Topic: External mics for Zoom H2?

[koula1977]

Hello,

i'm new to taping, i bought before some time Zoom H2 recorder, for taping mostly punk and hardcore shows, and most of them in small venues. Now i'm interesting to buy a pair of external mics, but not very expensive, i think i can afford a price up to 150 euro. So do you have guys to suggest me anything? Thanks in advance.

[TimSmith]

As many people would say:

Church-Audio CA-14 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=141135.0)
SP-CMC-4U (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-CMC-4U)
SP-CMC-2 (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-CMC-2)

You may also buy Soundman OKM IIR, looks like they are located in Germany (http://www.soundman.de/en/products/okm-ii-studio-rock/) or one of Core Sound (http://www.core-sound.com/cardioid/1.php) models, but in my opinion Church-Audio and Sound-Professionals are better for the money. I'm very happy with my CA-14s.

Listen to recordings and decide yourself which you like more.

and don't forget a battery box for loud shows


Cheers! 

[koula1977]

many thanks for the reply. But i 'm another question since i'm new, why i will need a battery box?

[bryonsos]

many thanks for the reply. But i 'm another question since i'm new, why i will need a battery box?

Loud show with no battery box = bad. With battery box = 

[hoppedup]

many thanks for the reply. But i 'm another question since i'm new, why i will need a battery box?

For loud shows, you need a battery box to properly power the mics. This will help the mics take the higher Sound Pressure Levels. The plug-in power of the Zoom H2 may be adequate for some things, but most likely you'll want to power the mics for better, less distorted sound. Many mics will perform at lower than advertised voltages, but they will perform optimally at the manufacturer's suggested voltage.

[bryonsos]

many thanks for the reply. But i 'm another question since i'm new, why i will need a battery box?

For loud shows, you need a battery box to properly power the mics. This will help the mics take the higher Sound Pressure Levels. The plug-in power of the Zoom H2 may be adequate for some things, but most likely you'll want to power the mics for better, less distorted sound. Many mics will perform at lower than advertised voltages, but they will perform optimally at the manufacturer's suggested voltage.

Like I said, 

 

[colinw]

I have heard some nice shows recorded with Zoom h2 internals, but they were quiet, acoustic shows with little crowd noise and a very low volume overall. For louder shows you will benefit greatly from a pair of decent microphones and a battery box or preamp.

For what you're taping (punk and hardcore), in small venues, something like the Church audio CA-14s would be good. You can get them in either cardioid or omnidirectional configurations. I bought both when I got mine, and find myself using the cardioids most of the time. For something like the loud music you're recording, getting up front near a speaker with either cards or omnis and using a battery box to allow for the increased sound pressure and volume will yield some very listenable recordings. The proximity to the speakers will be loud enough to cover up any talking or chatter in the audience, and with a battery box you should be able to adjust levels enough that you won't clip the recording, even if it is very loud.

The small battery box and CA 14s I use for small stealth club taping is a very compact rig, and I have pulled some great recordings with them. I would guess this is the best route for you to go, given your budget. I have not used the Sound Professional mics, but I have heard some nice tapes done with them, so that could be another option.

Good luck.

[cybergaloot]

I own an H2 and take my word for it, DO NOT USE the external mic port. Forget it exists. Buy a battery box or a preamp and use the line-in. You'll be MUCH happier! The external mic port is noisy.

[cybergaloot]

I own an H2 and take my word for it, DO NOT USE the external mic port. Forget it exists. Buy a battery box or a preamp and use the line-in. You'll be MUCH happier! The external mic port is noisy.

BTW, I have pulled decent recordings with H2 using Church-Audio CA-14 mics and a CA-9000 preamp. I rarely use it anymore since I've moved on to better gear but it will work better than some will have you believe. 24 bit!

[koula1977]

many thanks guys for all the replies, so i have to decide now what to pick.

[koula1977]

and what type you suggest me to buy? OMNI or CARD?

[dyneq]

Since your budget is limited, I would go with omnis. In general, you have to spend more money to get decent sounding cardioids.

Omnis do require a different placement strategy to be successful. Since they capture the audience as well as the music, you must either get them high above the crowd or right next to the PA (Front of Board or FOB or right in front of a PA stack).

As others have said, a battery box is highly recommended for the music you intend to record. Will you be recording out in the open? You may want to consider used equipment at your budget.

[fmaderjr]

Since your budget is limited, I would go with omnis. In general, you have to spend more money to get decent sounding cardioids.

Although this is true in general, Church Audio CA-14 & CA-11 cards sound great and are not very expensive. I much prefer recording with cards in venues where there is a good bit of audience chatter to reduce the chatter picked up in the recording.

[Humbug]

Of the above suggestions, for really noisy distorted live shows, I would pick the Sound Professionals CMC2's.

I tape with the CMC2's (AT831s) and CMC4's (AT853s), and while the CMC4's give better results when the sound in the venue is excellent, for bad sounding venues, the CMC2's shine. Also the 853s as standard will distort..

Here's a very loud gig at not the best sounding venue in London:

http://archive.org/details/ssuckers2004-02-02.shnf

The soundprofessionals SP-SPSB-8 battery box makes a nice companion to these mics.

[darktrain]

Of the above suggestions, for really noisy distorted live shows, I would pick the Sound Professionals CMC2's.

I tape with the CMC2's (AT831s) and CMC4's (AT853s), and while the CMC4's give better results when the sound in the venue is excellent, for bad sounding venues, the CMC2's shine. Also the 853s as standard will distort..

Here's a very loud gig at not the best sounding venue in London:

http://archive.org/details/ssuckers2004-02-02.shnf

The soundprofessionals SP-SPSB-8 battery box makes a nice companion to these mics.

Both the 831 and the 853 will distort without the 4.7k mod

[blg]

If you are on a budget, I'd go with the CA-14(cards) for loud shows and the CA-Ugly, which is an extremely small pre/power supply.  I've used the cards on everything from a small 150 capacity club up to an arena and have been extremely happy with the results.  Until I upgrade to something like Schoeps, I'll be sticking with the CAs.  I've taped side by side a few times with a friend who has Schoeps CCM4s and while I'd never say the CA mics are close to as good, they hold their own considering they cost more than 10 times less.

Here's an example of a very loud club show I did recently:
http://archive.org/details/localh2012-09-24.BLG.flac16

[Humbug]

Both the 831 and the 853 will distort without the 4.7k mod

I disagree - I have never heard distortion (and I've recorded Motorhead, and also at The Underworld in Camden, The Borderline in central London, two of the loudest venues I've come across), for the AT831's.

[darktrain]

Both the 831 and the 853 will distort without the 4.7k mod

I disagree - I have never heard distortion (and I've recorded Motorhead, and also at The Underworld in Camden, The Borderline in central London, two of the loudest venues I've come across), for the AT831's.

Ok, but they actually will distort faster than the 853's, did u run em 3 wire, if so then neither need the mod but if mini plug they will but maybe they had the mod from sound pro

[TimSmith]

Although this is true in general, Church Audio CA-14 & CA-11 cards sound great and are not very expensive. I much prefer recording with cards in venues where there is a good bit of audience chatter to reduce the chatter picked up in the recording.

Agree. I use CA-14 cards much more often than omnis. IMHO omni's is a way to go if 1) you are close to a loud PA 2) acoustics of the room are perfect and the crowd is quiet. But what I really like about omni's is their full bass response. So if situation allows me, I use omni's.