96k 24-bit
REC. SETTINGS
OFF
REC. LOWCUT
OFF
REC. LIMITER
"HI-"
AUX. SETTINGS
N/A
AUX. BASS
N/A
AUX. HIGH-LOW
N/A
MIC. SETTINGS
150 Hz
MIC. LOWCUT
N/A
MIC. HIGH PASS
4
(RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE
BAD
LESS THAN
1.1ft / 0.34m
BAD
BETWEEN
1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m
BETWEEN
2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m
BETWEEN
3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m
Published:
January 26, 2023 at 4:28:47 PM
REAL RATINGS
After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ.
LOWS/BASS
DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL?
MIDS
DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL?
HIGHS/TREBLE
DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL?
NOTES:
Wow...I'm really learning that you can't pre-judge any microphone-audio recorder combination (similar to how I learned that about lenses and sensors). For instance, when testing this mic on another audio recorder, using the MIC. LOWCUT (either setting) sounded really bad (not natural at all). However, when using both the FOAM + FURRY (that are included with the mic) the MIC. LOWCUT setting of 150Hz sounds good (it sounds natural and "REAL" as I say). Another wierd thing is that the REC. LOWCUT (the one on the audio recorder) didn't sound good with this mic/audio recorder combination (but it sounded better than the MIC. LOWCUT on a different recorder). Anyways, it is really good this higher lowcut setting (150 vs 75) sounds natural, as the shock mount that comes with this mic isn't very effective, and the extra lowcut really helps (which is the main reason why lowcut filters are included on mics anyway). Also, the fact that it sounds more natural with the FOAM + FURRY is great, because this means you can just leave the FURRY on all of the time (INDOORS & OUTDOORS!)
As noted above, the shock mount that is included with this mic doesn't do a very good job of protecting it from the sound of bumps and/or wiggles, so you'll have to hold it steady in that case. (If I can find an affordable, aftermarket shock mount, I will update this review).
An important note specific to this audio recorder, is that the "HI-" REC. LEVEL setting sounds "cleaner" to me (less self-noise) than the next lower setting "MID+". It doesn't seem like it should, because it's a higher gain setting, but that is how it's sounding to me (it's kind of like how the self-noise on the Zoom H1 v1 is lower at a REC. LEVEL of 37 than it is at 36!). Also, because the Zoom F1 doesn't have a lot of options for REC. LEVEL steps (not "numerical" as the Zoom H1) I suggest keeping the REC. LEVEL set to "HI-" on the audio recorder, and then just tweaking the gain (when needed) by adjusting gain dial on the microphone (which is pretty nice because you can set it anywhere between 0-10 with stepless adjustments).
Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.
