Topic: SDC Pencil Recommendation for Field Recording (mid priced)

[glennjr]

Hey everyone! I hate to be the guy letting others pick out his mics, but I can't try them out where I live and can't find much info regarding field recording and the below mics. So REALLY hoping to pick your brains.

I'm looking for a pair of (preferably matched, but not a requirement) SDC pencil mics to record outdoor ambience. Must have low self noise and preferably the flatter the better. They'll be set up in ORTF.

Must be modular or switchable pattern. Need Cardioid and Omni)

I already have Line Audio CM3's, so those won't be considered.

Lastly, I'm in Taiwan. It can sometimes get quite humid in summer. Although not terrible. So they'll need to operate decently in somewhat humid conditions.

At MOST, I can spend $1000. But I would much rather it be well under that. My better half won't be pleased as it is! And I can accept something from the used market. Here is what I'm currently considering:

Lewitt LCT 340
Shure KSM141
Peluso CEMC-6
SE4
Busman BSC1

I'm sure I've missed something.

I'm really leaning toward the Lewitt. I haven't seen much about these, but what I've read sounds good. I'm the kind of guy who likes to be different from the pack at times, so these interest me in that my "sound" might differ from other field recordists. Down side is, it's at my budget limit and I've not seen them on the used market. So they had better kick butt!

Thanks for your suggestions!

[glennjr]

Ah, the omni option is for expandability. I'll be recording some scooter drive-bys in the future and want to have an omni a/b setup for that.

And with the CM3's, I've got those set up in an IRT Cross surround setup. Only own 4, so out of mics!    I'll be running the IRT and the ORTF concurrently, and I'm wanting a different "flavor" than the cm3 for the ORTF.

[mepaca]

How about the Rode nt55 matched pair http://www.rodemic.com/mics/nt55-mp. They come with cardioid and omni caps and sound great for the money. For a little less you could get the ny5 matched pair with an extra set of omni caps. Basically the same sound but without hpf and pad.

[glennjr]

Hey thanks. I somehow overlooked the Rodes. This one seems to fit the bill. Will read up on them and put them in the running.

[thunderbolt]

I'm a big fan of Busman Audio.  The prices are quite reasonable and you get incredible bang-for-the-buck.  The whole line sounds great and Chris uses very high quality components.  The BSC1 would give you limitless options.  If it was me, I'd get the Busman.

[glennjr]

Cool. Thanks for the word on Busman. I've got his modded DR680 and I'm happy with it. Maybe would be a nice pairing.   I was real tempted to go for the set someone was selling in the yardsale. $800 for nearly two sets of BSC2.

[John Willett]

The Gefell SMS 2000 series are "mid priced" and the capsules are available separately if you want a selection of capsules on a single body.

Gefell will pair-match on request at no extra cost, if specified at the time of ordering.

The Neumann KM-A series are also, just about, "mid price" I think.

[ScoobieKW]

I'm a big fan of Busman Audio.  The prices are quite reasonable and you get incredible bang-for-the-buck.  The whole line sounds great and Chris uses very high quality components.  The BSC1 would give you limitless options.  If it was me, I'd get the Busman.

I love my Busman modded Avantone CK-1 mics (comparable to his BSC1 line)

Use them 2-3 times a week.

[Gutbucket]

I've got those set up in an IRT Cross surround setup. Only own 4, so out of mics!    I'll be running the IRT and the ORTF concurrently, and I'm wanting a different "flavor" than the cm3 for the ORTF.

You may already be aware of this this, but here are two options which require no additional microphones to produce both 4-channel surround and 2-channel stereo output from a single recording setup:

1) Record 4 channels using your IRT Cross setup.  If you select two adjacent channels and ignore the other two, you have a standard "DIN" (90-degree inclusive angle / 20cm spacing) 2-channel stereo array.  That's a common near-spaced stereo configuration similar to ORTF.  Cons- It's slightly different than ORFT, and would not be using different microphones to achieve an alternate timbre "flavor".

2) Switch to using an "ORTF surround" or "double ORTF" (different names for the same setup) array instead of the IRT Cross.  Drop the rear facing ORTF pair and you have your 2-channel stereo ORTF pair.  Cons- It's slightly different than the IRT Cross, and would not be using different microphones to achieve an alternate timbre "flavor".

[paulbaptiste]

Can beat the Busmans for quality/price/ and 4 cap patterns,  amazing bang for your buck.  Plus sound stellar.  I may seem biased as i have a set, but I've ran/tried a few more expensive brand name mics and preferred the Busmans.  To each his own of course.  Getting modular with the higher end mics is an expensive process.