CharleyH

I have been experimenting with different microphones and locations trying to get good audio. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Charley

ProCoach

Most folks like a mic with a lead long enough to get near the exhaust. Any condensor mic should work ok.

Something like this.

CharleyH

Thanks... I have one similar to that and it gives decent sound, but I was hoping ror something better. I tried a bigger microphone that I have but it overwhelmed the camera ( I muse have mounted it too close to the muffler. ) Here is a video with the small lapel microphone.

This is what the bigger microphone sounds like with my Corvette.


I am trying to find something that will give me a fuller sound.

Charley

TXE36

On a street car, I've found a clamp on one of the rear license plate bolts works really well. Find a similar position on your race car. The reason this position works is not because it's close to the muffler, it is because the back of the car shields the microphone from the wind.

For an example, listen to the increase in the wind noise when I managed to go backwards through T2 at TWS some time ago (the mic is on the upper left hand license plate bolt):


The rear of the car is obviously very quiet wrt wind noise. Well, when the car is going forward, anyways .

One thing I don't like about this mounting is it alters the sound. My M3 doesn't sound like that in the cabin. However, it does work well as a poor man's throttle application meter.

-Mike

ProCoach

CharleyH

This is what I did when I tracked a street car.... My current track car doesn't have any area's in the back that are well shielded from airflow. I currently have a microphone about 10" away from the muffler in an area that doesn't have too much wind....but the volume of the exhaust seems to overwhelm the sound card in the smartycam. I have been having better results with the small lapel microphone mounted near the front of the engine. But, I am searching for a solution that will give me better sound. I think I am going to try and move the lapel mic further back.

Charley

TXE36

It sounds like from your comments that your problem may be more due to clipping the microphone.

• Wind noise in the microphone doesn't distort anything, but you get an undesirable rumbling from the wind in the microphone signal.
• Clipping is when the pressure at the microphone face is so great that the microphone itself clips or the recorder input clips. This sounds more like a cheap boom box turned up way to high.

I suspect you have the latter, the microphone signal is getting clipped as 10" from the exhaust is pretty close. The rear of your car doesn't look very conclusive to microphone mounting, but if you have a way to try it, I would try just under one of the middle tail lights.

Another possibility is somewhere in the cockpit, perhaps above the legs space with a large piece of foam as a windscreen. Cut the foam to convenient size and put a hole in it for the mic. This will have more wind noise than on the back of a street car, but may be better than what you are trying now.

-Mike

CharleyH

I agree with you. I think the problem is that the sound is overwhelming the camera's ability. Here are a few shots of where the microphone is located.

Charley





Today I relocated my smaller (lapel) microphone in the area near the air jack to see if that improves the sound quality. I can't put the larger / better microphone there because it has an on / off switch so I need to be able to reach the microphone.

Charley