DHB

Looks good ..do tell us if it achieved what you wanted.

Yup, most manufacturers do it ..just look at the difference between the Schoeps SuperCMIT in its ordinary 'Preset 1' mode (which provides some reduction in rear sensitivity over other shotguns) and 'Preset 2' (rather more severe cutback) which almost totally eliminates rear sensitivity (but makes the mic sound rather 'boxy' as if in a small almost anechoic room ..that's if used indoors, of course)..

Try a proper Rycote 'zeppelin' with a full size 'dead cat' furry cover over it. Your mic needs to be properly isolated within an area of still air, then it shouldn't be affected.

Here's a picture - courtesy of B&H - showing a mic pointing INTO the centre of a parabolic dish, where the dish focuses the audio.. That's how the mic catches the focused audio ..pointing INTO the dish.

If that 2nd picture is your mic in front of a parabolic dish, then your mic is the wrong way round! (The mic should point INTO the dish, at the 'focal point' of the dish ..where the dish focuses the sound. Put your head in front of the dish, with one ear pointing into the dish, then move your head towards, into, and away from the dish until you hear the LOUDEST sound, then put the mic inside the dish (using an arm on your mic stand) until the HEAD of the mic is at the exact same point where your own ear was, then slide the mic in and out of the dish slightly until you hear in your cans the strongest, loudest sound. That's the 'focal point' of the dish, and that's where your mic should be, pointing ..INTO the dish.

I'd have thought that for bees - unless you want the distant sound of them heading towards or away from a hive, plus outdoor stereo ambience - the best thing is to lower a small-head wide-stereo mic (Audio-Technica AT825 or similar) into the hive. That way you'd have an 'intimate' broad stereo-soundscape, sounding like bees are almost inside your own head.

I've just tried my Fetheads and Fethead Phantoms on 24v as well as 48v. Both types of Fetheads (inc Phantoms) work perfectly well on 24v. (I tested with a Neumann 103 which - surprise to me! - also worked on 24v, and with a no-need-for-power Senn 421). I heard no detectable difference when equip't was used on 48v OR 24v. YMMV (..Your Microphone(s) May Vary).

"..for side, this will NOT do ANYTHING remotely related to the whole Side trick.." Absolutely, but I was thinking of a widely-spaced PAIR of dishes, to give a semblance of stereo, and pointed towards whatever inspire wants to capture. But, as I said, it'd be a bit difficult, with stereo dishes, to follow anything that's moving. (inspire wanted, preferably, to use Mid/Side, but I do realise that'd not be practicable with such a setup, so I was suggesting stereo as a fall-back.)

inspire says "..I want to push the boundaries, for example, if the source is much further away (hundreds of meters, for instance)". I think what you really need, if you're recording from those distances, is (for stereo or M/S) a couple of parabolic reflectors. They contribute NO noise (they're not electronic) so whatever electronic audio boost you might use - if that's even necessary with a couple of dishes - they will NOT boost any electronic noise. But at those distances you'd need very careful aiming. And it'd be a bit difficult, with stereo dishes, to follow anything that's moving! (Must be a big zoo - safari park? - if the creatures are that far away.)

"Okay. gotta ask. why?" Maybe I can explain: Frequency Response - 10Hz to 20kHz (±1db). I'm not sure what other recording devices ..apart from Sony's consumer DAT devices, and the brilliant miniature Sony NT recorders.. genuinely record as low as 10Hz (think steam-driven fairground organs), AES/EBU In and Out, Time Code sync (on the 1000TC version), Mid/Side monitoring (on the 1000TC Plus version). It's not a mixer, of course, and it doesn't have radio receivers. But - for me, anyway - the sound quality is absolutely superb ..in my experience (with Studers, etc) absolutely unbeatable in a portable machine.

EV made a few massive ones, plus the 644 (optionally) handheld ..ooh, mustn't go off-topic. I think we must admire the Franken-mic-assembly above.

Yes, I know a great repairman, but he's in Ireland, so postage, Customs, etc may be pricey ..but if it's worth it to you he'll do a brilliant job (did for mine last year, anyway!) ..he's Paul Carrington (a radio veteran) and email him first instead of just sending it: paulcarrington@btinternet.com He may need a bit of persuading, and he may say that he's not doing them any more. But if you're friendly, and give him lots of background info, he may do it. (It may be something just as simple as a stretched loading belt; that'll prevent the tape being loaded, and thus nothing else will work.) Tell him what the "..weird message on the screen.." says, and he may be able to diagnose it immediately.

If you're running a VP-88 on its internal battery, then ordinary Fetheads will boost the output but do NOT let phantom power go up the cable and to the mic itself, which is what you'd want (as if using non-phantom-powered dynamics or ribbons). But if you're running the VP-88 - or any mic - on phantom power, then Fethead Phantoms WILL allow phantom power up the cable to power the mic(s). I think they're pretty good ..same as 'Cloudlifters', but smaller and they fit inline just like normal XLR connectors. NOTE, though, that they'll amplify whatever's coming down the line from the mic(s), so if you've a lot of unwanted background noise they will, of course, also boost that, as they don't filter anything out. The boost effect is a bit like using a telephoto lens on a camera: the boosted audio seems to bring everything closer ..and certainly LOUDER!

Add a couple of Fetheads?

"..if you love fig8 for music I recommend the Beyer M130 if you do not know it. Old concept ribbon mike but beautiful along with the M160 in an MS setup.." Shure VP-88. The description on Shure's - and others' - website doesn't do it justice: "The Shure Model VP88 is a single-point, stereo condenser microphone" ..no, it's more than that: it's a Mid-Side mic with one capsule pointing straight ahead, and a dual-element sideways capsule delivering stereo (adjustable) width plus that central cardioid capsule filling in the centre. Wonderful breadth and depth.