Mike and Blue tooth earpiece with noise cancellation.

[Nathan Phatti]

I interview people(clients) in noisy environments, such as restaurants and industrial fairs. The background noise disturbs me greatly.
Project so far:
A clip on microphone with amplifier and an earphone jack
When I plug in earphones, I hear the sound of the client speaking load and clear, but the background noise is also/load and clear and the earphone wires disturb physically and aesthetically.
I plugged a bluetooth transmitter into the earphone plug and used a bluetooth earpiece to receive the signal.
The ellimination of the wires was great however, the signal was very weak.
Step 1: how can I get that signal to be stronger.
Step 2: how could I get the background noise cancelled by the time the signal reaches the earpiece?

Advice and guidance in this project would be much appreciated.



Bluetooth transmitter: to send the signal from the mike

 

[audioguru]

Some microphones are directional so they reduce background sounds from the rear and sides.
I have an Audio Technica electret gooseneck mic that is directional. It must be pointed at the mouth of the person who is speaking.

Since you are doing the interviewing then you should select an environment that is quiet or at least has acoustical ceiling tiles and maybe a carpet to absorb background sounds and echoes.
I have taken my wife to restaurants that are as reverberant as a washroom and we cannot communicate with each other nor with the waitress.

 

[Nathan Phatti]

Is the gooseneck in general a directional microphone or only the Audio Technica one?

 

[audioguru]

Most companies that make microphones make gooseneck ones. The microphone on the end of the gooseneck has vents around it at the rear of the diaphragm so that sounds from the rear and sides are cancelled but sounds from the front are not cancelled.
I searched Google for Directional Electret Microphone and found many companies that sell them and some companies that make them. Here is the datasheet of a cheap one. Its pickup from the rear is -20dB (one tenth) the level from the front at mid-frequencies. There are better mics available.