[Wylug-discuss] Seeking Advice: Quality Mobile Sound Recording Q: Interview Microphones

[Gareth Eason]

Dave Fisher wrote:
[snip]
>   for acoustic intruments, what would you recommend for:
> 
>   a) A quieter interview situation
	A large diaphragm back electret mix, with pop-shield. This is fairly 
standard practice.

>   b) A noisy environment in which you can't stick a microphone directly
>   under someone's nose?

	Assuming b) is also an interview situation, a shotgun mic (highly 
directional microphone with excellent off axis rejection) - though you 
really don't want to be doing this as good ones are expensive. For a 
noisy environment, you'll probably want a hand-held mic, dynamic, 
probably (hyper-)cardioid pattern (definitely not omni), with a 
pop-shield - and you WILL want to stick it under their noses when they 
are talking. Something like an SM58, or SM57 beta might be appropriate 
for this.

	But as you will learn with pro-audio, there is no correct answer. If 
the 'noise' was a pattern or frequency isolated (like the whine of a 
machine), I might consider using less close mic'ing and using noise 
sampling and rejection later, depending on the situation.

	Get out there, do some recording - and most importantly, listen very 
carefully to what you record. In my opinion, the less post-processing 
required, the better - getting it on tape right is better than any 
amount of plugins and FX and cleanup after the event.

	There are also many many techniques on how to use a microphone - 
experiment and read what other people are doing from the net, magazines, 
etc. Get involved with your local radio station? Talk to the sound 
engineers there. Go to theatres and live music venues - get involved 
with the engineers there and learn what they do, how they do it and why. 
It's lots of fun.

	Best regards,
	-->Gar