one of our professors previously used one and still needed assistance getting it set up.

Anything else is out there that might work?