Would it be possible to get a stereo pair of these to plug into the USB-C port of a smartphone? Something that looks like a T with the connector for the phone on the bottom of the T and the mics on each end of the top of the T, like the Olympus ME-51S Stereo Microphone.
Stereo is possible but only with an audio interface that can work on a phone. It does work and sounds much better than phone mics. We actually used these to record many of the following videos with a rode portable interface going into our phones. After, upgraded to a real camera for better video but kept the microphones and almost all desk videos background audio is recorder with a pair of primos plugged into the Lumix S5 directly. Voiceovers are recorded separately on rode nt1. Videos about all these are in the Audio / Sound playlist and maybe in Gear too.
Hi, your video is the most useful one I can find in the internet, I just don't understand why only the left microphone would receive the sound when I plug it in to camera, and also do you know any audio interface that can receive stereo microphone input? mine can receive both side of the microphone but only has one channel, which is not something I am expecting.
Hi Dragos, amazing video!! many thanks for it. I am a PhD student and one of my chapters intends to compare how selecting logging is affecting bird communities in the Peruvian Amazon. For that, I want to compare biodiversity using song recordings in different areas of deforestation. Like all students, I am on a very low budget and I am looking for alternatives to reduce expenses, and making the mics seems a very good way. However as a good biologist (or very bad), I know very little about tech and I am not sure which of the capsules you use for this video would be best to use for environmental recordings, Primo EM172 or Primo EM258?. Another question is, do I need to have right and left if what I want to record is the song of birds? Would not be enough only with one? if yes, do you have a tutorial I could watch and follow? the last question is that if you know of an alternative to increasing the range of sound recording, like a parabolic or something similar? I am really sorry if what I am asking is very stupid but honestly, I am starting to research on this and I have very little idea haha. Many many thanks in advance!!
Hi! Valid questions and trying to answer as good as I can. Capsules - depend on what you need. They are both low noise but the EM172 is more sensitive and more quiet than the EM258. There is a newer version of EM172 called EM272 so I would get that if I were you. Same but better / newer. The EM258 are better if you need smaller capsules and if you need to record ultrasonic ranges. I'm not sure if you need to capture ultrasonic - bats for example - these work really well for bat chirps. The bigger ones are also much easier to solder than the tiny EM258. Made a playlist now with field recording setup videos we've made. ruclips.net/p/PLe4OMhMdK3grRD8Yq84pXYFjdB-qHqYBD Nature sounds probably all recorded with the 172 and some with 258 ruclips.net/video/jNpcrUziYvo/видео.html For hearing range frequencies and quiet noise floor I would choose the EM272 for sure. Primo sells them directly if you can buy 10 or just send them an email and ask about their capsules and tell them about your project. I'm sure they will be able to send them maybe even for free. I didn't buy the capsules from them, found out later that I could. I bought mine from micbooster - uk but they got more expensive there so I would recommend to contact Primo mic directly. I might try to buy some from them just to see how they new ones are. Send them an email. Germany www.primomic.de/kontakt.htm or US primomic.com/contact/ This is the capsule type - omni-directional www.primomic.de/omni.htm And the actual capsule www.primomic.de/pdf/EM272Z1.pdf The recorder you use needs to have plugin power but most will have it. 2.5V or even 5V is even better. NOT 48V! A smartphone is not enough, you need an actual field recorder even a small portable one. best is to rent if you can. A good one with low preamp noise or a cheap pocket recorder if budget is tight but you should accept some hiss in the recordings. I have a Sony pcm-a10 and it works really well for me, a zoom h1n will work very similar. if you use one of these small recorders, you need a 3.5mm TRS jack like in the video. brand doesn't really matter. Cable lenght 0.5 - 2m and should be good audio cable - any electronics local store will have some cable like that. balanced (2 wires in the middle and shielding around it) or unbalanced (one wire in the middle and the shielding) doesn't really matter unless there is a lot of electro-magnetic interference around you, then use balanced. if you record ambient sound to see how many animals are around a dish/parabolic would not help much. Also in stereo if you place them at 20-30cm distance facing outwards or even install them on the sides of a tree, you will get a so called binaural effect. This is a bit messy how it's setup but works pretty well ruclips.net/video/CIGlgCNWX5Y/видео.html There is a channel about field recording George Vlad - he does pretty much exactly what I think you want to do but to build a sound library. In this video he shows how he records with these portable microphones. ruclips.net/video/t-3BerSX5uQ/видео.html Lom Usi = EM172/EM272 Lom Micro Usi = EM258 Micbooster Pluggy = EM172 Hope this helps.
@@IONHowTo Uoooo Massive thanks Dragos!! Amazing reply. I'll investigate everything you tell me here and I'll do some trying here in the UK before I travel to the Amazon. It seems pretty straightforward but I'll probably encounter some problems on my way! In any case, I think with your comment I am at a really good starting point!! Many thanks again!!
