Need 2 mics for indoor/outdoor interviews

[Steve House]

So should I pick up a couple Schoeps cmc641 mics instead of using seperate mics for indoor and outdoor? Or would an NTG-3 perform better indoor over a cmc641? Last I heard there was no such thing as a mic that could do both so your statement is confusing.

At 2 grand a pop, picking up a couple of Schoeps is not a trivial exercise. But ONE would work if you want to make the investment - you wouldn't need one for indoors and another for out unless you're going to run multiple booms in the scene to cover two actors. But note, there are other good mics as besides Schoeps. For instance, the Sanken CS-3 is another contender for a mic that works well outdoors and is well behaved indoors as well.

[tyreeford]

Yes, but 1 CS3e does not = 1 CMC641.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[drapeama]

Supercardioid or “shotgun” for outdoor. Hypercardioid for indoor... but what do people use just plain “Cardioid” mics for? I've heard conflicting things.

I'm definitively not an audio expert, and I've bought microphones on a budget over the years. So, just to share, one mic that has surprised me was the NTG-2, even indoor. But the best mic indoor to me, is the Audio-Technica MB4k. I've tested it boomed and it gives decent results:


Sure, as budget isn't an issue, there's already a lot of other more expensive mics that could sounds better for what you need.

[recordingwhiz]

Brent, it seems you are being confused by some terms. let me try to clarify.

what we refer to as a Hyper-cardioid speaks of the polar pattern and typically describes the SHoeps mentioned as well as the AT4053b and Oktava (with hyper capsule)

shotguns are a type of technology which causes their directivity which uses interference tubes (therefore the lenght of the microphone) due to this technology so to say shotguns are NOT good in indoor environments as they can pick up reflections from the room making the sound seem hollow and echo-ish, not because their polar pattern. as well shotgun technologies tend to reject side noise better than a basic hypercardioid so they are excellent outdoors because there is no room reflections to deal with.

the mics we refer to as Hypers use a different technology to achieve their directionality which has no issues with room reflections like the shotguns do, and that is why we recommend the hypers for indoors and by all means can be used outdoors as well given that proper wind protection is used.

so most of us would recommend to use the shotgun outdoors because better directionality and better side noise rejection, and we recommend hypers indoors because they dont have the shortcomings of the shotguns indoors.

so most will recommend that you have one of each and use each in its appropriate environment. and sure get 2 of each if you can afford it but having 2 of one kind will not replace having both kinds of mics.

Hope this clarifies things for you a little.

Cheers

[Kindredmachine]

At 2 grand a pop, picking up a couple of Schoeps is not a trivial exercise. But ONE would work if you want to make the investment - you wouldn't need one for indoors and another for out unless you're going to run multiple booms in the scene to cover two actors. But note, there are other good mics as besides Schoeps. For instance, the Sanken CS-3 is another contender for a mic that works well outdoors and is well behaved indoors as well.

We buy cameras/equipment in two's for a backup (again, I should have clarified that). We do most of our filming oversees and have had failures in the middle of filming where replacements are not available. Even last year in Israel, we had a lav on a wireless sennheiser just die in the middle of filming.


recordingwhiz - thanks for the additional info. It makes sense why people use hyper cardoid for indoor audio and i understand the difference now. I appreciate all of the help and I think we're now pretty solid on which mics to test out.


Thanks everyone!!

[boo]

So should I pick up a couple Schoeps cmc641 mics instead of using seperate mics for indoor and outdoor? Or would an NTG-3 perform better indoor over a cmc641? Last I heard there was no such thing as a mic that could do both so your statement is confusing.

NTG3 outdoors, AT4053b indoors vs. Schoeps cmc641 indoors and outdoors. Would like the answer to this as well Ty.

[tyreeford]

The indoor/Outdoor thing has to be examined carefully. Outdoors usually have fewer slappy surfaces, but a concrete sidewalk and a building or car (or anything) can create a reflective environment as well.

Schoeps cmc641 works in and out. Get one and see if you like it, then get another if you need it.

Regards,

Ty Ford