Help on what to buy...Please

[BigWilly1231]

So I know that this question has been asked a million times on this board, Yet everyone is different and has different needs, so here we go....I need a microphone, One or Two Mics...Theres the First question now after we decide that, what do I get for some decent dialogue, at a decent price range....Any help would be appreciated....If possible what are some plus and minus to the mics if you have used them

Thank you

[oleg]

-------at a decent price range....------
how decent , 10% of the camera cost , 50% of the camera cost ,100% of the camera cost ?

[BigWilly1231]

Indie Filmaking of course so not a ton of money, so that would be the budget...Lets say decent quality stuff for not a huge amount of money...Thanks again

[MattinSTL]

Get an At3031 from B&H for $169... run it phantom from your camera... and put it on a boom pole over your talent. If you can't afford a boom get a painter's pole... but use AT LEAST the PSC shockmount for $55.

This will get you by in a lot of situations... with the occasional compromise of sound by not having the right mic for the job.

You will be very surprised at how good of sound you'll get from this dirt cheap solution.

Now if you have SPECIFIC needs at a specific budget ask more questions with more specifics.

Otherwise do as I've said and be 90% happy 60% of the time... and 100% happy 40% of the time.

FYI to be 100% happy 95% of the time costs THOUSANDS of dollars... no way around it... unless you can be drugged into happiness.

[BigWilly1231]

I know that is an inexpensive Mic, but it sounds good, what are the major limitations to that mic..Thank you so much for everyones continued support

[MattinSTL]

The main limitation is the cardioid pattern... which means a wider swath of front pickup... but the advantage of cardioids is less REAR pickup... which means more favorable results indoors.

For a narrower front pickup go to a hyper-cardioid... narrower still means shotgun.

But for good sound at the price... this is hard to beat. Good hypers cost significantly more... and equivalent shotguns are more still.

The lowest priced hyper I'd recommend is an Oktava Mk012 with hyper cap... from www.sound-room.com... but that mic is almost unusable unless you get the Rycote BBG and a good shockmount... so that doubles it's $195 price.

The lowest shotgun I'd confidently recommend would be the At4073a... it's $530... plus you still need a shockmount and Softie.

There are other choices... but if you're really serious then you should do some investigating.

There are always dozens of good threads which will pop up with a minimum of effort.

[kenyarc]

Matt,
I was wondering if you could advise on a good lavalier to buy. I am also about to film my first movie, and I had purchasd the sennheiser 416 (plus windjammer, windshield). I talked to a film teacher at a University near my home, and he thought I'd be better using lavaliers for outside scenes in the park, rather than a microphone on a boom. I was really surprised by this, because on this board, people seem to prefer mics on boom poles. What do you advise. Also, what lavs do you advise. Willing to spend up to $500 or $600. Thanks.

[oleg]

[quote author=kenyarc link=board=audio;num=1092861692;start=0#6 date=08/18/04 at 16:21:13]Matt,
I was wondering if you could advise on *a good lavalier to buy. I am also about to film my first movie, and I had purchasd the sennheiser 416 (plus windjammer, windshield). I talked to a film teacher at a University near my home, and he thought I'd be better using lavaliers for outside scenes in the park, rather than a microphone on a boom. I was really surprised by this, because on this board, people seem to prefer mics on boom poles. What do you advise. Also, what lavs do you advise. Willing to spend up to $500 or $600. *Thanks.[/quote]

i would strongly recomend not to take any audio classes from that persen
usially in normal cosenentances you would get much better sound from the boom , of corse if you shoot very wide with 10 feet headroom the laviers would do a better job , ut then you probably woudnt see the lips and can change the dialog on adr or just to take a wild lines .
lavs are the last resort to go , it alwais would sound wors with more noice and rustle .
if you nees a good lav ( since there are times that you need it ) the countryman emw ,b-6 ,sony ecm 88, SENHEISER -ME-2 , SANKEN coss-11, dpa4061 or 4071 could be very good solutions
every one have its better sides
the emw is the cheapest (one of my favorits)
the sanken is the best for the ties , the dpa for the clarity and the b-6 (you have to see it to belive ) for hair mikking and every other place that you wont to take the mike outside from the cloths and its woterproof
stat with country man emw about 200$ per mike and another 30-40 for clips

[Zoomforce]

ok Matt gets a well deserved member upgrade

and oleg, I will get you as well, your about due also.

[MattinSTL]

Kenyarc... for the money the Countryman Oleg recommends would be hard to beat... the EMW. If you can find one at a good price (I missed a consignment one... damn!) then I'd DEFINITELY get a B6. New they're a fortune though.

When Oleg said "me2" I'm sure he meant MKE2... if you end up with a Sennheiser. The me2 is the freebie lav you get with their cheap systems... the MKE2 is the high-end one that's in the class of the other mics Oleg mentioned.

Personally I have several Trams and an MKE2. The Trams sound more open, but the MKE2 just sounds better... warmer and more natural. Plus the Sennheisers are very good with water... not as waterproof as the Countrymans, but close.

So far I only use lavs in special situations where nothing else will work. I'm actually considering thinning my lav collection (and wireless) because a wired boom sounds SO much better... it 'aint even close.

I've got the 416 also (and I love it)... When going from 416 to lav you go from this nice FAT open sound... to a compressed, less detailed, thinner sound.

As you play around more and more with audio, and get more and more mics ;) you'll find yourself trying every way possible to use the best mic you have for a given shot.

In the end it all comes down to pattern and pickup. That's the only criteria that I use when choosing a mic for a given shot. First ask yourself, "What pattern do I need?"... Is there traffic behind you? Others talking in the area? Are you in a very reverberrant room? Choose accordingly... after pattern and pickup are determined... see what's the best sounding mic you have with those characteristics. I've got several mics of the same pattern... just because mics are addictive. In the beginning I'd think, "Hmm, this is a job for the hyper", now it extends to, "and this lady will sound best with THIS hyper".

Basically a lav is a mic you go to when nothing else will work... but that can happen a lot. It just depends.

Like I said, I don't use my lavs often... but now you know what ones I use when I do.

Does this help or did I ramble too much? Anything you want me to clarify or make a new point about?

Oleg is actually the best soundguy on this board so far... so you can trust anything he says... I have way more respect for him then myself... when it comes to sound.