tookatooka
3418 posts
Jul 31, 2013
6:51 AM
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Something that's always confused me. The mic in my video camera can pick up the sound of a mosquito farting one hundred yards away, yet my dynamic mic is only any good if I virtually have it stuck to my lips. Why is that?
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Greg Heumann
2288 posts
Jul 31, 2013
9:28 AM
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The mic in the video camera is more sensitive, but you'd be surprised what your dynamic mic would pick up if you have enough gain and amplification (like the camera does.) Plug your mic into a mixer, plug in a set of headphones and listen - you might be surprised.
Of course if you use the same setting, pick up the mic, cup it and blow harp into it, your ears may plummet into thermonuclear meltdown. And if you pick up the camera and cup that, you'll find it makes a lousy harp mic.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
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tookatooka
3419 posts
Jul 31, 2013
2:29 PM
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I tried that Greg but it still wasn't much better. Maybe I need to use a low to high impedance transformer?
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didjcripey
592 posts
Jul 31, 2013
2:45 PM
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Just speculating here, but perhaps its by design. Most dynamic mics are designed to have a optimum distance from sound source, and reject other external sound. They have been engineered to have a 'proximity effect', which makes them more useful in noisy environments.
Unlike condenser mics which are less selective and less sensitive to distance. Perhaps the video mics are condensers.
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Lucky Lester
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oldwailer
1973 posts
Jul 31, 2013
3:40 PM
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Another mic question--since we're on the subject:
I have a little headset mic that came with a portable PA that has a belt on it, so it can be worn around your waist. I took the headset apart and mounted the mic onto my harp rack--it makes a great voice and harp mic for just playing on the street and just being louder--while playing the guitar through a little DanElectro amp--so I can busk while I'm walking.
This works OK--no great mic or amp or anything--but I got hooked on having the mic right there without having to tote around a mic stand and all that crap.
So I put the mic through an adapter and tried it into my amp--so I could play the same way, but with an amp. It doesn't work at all. I tried all the adapters and cords into the little PA--and it works--
Why won't the mic work into an amp or mixer?? Ain't all mics just mics??
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nacoran
6994 posts
Aug 01, 2013
11:28 AM
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Tooka, mics are interesting beasts. Not only to mics have different ranges, but different directionality. Some mics are designed to only capture sound from certain angles or distances. My Blue Yeti mic uses three capsules so it can actually change it's recording patterns- it can do stereo, bidirectional, omnidirectional or cardioid. (In the stereo mode, going into Audacity, I actually get two different tracks recording (although there is some overlap). It's nice for getting a duo with a little ability to rebalance in post production with just one mic.
It can depend on what kind of mic you have too. Ribbon mics have bidirectional recording patterns (wikipedia says they can be configured for cardioid too).
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Nate
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Greg Heumann
2292 posts
Aug 01, 2013
12:06 PM
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Tooka - whether you need an impedance matching transformer depends upon whether there is an imepdance mismatch between the mc and what you're connecting to. High to High, low to low - no transformer required. Low to High, High to low, transformer required.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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tookatooka
3420 posts
Aug 01, 2013
12:38 PM
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@Greg. I don't know my low impedance mic is connected to a Micro Cube which is really for guitar so I assume I'm connecting Low to High?
@Oldwailer. I guess you were using an electret condenser mic. It needs a little power to work on your amp. I have a couple and I;m going to try them out with a little circuitry (Battery, resistor, capacitor)I'll let you know the outcome and show what I did if it works OK.
@nacoran. The Blue Yeti is one I'd like to use someday. It sounds interesting.
Thanks guys.
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Greg Heumann
2293 posts
Aug 01, 2013
12:47 PM
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@tooka - yes - the microcube input is high impedance. you should be using an XLR<-->XLR cable and an impedance matching transformer. If you're using an XLR to 1/4" cable, you're getting less than half of the mic's output due to unbalanced vs balanced wiring, AND different frequency response due to the impedance mismatch.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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tookatooka
3422 posts
Aug 01, 2013
1:04 PM
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Thanks Greg. I'm onto it.
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oldwailer
1974 posts
Aug 02, 2013
12:25 PM
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Thanks, Tooka--I'd really like to make this thing work. . .
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"Too Pretty for the Blues."
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