Hello everyone, this is my first post here on recording.org, so a very happy hello from me! :) I've been a lurker on the site occasionally, but now I have something to share so I thought I'd register at last! diddlydoo (lol, that's the funniest emoticon I've ever seen)
I'm very much interested in DIY projects, especially if they're audio related. So, almost three years ago I built a DIY shotgun microphone. It's very cheap to built (mine cost £12), and sounds fantastic because of its isolation from elements that frequently affect outside audio recording, like wind, and handling noises. That's mainly thanks to the wind cover and in-built shock mount (I know of no commercial shotgun mics that have such suspension).
I got lots of requests to make a video overview of how it was done, so without further ado here it is:
Please let me know your thoughts! :)
Comments
You're right, I've misnamed the build unfortunately. Directional
You're right, I've misnamed the build unfortunately. Directionality is gained entirely from the cardioid pickup pattern of the capsule, which is what shotgun mics rely a lot on as well.
If you were to use an omnidirectional capsule, the result would be a 360 degree sound pickup pattern, rather than a forward one.
I'm confused about how this works. I thought a "shotgun" worked
I'm confused about how this works. I thought a "shotgun" worked because the capsule is positioned in a slotted tube, designed so that waves that hit the side cancel each other out, giving it directionality toward the front.
As the Wikipedia says:
Shotgun microphones are the most highly directional. They have small lobes of sensitivity to the left, right, and rear but are significantly less sensitive to the side and rear than other directional microphones. This results from placing the element at the back end of a tube with slots cut along the side; wave cancellation eliminates much of the off-axis sound.
You've certainly tackled wind noise and vibrations from shock and being moved, but how do you achieve directionality?