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I think some of you may find this video interesting for the sound recording link text

My question is, does anybody use Earthworks microphones on here as I am thinking of investing in a pair. On this video they can apparently pic up the sounds of ants walking on foil and squeaking. Also I am told they have zero handling noise which would be very useful. The ones I am interested in are the QTC30 and M30 models. Thanks

Earthworks
(source: earthworksaudio.com)

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  • Awesome video of Amon Tobin! Foley Room is one of my favorite albums. – Andrew Spitz May 12 '10 at 22:09
  • Yeah its great to see the sound gathering at the start of a production like that. Was loving the location used of the radar room too. – Lenny May 13 '10 at 10:23
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Timely post - I have been considering these as well. The specs look amazing. One thing to note is that the original TC versions apparently have high self-noise, so it's good that you're looking into the QTC series instead.

I have no experience with them but can't imagine why they wouldn't be outstanding for FX, Foley, or ambience recording.

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The entirety of the field recordings for Amon Tobin's Foley Room LP (behind the scenes video)were made with a Nagra and a pair of Earthworkds QTCs, all handheld. Seems like a killer tool for certain purposes...huh, wonder why these didn't come up in the Recording Low Volume Sounds thread...

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They did make a custom mic once for the ants walking thing. If you're looking to capture low volume sounds, there was a thread about that here.

I haven't used an Earthworks mic for SFX before, but I've used them for many other things. I've never been disappointed. Basically no self noise. Never noticed if it did or didn't have any handling noise. I have an M30. I may try it out on some SFX. Do you have anything specific you were wondering if it worked with? I can try some demo stuff for you if you're interested.

Earthworks M30
(source: earthworksaudio.com)

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  • Unlike the QTC30 whenever I look up the M30 it is branded as a reference microphone for audio band measurements. I am sure the M30 still does a great job on SFX. I didn't have anything specific in mind but would like to know how you get on if you would like to test it on some varied sounds if you have time. Thanks for the offer. – Lenny May 13 '10 at 10:33
  • I have a pair of TC30k and one M30 - they are the same mic, just branded differently for different uses. I use them sometimes for sfx recording - really loud sources or really closely miced sources. I get really cool super close miced sounds without any proximity effect. Love them, but they are too noisy for some things. – user327 May 28 '10 at 22:40
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I have used QTC 40 on many things. They sound amazing. Even with extreme pitch shift, sound is full.

But they have quite high internal noise level, so aren't that great for low level sounds.

I think they sound even better than MKH 8040s.

Didn't check handling noise, always used them on a stand.

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These mics are unsuitable for recording low-SPL sources as they are very noisy. The main reason why they are so noisy is the fact that the capsules are absolutely tiny. They can be used successfully for applications such as drum overheads and recording loud spot-fx, but I would not use them for anything such as ambience recording as the self-noise is too high.

I had a pair, found them unsuitable and sold them on.

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