Type of mic for recording a room?

[Kwesi]

Yes, I did google it, lol.

I basically looking for a better version of the mic you would find on a video camera. Omnidirectional, able to record voices at a distance of 3-10 feet. I don't need the highest quality thing out there just able to pick up my voice clearly without buttloads of interference.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I've heard some great room recordings done with PZM's. Might be too expensive for what you're trying to do, though.

[Jim Nazium]

I'm not an expert by a long shot, but condenser mikes seem to work very well in that application. The ones in handheld digital recorders like the Zoom H4 are pretty impressive, IMHO.

[hover]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I've heard some great room recordings done with PZM's. Might be too expensive for what you're trying to do, though.

look for the old ones Radio Shack used to sell on craigslist, ebay, etc... they were like 20 bucks new. And they sound great.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

I'm not an expert by a long shot, but condenser mikes seem to work very well in that application. The ones in handheld digital recorders like the Zoom H4 are pretty impressive, IMHO.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking for! Can those be used as standalone mics? Like having them record directly into a DAW and not the memory card?

[FF Petro]

Pressure zone microphones are omnidirectional by design. If you aren't trying to pick up everything in the room that is not the way to go. You would need something hypercardoid. I have also heard great things about those zoom recorders previously mentioned.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by FF Petro

Pressure zone microphones are omnidirectional by design. If you aren't trying to pick up everything in the room that is not the way to go. You would need something hypercardoid. I have also heard great things about those zoom recorders previously mentioned.

He says in the OP he wants omnidirectional.

[Pilgrim]

I've done audio work for 30 years and I avoid omni mikes whenever possible, as they tend to pick up noise you don't want. However, if you insist on using one, put a table in the room in front of the sound source, and lay the mike on that table pointing at the source. Since sound waves hit a flat surface and travel along it, this effectively turns an omni into a PZM mike. PZMs operate on this principle all the time, which is why they're always mounted on a flat surface.

If you don't have a table, lay a sheet of plywood or masonite on the floor and lay the mic on it. Same principle...but more prone to pick up footsteps.

If the sound is amplified, there's plenty of sound pressure so you don't need a condenser mike - a less expensive dynamic mic will work fine. If the voice is not amplified, you might want an inexpensive condenser mike.

Remember, a mike hears what is closest to it. If you keep the mike close to the source, you minimize problems and extraneous sounds. If you're recording voice, use a lavaliere mic ON the person speaking and you eliminate all this messing around. Just mount it in the proper position - below the chin, centered on the chest.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by hover

look for the old ones Radio Shack used to sell on craigslist, ebay, etc... they were like 20 bucks new. And they sound great.

The nicer RS ones with the Crown license symbol were ~50 bucks IIRC. They were not built by Crown, merely licensed by them. You can find online tutorials on modifying them inexpensively, and it's well worth at least converting them to balanced operation, in my experience. There are several cuts on my band's MySpace site (link is in my profile) that were mostly recorded with the Radio Shack ones, into a 4 track cassette deck no less.

Real Crown PZMs go for about 100 bucks used on eBay if you're patient enough. PZM-6Ds seem to be the best deal, generally. I have a pair that I use to record every jam in my living room and they work really well for my purposes. The nicer sounding MySpace cuts were all done with the 6Ds into a decent hobby grade soundcard.

Edit: forgot to mention that one of the original uses for PZMs was as a lectern mike. I installed lots of 'em in churches. They tend to sound very much the same regardless of proximity to the speaker, and the form factor sometimes makes the speaker less mike-shy IME.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I've used a behringer B-2 Pro LDC, was dirt cheap on ebay and did a good job at the price!

[Stanley Design]

SM58 clone. 3 pack for $60, I've done lots of "off the floor" recording with them and they sound great. Mic placement and blending the three through a cheap mixer gives you a lot of control.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com...ack?sku=270403