what's the best mic for a shoe

  • Thread starter Thread starter slidey
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Funny you should mention this... have you heard that Nike just released a pair of running shoes that can interface (wireless no less) with an Apple iPod Nano?

http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/4650.html

Maybe the next step (pardon the pun) will be a wireless lav mic so that the Nike-wering runners can do karioke! I can see (and hear) it all now... :D
 
Oh man, I don't beleive it. I just clicked on that link and there REALLY IS a shoe designed to interface with an ipod. How stupid. Anyone caught wearing such a pair of shoes deserves an immediate beating.
 
the inhabitant said:
Oh man, I don't beleive it. I just clicked on that link and there REALLY IS a shoe designed to interface with an ipod. How stupid. Anyone caught wearing such a pair of shoes deserves an immediate beating.
Click to expand...

Not really that stupid. It measures your pace and what not, could be a useful tool to some people.
 
You're not going to get a very good shoe sound for less than $100. I use SM81's on reboks, 414's on nikes and ksm44's for adidas. For work boots, I like to use U87's. I have no experience recording cowboy boots, dress shoes, high heals or pumps so you'll have to ask somebody else about that.
 
Besides the shoe, it really depends on what's underneath the shoe. For a hard surface like a wood floor, I like to use a PZM mic. For dirt and sand I like to use an RE20 or SM7 for a more earthy feel to the sound. For concrete sidewalk and steps there's nothing like a ribbon. And for grass, leaves, etc. I like to use an airy sounding mic, like an AKG or Earthworks...........
 
This is nothing new. Agent 86 has been using one for years.
 
I recorded my cowboy boot with a D112 & a TLM103

I also had an SM57 but it sucked

& it was my left boot, as my left foot keeps better time, even though I'm right handed
 
it took me 5 minutes to understand that you's were really serious about recording a shoe- the beat!

wow...

i would think a condensor, maybe a SDC?
 
Shoes have a wide dynamic range, from slaps against a wood floor, to subtle creaking of a leather sole, to the almost inaudible crinkle of nylon flexing. First off though, make sure to put fresh laces on the shoes or they'll sound dull.

For urban survival boots I prefer an SM57 right up against the laces. But use a pre with a transformer input and really crank it or it doesn't get the right intensity.
For leather dress shoes, a Schoeps mk41 pair in ORTF out a few feet to get a realistic soundstage and room ambience appropriate for the style. You've got to use a very quiet mic and pre for that.
For running shoes I prefer to close mic with an omni, to get the nylon crinkle without any proximity effect warping the true tone. It's also less sensitive to air movement, a necessity there. Stay away from cardioids for that application.

As always, YMMV.

And it's a whole other side of this - how socks affect the dynamic and spectrum balance.

Tim
 
TragikRemix said:
it took me 5 minutes to understand that you's were really serious about recording a shoe- the beat!

wow...

i would think a condensor, maybe a SDC?
Click to expand...
I wonder which mic was used to record Fred Astaire's shoes. :confused:
 
the inhabitant said:
You're not going to get a very good shoe sound for less than $100. I use SM81's on reboks, 414's on nikes and ksm44's for adidas. For work boots, I like to use U87's. I have no experience recording cowboy boots, dress shoes, high heals or pumps so you'll have to ask somebody else about that.
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree with you more. One exception though.

Any shoe in excess of size 11, be it tennis or walk fartins REQUIRES a TLM187, unless it has wooden soles- in which case I've been known to just throw a TLM103 up (or down) and be done with it.

A TLM103 can really shine at capturing the squishy sound of dog poop squishing into the treads.
 
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