Standard mic for hollywood movies?

brock2621

brock2621

Well-known member
I'm looking to spend a good chunk of change on an on-set mic. Basically, i want a mic that can be found on any of hollywoods big budget movies so i can spend less time dubbing and more time on the actual editing. Dubbing is such a time consuming process. So keeping the actual on-set recording would be a huge help. If anybody has any suggestions it would be much appreciated. I don't know much about mics so i'm open to anything. Thanks again.

~brock~
 
Brock,

First, please read the stickies at the top of the forum. I think you will find a lot of useful information regarding microphones and their appropriate uses.

Second, and you will also probably find this in the stickies, it is not necessarily the quality of the microphone that is hurting you. An experienced boom op and recordist can take almost any crappy mic and get very good sound (well, maybe not the ME66... ;-) whereas a novice boom op and inexperienced mixer can take mics that are used on every big budget picture and make it sound like crap (by the way, it isn't one mic, it is a list of many mics).

So, what I'm saying is, you may already have mics that are good enough. It may well be the way you are operating them that is giving you heartburn. Take the money you want to invest in equipment and hire someone that has their own equipment and knows how to use it.

Phil
 
there is no one standard mic,
but i've been in the industry for 20 years now, in the uk, and i would say my industry
standard sound kit would have to include.
1. SQN 4s ( portable, 4 channel stereo mixer )
2. at least 1 Sennheiser MKH-416p ( rifle mic ) plus rycote shock mount and rycote softie
3. a couple of boom's ( 2 different lenghts)
4. 2x Sony ECM-77b ( we call them 'tie-clip mics' LAVS in US??
5. and a good Radio mic kit ( 1 tieclip + transmitter, and 1 receiver ) sennheisser? Sony? Micron

Ian
 
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Ouch! i got an ME66 not long ago and have found it thin but not too bad. All the pro camera stores around (au) told me that this would be a good mic to go with my HVX! Since getting it i joined this site and see that a lot of ppl bag it. Also when i shopped for a good shotgun, None of the pro camera stores had half the brands you guys talk about on this site. Ah well u get that! Is the ME66 that shi*? :(
 
Benandaim,

You missed a great opportunity - Rode. Rode shotguns are not bad (and very good for the price) and they're made right in your backyard (so to speak). I would dump the ME66 (ebay) and look for an Audio Technica 4073a or a used Sennheiser 416. Call someone like Trew or Coffey and see if they can help you out in terms of giving you access to equipment you don't have down there. (Be careful though, the duties may add up to quite a lot). (Oops...that sort of reads wrong - you don't have to be careful with Trew or Coffey - they are great!)

Phil
 
Thanks Phil

Man that sucks i asked about the Rodes and they were steering me off em' I guess it's gonna be hard to sell the ME66 on ebay huh!
 
Well, there are unsuspecting "people" out there that will probably buy your ME66. Please keep in mind that I said the Rodes are a good value - I would still recommend you get a used 416 or a 4073a. (BTW, I picked up my 416 for US$450 on ebay - then shipped it to Sennheiser to get it checked out for another $50 or so, so the values are out there if you look hard).

Phil
 
No, the ME66 is very popular. People who on camera mics are a good plan swear by them :)

416 are going on ebay for around $500-700 on ebay all the time. Should take you less then a month to get one at a good price.

Brock:

"Hollywood" sound is achieved through hiring professionals not buying mics. You can train someone to do it but anyone who takes the time to learn the craft will probably want compensation.

Get whoever you are putting in charge of audio to read the stickies here, browse the web for more info, read some of the recommended books, and practice, practice, practice. After that decide if you need to upgrade your mic (and ultimately you will need many mics).

Good luck
 
The more I learn the more it seems like audio recording technique is 90 percent of the equation. It would be nice if the only thing you have to do to achieve pro sound is simply own a good mic, but this is not the case!
This is why Francis Ford Coppola's dream of the 'fat girl' from Iowa making an incredible movie with her dad's camcorder... will never come true. Her sound will suck and there fore her film will suck.
Although any quality of film image is valid, an audience will never accept anything less than a 100 percent professional audio track!
 
Sennheiser 416 Shotgun.

Tram (or Countryman) Lav mics.

Lectrosonics wireless.

Deva or SoundDevices recorders.

Blimp (Zeppelin).

Boom poles (good ones).

Shockmount.

Pictures of DP w/ animals and traffic cones doing "unsundry" things. Show DP these pics and explain you simply would like to just do your job without grief. Tell DP it's for his/her own good.

Experience.
 
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you dont need spacial mic , yiou need talent and connection , and of course good post house
what a wanderfull shopping list i have it twice and i bring only hollyland sound
 
Gear, technique...and understanding the environment all come into play when you're trying to get good sound. Two people can walk into the same room and/or put on the same headphones and hear things very differently.

The audio pro hears the problems and begins to make decisions as to which mic to choose and where to put it. These decisions are not 100% etched in stone, hopefully, but their professional experience does steer them.

I have rarely had a lav sound better than a boomed Schoeps cmc641, but it has happened.

The boom mics you will see on a pro sound kit are; 416, CS3e, CMC641
Lavs vary but Sankens, Countryman, DPA are top shelf. Sony, Sennheiser and AT are close behind. This is a generalization. each company makes a line of mics at different prices. Sennheiser has a few top of the line lavs and some less expensive ones that aren't as good. As mentioned earlier, they have the ME66 and 416. There's a big difference between the two.

I do location audio and I also review mics andd other audio gear for a living. I have free reviews and instructional videos in the On Line Archive on my site.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Regards,

Ty Ford
 
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