my audio situation

[TC]

Okay, so I've been reading the posts and trying to figure out this whole audio thing. Audio and lighting are where I lack knowledge.

I currently have the AT897 and I love it. I just picked up the SD Mixpre 2 Channel Mixer (Yes I know many of us are feeling that it isn't necesarry, but I got it anyway.) And monitoring everything with Sennheiser HD 280's. My question is this, I've been hearing such great things about the AT4073a, should I sell the 897 to upgrade? Should I keep the 897 as a backup (or are the situations where this mic is better?).

Also, aside from the shotgun situation, what other mics do you need to cover most any situation? Lavs maybe? Anything else?

Someone mentioned in a post recently that you need a special cable to run the mixer to the DVX, I looked them up and they were like $200. Is that really necesary? What's wrong with just using a regular XLR?

[Barry_S]

"I currently have the AT897 and I love it."

If you're getting good results with the AT897, I don't see any big advantage in upgrading now. Build up your skills and keep shooting. When you outgrow a piece of gear--you'll know. There is always a better, more expensive piece of gear available, but at some point, you have to work with what you have and drop the focus on upgrading. The AT897/MixPre combination is solid and should serve you well.

Lavs are extremely useful, because it's not always possible or practical to boom a shot. A wired lav will almost always sound better than a wireless lav, but I don't think I could get by without a wireless set. It depends on what you're shooting, but I think I'd recommend getting a good quality wirelesss lav first--just because of the tremendous versatility and even at the expense of some audio quality.

As for the cable, you can use a standard XLR--maybe the cable you were looking at has a built in return--but it isn't necessary.

[MattinSTL]

I wouldn't sweat the upgrade at this point. In fact you'll probably hold onto the 897 and get the 4073a ALSO eventually.

There are a few different mics that I confidently suggest people dump when it's time to upgrade... but the 897 isn't one of them... it's limitations are commensurate with it's price... unlike some other mics which are really too high to justify the lack of sound quality. Ironically those can be easily sold at a modest loss and replaced with dramatic upgrades for a couple hundred bucks.

Regarding the 897... at this price it's always going to be worth it's space in the bag.