ROLAND CS-10EM - Binaural field recording

I just picked up a set of binaural microphones myself:  http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/MS-TFB-2

I tried them on my last trip and I'm quite happy with the results.  I love how unobtrusive the process is- not like shooting still photos or video.  You just put them on and walk around!  But it didn't take long to figure out that there were some definite dos and don'ts.  For example, it's better to try not to turn your head so much while recording, and you should try to avoid the wind as much as possible.

I'm using mine with a Sony PCM-M10 recorder and recording at CD quality (44.1/16).  I noticed on a few occasions that I would pick-up a faint buzz that sounded like some sort of interference from another wireless device (just a guess).  I haven't been able to reproduce the buzz; so I'm not sure if it was some sort of external interference or I was thinking that maybe it was the microphones themselves.  Perhaps they aren't receiving adequate power or the shielding on the cable is poor.  So I am considering trying out the Roland microphones.  The ones I have are over the ear which means they have almost no microphonics; but they can be a little hard to put in.  The Rolands look like they're easy to put in just like IEMs.  But I do worry about microphonics and I hear it's not good to monitor while you're recording- which I won't do anyway.  That's the other good thing about the microphones I have- they're so small and they do not completely block your ear canal so you can hear almost like normal.

I tried the low-cut filter too.  While it may have cut some wind noise (inside subway stations), I think it took away too much from the recording.  The low frequencies that these microphones pick up is pretty amazing and it definitely adds to the 'realness' of the recording.  They sell windscreens for the mics, but they look a little odd and take away some of the stealth factor when wearing them.  I have to play with my recorder a little bit more and try different controls and settings.  It's definitely a fun toy and project to work on and relatively cheap compared to half of the stuff around here.  Although like anything I suppose you can go crazy and get a PCM-D1 and some custom microphones. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mkubota1 

I tried the low-cut filter too.  While it may have cut some wind noise (inside subway stations), I think it took away too much from the recording.  The low frequencies that these microphones pick up is pretty amazing and it definitely adds to the 'realness' of the recording.  They sell windscreens for the mics, but they look a little odd and take away some of the stealth factor when wearing them.  I have to play with my recorder a little bit more and try different controls and settings.  It's definitely a fun toy and project to work on and relatively cheap compared to half of the stuff around here.  Although like anything I suppose you can go crazy and get a PCM-D1 and some custom microphones. 

The best way to cut down on wind noise is to use a dead cat. Not a real non-living cat but a screen called a dead cat. Depending on your microphone, you can make a dead cat rather stealthy and discrete and still have amazing recordings. A low-cut filter gets rid of too much information at times and isn't the best option to use. If you are actually wearing the mics like IEM's, I would suggest you make a dead cat that looks like ear muffs.