Microphones are maybe the most important part of your gear. They capture the first link with the air vibration. Lot of choice for specific conditions.
Self noise is also a big part of specification. Durability and capacity to work under outside conditions is another criteria to take in account. you will find here some of the best microphones used for field recording.
EARSIGHT BY IMMERSIVE SOUNDCAPES
Developped for quiet ambiances and compacity, you can have them in your pocket. Istall them everywhere and capture every sound you can dream about!
Their low cost allows you to take risk and experiment.
Available for :
- XLR recorder input or
- mini jack PIP power input.
Low noise, Sensitive, Affordable, Compact…
AUDIO TECHNICA AT4022 stereo pair
A new acquisition of which I had heard a lot and of which I am not disappointed, a natural sound, full, balanced, with a good sensitivity and an impressive low background noise. In short, a microphone that you don’t take everywhere, but a professional quality ORTF pair.
The price is not affordable but at this level of quality, they are finally interesting compared to the MHK8020 for example.
SENNHEISER MKH-416 P48
We no longer present this shotgun microphone, the great classic Senheiser MKH416. THE standard for film sound recording, a microphone which may be pricey but the clarity and finesse of the sound reproduced is outstanding. The sounds captured do not require post-production equalization.
It is perfect for voices, animal sounds especially birds, sound effects, thanks to its good ability to reject sounds coming from the sides
Always reliable under any weather conditions, it is built like a tank to follow you around the world.
Be careful, a wind protection is required, this microphone is so sensitive that it overloads with the lightest wind.
AUDIO TECHNICA – BP4025
This microphone is probably one of the best stereo best microphones used for field recording, also affordable. This mic is equipped with large diaphragm capsules who captures wide frequency detailled sound. The noise floor is also incredibly low.
Few hours of recording with it and you will love it!
AUDIO TECHNICA – AT825
Purchased on ebay at a very attractive price, this microphone is excellent, its two cardioid electret capsules in X/Y are very sensitive. It provides a wide and detailed stereo image, perfect for stereo ambiances when the subject produces a minimum of noise.
Compact size allows sound recording with a sound quality exceeding that of the DR100’s microphones while remaining responsive (compared to a stereo pair mounted on a bar).
Its substitute, the BP4025 is better in every way, especially with larger diaphragms and a much more discreet background noise.
BEYERDYNAMIC – M88TG
This dynamic microphone is incredible to record voices, really warm. M88tg is also regularly used by major studios for kick drums, snare, or guitar amplifier… a perfect Swiss knife that can be compared to SM7B for low end emphasis.
SENNHEISER AMBEO HEADSET
The price of this binaural microphone is incredibly low since apple doesn’t use lightning port anymore. Helped with ugreen adapter lightning to USBC, my android phone can capture binaural sounds with better quality than Roland wearpro. I use it only for recording.
I don’t use them anymore since I build my own binaural mic Earsight Binaural.
ROLAND WEARPRO – WPM10
Bought at Thomann for less than 10 euros, I didn’t expect much from these binaural microphones built for gopro 3 and 4.
Finally after some modifications like replacing the usb plug by a mini jack, they can be PIP powered and are ultra discrete for example. (see my binaural recordings at the open air market and at the mall).
The big problem with these microphones, apart from the fact that there are no headphones for monitoring, is that the capsule is mounted originally directed towards the ear canal. It’s absurd because the sound is completely obstructed. I made a small inversion of the direction of the capsule takes 5 minutes. The microphones become usable and allow to make surprising recordings
A few of the links that I propose on this page are links affiliated with Thomann.de, the principle is that if you buy the equipment by clicking on the link, I get a very small commission that allows me to keep the website on the go, so you don’t pay more. You are free not to buy via this link or to buy where you want, I encourage you to check the prices on several websites to be sure to get the best price. I chose the Thomann affiliate program because I bought a major part of my equipment on this site and I never had any problems.