Stereo-Mic

Off the cuff I would say that to make much of an improvement you would need a better preamp. It's probably not the capsules but the mic pre circuit that is adding the noise. I found adding a good mic pre made a HUGE difference with low end recorders. About the cheapest available is the MixPre, though you might be able to find some used bargains. However that adds a lot to the overall cost of using external mics. I would find one locally and do a test with the H1, but I suspect that you will hear a significant improvement.
 
muroshi said:
But the NT4 would work with the zoom H1, I think?



With the Zoom H1 mics I notice self-noise above input level 48 (which wouldn't fall between the recommended -12 and -6db for most things). If it would improve the sound quality considerably I would buy the NT4 to enhance the quality of my short. What's your impression?
Click to expand...

Are you looking for a stereo mic for FX recordings or a mono for production recording? You should not be recording dialog with a stereo mic and the -12dB - -6 dB (fs) would refer to dialog recording levels. A quiet ambience is going to be VERY low level and you don't want to try and crank it up. The ideal is to record everything at the level your going to want to use it at. Since that is pretty much impossible to predict accurately you want to err on the high side but quiet ambiences are quiet recordings. I wouldn't be surprised to have some ambiences averaging in the -30dB - -40dB range
 
Thank you for your inputs on ambientsound levels. It's intended for fx/ambient, that's right. A MixPre is costing to much at the moment as I have to get this and the NT4 then and I just could get one over the other. So maybe I should just stick with the H1 for now, if the bottleneck is on the preamp anyway.
 
The Rode NT-4 comes with 2 cables: One that splits to two XLR conections, and one that has a stereo 3.5mm(1/8") mini jack. You run the mic off of it's 9v battery when using the mini jack cable, and it will work fine on the H1, or any device that takes a mic level mini jack.
 
Chadfish said:
The Rode NT-4 comes with 2 cables: One that splits to two XLR conections, and one that has a stereo 3.5mm(1/8") mini jack. You run the mic off of it's 9v battery when using the mini jack cable, and it will work fine on the H1, or any device that takes a mic level mini jack.
Click to expand...

Could you do a comparison between H1 mics and NT4, without a mixer? :)
 
muroshi said:
Could you do a comparison between H1 mics and NT4, without a mixer? :)
Click to expand...

No. I don't own an H1. But I used to own an H4, which had the same mics. They are just OK mics. The NT-4 mics are much better. So why don't you just get a little H1 and try it out for 100.00? If you feel it's mics aren't good enough you can plan to get a better stereo mic. If you indeed like the H1 mics, you're all set. I suspect you will be happy with the H1 alone, as you seem to be looking for a reason to go the absolute cheapest rout.
 
I already have the H1. It's not bad, just self-noise over input level 48 and construction is a problem. Maybe I should get a gorilla pod or something more stable than the tripod from the accessorie-set.
 
It just came out, and Rycote is pushing out as many as they can make. I just put in a question on the price, so we'll see.
 
Chadfish said:
Rycote has a nice new recorder suspension shock mount using their Lyre technology. It looks pretty cool: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rycote/5491662768/in/photostream/

You could mount that on your camera, or a bracket, or a gorillapod.
Click to expand...

muroshi said:
Must be brand new. Didn't find a price. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, it is brand new.

I saw a pre-production one at the Rycote Open Day in January.

It's great for a hand-held recorder - but also great for mounting a stereo bar for two mics.
 
For the recorder suspension mount, UK retail price is 48.00 GBP, but as yet the USD price hasn't been announced by their US distributor.
 
muroshi said:
Quite expensive. That's as much as the zoom h1.
Click to expand...

That is not the right way to evaluate it. Electronics can always be made cheaper, a physical product made by a small company can't. Plus it will drive you nuts comparing apples to oranges. It's less than a nice dinner out for two and about the same as 30 cups of much from Starbucks. Probably more like 20 cups of coffee in Switzerland (it was $$$ last time I was there). Or say a tank of gas, one parking ticket (OK I'm in SF so probably two anywhere else), one ticket to a basketball game.

So if you make a living or want to make a living in sound or heck it's just important to you, having one less cup of coffee a day for a month is a small price to pay.

The way I evaluate the cost of things is how many days/ weeks of work does it represent? At what your making right now is it 2, 3, 5 hours to make the cost? And then am I willing to work X hours just to pay for it.

Price is a very personal thing. A Deva is expensive (my point of view) but if I were doing big budget features I would probably consider it relatively cheap.

Then of course there is over priced or not. That is not so personal but few people look at that question from the manufacturers point of view. Rycote may well make less off the support than Zoom does off the recorder. The sales volume VS overhead are in completely different worlds.

In the long run it all comes down to "is it worth it to YOU?"
 
I just found out that it's $95.00 in the US.

And it's not really that expensive as far as quality shock mounting goes IMO. The Lyre system uses an amazing new plastic (not sure if that's the right thing to call the material) that really absorbs vibration. Even an el-cheapo shock mount will be 50.00. And yes it costs as much as the H1, but the H1 is a pretty chintzy recorder. Good gear costs money, and for something like this, where you are protecting the signal from vibration, it shouldn't be compared to a tool of a different sort. That's like guys that buy a 1,500.00 DSLR camera then complain that the shotgun mic they need costs the same amount. Good gear costs what it costs. Here's a "review" I found on the system, not the recorder mount itself, but the lyre thing they've got going.

http://www.rycote.com/news/article/matthew_share_reviews_the_rycote_lyre_modular_suspension_system/
 
Hehe. On the other Hand I have a Blimp with something similar, if I would use the NT4. I don't drink any coffee. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top