Best wired lavalier mic.

[awesomesean]

I was wondering what wired lavalier mic everyone uses. looking to get one and wanted some first hand experience. Possible price range in the 100's
thanks

[sfogden]

A few weeks ago, Barry Green raved about the Countryman EMW wired lav & how good it was for the price - you can search here to find his comments. I purchased one & it arrived yesterday - think it was $212 including shipping. In the little testing I did last night, it surprised me in how much better sounded compared to my wireless lav (Shure).

Have also heard good things about the AT899.

[Barry_Green]

Top names in lav's include Tram TR50 and Sanken, and some people on other forums seem really happy with Oktava.

The Countryman EMW is nearly identical to the Tram, but (in XLR hard-wired version) it's close to $100 less. It really is an amazing-sounding mic.

[sfogden]

:) Thanks for the recommendation on the EMW - I look forward to putting it to work.

[kai]

I just picked up an AT899 a week ago... it's been a pretty good mic so far

[Barry_S]

I have the AT899 as well. Great mic for $200--very small and comes with a nice set of clips and mounts.

Barry S.

[Jim Brennan]

B&H has the countryman for 192.50 and the at-899 for 199.95. THat's not much of a difference. Anybody ever do a side by side on these mics.

[taubkin]

If you can spend extra bucks, check out the countryman B6, all of this mic is amazing!

[Jim Brennan]

I need to buy 2, and I'm already over my budget.

[djkoz]

I just purchased the Countryman EMW from Northern Sound & Light for $165, including free shipping. The unit is being drop shipped direct from Countryman.

http://www.northernsoundandlight.com/

Dan K

[HartStudio]

I have the Audio Technica ATW Series (ATWU101831) Camera mountable lav with a MT830cT5 mic and 2 Audio Technica 3000 Series lavs with AT829 mics. They sound great. You can also change the mics out to whatever you need. Through a condenser thats omni directional or a dynamic cardiod or a cardiod condenser. They make a ton of TA5F and 4 pin mics for the Audio Technica wireless Systems.

I even bought a 4 pin to XLR adapter so I can connect a shotgun or whatever I want to the transmitter. I prefer the ATW Series over the 3000's because it is super portable, battery powered, and has a belt clip to hang on your hip as well as mount on your hot shoe. (extra) (makes the camera really heavy).

I love my Audio Technica mics!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=177185&is=REG

[Jim Brennan]

djkoz, thanks for that tip. Hartstudio, I love my AT's as well. But I'm steering clear of wireless units. It's both an issue of price, and a certain fear of complicating my life any further. The AT-899 comes with a bunch of extras (clips, windscreens, etc), does the countryman come with anything like that.

Anybody have experience with both of theses mics?

[djkoz]

Per Northern Sound & Light's website, speaking of the Countryman EMW:

A square omnidirectional lavalier, the Countryman EMW is well adapted for hiding under clothing in motion picture and TV production. General purpose lavalier for churches, schools, interviews and news applications. It is highly water resistant, very low rubbing noise, available in five colors and three high frequency responses. Supplied with viper grip pin on clip, tie clip, windscreen, belt clip for connector and soft case.

Dan K

[Barry_S]

I've used the EMW, but it was before I bought my AT899, so I never did a head to head comparison. The Countryman EMW is a bit larger than the AT899--if that makes any difference. Other than that I'd go with whatever is less expensive. $165 with shipping is a pretty sweet deal.

[Jim Brennan]

Seems like it. Thanks for all the input.

[Jim Brennan]

Here's another question. I know that leaving the battery on my camera slowly drains it. Is that true of mics as well. My current lav takes one of those little puck batteries. Should I remove it when I'm not using it?

[Barry_Green]

I always remove the battery. Don't know if it's mandatory to do so or not, but... I used to buy/sell/trade Super 8 movie cameras on ebay years ago, and you would not believe the horrors you'd see in the battery compartment! People left batteries in there for 10 or 20 or 30 years... pretty much broke me of the habit of ever leaving a battery in something when it's not in use.

[Jim Brennan]

Thanks Barry.

[sharpshooter]

does the countryman emw plug directly into the dvx camera or does it require a preamp device. we need about 15 feet between the camera and subject. i have a xlr cable with both male and female inputs. if it plugs directly into the camera, how long is the supplied cable?

[djkoz]

I was told the mic comes with 5 feet of cable (mine has yet to arrive from Countryman.)

I was told that it plugs directly into the XLR jack on the camera, I hope that's true.

Dan K

[Barry_Green]

The EMW is available in different connector combinations. If you got the XLR version, yes it will connect directly to the camera, and no it won't require a pre-amp (although it would require phantom power).

[sharpshooter]

how long is the cable. the camera to subject distance is going to be around 15 feet. i have two 30 foot xlr cables. will i be able to plug the mic directly into those or will i need some sort of adapter.

[dr_stupid]

I'm looking at the Countryman on B&H -- there are three available. Forgive me, but what is the difference between flat, peaked, and shelved frequency response?

[kmcgrath]

The flat response is best for musical instruments, the shelved is best for voice when mounted outside clothing (has a bit of high end boost for voice), and the peaked is best for voice when mounted inside clothing (boosts high frequencies absorbed by clothing).

Anybody want to weigh in about real life experience with flat vs. shelved vs. peaked?

[soarprod]

Sanken COS-11

[thisiswells]

"Best Lavalier Mic For Concealed Placement in Motion Picture Sound"
Sanken COS-11

Lavaliers: An Overview
http://www.locationsound.com/proaudio/ls/tips/techtips8_4.html

[wabbit]

Have to say from my experience ( I have used MKE2, Sonotrim, Tram50, and COS11) the Countryman B6 is far and away the best lav I own. They sound great and the ability to hide them in plain sight makes them great for film work.

A lot is just opinion and just like there is no one perfect boom mic, different lavs are better for different situations and people. If I had only one lav to bring to set, the B6 is it (oh yeah, their waterproof too).

Best of luck

[thisiswells]

Whatever mic you get, these cases are really sweet! I have a couple of 'em. :thumbsup:

http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/images/item740.jpg
http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/items/item740.htm