I would like to record evidence of annoying sounds from downstair apartment (Please no judgment, legal or diplomatic advices). I need a recording setup using AFFORDABLE equipment that will capture thumping and slamming sounds what i hear in my room.
DESCRIPTION:
Sounds appear randomly and may propagate (I assume) through my walls and floor. The sounds by order of annoyance are
- thumping (kid running in the corridor),
- door slamming,
- dog barking
The sounds are very clear to me and my wife but for whatever reasons (you can explain me) I am having difficulty getting a good recording. I tried to record without success using
- the dictaphone of my iphone 5S left on the floor
- A ps2 singstar microphone plugged (USB) to my laptop and post-processed with Audacity ( Gain + low pass filter)
SETUP QUESTIONS
I am very confused on what to buy and why.
Dynamic versus condenser microphone (large or small diaphragm ?) versus contact microphone on the floor ?
Many post suggest a condenser microphone (best cheap ones seem to be Behringer B-1 or Audio-Technica AT2020) but when i read some articles i found that "Dynamic microphones are best used for booming sounds and powerful vocals."
Omnidirectional or Cardioid ?
Do i need a preamp or any type of supplementary equipment between the micro and my laptop ?
What kind of post-processing should i performed and with what DAW ?
Thank you in advance. Please consider that i am not a sound engineer with many years of expertise. Just looking for a decent solution :)
best