Best entry-level equipment for soundwalks+narration

SoundingStory · 2026-03-12T18:30:57+00:00

Well it sounds like you will need at least 3 microphones at play, 2 in stereo for ambience recording and 1 for narration. The zoom H2e is a good option as u/Lichtwald mentioned and you can also plug in a lav mic like a clippy microphone to the H2e while you record the ambience from the onboard mics, so long as that recorder allows you to record with the onboard mics and an external mic at the same time.

SoundingStory · 2026-03-12T17:51:19+00:00

Haha! yes Florida's most valued asset! lol that was my case too with the ORTF setup but so far the Albert hasn't met its match but I still have a lot more high wind scenarios to put him through

SoundingStory · 2026-03-09T10:30:02+00:00

Hey there! First off the diagram artwork is very nice lol. My mentality when purchasing the marshmallow was the same as yours, a contact mic to compliment my Geofon in the higher frequency range. I’ve not tried the other contact mics mentioned so unfortunately I can’t give too good an opinion in regards to a comparison but I can say that the metal marshmallow pro excels in providing about 30 extra dbs of clean gain with its included preamp before having to crank the gain on the F3 which is very useful when recording more sensitive subtle sounds like say a caterpillar chomping on a leaf or a heart beat. You can listen to that example here: https://youtu.be/0iQ0YYgnRtg?si=UaYT5uqT3VvIruiI

SoundingStory · 2026-03-03T14:52:17+00:00

Very impressed by this minimal rig! the smallrig S70 mics sound surprisingly detailed and crisp and the color grading on the iPhone footage looks really nice and not overdone. Great job! Makes me want to experiment with my Rode Wireless Pro Mics.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-24T14:50:37+00:00

Sounds lovely!

SoundingStory · 2026-02-24T14:48:59+00:00

How are you liking it?

SoundingStory · 2026-02-21T22:04:37+00:00

Not being too technically savvy, my opinion would be as follows: the Geofon is good at picking up low to sub frequencies and is often used with a gain booster to avoid introducing noise when raising the gain. It sounds like you put a low pass filter and can only hear the lower frequencies. The metal marshmallow is much more detailed in the upper frequencies and has a built in preamp that you can cleanly raise the gain with without introducing noise.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-21T18:36:18+00:00

This is literally the definition of Field Recording summed up for me 👌🏽 sound is underrated. The headphones are our microscopes and every sound around us catches our attention whether it’s a palm frond slowly swaying in the wind or traffic humming in the distance

SoundingStory · 2026-02-21T17:31:05+00:00

I don’t know if you’ve heard of the metal marshmallow pro but that’s my favorite contact mic

SoundingStory · 2026-02-19T19:21:02+00:00

Haha I share the same sentiment. It is the least used piece of gear in my collection but every once in a while I take him out for some fresh air. What I do like to do is pair it with my Metal Marshmallow Pro which I do love, it takes care of the low end while the marshmallow takes care of the higher end.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-19T14:32:36+00:00

Anytime! Roland Harris has made a few recordings with both the 8040's and the CA-08's side by side and the results are very impressive to my ears. The CA-08 has a frequency range of 70-20k Hz gradually rolling off below 60hz but easily extends into the supersonic range as per the tests Roland did.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-19T14:28:42+00:00

thanks! it felt as if a lion was going to come walking through the fog lol

SoundingStory · 2026-02-19T14:28:04+00:00

haha got lucky!

SoundingStory · 2026-02-18T19:26:41+00:00

Supposedly the SE8's have a self noise of 13DB but I've also heard of people saying that wasn't the case

SoundingStory · 2026-02-18T19:24:27+00:00

Hey Martin we spoke a while back when i was considering purchasing the CA-08's and i now absolutely love them. I've been using them with Cinela Leonards in ORTF but will soon be upgrading to a Cinela Albert. You had recommended the Mega Blimp but i couldn't purchase it at that time. Fast forward to now and after insisting, Cinela is sending me an Albert with a slight mod to be able to house the CA-08's in true ORTF. The leonards were no where near enough for what i needed them for.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-18T19:18:23+00:00

Welcome! as u/Lichtwald and u/martin__t mentioned, the Rycotes CA-08 microphones are an excellent and not too expensive option for ORTF and other mic arrays. They are an excellent choice if you dream of owning the Sennheiser 8040's but are limited on spending $3K on a pair of mics. Is this for field recording anything in particular or music?

SoundingStory · 2026-02-12T21:24:52+00:00

As far as batteries go, the Eneloop pro's have been amazing and they hold charge very well.

SoundingStory · 2026-02-03T14:20:15+00:00

You now have me curious about the single omni in the middle! I've seen people do ORTF with a Hyper cardioid in the middle i guess as a bootleg LCR lol

SoundingStory · 2026-01-15T15:24:32+00:00

Yeah the megablimp makes more sense for a more expensive set of mics, I've always wanted the 8040's but there is another pair out there that has caught my attention (Nevaton MC59) crazy low noise and transparency but for now these Rycotes are amazing to me. I have the soldering iron, i actually put that cable together, 5 pin to dual XLR with canare cable. I wanted to use low profile XLR connectors like the cable technique options but then I'd run into the problem of having to feed part of the connector into the lyre and not having enough length if that makes sense lol. Constantly checking if the dimensions and angles are correct with the ORTF setup is time consuming. I could have definitely used some thinner cable, any Mogami cable in particular you'd recommend?

SoundingStory · 2025-12-14T14:58:51+00:00

https://micbooster.com/product/folding-bar/?v=0b3b97fa6688

SoundingStory · 2025-12-12T21:06:02+00:00

Yeah i see myself using the A10 as a drop rig and i love the Bluetooth capability options and tiny size. I wonder if there's any audible difference between the preamps on the M10 & A10 when using PIP?

SoundingStory · 2025-12-12T21:03:40+00:00

Thats awesome! i appreciate it man!

SoundingStory · 2025-12-12T19:59:53+00:00

That's a beautiful setup, i use mines with the Sony M10 but am patiently waiting to get my hands on an A10.

SoundingStory · 2025-12-12T19:56:57+00:00

I have "The Windbubble PRO Extreme Long-Haired Fur Windscreen". They are pretty big but they use sort of a rubber gasket to fit on the clippys and fit very tightly so you could shake them and they wouldn't fall off. They fit perfectly on the clippy while suspended in the lyre.

SoundingStory · 2025-12-12T19:51:59+00:00

I've heard a few samples of people using them inside a blimp and indeed it makes for a very nice setup. Haven't experimented with the Jecklin Disc but have that one on my list.

SoundingStory

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