Recommend a good omnidirectional mic >£100

  • Thread starter Thread starter vanslyke
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Bobbsy said:
I suspect PRHunt was more worried about reflections off the table top causing nasty phase issues--and that certainly is a problem. The direct sound arrives at the mic a fraction of a second/fraction of a sound wave before the reflection from the desk, resulting in some frequencies being emphasised and others being cancelled out.

When a round table discussion is done in a radio studio, the table/desk is almost always covered with carpet to deaden the reflections--might be something for you to think about doing.
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Aha, of course. Thanks for the clarification. In fact, the table tends to be covered in a tablecloth of moderate thickness, and the scattered boxes of biscuits, the mugs of tea and the song sheets should also add some damping and scattering. If I have to I have some deep-pile synthetic carpet offcuts that I can strategically position. But at the end of the day these are informal sessions so I'll have to keep that kind of stuff to a minimum.

NB: The ECM8000 with 1st class postage (2 days) is £42.30 from AmazonUK. I'll keep looking for reviews and a potentially cheaper source for the rest of the weekend, and failing anything better coming up I'll probably buy this on Monday.
 
Now ... are you planing on aiming the omni microphone straight up in the air from the table? How tall is your mini tripod?

I still think that the Niaint would work out admirably for you and there is a guy who has a hand full of them in the UK for sale, A member of this community.
 
moresound said:
Now ... are you planing on aiming the omni microphone straight up in the air from the table? How tall is your mini tripod?
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That's the general idea. Fully splayed, with the central column at minimum height and the mount placed vertically, the distance from table-top to mounting screw is 4.5''. Despite faffing around to download the manual for this mic, it turns out they don't list the dimensions, so I've no idea what height above the table the tip of the mic will be once in the stand.

I still think that the Niaint would work out admirably for you and there is a guy who has a hand full of them in the UK for sale, A member of this community.
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This sounds intriguing, given the enthusiasm for this mic here. However, even if I were to get the Naiant X-S, I've still no clue how I would go about mounting it in my environment. As I wrote earlier, there's no way to mount it from the ceiling, and it won't fit my tripod. I'd like to impress upon you the informal nature of the group, so infrastructure has to be kept to an absolute minimum. Not only that, but funds and space are tight, so a dedicated mic stand with boom pole would be financially impractical, end up getting in the way and professionalise the ambience far too much.

I can see the value of mounting this mic from the ceiling and dangling it over the central part of the table, but: the environment is not actually ours to modify, so this would require permission; the addition of the appropriate infrastructure would add expense and time to the project, even if permission were granted; I'd have to buy a longer XLR cable and then drape it inconspicuously either permanently or temporarily, with the latter adding delay to a group session already pushed for time; and there may be other factors I've not considered yet.

If you can help me with these hurdles, I'd be quite happy to consider the X-S. In that regard, though: is it new? Would it be covered by warranty? Who would I go to for official support?
 
I've been reading further around, and I'm starting to uncover reports of the ECM8000 being quite noisy as well as suffering from poor quality control. I've also been considering the value of the Naiant X-S as a dedicated guitar mic with the appropriate mount, and considering how its size would make it less conspicuous in the group setting compared to the ECM8000.

If I were able to obtain this from the forum member here in the UK and before Friday next, how would I go about positioning it in the environment I've described? It would definitely have to be table-mounted for at least the first session, though depending how that went I'd consider discussing jury-rigging a ceiling mount with the proprietors of the premises we use.

Thanks :)
 
The guys in Scotland.
He bought half a dozen Niaint X-T's if i remember right. A now discontinued model.
I doubt you'd get a warranty, He sold me a couple last year. I could always try to dig his name out if you want.
The X-T is not so mini its about 3/4" diameter and much more like a normal mic size although descreet in length (About 3.5")
It has 3 switches to
high pass/ low pass/ and decouple the transformer IIRC.
I bought mine to record percussion and because i know the qaulity of this products and at just under £40 inc PP i'd be a fool not to.
Jons (the mic co owner) service is second to none. I dont think you'd have any trouble with support.
 
A simple spring loaded mic clip holds the Niaints the same one would see holding a wireless microphone.


