This is a short post about the potential use of boundary mics when recording audio for Cognition. Boundary mics are exceptionally useful tools when used correctly.

Boundary microphones are used to capture sound from a large area, and differ slightly in their construction, when compared to more conventional mics. The element inside is an omnidirectional condenser mic, so boundary mics require Phantom Power, and the mic can pick up sound that enters the mic, as well as sound that reflects off it and the surface it rests on. If placed correctly, this can double the strength of incoming signals. Boundary mics are good for picking up dialogue at the point where it reflects off of a surface, hence the name boundary. Mounting a boundary mic on the wall in front of an actor can produce excellent audio, although you must be careful to hide the mic from view of course. These are very useful when recording dialogue in cars; something Grant Bridgeman, a sound recordist and guest lecturer at the University, informed us. He swears by the the Sanken CUB-01, but we will be using a slightly different mic, as we’re somewhat restricted by what Media Loans has on offer. If time permits, and as mentioned previously in my other posts about location sound research, I’d like to try and use a boundary mic along with some radio mics as plant microphones, which, if properly placed, should let us record superior dialogue and also on-site foley in places.