Currently I use a H4N zoom digital recorder on site (highly recommended).
For a microphone I use a Sennheiser MKE 400. Together with the H4N I get quality results.
This setup has done me well in the past and is great for on-site recordings. The problem I have now is with my new Canon 5D mark II I’ve started recording video with my interviews… this means that I need to hide the microphone. Using the shotgun mic I have to position it out of the shot which allows it to pic up a lot of extra noise (I record room sound separately). So now I’m going to look up a few different clip on microphones and do the, “The _______ sucks!” test on google to see people’s bad experiences.
Clip On Microphone Research (from other people’s reviews)
What to look for (buying tips):
1. Low Impedance: quality won’t go down using longer chords
WHAT IS IMPEDANCE?
Impedance (Z) is the resistance of a circuit to alternating current, such as an audio signal. Technically, impedance is the total opposition (including resistance and reactance) that a circuit has to passing alternating current.
A high impedance circuit tends to have high voltage and low current. A low impedance circuit tends to have relatively low voltage and high current. (from impedance faq)
A microphone rated at 150 ohms to 300 ohms is considered low impedance. About 600 to 2000 ohms is medium impedance, and 10,000 ohms or more is high impedance. Most mics are low Z, and all mics with XLR (3-pin) connectors are low Z. A low-Z mic can be used with hundreds of feet of cable without picking up hum or losing high frequencies. A medium-Z mic cable is limited to about 40 feet without losses. A high-Z mic will lose highs and pick up hum if the cable exceeds about 10 feet.This high-frequency loss depends on the capacitance of the cable as well as the mic impedance. (from impedance faq)
So here is a simple generalization = Low Impedance = Good :: High Impedance = Bad
2. Directional Properties
This one I’ve already decided: because I’m recording interviews… and I record room sound separately… I want a unidirectional. I don’t want any other sounds except for their voice.
3. Frequency Response
High or low? Frequency response is the the range of frequency that the mic can effectively capture.
I want a mic for recording the human voice…
The fundamental frequency of an adult male will have a range of 85hz -> 180hz
The fundamental frequency of an adult female will have a range 165hz -> 255hz
The telephone system considers the human voice to be between 300hz-> 3000hz
A lot of “voice” microphones I looked at had a frequency of 18hz -> 16KHZ
1. Olympus ME-15 ($20USD)
| • | Small and discreet tie-clip/collar microphone |
| • | Wide 100-12,000 Hz frequency response |
| • | 2.2 kOhm output impedance |
| • | 3.3-foot cord for added convenience |
| • | Weighs only 11 grams |
Mostly good reviews: 72 customers gave it 4/5 (average) on amazon.com.
A bad related review said: This product is okay. I bought it to use with the Olympus Digital voice recorder to use with video shoots. Our camera doesn’t have a way to attach an external or clip mic so this was a cheap alternative. Unfortunately, the recorded sound was very distorted and ended up not being used at all.
2. This Electro-Voice ULM21 (119USD) is more what I’m looking for.
It’s unidirectional and made to handle voice frequencies. It’s also has a condenser mechanism which makes for a flatter curve and in turn… better sound.
18 -> 16 KHZ
A good lavaliere microphone for recording interviews/narratives would be:
1. Low Impedance 150Ω->300Ω
2. Frequency response of 18-> 16KHZ
3. Unidirectional
