Audio-Technica vs Rode 1 or 2

giacomino

giacomino

Active member
Can't decide between Audio-Technica 897 or the Rode NTG1 or NTG2.
I have the HVX 200. I have tried all 3 and I kinda like the Audio-Technica 897, (the Rode's seemed muffled), however, I see more threads re the Rode's. Anyone with experience on these that can advise. Trying them out the store(s) for 15 minutes does not make me an expert.


Jimmy
http://people.tribe.net/giacomino
 
Christopher, thanks for the site. I really liked the sound of the Rode NTG2 compared to the AT 4073A. Very close sound, not exact but close. At nearly half the price it sounds like a great mic for people on a budget. Both were much better than the AT 897. The Sennheisers had the least full sound of the bunch.

Now if I can find a site the has comparison samples of hyper-card mics like the octava and others I will be set.
 
Last edited:
you must be kidding that the rode sounds as the 4073ni will suggest you take good pair of headphones :)
its about close as the earth and the moon , the me 66 sounded indeed worst then others even wuth proximity to the subject , what bring it to telephone effect if you about 1 meter furder
the 416 was the clearest mic for all of the spectrum
what was surprise is the rode video mic which gave quit allot for 150 bucks even with the bumps from the girl hand .
these test are quit stupid as say nothing about side rejection and coloration the sound a bit of axis .
if some one really think that rode is match to 4073 in real on the street situation better will change the sound man profession :)

for the money oktava is avery nice microphone , to go abit higher you will pay twice if not more , remeber that the acoustic on every location will make the sound be differnt and some mics would sound better and some will not
i dont like the octava to much as it bump the low end to much , good for girls , less plesent for bariton
 
Sorry, I am not a sound guy. Just going by what I heard and what felt right to me. I am looking for a good mic and of the ones there the Rode sounded best bang for the buck. If I had the money I would go for the AT 4073 but at half the price and (to me) not half the sound the rode sounds like a decent alternative.
 
thats the problem , most of the people who buy rode have nothing with sound , and the only concern if it pass client dead ear and their pocket money .
rode is an excellent mic for on camera, not really something to consider if you working seriously .

to check what worth the mic is not to put it 40 cm from the mouth directly but test it on the age of it performers on real life situations then it jumps and bite you in the ass if use something that barely can do the job .



by the way, i have one - exactly for that purpose - camera mic and studential rentals , and dont get me wrong i can nail 100000 comercial with that one in the studio but i will never take it to documentary shot on TEL AVIV street :)
 
Oleg, do you know of any place where I can hear sample sound of real-world (outside) performance for various mics? I do not have a store close by me to try any of these mics so I am forced to base my decision on what I hear on the net. Most of the time that is a mic in a sound room.
 
Last edited:
I don't know what you do or what kinds of work you do or how much you are charging and those are big factors in what level of equipment you should buy. What I do know is that audio is 60% of any video production. People don't put up with poor sound. Learning to "hear" sound is very similar to lerning to "see" lighting : it takes practice (usually years of practice). If you don't have tons of experience a good way to get good sound is hire a professional. If that is not possible, then it is a good idea to get as many sources of information on technique as you can (books at the library, online articles and forums). The next step is to recognize the level of experience that you have and your ability to "hear". If someone who does this for a living full time tells you something, listen to them. They choose the tools that they do because of years of field recording in different situations. There are many entry level productust that you can use to get passable results, and good technique can help with equipment shortfalls. The bottom line is to make your audio more of budget priority. If you bought a DVX100 for $3500, plan to spend the same on the sound. Don't buy twice hoping to get away cheaper. You will just end up buying the right thing later anyway.
 
Audio-Technica 897 vs Rode 2

Audio-Technica 897 vs Rode 2

I think I should have made my thread more clear. I just figure anyone looking to buy a lower quality shotgun mic was probably going to use it on camera for run-n-gun shooting.

This is why I am looking at these 2 mics. I don't think I need to spend $1,000 and as of right now, this is where I am getting most of my work. Of course, this can change and I hope in the near future it will. After reading the threads, I might just wait a few months and look into the Audio-Technica 4073A; or I can get the Rode NTG-1 for $179.00 at Samy's and when I need a better mic in the future address the issue then.

One thing "I thought" was important was to have a mic that can run on battery & phantom. Just noticed the AT4073 runs only on Phantom. Also, some threads here say that Phantom is better than battery. So then, why do you need a mic with batteries?

Also, is the NTG-1 the same as the NTG-2 (except the "2" has a battery)? I did try both Rode's and the AT 897. I personally thought the Rode's sounded muffled, but then that was using their camera and tested for 3 minutes each mic.

This why I respect "everyone's" opinion posted on DVXuser.

Jimmy
http://people.tribe.net/giacomino
 
You will have to forgive my earlier rant, I just think people tend to really neglect the sound in their productions. It is such a great way to add value to your productions since the some of the best mics are available for under $2k and they really make a big difference. The way I figure it is that if your sound is half of the final product, you can spend much less to make it good (in a ratio) compared to what it would take to make your picture look better (ie going to uncompressed hd or film workflows with high end cameras and edit suites). You can make a DVX or HVX production feel like a much more expensive product for a small (relative) investment.
 
saneproductions said:
You will have to forgive my earlier rant, I just think people tend to really neglect the sound in their productions. It is such a great way to add value to your productions since the some of the best mics are available for under $2k and they really make a big difference. The way I figure it is that if your sound is half of the final product, you can spend much less to make it good (in a ratio) compared to what it would take to make your picture look better (ie going to uncompressed hd or film workflows with high end cameras and edit suites). You can make a DVX or HVX production feel like a much more expensive product for a small (relative) investment.
Click to expand...


:thumbsup: Good words there.

Imagine your sound is about 80%. This is what I'm experiencing right now. A good DP comes up with average shots and okay'ish lighting. Acting was great, but lost 1 damn good day of shoot and can't use another good day of shoot in the final pisses a lot of people. Fortunately, sound is saving the world. Music Dialogue, and the SFX are our new heroes!
 
mjjason said:
Oleg, do you know of any place where I can hear sample sound of real-world (outside) performance for various mics? I do not have a store close by me to try any of these mics so I am forced to base my decision on what I hear on the net. Most of the time that is a mic in a sound room.
Click to expand...

sorry real life expirience is what i have , almost all my work and about 90% of my collegs was done with better microphones then rode , from the reason that if you like get the most you will need better tools .
rode doesnt have anything which would go over any microphone i use ( and francly i have agrate collection of these ) its to wide patern , it doesnt have crarity , it doesnt reject good from the sides , it has quit of self noise so really dosnt stand near anything i use .
the only good thing about it is extrimly cheap and the ntg-1 is very short what make it grate for camera use and abuse .
if you have little more or willing wait abit more ,the 4073 will serv you better and will sound better , it may give you that extar something to make the final cut sounds in the way you will be proud ,what doesnt say you dont have to work for your sound as no mic will do majic if you dont care about what you have around .
this small extra may be the border between subtitels and no subtitels on the doco you make , it may be less hours in editing to shape the general feel .

there are about 6-7 working soundman on this board and about 1000 who lark on ramps . i think that most of us won our opinion after quit long reserch with our ears we all pay the food on our table . rode and similars are not exactly soundman tool , it is videographer one , now you have to deside what are you .
2 shekels from the guy who like cheap tricks :)
 
Oleg, thanks for the information. Seeing as you have far more experience then me I will take your advice and go with the AT4073. If I didn't it would be like listening to a doctor than going against his advice and prescribing my own medication.

Appreciate all your advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top