Microphone for audio analysis

[FirefexD]

For my bachelor project in uni I need to analyse audio samples via a semi-mobile system in real time (person is in a VR simulation). I need to write a bill of materials but I have very little experience with microphones.

 

The requirement are:

 - its somewhere between 50cm and 2m from the person it's recording, so thats the range (1feet6" to 7feet for US people)

 - price max is about 150€ i think

 - it can be oriented towards the person its recording, but it should give a bit of leeway

 - the higher the frequency range the better, especially higher frequencys are important (as far as I understood)

 

I would love if someone could help me with finding the correct one. If you have further questions pls ask.

Thanks in advance

[mr fobs]

42 minutes ago, FirefexD said:

For my bachelor project in uni I need to analyse audio samples via a semi-mobile system in real time (person is in a VR simulation). I need to write a bill of materials but I have very little experience with microphones.

 

The requirement are:

 - its somewhere between 50cm and 2m from the person it's recording, so thats the range (1feet6" to 7feet for US people)

 - price max is about 150€ i think

 - it can be oriented towards the person its recording, but it should give a bit of leeway

 - the higher the frequency range the better, especially higher frequencys are important (as far as I understood)

 

I would love if someone could help me with finding the correct one. If you have further questions pls ask.

Thanks in advance

Does it need to be directional or do you want it picking up all audio in the room?

 

[FirefexD]

14 minutes ago, mr fobs said:

Does it need to be directional or do you want it picking up all audio in the room?

 

Unfortunately I dont know the specific layout of the room and how many other people would be present, so I think directional is better.

[mr fobs]

Does it need to be USB or can be a regular XLR?

[FirefexD]

Either is fine

 

[mr fobs]

This type of mic is typically used for instruments like drums or guitars, but might suit your needs as the highs would be nice. Its other applications are hanging off the ceiling to pick up things like a choir or instrument pit. 

YETI  has their condenser mic with lots of settings to fine tune the audio. This includes a stereo mode and has software.

 

This directional mic is a little over budget but would be very close to only picking up audio from what you point it at.

[akio123008]

What kind of audio samples do you need to analyse? What properties are you interested in in those samples?

[FirefexD]

My project is aimed at recognizing if people get motion sickness. The chosen approach is via audio. On one side I want to just use voice commands "I'm feeling sick", "I'm dizzy" etc. on the other hand I want to analyze (and from here on I dont even know what words to use in my own language) sounds/interjektions and differentiate them between good and bad (bad meaning discomfort). My professor told me to optimally do this I should use a microphone with a high frequency range. 

 

I hope that answers the question.

[FirefexD]

23 hours ago, HenrySalayne said:

The challenge you are facing is noise. Breathing or sighing are in the range of 30 dB SPL to 60 dB at 1 m. So the noise floor of your setup needs to be below 20 dB (A) to get an usable SNR of 10 dB. Doubling the distance to your test subjects lowers the SPL by another 6 dB. You will need expensive and specialized equipment for something like this and with your budget you should take a look at renting it.

An alternative might be a small microphone on a goose neck close to the test subject's face. Noise is less of an issue and it can be used with a field recorder (Zoom F6 for example).

That does make sense, maybe I can raise the budget a bit, but not much. Your proposed solution seems very complicated though.