Calibrated microphone recommendations?

brj · « **on:** 4 May 2006, 06:34 am »

Hello everyone.

I know this topic has come up once or twice in the past, but I thought I'd revisit it in order to get the latest suggestions.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a relatively inexpensive calibrated microphone setup, ideally one that would interface with a laptop via USB?

I originally intended to pick up Phil Bamberg's package, but a redesign effort has left it temporarily unavailable. The Behringer ECM8000 is a popular recommendation, but I've never seen calibrated models available, aside from the "generic" calibration file available online. I'm also aware of the Acoustisoft calibrated mic/preamp combination, but their $325 price is a bit more than I'd like to spend.

Does anyone have any additional suggestions? If the recommended mic needs a pre-amp, I'd appreciate guidance on that as well.

Thanks!

dwk · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 May 2006, 02:44 pm »

Apparently the Nady CM100 is a twin of the ECM8000, and is generaly cheaper. I am certainly unaware of any mic of comparable quality anywhere near the price, although it comes at the cost of needing a pre with phantom power.

Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that sample-to-sample variation on the ECM8000 is pretty low. The generic correction may well be enough unless you're looking at hyper-critical applications or specifically need absolute spl values.

One step above that is that Kim Girarden will calibrate any mic for you - I think it runs something like $40 or $50. Since absolute SPL values will vary with the preamp and gain settings you're using, this may complicate things if that's specificaly what you're looking for though.

dwk · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 May 2006, 05:50 pm »

just bumping this because something is odd - I got an error when I posted my reply above, but the thread didn't update.

BradJudy · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 May 2006, 07:09 pm »

I have an ECM8000 calibrated by Kim. If you want a USB interface, you can duplicate the rest of my setup by buying an M-Audio Mobile-Pre which is a USB soundcard with built-in mic pre-amp with phantom power.

brj · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 May 2006, 05:21 pm »

Thanks for all of the responses, guys!

DWK, the Nady looks like a good option. It does look almost identical to the ECM8000 in both appearance and specs. I may follow up on that, but have contacted Kim Girardin and will wait to see what he suggests.

BradJudy, thanks for the pointer to the Mobile-Pre. My desire for USB was mostly fueled by convenience - every computer I've seen lately has a USB input, but I've run across a few that didn't have a line-in. That said, unless USB offers some sort of sonic or performance benefit, I most likely wouldn't pursue it too far if there is a significant price penalty.

A question that occurred to me while surfing for options... is it better to calibrate the mic while connected the intended pre-amp, or are the demands on a mic pre-amp so low that they basically all perform equally well and don't affect the system performance?

Thanks!

BradJudy · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 May 2006, 05:30 pm »

Quote from: brj

A question that occurred to me while surfing for options... is it better to calibrate the mic while connected the intended pre-amp, or are the demands on a mic pre-amp so low that they basically all perform equally well and don't affect the system performance?

That sounds like a good question for Kim. I only sent Kim my mic and not my pre-amp (I also have a basic ART pre-amp).

brj · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 May 2006, 05:50 pm »

After seeing the same email address for Kim Girardin on 4 different websites, I sent a message to the posted email address over a week ago. There are plenty of valid reasons for a delayed response, but I'm wondering if maybe the contact information is no longer good. Does anyone know if the following contact information for Kim Girardin is still accurate?

Kim Girardin
Wadenhome Sound
1400 Homer Rd. Suite 2
Winona, MN, 55987, USA
Phone: 507-454-8844
E-mail: kmgrdn@luminet.net

Thanks!

HAL · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 May 2006, 07:40 pm »

That is the last email address that I have for Kim.

brj · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 May 2006, 03:17 pm »

Thanks, Hal!

brj · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 May 2006, 08:18 pm »

To answer my own question in a previous post (thanks to Kim), the benefit of having the microphone calibrated using the end-user's pre-amp is that you can precisely measure the gain of the system. Thus, in addition to calibrating the microphone to a flat frequency response, you can determine the exact SPL reading. In otherwords, a calibrated mic hooked up to an arbitrary pre-amp will measure the shape of the frequency response correctly, but the absolute level may be off. You may measure an 80 dB signal as 76 dB, for example.

For reference, Kim is still charging $30 to calibrate a microphone, plus $10 return shipping.

tonyptony · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 02:53 am »

I'm resurrecting this thread because I am getting concerned about getting my ECM8000 calibrated. After having read through this thread back when, I decided to send my mic in to Kim for calibration. With my bad luck, I sent it in just before he moved to a new residence. But, that was at the end of September. In many emails to Kim I still don't know when my mic will be calibrated and sent back to me. My last two emails have been unanswered. Since he has moved (which was very shortly after he got my mic), I no longer have a valid address or phone for him so I don't know how to make contact other than email. Frankly, I just wanted to let others know about my situation in case anyone else was thinking of sending their mic into Kim for cal.

I don't feel good about posting this, but I'm not sure what else to do.