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i need to buy a pair of Mic for some Nature recording in Different stereo techniques mainly ORTF i am thinking to buy Audio-Technica AT 4041SP because of neutral sound can they be use in field? are they rugged enough to be use in Field?

other options i have in mind is RODE NT 5 Pair (heard people use it in field and RODE is giving 10 year warranty with it) and Oktava 012.

Thanx

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pcrecord Sun, 05/24/2015 - 15:48

The 4041sp can be used anywhere, as any other mics for that mather ;)
The quality of the results will depends on the amount of the sound you are trying to capture.
Usually field mics dedicated for nature sounds have very low noise ratio that help to grab very faint sounds without bluring them in noises.
This would also depends on the quality of the preamps and converters to also avoid entering noises to the signal.

Are the AT 4041 the best choice, no ! Are they good for the price range, yes.

Are you gonna do that for fun or for paying productions ? It may direct you choice greatly ! ;)

overtonetone Sun, 05/24/2015 - 20:08

pcrecord, post: 429234, member: 46460 wrote: The 4041sp can be used anywhere, as any other mics for that mather ;)
The quality of the results will depends on the amount of the sound you are trying to capture.
Usually field mics dedicated for nature sounds have very low noise ratio that help to grab very faint sounds without bluring them in noises.
This would also depends on the quality of the preamps and converters to also avoid entering noises to the signal.

Are the AT 4041 the best choice, no ! Are they good for the price range, yes.

Are you gonna do that for fun or for paying productions ? It may direct you choice greatly ! ;)

thanx for reply , i am doing it as hobbist and for preamps and converter i have RME babyface whose preamps are quite clean and have nice converters. do u have any other suggestion for 600-700usd price range pair.

dvdhawk, post: 429240, member: 36047 wrote: A small diaphragm condenser mic should be rugged enough with reasonable care (cases, windscreens, shock mounts, etc.), but condensers generally don't like damp conditions. Keeping them dry might be the bigger concern.

Good luck.

thanks for reply actually how much humidity it can operate in i want to know my city is quite humid currently 59% and some day go upto 95% on a average around 55-60%. any special zeppeline or windscreen to fight humidity ? if this is high for their operation.

dvdhawk Wed, 05/27/2015 - 12:10

A-T is pretty specific about maximum operating temperature. They are less specific about relative humidity: [from the spec-sheet]

"Avoid leaving the microphone in the open sun or in areas where temperatures exceed 110° F (43° C) for extended periods. Extremely high humidity should also be avoided."

You should be concerned about the airborne moisture (humidity) to some extent, but even more aware of the condensation (water droplets) that may occur when you move it from one temperature and humidity range to another. Warm air can hold more moisture, so it's when you suddenly cool down that you have to worry about things getting 'sweaty'. The foam lining of a case will soak up a lot of moisture too and then sweat it out when the temperature drops - leaving your mic sitting in the resulting 'dew'.

If your mic doesn't come with desiccant packs (for this exact purpose) find some, and make sure you keep them dry enough to do you some good. The desiccant packs will help immensely, and nearly every piece of equipment these days ships with one packed in the box. Start collecting them and periodically put them in the oven so they release the water trapped inside. Some care should be taken with any foam windscreens too (but I wouldn't recommend putting them in an oven). They are going to act like little sponges, so I would not store the mic with a foam windscreen on it, and I would do my best to let the windscreens dry out completely between uses.

With reasonable care you should be fine even in a tropical climate. Avoid rainy and misty locations as best you can. 10 year warranty or not, most manufacturers will not cover something with obvious moisture damage.

Best of luck.

DonnyThompson Wed, 05/27/2015 - 23:40

I think you'd probably be fine, as long as you did what Hawk mentioned, and to add to that, maybe have a dehumidifier handy for those days when you've been out in the field and the moisture levels have been higher than usual.

I'm not so sure about long-term performance, though. The mic's "normal" life span might decrease, if it were to face these humid conditions all the time and on a regular basis.

IMHO

d.