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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: kleiner Rainer on May 10, 2018, 05:08:18 AM
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Hi all on the old world side of the pond
Thomann has a special offer for Roland binaural mics:
https://www.thomann.de/de/roland_wear_pro.htm#
The mic was designed for an older GoPro camera model, but modifying it for recorder use is straightforward.
If you remove the special Mini USB plug, and connect a 3.5mm stereo plug, you lose the warranty, but you get a very sensitive low-noise binaural mic that operates with plug-in power.
My quick-and-dirty test setup with a PCM-D50 worked very well when set up with my trusty old Sennheiser head (the mics it came with degraded too much after 30 years of outdoor use). There is a bit of wind sensitivity, so I have to find a way to improve the wind screens. I had to switch on the mic attenuator and set the gain to 5, but the sound is great. The sensitivity and low noise floor should be of interest for the nature sound crowd. Operation with a battery box seems possible.
FIY: the red wire is the right channel, yellow the left. Both wires have a separate shield.
Executive summary: recommended hack!
Greetings,
Rainer
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Hey man, can you translate the approximate cost in USD?
Also, is that a USB C or mini USB connector?
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Hey man, can you translate the approximate cost in USD?
Also, is that a USB C or mini USB connector?
Here you go. US settings (I hope).
https://www.thomannmusic.com/roland_wear_pro.htm
It's mini USB.
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^^^^^^^^^
Thanks, I guess I could have done google translate- so thanks for sure for doing that for me.
So, less than $20 for these + $36 for shipping? Seems like a deal but not sure how one would connect/power them without a gopro: plugin-powered via GoPro Camera (no Batterys required)
I'm interested but no interface for using them with our current bitbuckets.
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Seems like a deal but not sure how one would connect/power them without a gopro: plugin-powered via GoPro Camera (no Batterys required)
I'm interested but no interface for using them with our current bitbuckets.
Please, check first post by kleiner Rainer or read here:
If you remove the special Mini USB plug, and connect a 3.5mm stereo plug, you lose the warranty, but you get a very sensitive low-noise binaural mic that operates with plug-in power.
My quick-and-dirty test setup with a PCM-D50 worked very well when set up with my trusty old Sennheiser head (the mics it came with degraded too much after 30 years of outdoor use). There is a bit of wind sensitivity, so I have to find a way to improve the wind screens. I had to switch on the mic attenuator and set the gain to 5, but the sound is great. The sensitivity and low noise floor should be of interest for the nature sound crowd. Operation with a battery box seems possible.
FIY: the red wire is the right channel, yellow the left. Both wires have a separate shield.
Executive summary: recommended hack!
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Thanks for the tip, too bad they don't come with a microUSB plug as they could probably be used direct with an Android smartphone. I wonder how they would hande loud noise, the Roland CS-10 EM aren't great for that.
EDIT - Ok, ordered ! Will be looking to use them with my Zoom H1 as a use GoPro 3 goes for a lot more than I thought it would ! Will go looking for a jack on eBay or Amazon...TRRS so overkill and pretty ugly but no soldering, would this work : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cerrxian-bornes-femelle-adaptateur-convertisseur/dp/B06XSD95TC/ or this might even be better https://www.amazon.co.uk/CERRXIAN-Terminal-Headphone-Converter-Adapter/dp/B072N8GYSX/ ?
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So it just came in. Nice comprehensive package with many tips. So as expected that MiniUSB adapter is not standard. So now I have the choice between getting a used GoPro 3 or a 3.5mm adapter and use it with my H1...unfortunately it doesn't have a limiter so I'm not sure how well it would work, hum...
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Thanks for the tip, too bad they don't come with a microUSB plug as they could probably be used direct with an Android smartphone. I wonder how they would hande loud noise, the Roland CS-10 EM aren't great for that.
EDIT - Ok, ordered ! Will be looking to use them with my Zoom H1 as a use GoPro 3 goes for a lot more than I thought it would ! Will go looking for a jack on eBay or Amazon...TRRS so overkill and pretty ugly but no soldering, would this work : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cerrxian-bornes-femelle-adaptateur-convertisseur/dp/B06XSD95TC/ or this might even be better https://www.amazon.co.uk/CERRXIAN-Terminal-Headphone-Converter-Adapter/dp/B072N8GYSX/ ?
Try this on your android phone. You might also get it to work with and adapter and an OTG cable
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/804588-REG/CablesToGo_27367_USB_2_0_Mini_b_Female.html?ap=y&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIytirvsy_2wIVhTqBCh2aSAIjEAQYBCABEgJ1MvD_BwE
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Interesting thanks, might give that a try before I butcher the cable then.
