What type of mic for interviews?

suprmatch

suprmatch

Active member
Going to be shooting a short doc. Should I use a lav mic or shotgun? The shoot will be a fairly quite area (some residual sound), not outside. Or just flip a quarter.
 
Shotgun. They work great. Of course you want to make your interview environment as quite as you need it to be but also keep in mind that you want the best audio from the speaker. Some complain of rustling clothes for lav mics but I would imagine they still work well. But shotguns are pretty easy.

*Note I used a shotgun on two of my recent docs and for one my interviews contained the noise of a TV in the distance and a big box fan that was going right behind me. I was able to drop that audio out completely in Adobe Audition without any distortion of the audio from my interviewees. It was like magic, I couldn't believe it. I'd used Audition from when it was still called "Cool Edit" and it was never that awesome but it has come a long way. It was not as perfect however on my interviews shot at the beach where there was the loud ocean waves and a lo of wind. But it did fix those enough to make the interview have character.
 
Hi there...

I'm after a recommendations for a "reporters'" mic for recording high quality podcast interviews in noisy environments like trade shows etc.

I was thinking of something like the AT8004 (omni dynamic) but I've also heard excellent things about the Sennheiser MD46 (cardioid dynamic). To be honest, the MD46 is a little out of my budget but I could just about stretch.

Just like everyone else, I'm after a mic which will reject as much background noise as possible whilst also being insensitive to "pops" and being sturdy. Any tips would be most welcome!
 
Electrovoice RE50 for a good handheld reporters mic - the MD46 is a great reccomendation too though. Sturdy and good rejection dont come cheap :)
 
Are there any practical disadvantages to using a cardioid reporters microphone rather than an omnidirectional mic? For example, say a reported was using a cardioid mic to record a conversation between 3 people. The reporter would hold the mic and move it towards who ever was speaking at that moment. In a scenario like this, would the recorded room tone change noticeably when the microphone is moved if a cardioid mic was used?
 
use both! i always lav the interviewee on channel 1, and shotgun him/her as well on channel 2. that way you can see in post which one you like better.
 
Good idea! Especially as I'll be recording on the Edirol R-44 so I'll have 4 channels to play with (and I already own 3 Countryman EMW omni condenser lavs).

So is it likely that a cardioid mic like the MD46 will produce unpleasant changes in ambient noise when the mic is moved?
 
yeah, not a big fan of lavs, because of the invasion of space ( it's a fact...to me...that interviewees are so much more comfortable when not laved), and the rustling sound you get sometimes.

so a solid shotgun mic is what i would rather go with, but most shoots i do, the director/producer likes having the lav hooked up as well. can't really blame 'em though.
 
I'm also researching what microphone I should get for documentary interviewing.

It will be an independent doco on street art, and I will no doubt be working solo.
I'd hope the interviews will be mostly set in home styled studios...

Should I use a lav mic, or shotgun??? I'd prefer the lav, more simpler in a way but also wanting to achieve the best possible audio at the same time, while also wanting to be portable (roller backpack)

Suggestions on models of either would be greatly appreciated as i don't have a clue on audio specs =/
 
I find lavs to be a drag when working solo on interviews. I'd rather bring in a hyper and a stationary boom to stand over them any time. No worries about clothing noise or wireless interference or concealing wires. I still do use them from time to time when I'm really travelling light. When working as one man interviewer its hard to keep up with technical issues as well as keep the talent engaged and not wishing you'd just leave. I prefer to do interviews as a two man job, but I know thats not always possible.

As for which models you should get, do a search. All budgets of hypers, shotguns, and lavs have been discussed very thouroughly. Short answer though would be to get a akg ck93, rode ntg2, sennheiser g2 with a countryman b3 wired for xlr and the g2. Add in a boom pole and some wind protection. Would cover you in a variety of situations and keep you at a relatively low budget with good performance. And toss in some good headphones so you can actually hear what you are recording.
 
I would say, in a perfect world you have your interview(er) with a lav on. This always ensures their voice is steady and constant. Have a shotgun mic either boomed or camera mounted, to double your options. Finally, if you have an R-44 or the like (someone above said they did) you could then have a separate channel for a handheld wireless mic. Of course, that's some expenses there, but that's how we did it in a recent Doc i shot B roll for. Worked great. But if you have a lav and a shotgun, you should have plenty of good audio, just make sure your shotgun's more aimed at the interview(ee) since your talent would have the lav on.
 
My recommendation is to use two mics on the subject: a lav and a shotgun. This way you can mix the audio in post to get the best audio. This is SOP for network news stuff if the interviewer doesn't need to be miked as their questions won't be used on-air.

For lavs, I've used Tram TR50's and Sony ECM-77B's. They're going for between three and four hundred dollars each. If you are working on a budget, try the Audio-Technica AT803B lavs. They have terrific sound quality and cost around $150. Their only drawback is the mic capsule is a bit larger than the Sony or Tram mics and there aren't a lot of clips available for it.

If you want to hide a lav, try using what are known as "vampire clips" --- a mike attachment with a pair of small fangs that allows you to clip a mic underneath a shirt collar, lapel or bra.

For a shotgun that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, try the AT835, about $300. Good, solid dependable mic. I would avoid the Rode VideoMic. The sound quality isn't bad at all, but it's very lightly constructed and I have doubts about how long it will survive in the field.

The other thing is get a good set of headphones to monitor the sound. Budget $100 or so to get something decent.
 
Mike Parker said:
My recommendation is to use two mics on the subject: a lav and a shotgun. This way you can mix the audio in post to get the best audio. This is SOP for network news stuff if the interviewer doesn't need to be miked as their questions won't be used on-air.

For lavs, I've used Tram TR50's and Sony ECM-77B's. They're going for between three and four hundred dollars each. If you are working on a budget, try the Audio-Technica AT803B lavs. They have terrific sound quality and cost around $150. Their only drawback is the mic capsule is a bit larger than the Sony or Tram mics and there aren't a lot of clips available for it.

If you want to hide a lav, try using what are known as "vampire clips" --- a mike attachment with a pair of small fangs that allows you to clip a mic underneath a shirt collar, lapel or bra.

For a shotgun that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, try the AT835, about $300. Good, solid dependable mic. I would avoid the Rode VideoMic. The sound quality isn't bad at all, but it's very lightly constructed and I have doubts about how long it will survive in the field.

The other thing is get a good set of headphones to monitor the sound. Budget $100 or so to get something decent.
Click to expand...

Thanks to everyone who gave input. I think I'm going to use the two mic system. One shotgun and a lav mic. Due to budget constrants (my daughter's tuition) I picked up a AT835 from the marketplace here for $150. Picked up a bogen 420 stand, since alot of my work will be solo, to hold the mic and some XLR cables(25+50 feet). Now I need to save up for a lav mic.
 
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