Re: Microphone question

[Brian Regan <erhslib@YAHOO.COM>]

Sally -
I'm a former recording engineer turned school
librarian (it's a long story...)  PZM stands for
pressure zone microphone.  It's a special design that
has the microphone capsule mounted on a metal plate,
usually 5"x5", sometimes smaller.  They are typically
mounted on a larger flat surface (wall, floor, table,
ceiling), not handheld or stand mounted.  Picture its
pickup area as being a hemisphere with the mic in its
center.  While in use, nobody should be touching it -
any friction or tapping is translated into significant
noise.  It seems an odd choice, except maybe as a
ceiling or table mount in the middle of a classroom.

Your teacher should probably look for an
omnidirectional mic - these pick up (mostly) equally
in all directions and can be placed on a mic stand or
handheld.

More critical is the connector on the cable.  Most
likely the input to the camera is a 1/8" mini-plug.
Most pro-level mics use the larger XLR connector (3
pin).  Probably your best bet is to try circuit city
or someplace like it that sells camcorders.  When I
left the audio biz 6 years ago, Crown was the PZM
manufacturer of choice.

Good luck.

BR

> > A teacher needs to purchase a PZM microphone to
use for her National Board Certification.  It is a
mic. that plugs into a camcorder and can be moved
all around the room.  Has anyone bought one--if so
 where did you get it and is there one specific brand
to look for?  Thanks-
> >
> > Sally Bratton
> > Norman High School
> > Norman, OK


=====
Brian Regan, Librarian & Webmaster
East Rochester High School
East Rochester, NY 14445
Brian_Regan@er.monroe.edu
bregan@rochester.rr.com
www.erschools.org

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