Best Mic Setup

[Bluetomato]

Hey,

Apologies if this duplicates some information previous provided - I have read many posts in hardware, but have not been able to work out the best option for my situation.

I have recently had a cute couple move in upstairs from me and I am able hear them ever so faintly quite frequently, loud enough that I know what is happening, but quiet enough some amplification is needed.

I do not have a wife or anyone i need to worry about discretion for, but would like to know what would be the best hardware purchase - My ceiling is pretty high and I think the best approach would be a more semi permanent solution instead of fiddling around to get something going when they start!

I have seen discussions about contact microphones against other options and their usage on walls etc, but no idea what the best approach would be a ceiling?

I have no intention of visiting hotels or anything, just for this one scenario - What would be my best affordable purchase? (Don't mind if its like ~£100, but would be reluctant to go top of the line).

I'm also a massive idiot when it comes to everything, there are some clear guides about settings and cleaning up, but all this talk about preamps, omni directional mics, cartoids, contact mics, wall recorders etc are a little bit confusing (for me) - would appreciate a spoonfed list of everything needed.

Thank you in advance and obviously if I capture anything interesting I would be more than happy to share

[mjj9994]

Hello Bluetomato and welcome to the forum,

Each situation is different and without actually seeing the layout it would be difficult to give any recommendations. Sadly, except for the extremely high end equipment only available to law enforcement, what your ear can hear is usually going to be better than what any equipment will record. Most equipment available to us will capture all sounds and it can be difficult to isolate the 'target sounds' after recording.. so the best solution is to find a really good location and record from there.. but again without a visual it is difficult to say where that location might be.

To be clear i am not at all suggesting you take a photo and share it with us.. but use your best judgement on where you think the best spot will be. Through the ceiling or floor is a very frustrating situation as typically it will be mostly low-frequency sounds that can penetrate (like bass from car stereo).. and most sounds we are seeking are typically more high-pitched. If you can find a facet/drain or possibly outlet area that provides decent sounds you might be able to record from there, but again you will be capturing a lot of unwanted background noise as well (electrical hum or water pipe noises/flushing toilets, etc.).

As for what to use, that would depend on your budget. My suggestion would be to try google search (equipment to record upstairs neighbors). Before spending anything though I would suggest just trying to record on your cell phone and see what kind of results that produces.

Here are a few ideas to get you going:
https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/com ... neighbors/
https://www.amazon.com/FidgetFidget-Amp ... B07GXMQQRQ
https://electrotalks.com/best-microphon ... eighbours/