Best method for recording a Tesla Coil?

[punkin]

I'm trying to record the wonderful snaps and static buzzes and pops that we get from the tesla coil my son and I built last year. The problem is that every time I get close enought to get a good strong signal to the preamp, the thing reaches out with a big blue spark and ruins my mic and preamp. I'm running out of gear and I'm down to my last microphone.

Any thoughts?







Ok...it's just a joke ok! We're to scared to get anywhere near the thing

 

[MadAudio]

Directional shotgun mic from way the hell away!!

 

[zed32]

use a SM57, DUH.

 

[ndutle]

sm57 dipped in rubber, even

 

[travelin travis]

a screen between the tesla and the mic might help

 

[Track Rat]

A Di. :d :d :d

 

[c7sus]

I'd use something portable and ungrounded, and keep everything associated with it ungrounded too.

Like levitated over rubber mats.

Then maybe use a parabola mount so you can get back away and still have decent S/N ratio.

That would actually be something far out to record.

Ya know, it might be hella fun to take one of Mshilarious' mics and mount that in a 24-30" dish.

Then you could record the neighbors fucking and fighting.

 

[notbradsohner]

I actually did this. Mount a pzm on a car tire. Roll it up the the coil and it record. It worked for me, but sounded nothing like a tesla coil. More like a sound effect from frankenstein. Be sure to have a conductive piece of material close to the coil but as far away from the mic as you can get it. It will grab some of that energy and keep it away from the mic.