C-SERIES pro contact microphones
highest spec contact mic in the JrF range and widely regarded as the best contact mics available
£35 (uk) / £40 (rest of world)
with the option of upgrading the jack to a neutrik for an extra £5 per mic
to order please visit the ordering page
various unique processes mean that the c-series contact mics provide a wider freq. response that others on the market - meaning more low end and mid frequency range response.
They've also been designed without using toxic products - so you can use them out in the field without worrying about any environmental impact.
an unprocessed field recording of teleferica wires in Italy recorded using 2 JrF c-series contact microphones.
This recording is best listened to on headphones.
a step up from the basic JrF contact microphone - features:
. high spec, low noise, flexible specially designed cable.
. large diameter element providing, in conjunction with the JrF exclusive 'acoustic-transfer' coating, an even better signal and frequency response.
. strengthened top of element for increased placement and handling durability.
. available with 1/4 inch jacks only
(rean or neutrik)
(rean or neutrik)
for a range of adaptors to connect to XLR and 3.5mm inputs please see the adaptor pages
. available as single mono contact microphone or in stereo pairs.
. come with 2metre cables as standard.
extra cable (per metre) can be purchased for £3.50 per metre (email me to order custom length mics)
see the 'tips and guidance' and 'frequently asked questions' page for further info.
44 comments:
Hey! I'm really interested in this C-SERIES pro contact microphones ( stereo pair ), and maybe in the coil pick-up too. Do you ship to Argentina? Please let me know because i've been listening to your samples and i realized that those mics needs to be in my hands! :D Thanks, cheers!
Hi, sure - I can ship to any country
Hi jez,
Im working on a project that involves the capture of inner body sounds (blood, lungs...) and buildings (walls, floor...) Im thinking of a C SERIES (stereo pair) and the coil pick-up. Do you have any tips? Is it the best choice?
many thanks keep up the good work
Hi,
the c-series will be fine for the floors etc & the coil will pick up any electrical signals in the buildings etc. Recording body sounds is tricky - the contact mics can pick up some of these, depending on how they are attached & where you place them. A more scientific microphone is best for internal body sounds though - they do however cost a lot of money & are hard to find if you're not in the medical profession. ta.
Hello Jez,
I'm a student who wants to measure the levels of sound in natural environments using a hydrophone.But i honestly don't know how to do this...should i connect the hydrophone to a recorder, then analyze the data using my laptop? Do you know any good recorders or any free sound analyzing software?
Oh and do you ship stuff to Malaysia?
Thank you ^_^
Hi,
yes - you can connect the hydrophones to an audio recorder & perform analysis on the recording later, or you can connect the hydrophone directly to a laptop & then run a software program to analyze in real time.
if you'd like to email me I can give you specific advice, depending on your equipment etc.
I do ship to anywhere in the world.
thanks for your interest
Hi,
Would I need a special pre-amp for them to deliver properly? Would my Zoom H4n be fine for the contact C series and the coil pick ups for a full range humless signal?
And what would the shiping cost be for Greece?
Thanks a lot,
Yiannis
Hi Yiannis,
no - a special pre-amp isn't needed. All the samples on this site, for example, were recorded without separate pre-amps - just the mics direct into the recorder. My mics all work fine with the Zoom recorders.
prices: if you look on the page for the mics you're interested in you'll see that there is a drop down menu for costs inc postage overseas.
thanks.
Any chance you'd be willing to make these with just 1m cable, rather than the standard 3m?
Thanks!
yes - I can make them with shorter cables if you wish. thanks for your interest.
Hello Mr French,
Basic question: with an audio interface that offers a choice of either TS/TRS instrument jack input or XLR mic input, how would you connect a contact mic and why?
Thankyou
Hi,
the mics come with either 1/4 inch jacks or mini-jacks. To connect to xlr you need an impedance transforming adaptor (available on the accessories page). This is needed to cope with the way a 3-pin xlr jack supplies power to the microphone (high to low). If you have any more questions do email me. thanks.
Hi Jez,
I'm recording into an Olympus LS11. I want to use both contact mic's and hydrophones.
If I go for the C series do I create any problems by having to connect them via a connector that steps down to the mini-jack size of the LS11?
Also what are the pro's and cons of stereo versus mono? How much spatial separation am i likely to get with contact/hydrophone recording? and is this something I could deal with later by buying mono now and adding a second one later and using something like your adaptor?
Thanks,
Martin
Hi,
with the LS11 standard series units will be fine. The c-series ones benefit most from use with recorders with higher end pre-amps really, though of course there is some basic improvement in sound from them with any recorder.
Anyway, whichever units you choose if you go for stereo my advice would be to get them with 1/4 inch & then use the dual 1/4 inch to mini jack adaptor.
With single units an adaptor from 1/4 inch to mini would be uk but my advice would be to use one that is cabled rather than an all in one adaptor.
ta.
ps. stereo does allow for more experiments with placement & stereo separation. You can buy one unit now & add another later as all the units are closely matched to a basic spec.
good sales and after sales service. Delivery in a few days and a quality product. Recommended!
