Re: [LAU] Microphone advice

ralf.mardorf at alice-dsl.net (Ralf Mardorf) writes: I may have been extrapolating from recording accordion here: the problem with accordion is that when you are getting short of air, the instrument is extended pretty much in your arms and then you switch direction at a moment of silence. This involves considerable arm force (depending on the exact instrument being used) and is sort of naturally linked with your breathing. Particularly in that overextending phase you are prone to holding your breath. So when you switch directions, you capture a moment of silence not untypically connected to a restart of human breath. In this case it warranted letting a cardioid point _downwards_ at the treble section of the accordion rather than _upwards_ at a similar angle, considerably lessening the impact of breathing noise. In contrast, the bass side was not prone to breathing noise problems (an omnidirectional pointed at the floor with a case right behind it as a bass capture). Video where one can see that microphone arrangement (warrants a good headphone, by the way, because this recording really wants an adequate bass reproduction): <https://youtu.be/3encjdVuoWg> A hypercardioid would have been better for noise suppression but aiming it in a manner where it would have given a reasonably balanced response across the relevant range would have been harder. -- David Kastrup