Paul678 said:What is the procedure, and the equipment needed to do this properly?
Thanks for any info.....
Rossi said:Measuring self noise is quite complicated. First you need to measure the mics sensitivity. Then you measure the noise level without sound exposure. Some manufacturers use dummy heads with a cap replacing the condenser capusle. But this often gives a slighty lower figure than the acutal mic. A better way to do it is to measure the mic inside an isolation chamber; in German those are called "Rauschbombe" - noise shell. They're usually made of a metal cylinder inside another, separated by isolation material. The outer shell is shockmounted in a frame. Knowing the sensitivity and the amplification factor of your preamp, you can now calculate the self-noise. As self-noise is usually given in dB-A you need to apply a weighting filter.
For DIY and non-commercial stuff it's enough to compare to a known microphone from a serious manufacturer. Match levels carefully. If your room is quiet enough it's easy enough to estimate a ballpark figure and/or determine if a mic is too noisy for its type.
Rossi said:Measuring self noise is quite complicated. First you need to measure the mics sensitivity. Then you measure the noise level without sound exposure. Some manufacturers use dummy heads with a cap replacing the condenser capusle. But this often gives a slighty lower figure than the acutal mic. A better way to do it is to measure the mic inside an isolation chamber; in German those are called "Rauschbombe" - noise shell.
Rossi said:@ Marik: Saw your ribbon mic today at Musikmesse - looks very neat! Wish I could have talked to you in person after so many years of internet communication.
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