Good Boundary Microphones?

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OK Music

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Hi, we're a band that has been playing for a while but recently have been trying to record our works. After trying out a number of microphones and placements, I think that boundary microphones seems the most suited for us. Right now we're using the cheap Radioshack Soundgrabbers and it turned out much better than expected, but we're now looking for to invest in something for the longer term.

Basically something like what we have now, but a little better quality -- were willing to fork in several hundred if necessary. Any suggestions? There's a lot of options out there but I've been having trouble finding reliable reviews and feedback about these sorts of microphones.
 
The best boundary microphone is probably the Neumann GFM 132. But these are not cheap at about £2,000 each in the UK.

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I have a pair of these and they really are very nice.


But you can use almost any omni as a boundary mic., just put it on the floor with blu-tack. Tiny tie microphones (such as the DPA or Sennheiser) are ideal for grand piano as you can easily stick them to the lid.
 
Oh man, those look really nice, but 4k for a pair is a little steep.

The microphones are most likely going to be attached to a wall, so it seems like a microphone that's plate-shaped would be the most apt.

Or does the shape of it really matter all that much? Would taping an omnidirectional mic on the wall do just as good of a job?
 
OK Music said:
Would taping an omnidirectional mic on the wall do just as good of a job?
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Basically - yes.

It depends on the quality of the mic., but a good small diaphragm condenser stuck to the wall would be the same as a boundary mic.

With the bonus that you can use them for other things when you are not using them as boundary mics.
 
Cool, any recommendations for our price range? (Something with an XLR input, preferably.) Maybe we can rig something up to stick it to the wall.

Seems like this type of micing isn't done too often, so been having trouble finding reviews or feedback on what types of equipment to get.
 
OK Music said:
Cool, any recommendations for our price range? (Something with an XLR input, preferably.) Maybe we can rig something up to stick it to the wall.

Seems like this type of micing isn't done too often, so been having trouble finding reviews or feedback on what types of equipment to get.
Click to expand...

You don't really say what your budget is - other than "several hundred".....

A pair of Neumann KM 183 may be a good idea. Also look at Schoeps - and they do a special boundary adaptor for converting their remote heads to boundary mics.

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If Schoeps is too expensive, the adaptor may well work with other similar remote head mics.
 
Read something just a couple days ago, about how those Radio Shack Boundaries were a real sleeper and a great deal. Discontinued by Rat Shack, of course. Occasionally it happens that something surprises everyone.
 
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