Some microphone ideas
Posted: 11 Oct 2006 08:32
I've mentioned the excellent results I've gotten by using condenser "stealth" microphones in binaural pairs from Core Sound in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. These are great for indoor stealth recording but aren't suitable for all applications.
Parabolic mics are very expensive for good ones. The same can be said for "shotgun" microphones. I did find a shotgun condenser microphone that looks pretty good for the money. DAK Electronics offers a shotgun mic for around $75.00 including shipping. This mic features a windscreen, two different mounts,, and an O-ring mounting system that prevents vibration noise from being picked up by the sensitive microphone transducer. DAK calls it "2007 Audio Telescope," and it can be seen at
http://www.dak.com
Crown Audio made a pressure zone microphone (PZM) that sold in its day for around $300.00 retail. Surprisinly, RadioShack started selling the same model, made by Crown but bearing the RadioShack brand, for around $80.00. Since most people who bought it didn't know what the hell to do with it, these can be found on ebay and at used electronics vendors. The PZM is an active microphone which uses one "AA" (U.S. size) battery; the inline control box has ON/OFF/STANDBY positions, and the generous 5 meter cable is tipped with a 1/4" standard headphone plug. Although not exactly "stealthy," this microphone is fairly easy to use and is very, very sensitive. Sorry, I don't have RadioShack's catalog number for this one.
Sony made a small capsule stereo condenser mic for use with their minidisc recorders. The mic requires phantom power, normally provided by the recorder. However, a battery box is fairly simple to construct, and mics such as this and the Core Sound/Big Squid microphones mentioned above can be used with such a device. Yes, ready-made battery boxes are available, but Core's price is way too high for what is essentially an 1/8" jack, battery holder, plastic box and a short length of cable tipped with a 1/8" plug.
Scrounge! Professional-grade microphones show up quite frequently in used electronics stores, pawn shops and on Internet auction sites. Every good pro audio engineer I know has a bag full of microphones, because no single mic is good for every application.
A word about FM wireless "bugs" (illegal for use in the U.S. anyway). Most are garbage with very limited range. If someone could point me to a European vendor of higher-quality microtransmitters, I'd be very interested. Most models available on the U.S. consumer market are overpriced and don't perform all that well. Range is the big issue, or I should say the lack of range. Your mileage may vary.
Miniature electret condenser microphone capsules are readily available for around $40.00 or less. You can wire these any way you like, including planting them inside common household objects or even motel/hotel equipment. A friend of min wired a microphone and transmitter into a Gideon Bible and bribed a hotel maid to plant it in place of the original bible in a bedside table drawer! The motel was known to be frequented by prostitutes and their clients, and some of the audio he captured before the battery died was absolutely hilarious! Sadly, he never recovered the equipment, but the audio he was able to catch more than compensated him for the $80.00 loss, at least in his opinion.
Again, if you're really dedicated to this glorious quest, you may want to experiment with different microphone/amplifier/recorder or transmitter combinations. IMHO there is no "one size fits all" solution for every recording situation. Also, basic skill in electronics assembly (i.e. soldering, etc.) will allow you to build your own super-snoop devices.
Parabolic mics are very expensive for good ones. The same can be said for "shotgun" microphones. I did find a shotgun condenser microphone that looks pretty good for the money. DAK Electronics offers a shotgun mic for around $75.00 including shipping. This mic features a windscreen, two different mounts,, and an O-ring mounting system that prevents vibration noise from being picked up by the sensitive microphone transducer. DAK calls it "2007 Audio Telescope," and it can be seen at
http://www.dak.com
Crown Audio made a pressure zone microphone (PZM) that sold in its day for around $300.00 retail. Surprisinly, RadioShack started selling the same model, made by Crown but bearing the RadioShack brand, for around $80.00. Since most people who bought it didn't know what the hell to do with it, these can be found on ebay and at used electronics vendors. The PZM is an active microphone which uses one "AA" (U.S. size) battery; the inline control box has ON/OFF/STANDBY positions, and the generous 5 meter cable is tipped with a 1/4" standard headphone plug. Although not exactly "stealthy," this microphone is fairly easy to use and is very, very sensitive. Sorry, I don't have RadioShack's catalog number for this one.
Sony made a small capsule stereo condenser mic for use with their minidisc recorders. The mic requires phantom power, normally provided by the recorder. However, a battery box is fairly simple to construct, and mics such as this and the Core Sound/Big Squid microphones mentioned above can be used with such a device. Yes, ready-made battery boxes are available, but Core's price is way too high for what is essentially an 1/8" jack, battery holder, plastic box and a short length of cable tipped with a 1/8" plug.
Scrounge! Professional-grade microphones show up quite frequently in used electronics stores, pawn shops and on Internet auction sites. Every good pro audio engineer I know has a bag full of microphones, because no single mic is good for every application.
A word about FM wireless "bugs" (illegal for use in the U.S. anyway). Most are garbage with very limited range. If someone could point me to a European vendor of higher-quality microtransmitters, I'd be very interested. Most models available on the U.S. consumer market are overpriced and don't perform all that well. Range is the big issue, or I should say the lack of range. Your mileage may vary.
Miniature electret condenser microphone capsules are readily available for around $40.00 or less. You can wire these any way you like, including planting them inside common household objects or even motel/hotel equipment. A friend of min wired a microphone and transmitter into a Gideon Bible and bribed a hotel maid to plant it in place of the original bible in a bedside table drawer! The motel was known to be frequented by prostitutes and their clients, and some of the audio he captured before the battery died was absolutely hilarious! Sadly, he never recovered the equipment, but the audio he was able to catch more than compensated him for the $80.00 loss, at least in his opinion.
Again, if you're really dedicated to this glorious quest, you may want to experiment with different microphone/amplifier/recorder or transmitter combinations. IMHO there is no "one size fits all" solution for every recording situation. Also, basic skill in electronics assembly (i.e. soldering, etc.) will allow you to build your own super-snoop devices.