EDIT - probably won't work (like my current miniUSB to microUSB adapter) because the GoPro uses a 10 miniUSB port : https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/goprouser/hero3-mini-usb-10-pin-t9625-s10.html - doubt there are adapters for that and can't see how the Android would be able to figure out what do with the input...
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Ok I'm up and running !
Got this TRRS plug adapter on eBay https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cerrxian-bornes-femelle-adaptateur-convertisseur/dp/B06XSD95TC/ as I couldn't find the TRS version but I thought it might work...and it does ! It was a bit fiddly and required a few attempts (could only get one channel for some reason) as the cables of the microphone are very thin.
Plugged into my H1 and will now be experimenting, thanks for the tip ! A lot cheaper than the Roland CS-10EM (that also act as headphones of course but have no use for that) to experiment with binaural.
(http://i67.tinypic.com/347u3p4.jpg)
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So I've been experimenting with various eartips and over-the-ear mounting and it's been good fun. The microphones are indeed very sensitive ! Here's an example of a quick walk in the rain last night : https://archive.org/details/ZOOM0036_201806
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Down to 9.99€ might pick up a second pair for backup ;-)
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For that price, I couldn't resist! Thank you for sharing that bargain.
I cutted the usb off and soldered an Neutrik L-shaped 3.5mm adaptor.
Neutrik NTP 3 RC-B
(https://www.justmusic.de/mall/1/pic/125849_1.jpg)
After the first hours of testing, I really like that there are also clamps in the package and I prefer them clamped instead of in-ear. They are low noise and sensitive. What a great deal.
I agree with kleiner Rainer, they are good for Ambient Sounds and you can hide them easily in your ears, on your clothes or on a bag.
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Oops, hadn't been notified of your reply.
Glad you like them and were able to solder them. The deal is still available so I might pick up another pair myself. Too bad I'm no good at soldering, so I have to use larger adapters with a little screw -;)
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Any links to shows recorded with these? I'm not interested in purchasing as I have a hacked set of the Sennheiser GoPro mics that were on sale a few weeks ago, but I would like to hear these.
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Thanks for this kleiner Rainer. Somebody stole my Roland CS-10 EM mics from my car, and I'd been looking to replace them for a while so I've snapped up two pairs of these. I'm in the UK too, so the delivery is not too expensive.
As much as I liked the recordings made by the EMs I always found wind noise to be problematic, and fabricated (sewed on) a windshield. I assume the windscreens provided with these are the square root of useless.
Also if somebody could explain which wire goes where in the Neutrik L-shaped 3.5mm adaptor I would be very grateful.
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Thanks for this kleiner Rainer. Somebody stole my Roland CS-10 EM mics from my car, and I'd been looking to replace them for a while so I've snapped up two pairs of these. I'm in the UK too, so the delivery is not too expensive.
As much as I liked the recordings made by the EMs I always found wind noise to be problematic, and fabricated (sewed on) a windshield. I assume the windscreens provided with these are the square root of useless.
Also if somebody could explain which wire goes where in the Neutrik L-shaped 3.5mm adaptor I would be very grateful.
Tip: Left - Yellow
Ring: Right - Red
Sleeve: Ground - 2 other wires, probably blue or black
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Tip: Left - Yellow
Ring: Right - Red
Sleeve: Ground - 2 other wires, probably blue or black
Thank you very much :cheers:
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Looking at the inside of the earpiece on these it looks like there is actually a speaker there. I wonder if these are basically the same as the Roland CS-10 EM mics, and if they could be modded to provide sound as well as record.
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Ignore what I said above, it looks like there's a speaker there but from the product specifications on their website:
Open-air structure allows outside sounds to reach your ears, providing safety while recording in crowded environments
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Any info about the SPL from these microphones?
:cheers:
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Any info about the SPL from these microphones?
:cheers:
I suspect they are similar, if not the same, as the Roland CS-10 EM mics. In which case not capable of handling high SPL.
But I'll go and test mine now.
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As I thought, they are not capable of recording high SPLs.
I've just tested using a 9V battery box, in front of my hi-fi speakers and they distort when I crank the volume up to loud concert levels.
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As I thought, they are not capable of recording high SPLs.
I've just tested using a 9V battery box, in front of my hi-fi speakers and they distort when I crank the volume up to loud concert levels.
poor neighbors... but thanks for letting us know!
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ok so not good for LOUD concerts but I'm covered for that ;-) Might still pick up a second pair as backup though.
Here's a comparison between possibly the best Smartphone ever for audio recording (Nokia 808) and the Roland WearPro : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwaI7xLhk1w