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Step 7Install the Microphone
This couldn't be any easier. Just clip the microphone to the shaft and thread the mic cable through the reinforced hole. Secure the cable with a few cable ties to make it neat and you are almost ready to go. Make sure the microphone is facing inward toward the umbrella as shown in the photo below. The idea is to have the microphone pick up the reflected sound from the umbrella, not the direct sound from the target source.
You want to place the microphone as close to the focal point of the parabolic reflector as possible. There are several ways of doing this. First of all remember, this is a plastic umbrella, not a scientifically designed parabola! The focal point is going to be a bit fuzzy, to say the least. So here are a some possibilities from the most complicated to the simplest.
1) Point a laser beam at the umbrella from a distance. You should be able to see where it reflects onto the shaft. Mark that point with a permanent marker (that is why it is in the materials list). Repeat the process several times until you are satisfied that you have identified the general region of focus.
2) Plug the mic cable into a recording device, put on some headphones, point the parabolic mic toward a small sound source (a ticking clock is good), and move the microphone along the shaft until you get the loudest sound.
3)Just take my word for it. Place the mic about three inches, give or take half an inch, from the inside surface of the umbrella. Of course this will vary depending on what kind of umbrella hat you decided to use.
You want to place the microphone as close to the focal point of the parabolic reflector as possible. There are several ways of doing this. First of all remember, this is a plastic umbrella, not a scientifically designed parabola! The focal point is going to be a bit fuzzy, to say the least. So here are a some possibilities from the most complicated to the simplest.
1) Point a laser beam at the umbrella from a distance. You should be able to see where it reflects onto the shaft. Mark that point with a permanent marker (that is why it is in the materials list). Repeat the process several times until you are satisfied that you have identified the general region of focus.
2) Plug the mic cable into a recording device, put on some headphones, point the parabolic mic toward a small sound source (a ticking clock is good), and move the microphone along the shaft until you get the loudest sound.
3)Just take my word for it. Place the mic about three inches, give or take half an inch, from the inside surface of the umbrella. Of course this will vary depending on what kind of umbrella hat you decided to use.
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