Freesound Forums
Stereo Microphones under $700
Started March 4th, 2006 · 8 replies · Latest reply by guydb91 19 years, 5 months ago
No experience with any of those mics, but any particular reason why the Rode NT-4 isnt on your list?
Anton
No experience with any of those mics, but any particular reason why the Rode NT-4 isnt on your list?
Anton, maybe the list includes only microphones weighing < 1 kg ? 
Now serious, I'm using the NT4 and its great. Sounds good + you can crush nuts, open cans, use it for self-defense, so it's a great mic in all senses
My stereo microphone is AT825, and it doesn't pick up low signals so much, as weebrian wrote. But I like the natural sound character of it. I have no complaint. The price was less than 500 bucks.
I tried Sennseiser MKE 44 last October for a trial recording session. The sounds it gave me were all breath-taking. I was completely stunned when I heard the playback of sounds I took on the city street. All signals sound as a sort of music. I would buy one if I could afford.
A professional sound engineer was with me in the trial, and he tried Shure VP88. It is MS stereo. That means it has a direct aiming at the object and a figure-eight diaphragm which catches sounds from both sides at the same time. Nobody wouldn't be surprised if it had a price tag of 2000 dollars. Actually, it costs only the half of it. The engineer uttered 'unbelievable' many times.
Rode NT4 has already established the reputation for its crispy sound character, I think.
By the way, are MKE 44 and VP88 under $700 in your country, guarsh?
interesting.
yes, the mics here are all under $700.
Audio Technica AT-825 349.95 B&H
Beyer MCE82 435.95 B&H
Sennheiser MKE44-P 559.00 Bayview pro audio
Shure VP88 689.95 B&H
Sony ECM-MS957 199.95 B&H
I've used the AT-825 extensively, and agree with what has been stated.
Pretty good for a $350 mic, but lacks the bottom.
I have a SD 722 recorder and I'm recording a 25 piece brass band on-tour.
We roam all over the place so I need something compact, can take a beating or 2,
and is easy to set up and go go go!
What about in ear bi-aurals compared to this batch?
No sayers on the Beyer, eh? It looks pretty rugged,
but I can't find a single review on-line. Hrrumph.
jas
yes, the mics here are all under $700.
you're living in a nice country.
Binaural microphones are basically designed for capturing ambience, and are set on your head, so you need to take position just in front. The price is also the problem. You have roughly two choice, affordable ones that give you ordinary sounds or eye-poppingly expensive Neumann's that was used for recording impulse-response. I don't know any appropriate models of binaural.
I also have experiences of recording brass band. My opinion is that X-Y stereo microphones are suitable for the application.
(Correction of my previous message: I wanted to say "Nobody would be surprised ..."
Sorry, I usually use a differerent language from English.)
quality binaural (or kunstkopf as they say in germany) microphones need not be unaffordable. I was recently very pleasantly surprised when I could try out a new brand at the Frankfurt music fair. the company's name was aevox (www.aevox.be), they're from Belgium, I'd never heard of them before, but among the microphones they had on display was a binaural set, to be put in your ears (looking as if you're wearing headphones, very convenient for stealth recordists.) If I remember well they were under 250 euro...but what's better is that they sounded surprisingly good, I ordered a set on the spot (they didn't sell on the fair.) The only downside is that they don't provide powering or them, their target customers are people (like me) who use portable equipment with a powered microphone input (mini disc or video, or...).
Binaural recording is great for soundscaping, gives you a huge stereo image (especially if you listen on headphones afterwards.)
Guy