Microphone for quiet instruments

[sgs4u]

Quote:"what i forgot to say is - get a small condenser, point it exactly the opposite direction away from your computer"Just to be a niedermeyer, I think you mean point the mic with its side facing the computer. That will place the comp in the mic's null point, i.e. the point in its pickup pattern where it rejects sound - if it's a cardioid mic, of course; with an omni it makes no difference.Someone mentioned the Neumann KM184. That's a great mic, but it's bright. The Oktava I recommended sounds very much like the KM84, the 184's predecessor. It's a flat mic rather than a character one - which is neither good nor bad, of course. There's a place for mics with an opinion and a place for mics that give you back what you put in.Nick,Perhaps posting whilst imbibing large quantities of red wine was not helpful. I will refrain from talking about things I ought to know more about. I am not a great source of engineering data, especially after 2 bottles with friends & dinner.what's niedermeyer? is it like a henway?steve

[ernstinen]

Hey Allen,Two questions:1.) Do you ever mic the sitar in stereo?2.) Do they still make Studebakers in South Bend?Thanks,Ern

[allends]

Quote:Hey Allen,Two questions:1.) Do you ever mic the sitar in stereo?2.) Do they still make Studebakers in South Bend?Hi Ern,Stereo mics could be interesting if done with subtlety. What I do know is that some studio engineers advocate micing different parts of the instrument and blending them like guitars are done sometimes (BTW: it is something of a myth that the upper gourd is a resonator worthy of micing - its main function is to help rest the instrument off the floor when not in use). I'm also aware that room ambiance is an important sound to capture. Maybe stereo would be ideal for that.You're right, South Bend, Indiana was the home of Studebaker. The company went under in the '60s but their Avanti custom car company kept on building Avanti luxury cars here until the new owners moved the company out of state. Today, South Bend is mainly known as the home of The University of Notre Dame and the College Football Hall of Fame.Go IRISH!More interesting factoids -Allen

[ernstinen]

Quote:Stereo mics could be interesting if done with subtlety. A bit O.T., but the best acoustic guitar sound I ever got was done like this:Takamine guitar pickup; Cardioid condenser near soundhole sweetspot; Cardioid condenser shotgun near tuning pegs pointing down the neck; and a PZM mic on a table about 2 feet away. As I remember, I used very little pickup, and blended the mics to create a stereo field. What a big sound!BTW, I grew up in St. Joseph, MI about 35 mi. away from South Bend. Small world! Oh, and I want an Avanti. Ern

[nickbatzdorf]

I haven't used Milab mics, no, but I have heard of them.http://oktava.tula.net/index_e.htmThe cardioid one. I don't have the other capsules, but I wish I did.

[nickbatzdorf]

Mine were about $300 for the pair, and they're almost perfectly matched - which is very lucky, because that's always been the knock on them: they're not all exactly the same. Mine are, and they're really good.