Topic: Saturday Mic Reconfig

[mblindsey]

I purchased some cheap Beyerdynamic boundary mics off of eBay some time back, and haven't really used them for much of anything.  I originally asked for help identifying the caps here:  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=109937.0

As they were, the mics were not particular easy to use with a 1/4" TRS plug sticking out of the bottom.  So, I decided to get out the soldering gun and do something with them.  What I ended up with is a plastic box that takes 48V phantom via XLR and ouputs 9V PIP to a stereo 1/8" female jack, and a set of ugly DIY stealth mics.  Actually, the setup doesn't sound too bad.  Pics attached.

--Michael

[illconditioned]

Cool.  I've got some of those too.

What do you think of the sound of these?  Self noise?

Please post some samples if you get around to it.  I'm especially interested in ambient samples, not music.

  Richard

[mblindsey]

EDIT:  Funny...Richard, I had written the text below when you posted before I had a chance...

+++++++++++++

I think someone around here once said, post some examples of "natural sounds around your house" in some other mic example.  So, here one is.

Here is a sample into my R-44, gain up quite a bit.  Description:

- Mics resting on top of my dining room table, the one in the pics, on a plastic tool box.  Roughly in DIN.
- Kids watching 101 Dalmatian's in another room.
- I clap and walk to the kitchen 8 feet away
- I hit some spoons together in kitchen
- I tap a glass wine bottle with the spoon in kitchen
- I tap parts of a metal kitchen sink with a spoon
- I hit the bottom of a 10in skillet with a spoon in kitchen
- I walk back to the dining room and jingle some keys while moving around a bit.
- I get within 3 feet and crumple a small piece of paper and toss it on the table by the mics.

There is a low rumble.  Sounds a lot like my heater, which is loud (and the wood table sits almost on top of two vents on a tile floor), but I've never noticed it that much.  Maybe it's some other artifact....let me know what you think...

http://www.mediafire.com/?2tnwi3mk2dn

--Michael

[illconditioned]

Lol.  Those sound pretty good.

I've got some files, http://Soundmann.com/Kitchen1.wav, 2, 3 to Kitchen4.wav.  Those are some ambient from my kitchen with four different mics  All files are mono.  All are pretty good, but I'm curious what people think.  Take a listen and let me know.  The files are ~2.5 mins long, and include lots of different sounds.  What I want to know is which file sounds the most realistic.  Ie., it does not sound like a recording.  The files may have (slightly) different self noise.  I'm asking about the realism mostly, though.

Enjoy!
  Richard

[mblindsey]

Lol.  Those sound pretty good.

I've got some files, http://Soundmann.com/Kitchen1.wav, 2, 3 to Kitchen4.wav.  Those are some ambient from my kitchen with four different mics  All files are mono.  All are pretty good, but I'm curious what people think.  Take a listen and let me know.  The files are ~2.5 mins long, and include lots of different sounds.  What I want to know is which file sounds the most realistic.  Ie., it does not sound like a recording.  The files may have (slightly) different self noise.  I'm asking about the realism mostly, though.

Enjoy!
  Richard

I'm going to call it, best->worst, #3->#4->#2->#1 (after quick unscientific listen to each 3 or 6 times).  #4 & #3 are a toss up for me.  That set of files is ridiculously hard for me to judge.  The more I listen, the more I change my mind.  So, what set up's are we listening to?

Also, I honestly don't know how to measure the "self noise" of a mic.  What's the technique?

--Michael

[illconditioned]

Lol.  Those sound pretty good.

I've got some files, http://Soundmann.com/Kitchen1.wav, 2, 3 to Kitchen4.wav.  Those are some ambient from my kitchen with four different mics  All files are mono.  All are pretty good, but I'm curious what people think.  Take a listen and let me know.  The files are ~2.5 mins long, and include lots of different sounds.  What I want to know is which file sounds the most realistic.  Ie., it does not sound like a recording.  The files may have (slightly) different self noise.  I'm asking about the realism mostly, though.

Enjoy!
  Richard

I'm going to call it, best->worst, #3->#4->#2->#1 (after quick unscientific listen to each 3 or 6 times).  #4 & #3 are a toss up for me.  That set of files is ridiculously hard for me to judge.  The more I listen, the more I change my mind.  So, what set up's are we listening to?

Also, I honestly don't know how to measure the "self noise" of a mic.  What's the technique?

--Michael

Thanks for listening!  Yes, I do love my dog .

OK, please keep listening.  I want to know what sounds "real" and what sounds "like a recording".  I'll give you a clue: one of these is an "outlier", not a very good mic in comparison.  There are three that are *very* similar and harder to tell apart.  The three similar ones are all coincident, and the fourth is about 12" away from the others.  If I didn't say, they are all omni mics.

I found it helps to put them all in a multitrack program, and switch between as they run, "soloing" each one.

I'll give you the answers in a bit.

As far as self-noise goes, I'm just asking a qualitivative question.  What are least noisy when the background is quiet.  They are actually pretty close in this regard.

  Richard

[mblindsey]

Thanks for listening!  Yes, I do love my dog .

OK, please keep listening.  I want to know what sounds "real" and what sounds "like a recording".  I'll give you a clue: one of these is an "outlier", not a very good mic in comparison.  There are three that are *very* similar and harder to tell apart.  The three similar ones are all coincident, and the fourth is about 12" away from the others.  If I didn't say, they are all omni mics.

I found it helps to put them all in a multitrack program, and switch between as they run, "soloing" each one.

I'll give you the answers in a bit.

As far as self-noise goes, I'm just asking a qualitivative question.  What are least noisy when the background is quiet.  They are actually pretty close in this regard.

  Richard

Least noise?  Maybe #2.  I'm going to call #2 as being the mic farther away, because I hear more "oomph" when the dog walks across the floor in the beginning.  Low freqs travel slower, right?  So, they will have developed more by the time they reach the cap.  I'm going to stick by #3/#4 as close equals to win "best" for my ear (range, that is), even though I hear more noise in silence.  I hear a high whine in #1 that throws me off in the silence, although it might be the most life-like.

What would make this even better?  A video of the action.  Seeing what is happening would help my brain determine which is more "real".

Come on...PM me with the answers!

heh,
--Michael