Review: The UltraMic Evo 384K USB Microphone from Dodotronic

The UltraMic Evo 384K USB Microphone from Dodotronic

Not to be confused with The UltraMic 250K, or 384K USB microphone, The Evo 384K is a totally different device: 

The Ultramic 384K Evo is a professional USB microphone, which digitally records both audible and ultrasonic sound. It is constructed of high-quality black plastic, although it is not weatherproof. 

The unit is unique since it employs two separate microphones; which reside behind the opening (opposite of the [male] USB connector).

The Ultramic 384K Evo utilizes USB 2.0 connections at full speed via an audio class UAC 1.1 interface. This translates to a driverless coupling with host devices.

Hardware gain (amplification) is adjusted via a small, recessed, 4-position switch. Note: My microphone arrived with the switch set at 3 - Which equates to 0dB of gain.

More details may be seen on Page 10 of the User Guide; however, the switch gain settings, are as follows:

1.  -33dB
2.  -10dB
3.   0dB
4.  10dB

Just to clarify:

1 being the switch setting closest to the center of the Mic, and correlating to the least amount of gain (-33dB).

2 being the center position (-10dB).

3 Moving toward the Mic's opening (0dB)

4 The position closest to the Mic's opening (10dB)

The microphone itself, is basically omnidirectional. However, there is also an optional acoustic horn available (which typically costs approx. €8).

The acoustic horn is attached to the Mic using built-in neodymium magnets. Attachment of this horn makes the reception noticeably more directional / less sensitive to off-axis sound. Planar plots demonstrating this may be seen on Page 4 of the User Guide.

Physical characteristics of this unit are as follows:

80mm Long X 30mm Wide X 16mm High (thickness).

It weighs only 24 grams.

With Magnetic Cone attached, hook & loop/Velcro also provided.

A few more technical details:

• It uses a 32 bit ARM Cortex M4 microcontroller for it's CPU.
• It uses 15mA of power from whichever host it's connected to.
• It utilizes 2 SPU0410LR5H microphone elements from Knowles.
• Recording format is linear PCM format.

Current price, directly from the Dodotronic Site, at the time of this writing is €220.

Amoung the applications listed for this microphone (as per Manufacturer's site) are:

• Bioacoustics:

Detection/recording of ultrasounds of insects, cetaceans, rodents, and bats.

Bat activity at wind farms.

Mice vocalizations for medical and pharmacological studies, etc.

Various soundtracks which require the slowing down of ultrasounds.

• Industrial: 

Leak detection (gas line leaks, etc.).

Monitoring machine motors for prediction of faults.

Listening for high frequency noises from switching power supplies, LCD screens, various turbines, and energy saving lamps.

The Ultramic 384K Evo is designed to be used with your PC and/or Android phone.

Whether connected to a smartphone or a laptop, The Ultramic Evo is generally easy to use. Having said that, I would advise you to consider the importance of choosing a compatible App, which you find comfortable and convenient to use.

In both domains of smartphones and laptops (PC & Apple) - not all Apps are created equal. 

Luckily, you have a substantial assortment to choose from:

• SEA Sound Emission Analyzer
• Multi-Instrument
• GoldWave
• Audacity
• SpectraPLUS-SC
• Tadaria
• Reaper

For Android devices:

• Bat Recorder
• USB Audio Recorder Pro
• Audio Evolution Mobile Studio

For iOS:

• Ultrasonic Analyzer

As far as mounting goes, I've had satisfactory results when hand holding the Mic - However, the unit is sensitive enough to pick up sounds of even small movements of the hand that's holding it. 

The unit doesn't have a built-in tripod socket; but since it's so incredibly light (and small) there are nearly endless options for temporary mounting locations: All that is required is some good quality masking tape & your imagination.

Again, the Ultramic 384K Evo is not waterproof, so here we're discussing mounting in areas where you can keep an eye on it. For relatively "long-term" recordings, your only real limitations are:

• Your supply of expendable memory/hard drive space.
• The length of time of good weather.
• And how willing you are to search/sort through the considerable amount of recordings later.

I believe there would be a fair number of Ecologists, and those involved in Bioacoustics who would be interested in using this USB microphone.

For instance, it would be ideal for someone who:

• Needs to record both audible and ultrasounds simultaneously. 
• Is ready to move on from all-in-one detectors.
• Requires comparisons of recordings between smartphone and laptop.
• Prefers to have recordings saved directly to a laptop for analysis and processing, etc.

Not long ago, I wrote a post about how I wanted to record mammals heard in my area; at a distance...I was hearing both Foxes and Coyotes vocalizing at night.

I wondered what the best option would be in my situation. The sounds seemed to be originating from between 50 to 150 meters away.

I considered a good digital recorder, along with a fairly good-performing shotgun microphone.

Luckily, it wasn't very long before I received the Dodotronic Ultramic - And realized that it had the potential to capture the sounds I wanted.

I have made several good recordings of our local owls: Barred owls (

, as well as a couple of (as yet unidentified) woodland animals. Sadly, I haven't had the opportunity to record the original mammals I was after.

But, I should still have time...

One of the advantages to keep in mind, when comparing this Ultramic 384K Evo to a shotgun microphone - is the ability to drastically adjust the Ultramic's gain settings. When experimenting with the higher 2 (of the 4) settings, it's easy to overload the device (and cause clipping). 

With more experimentation (combinations) of both hardware and software gain settings, a good balance can be reached.

One where: There's enough gain to properly pull-in/record the distant animal sounds; without any overloading, or clipping of the signals.

Another situation where Dodotronic microphones would excel would be in controlled laboratory environments. 

It is extremely accurate when it reproduces sound. At this time, I've only uploaded 2 recordings to The SoundCloud site - I hope to add more soon:

Here is a non-amplified recording, made with the 384K Evo, of Barred Owls at about 100+ feet distant.

Here is another non-amplified recording, made with the Evo, of what I believe is (possibly) a Whippoorwill (a common night bird in NE United States) at about 100 feet distant.

Pros:

• Records audible and ultrasonic sounds simultaneously. 
• Relatively low-cost (List price on Dodotronic's site: 220 Euros).
• Super portable - Box containing Mic and Directional Horn can fit in almost any pocket.
• Substantial assortment of software available to choose from.

Cons:

• Must be tethered to a computing device.
• Not waterproof/weather resistant. 
• Only one software option available for iOS phone users. 

You may order an Ultramic 384K Evo directly from the Dodotronic website; and I was able to find just a few Dealers who stock it (all in Europe).

I plan to add more to this review - It is a work in progress...

Until next time, Happy bat detecting!