I wish I did the video back then. I think there should be a link to it in the description. Now I don't need it. If I ever start making these to sell I'll post something but probably won't make more. The ones I made work pretty well. All ambient desk sounds are done with the em172. Made a few videos about it
Thanks for this video Dragos. Do you know, with the EM258 microphones you made, is it possible to fit the Bubblebee Windbubble onto it like with the Lom MikroUsi? Does it fit will with the heatshrink housing? Thanks again, Doug
They look and work the same as the MikroUsi. Only difference is the mic housing being made with heatshrink instead of the little plastic cup. You can use any wind protection. Size is just a bit bigger than the capsule diameter (6mm from what I remember).
I would like to do this, but I also see there are some other DIY variation that connect with battery box. Can you explain what's the difference with battery box?
Battery box is independent of the mic or made as one. It's to provide plugin power to the mic. Most recorders provide plugin power. I used it with my sony pcm a10 and works great! If you record loud concerts for example you should use a battery box to provide max. voltage to the mics. They work better in high spl when voltage is higher.
Nice video. If I want to record audio then can I connect that 3 pin jack with my phone and start recording or will I need some kind of convertor for 3.5mm jack? Thank you
Buna ziua, ati putea construi varianta portabila over ear pt integistrari binaurale? De asemenea aveti aceste constructii din clip pt vanzare? Multumesc
Dupa 2 ani dar mai bine tarziu decat niciodata. Componentele sunt la fel ca Lum Usi sau Lom Mikrousi. M-am gandid sa fac un batch dar pana la urma am facut doar ce aveam nevoie pentru mine. E foarte migalos si pretul ar fi la nivelul Lom cel putin. Am vazut ca Lom nu sunt in stoc si cand le face omul dispar in cateva minute si asa fiecare isi poate face un set daca are nevoie. Am avut discutii cu Primo direct dar nu vreau sa migalesc la ele.
Would it be possible to get a stereo pair of these to plug into the USB-C port of a smartphone? Something that looks like a T with the connector for the phone on the bottom of the T and the mics on each end of the top of the T, like the Olympus ME-51S Stereo Microphone.
Stereo is possible but only with an audio interface that can work on a phone. It does work and sounds much better than phone mics.
We actually used these to record many of the following videos with a rode portable interface going into our phones.
After, upgraded to a real camera for better video but kept the microphones and almost all desk videos background audio is recorder with a pair of primos plugged into the Lumix S5 directly.
Voiceovers are recorded separately on rode nt1.
Videos about all these are in the Audio / Sound playlist and maybe in Gear too.
Hi, your video is the most useful one I can find in the internet, I just don't understand why only the left microphone would receive the sound when I plug it in to camera, and also do you know any audio interface that can receive stereo microphone input? mine can receive both side of the microphone but only has one channel, which is not something I am expecting.
Great video, thank you.
Hi Dragos, amazing video!! many thanks for it. I am a PhD student and one of my chapters intends to compare how selecting logging is affecting bird communities in the Peruvian Amazon. For that, I want to compare biodiversity using song recordings in different areas of deforestation. Like all students, I am on a very low budget and I am looking for alternatives to reduce expenses, and making the mics seems a very good way. However as a good biologist (or very bad), I know very little about tech and I am not sure which of the capsules you use for this video would be best to use for environmental recordings, Primo EM172 or Primo EM258?. Another question is, do I need to have right and left if what I want to record is the song of birds? Would not be enough only with one? if yes, do you have a tutorial I could watch and follow? the last question is that if you know of an alternative to increasing the range of sound recording, like a parabolic or something similar? I am really sorry if what I am asking is very stupid but honestly, I am starting to research on this and I have very little idea haha. Many many thanks in advance!!
Hi!
Valid questions and trying to answer as good as I can.
Capsules - depend on what you need.
They are both low noise but the EM172 is more sensitive and more quiet than the EM258.
There is a newer version of EM172 called EM272 so I would get that if I were you. Same but better / newer.
The EM258 are better if you need smaller capsules and if you need to record ultrasonic ranges.
I'm not sure if you need to capture ultrasonic - bats for example - these work really well for bat chirps.
The bigger ones are also much easier to solder than the tiny EM258.
Made a playlist now with field recording setup videos we've made.
ruclips.net/p/PLe4OMhMdK3grRD8Yq84pXYFjdB-qHqYBD
Nature sounds probably all recorded with the 172 and some with 258
ruclips.net/video/jNpcrUziYvo/видео.html
For hearing range frequencies and quiet noise floor I would choose the EM272 for sure.
Primo sells them directly if you can buy 10 or just send them an email and ask about their capsules and tell them about your project.
