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Thanks, Steve I didn't realise the vulnerability of condenser mics until I had a terrible time in Jammu. Nearly all the recordings (male "singers" who shouted at the tops of their lungs) yielded vilely distorted recordings. My good friend Nishi Nakra in Delhi -- to my way of thinking, the best loudspeaker designer in India, thought it was the "capsules bottoming." But when I discussed the problem with Klaus Heyne, the microphone maestro, he opined that it was the FETs that caused the problem. So I paid his not inconsiderable fee to have the mics (KM84s) Klaused. I use three basic setups in the field: Mid-Side, with a KM84 and a Sennheiser MKH30 configured in a Rycote windscreen, for street recording, and also small combos indoors; a pair of crossed KM84s to record Tibetan rituals, with the mics set up at the shrine end of the temple; and a spaced pair of RE50s--I've made amazing good recordings with the latter, in fact, they're the only mics I use in Bali, where I also insist on recording outdoors. The current crop of DAWs (I use Samplitude) make it a snap to turn Mid-Side originals into regular stereo. Salutations, David L ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Smolian" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: April 18, 2006 4:44 PM Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] portable sound recording devices > If this is the David Lewiston who made the Explorer Series for Nonesuch, > etc., he has more experience than all of us combined in recording folk > instruments and groups under all kinds of circumstances. I've admired his > skillful work from the git-go. > > Steve Smolian > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:07 PM > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] portable sound recording devices > > >> At 09:34 PM 4/18/2006, David Lewiston wrote: >>>When recording such a loud instrument, the mic should not be too close to >>>it. For pipes & shawms I prefer not to place the mics closer than 20 >>>feet. Because such loud instruments are intended to be heard out of >>>doors, that's where I record them. >>> >>>If a condenser mic mic is too close to such a loud instrument, it may >>>well overload diaphragm and/or the FET. I've run into this sort of >>>problem. >>> >>>For such an application I would leave the Neumann condensers in the >>>carrying bag, choosing instead a dynamic omni such as the EV RE 50, which >>>is very well behaved. >> >> I don't disagree with the advice but the mic preamp may be what is >> overloaded, not the mic itself. >> >> Do bagpipes really get up to 120 dB SPL where you would mic them? The >> Audio Technica AT-822 that I suggested as a good buy will generate 1% THD >> at 1 kHz at 125 dB SPL. >> >> At that point, the mic will be putting out over half a volt AC. >> >> If indeed the bagpipe is putting out in excess of 120 dB SPL, then the >> musician needs to seriously worry about hearing protection. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Richard >> >> >> Tape Restoration Seminar: MAY 9-12, 2006; details at Web site. >> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] >> Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX >> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.3/316 - Release Date: 4/17/2006 >> >>