Matt said:
I'm trying to decide the length of cables to order on two of these microphones.
Would a good quality extension lead negatively affect signal quality? (either 2 x 1/4 inch mono or 1 x 3.5mm stereo after an adaptor - depending on what recorder I'm using).
Or... if I ordered longer cables but they proved impractical could I shorten the cable and reattach/replace the jacks myself with just basic DIY soldering skills?
I'd check what quality leads/plugs were appropriate first and have to think carefully about moisture in the connections when using outside. Thanks
Hi,
both options would be fine. If you want to use them with very long cables the best option is to balance the mics by using an impedance adaptor (see accessories page) & then have xlr to xlr cables). ta.
Matt said:
Thank you for the reply. Roughly how many metres do you consider a "very long cable" to be?
Also, how weather/water resistant are the C-series contacts at the microphone end?
Thanks
Hi Matt,
perhaps best to email me so I can answer your questions in more detail. Basically a 'long cable' will be over 10m at least, but for example often 100m or more are used - but these need to be balanced to avoid interference etc. Long cables tend to be made from high spec outside / broadcast / mic cable. The contact mics aren't waterproof though there are 'shower proof' to some extent.
Many thanks Jes, the c-series contact mic ordered by my other half for my birthday is superb. A superbly made mic that will get a lot of use over the next few weeks.
A review of this and the rest of my kit is here : soundsandimages.wordpress.com
I will be adding more of these and a set of Hydrophones in the future.
thanks simon !
It feels awesome to read such informative and unique articles on your websites. pro audio
just wanted to say that your c series contact mic is awesome! and shipping was fast, only 4 days! got it last week really happy about it ;) next will be getting hydrophone and coil pickup.
Linas
I'm using a recorder that has 2 XLR/1/4" combo inputs and a stereo mini input. It sounds like I'd be losing some of the signal power if I just plug the 1/4 inch straight in, but my question is would I get better signal using two 1/4 inch to XLR impedance transforming adapters on your contact mics compared to a dual 1/4 inch to Stereo mini jack?
thanks for your question.
so, both using a dual 1/4 to 3.5mm adaptor or 2 x 1/4 to XLR impedance matching adaptor will give you full signal strength. Depending on your recorder make / model usually the XLR paths are a bit better.
Hello Jez,
Could you tell me the difference between the mono and stereo contact mics? Is the stereo option basically 2 single mics and 2 1/4 jacks etc or are they cabled differently? Thanks.
Hi,
yes - stereo pairs are 2 mics, each with its own cable & jack but matched (within tolerance) with each other. ta.
Dear Jez,
I'm from Portugal and I'm interested in your contact mics.
Can you tell me how long does they tend to arrive to Portugal, average time.
thank you very much,
Nuno Cassola
Hi,
normally they take between 4 - 10 days to arrive.
ta.
Just received mine. Thank you! They are awesome! I'll write a review soon. And definitely I'll recommend your mics to all my friends(sound designers, recordists, experemental composers etc). Thanks again!
thanks Victor.
Hey Jez,
Big fan!
I was wondering, how long would it take to order a stereo pair of contact mics to Israel, if I ordered them tomorrow. Any chance they would arrive before the 13 of February?
Thanks,
Ben
thanks - i'm currently stating that new orders will take approx a week to prep for shipping. Not sure what the postal service is like in Israel right now - it can be slower than some places, so I couldn't guarantee they'd arrive in time. Email me if needed. ta.
Hi,
Are there any issues with impedance On something like a SD 702 with these contact mics?
Cheers,
JD
impedance does need to be matched & as explained on the FAQ page I find the best way to do this is to use impedance matching adaptors to XLR.
Hello, I'm interested in buying a stereo pair of C-series mics. I would like to know if I can achieve a good result buy plugging them straight into my Zoom H4n with the XLR adaptor, or do I need an additional preamp to get the most out of them. Because I really like the recordings on the page, but I guess you're using a more expensive gear than me...
thanks Theo. They can be used into a H4N & you will get lots of interesting results, however as with any mic if you have better pre-amps you get a better result & this is especially so with unconventional mics. Lots of folks use them with Zoom recorders though. ta.
Hi Jez, what's the current lead time for C series contact mic's please? Many thanks
current lead time is approx 2 weeks but it depends when you order as I have a trip coming up also.
Hey! I'm really interested in this C-SERIES pro contact microphones ( stereo pair ), and maybe in the coil pick-up too. Where can I order?
https://jezrileyfrench.co.uk/ordering-page.php
Hi there. I heard your geophone test. The underwater river track using the c-series mic.. does that mean the c-series can be placed underwater or do you have a special enclosure that turns this into a hydrophone? I’m really trying to find a contact mic that I can easily attach to things like the Geofon does, but I’ve given up with lom and their lack of stock.. plus your lom example sounded thin as hell. I have a barcus berry which I love.. but it’s not practical for field recording. Thanks
the river track is a metal flow gate that is in the river itself, so the mics are attached to that. The c-series can be used with a strong magnet if needed.
nb. this blog isn't updated often. Please visit the website for more up to date info;
jezrileyfrench.co.uk
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