DVX - Is the onboard mic good enough?

P

Peter Reynolds

Well-known member
Hi there Everyone.

Well, at long last, after many sleepless nights, I've made the decision to purchase a DVX100b this Thursday.

Now, I realize that the onboard mic is not acceptable for dialog, or any really important sound. But, is it ok for ambient noise?

For example, sounds of traffic, etc?

If not, what shotgun mic would you recommend?

Now, before you say "use the search feature", I have done a search, and the consensus seems to be the Sennheiser 416 is the one to get, but right now I don't have $1500 CDN. Also, there's lots of debate between the ME66 and the Audio Technica AT897, though I don't get a clear answer of which one is best for interview/documentary work.

The one that Panasonic recommends, the Panasonic AG-MC100G, I've also heard is crap.

Any thoughts on a shotgun in the $400 - $500 range? I'm happy to buy based on a poll of what everyone here uses.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I'm looking forward to being an official member :)

Cheers,

Peter
</IMG>
 
Last edited:
Why would you want a shotgun for ambient noise? Shotguns are for isolating a particular sound away from the ambient noise.

If you just want to record surrounding ambient sounds an onboard omni mic is probably as good as most anything else. If you want to record specific targeted sounds, while *excluding* ambient noise, then a shotgun or hyper would be the better choice.
 
Shotgun vs. Onboard mic

Shotgun vs. Onboard mic

Hi Barry,

I appreciate the quick response. I had thought the onboard mic would be sufficient, but it's nice to get confirmation.

Let me say thanks for all the advice you've given me over the past year - both directly and indirectly through your postings to other members. It's been a real education, and a big factor in my decision to finally purchase a DVX.

I'm looking forward to purchasing your book and DVD. If it's even half as helpful as you've been online, it's more than worth the price.

Cheers.

Peter Reynolds
Toronto
 
rode ntg-1 with softie +susupention+boom pole is about what your budget allow you. if you can get another 300 ,the AT-4073 is much better choice .
check www.coffeysound.com
they make boom pakeges for filmakers , you cand get realy nice price on what you are looking for
 
Barry_Green said:
If you just want to record surrounding ambient sounds an onboard omni mic is probably as good as most anything else.
Click to expand...


Sorry, Barry, I can't let you say this! Getting the mic away from the camera body is extremely important unless you want your ambience to include the sound of the camera working. But almost anything will be better than the on-board mics if used properly. An off-board stereo pair, omni, cardioid, or even hyper or shotgun (in more or less that order of preference) can be used for ambience.

The trick to using a shotgun (for ambience) is to NOT point it at anything specific and fairly close. As a rule of thumb, a cardioid mic must be twice as far from a source as an omni mic to pick up the same ratio of ambience to source sound. For hypers, likely double that; and for shotguns, well, variable but further. But a shotgun, say, pointed at a highway from 100 feet away can often substitute for an omni 20 feet away.

That is, for ambience, the trick is to be far away from any specific sound source. And the camera itself (not to mention the operator, etc) is indeed a sound source.

-Barry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top