Forgot the link to pictures HERE
 
vanslyke said:
I've been reading further around, and I'm starting to uncover reports of the ECM8000 being quite noisy as well as suffering from poor quality control. I've also been considering the value of the Naiant X-S as a dedicated guitar mic with the appropriate mount, and considering how its size would make it less conspicuous in the group setting compared to the ECM8000.

If I were able to obtain this from the forum member here in the UK and before Friday next, how would I go about positioning it in the environment I've described? It would definitely have to be table-mounted for at least the first session, though depending how that went I'd consider discussing jury-rigging a ceiling mount with the proprietors of the premises we use.

Thanks :)
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The ECM8000 is long. 8 inches in length.
 
kip4 said:
The guys in Scotland.
He bought half a dozen Niaint X-T's if i remember right. A now discontinued model.
I doubt you'd get a warranty, He sold me a couple last year. I could always try to dig his name out if you want.
The X-T is not so mini its about 3/4" diameter and much more like a normal mic size although descreet in length (About 3.5")
It has 3 switches to
high pass/ low pass/ and decouple the transformer IIRC.
I bought mine to record percussion and because i know the qaulity of this products and at just under £40 inc PP i'd be a fool not to.
Jons (the mic co owner) service is second to none. I dont think you'd have any trouble with support.
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Heck. I'll even give a warranty on those microphones.
 
Ah, I've looked at the X-T page on Naiant (still available via a websearch) and I think I'm better off with the ECM8000. Thanks for the insanely-quick response though :)
 
vanslyke said:
Ah, I've looked at the X-T page on Naiant (still available via a websearch) and I think I'm better off with the ECM8000. Thanks for the insanely-quick response though :)
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vanslyke said:
Crikey, really? Urgh, I feel myself disinclined again.
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Go with the Niaint that Kip4 will give you the guys name etc. from Scotland.
Believe me you won't be disappointed.
 
I put my X-S (wrapped in a piece of sponge inside a small length of pipe, This acts as a shockmount) into a normal sprung loaded mic stand holder.
If you want to record acoustic guitar the X-S is excellant. Thats why i bought mine after reccomendation from the guys here.
It gives that big sound i was looking for in sparse arrangements that i was struggling to get with other mics.
I doubt you'll find an X-S in this country before friday once people buy them they dont tend to sell them.
Ask Moresound, Paul Hunt and some of the others if they'd sell them?
It's worth the wait mate.
Sometimes you have to take internet reviews with a large pinch of salt. The omni Bobbsy was talking about is perfectly good for your application. I doubt you'd get much background noise.
Remember too this is the nature of the Omni Pattern mics they pic up sound from all around in an almost no null fashion. People expect these mics to filter out the things they dont want in the recording.
My wife in the next room listening to the tv for example.
I wish she wasnt as deaf as she is sometimes and then sometimes its a blessing when i want to record a loud instrument or amp.
If the mic has a ton of gain on the pre it will pick up room noise. So will any mic but this is pronounced with an Omni.
 
kip4 said:
I put my X-S (wrapped in a piece of sponge inside a small length of pipe, This acts as a shockmount) into a normal sprung loaded mic stand holder.
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That actually sounds quite feasible. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

If you want to record acoustic guitar the X-S is excellant. Thats why i bought mine after reccomendation from the guys here.
It gives that big sound i was looking for in sparse arrangements that i was struggling to get with other mics.
I doubt you'll find an X-S in this country before friday once people buy them they dont tend to sell them.
Ask Moresound, Paul Hunt and some of the others if they'd sell them?
It's worth the wait mate.
Sometimes you have to take internet reviews with a large pinch of salt. The omni Bobbsy was talking about is perfectly good for your application. I doubt you'd get much background noise.
Remember too this is the nature of the Omni Pattern mics they pic up sound from all around in an almost no null fashion. People expect these mics to filter out the things they dont want in the recording.
My wife in the next room listening to the tv for example.
I wish she wasnt as deaf as she is sometimes and then sometimes its a blessing when i want to record a loud instrument or amp.
If the mic has a ton of gain on the pre it will pick up room noise. So will any mic but this is pronounced with an Omni.
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It was specifically self-generated noise that people were reporting, not environmental noise.

Well, on the off-chance I've emailed Naiant to see if I could pay for an expedited delivery. It's hard to ignore all the positivity surrounding this mic, so I guess I should pull out a stop or two :)
 
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