I'm sure they will be able to send them maybe even for free. I didn't buy the capsules from them, found out later that I could.
I bought mine from micbooster - uk but they got more expensive there so I would recommend to contact Primo mic directly. I might try to buy some from them just to see how they new ones are.
Send them an email.
Germany
www.primomic.de/kontakt.htm
or US
primomic.com/contact/
This is the capsule type - omni-directional
www.primomic.de/omni.htm
And the actual capsule
www.primomic.de/pdf/EM272Z1.pdf
The recorder you use needs to have plugin power but most will have it. 2.5V or even 5V is even better. NOT 48V!
A smartphone is not enough, you need an actual field recorder even a small portable one.
best is to rent if you can.
A good one with low preamp noise or a cheap pocket recorder if budget is tight but you should accept some hiss in the recordings.
I have a Sony pcm-a10 and it works really well for me, a zoom h1n will work very similar.
if you use one of these small recorders, you need a 3.5mm TRS jack like in the video. brand doesn't really matter.
Cable lenght 0.5 - 2m and should be good audio cable - any electronics local store will have some cable like that.
balanced (2 wires in the middle and shielding around it) or
unbalanced (one wire in the middle and the shielding) doesn't really matter unless there is a lot of electro-magnetic interference around you, then use balanced.
if you record ambient sound to see how many animals are around a dish/parabolic would not help much.
Also in stereo if you place them at 20-30cm distance facing outwards or even install them on the sides of a tree, you will get a so called binaural effect.
This is a bit messy how it's setup but works pretty well
ruclips.net/video/CIGlgCNWX5Y/видео.html
There is a channel about field recording George Vlad - he does pretty much exactly what I think you want to do but to build a sound library.
In this video he shows how he records with these portable microphones.
ruclips.net/video/t-3BerSX5uQ/видео.html
Lom Usi = EM172/EM272
Lom Micro Usi = EM258
Micbooster Pluggy = EM172
Hope this helps.
@@IONHowTo Uoooo Massive thanks Dragos!! Amazing reply. I'll investigate everything you tell me here and I'll do some trying here in the UK before I travel to the Amazon. It seems pretty straightforward but I'll probably encounter some problems on my way! In any case, I think with your comment I am at a really good starting point!! Many thanks again!!
Hi! Great video. Can You explain how to use this program to match microphone capsules? Thanks in advance.
I wish I did the video back then. I think there should be a link to it in the description. Now I don't need it.
If I ever start making these to sell I'll post something but probably won't make more.
The ones I made work pretty well. All ambient desk sounds are done with the em172.
Made a few videos about it
@@IONHowToI regret it too, I'm sure many would benefit fromthat video.Thanks for answer.
I followed the steps to assemble em272, then plug in my audio interface, it doesn't work 😭
Thanks for this video Dragos. Do you know, with the EM258 microphones you made, is it possible to fit the Bubblebee Windbubble onto it like with the Lom MikroUsi? Does it fit will with the heatshrink housing? Thanks again, Doug
They look and work the same as the MikroUsi. Only difference is the mic housing being made with heatshrink instead of the little plastic cup.
You can use any wind protection. Size is just a bit bigger than the capsule diameter (6mm from what I remember).
I would like to do this, but I also see there are some other DIY variation that connect with battery box. Can you explain what's the difference with battery box?
Battery box is independent of the mic or made as one.
It's to provide plugin power to the mic.
Most recorders provide plugin power.
I used it with my sony pcm a10 and works great!
If you record loud concerts for example you should use a battery box to provide max. voltage to the mics.
They work better in high spl when voltage is higher.
Dragos Ion thanks for your reply and thanks for the video. Helps a lot
Nice video.
If I want to record audio then can I connect that 3 pin jack with my phone and start recording or will I need some kind of convertor for 3.5mm jack?
Thank you
For the phone, you should use a trrs connector or an adapter. Trs to trrs.
This is if your phone has a 3.5mm trs at all.
@@IONHowTo Okay,
I'll try making
Thanks for the reply.
Buna ziua, ati putea construi varianta portabila over ear pt integistrari binaurale? De asemenea aveti aceste constructii din clip pt vanzare? Multumesc
Dupa 2 ani dar mai bine tarziu decat niciodata.
Componentele sunt la fel ca Lum Usi sau Lom Mikrousi.
M-am gandid sa fac un batch dar pana la urma am facut doar ce aveam nevoie pentru mine.
E foarte migalos si pretul ar fi la nivelul Lom cel putin.
Am vazut ca Lom nu sunt in stoc si cand le face omul dispar in cateva minute si asa fiecare isi poate face un set daca are nevoie.
Am avut discutii cu Primo direct dar nu vreau sa migalesc la ele.