I use this microphone with other professional mics for bird and wildlife audio as well as general security. Please note LOUDNESS is determined by the gain (think volume control) of the security unit circuits not just this microphone. More about that below if you wish to read on. For now I will say that this mic, being "powered", has a low noise level and a high sensitivity in a 60 degree cone to the the general direction it is pointing. It is very transparent but does not have (or need) outstanding fidelity. It has AGC (automatic gain control) to even out the loud and soft sounds and that is a good feature. It is ideal for security uses and the price is right! Is it loud enough to capture the elusive noise you WANT to record with your security DVR? It depends on you DVR audio circuits and how quiet of a noise you EXPECT to record. You will just have to try it but I suspect that most "powered" security mics will record at about the same loudness. In a nutshell, this one seems to be a very good value.Details My microphones all go through an audio mixer before patching into the security DVR or other recorder. Yes, I have meters to monitor and adjust loudness too. Also, I listen with headphones to avoid any chance of feedback loops. If I want any mic to be louder (more sensitive to faint sounds in the lingo of an audio engineer) I turn up the mixer's gain. In theory the more you amplify a microphone signal the fainter and more distant the sound you can hear but there are always limits in the real world, huh?
Turn any mic way, way up and you may hear the rumble from your home's fridge motor, furnace, AC, cars on distant roads, etc (a general low frequency rumble). Also, the more you turn it up the more "line noise" you hear. Line noise sounds like static and can become so loud that it drowns out the distant noise you want to hear. WARNING: Opening a door or speaking anywhere near the mic with the volume cranked up will blow the headphones right off your head and probably ruin your hearing too. Please note that most security DVR systems do NOT have an audio gain control or volume knob. Audio gain in a security system might be useful to folks who complain that a certain mic only recorded things a few feet away!
They do make expensive, professional microphones for videographers and film makers that are very sensitive to distant, quiet noises while keeping background static and noise to a minimum (think about recording roaring lions from 500 yards). Some use a parabolic collector (like a satellite dish) and some called shotgun mics are long, skinny things that listen to a very narrow tunnel of sound much like binoculars or a zoom lens that looks far away but at a very small area. Search Amazon for "parabolic microphone" to see such toy and professional microphones.
Back to this security mic. Actually this "powered, active electronics" mic has less noise and is better for security recording than some professional microphone costing hundreds of dollars. You see, security mics have high gain, low noise and AGC. For any audio geeks out there, this mic is much quieter with MORE gain than any dynamic mic but with less dynamic range. I would have to use a phantom powered or active electronics professional mic to get as much sheer gain with as low a noise floor as this cheap security mic!
In conclusion, for it's intended use this microphone is very good all that you need. But, can you record a grasshopper burp in the next block? Nope! Once again, your mileage (and mic sensitivity) will vary depending on the security DVR you hook it to but I suspect that most security mics will record at about the same "loudness". Try this one and see if it doesn't fill the bill for recording sound around the area your camera covers.
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