Am I right in my thinking here: use the Rode NTG-3 outside and the AT4053b indoors?

O

oxband

Well-known member
I have two mics: a Rode NTG-3 and a AT 4053B.


Just curious to hear some expert opinions....given their pickup patterns, I typically use the Rode outside and the AT indoors (if I'm trying to catch dialogue.)


Is that thinking correct/sensical?
 
Yes. The indoor/outdoor distinction is the popular meme, but if you know the real reasoning, you can adapt to a wider variety of situations.

"Shotgun" microphones use the ANGLE of incidence to cancel off-axis sounds (that is what makes it a "shotgun")
When you are indoors, you are almost guaranteed to have nearby reflective surfaces that will "confuse" a shotgun mic.
That is why we traditionally use hyper-cardioid microphones INDOORS because hypers are much less susceptible to reflections by virtue of their operating principles.

So the REAL distinction is nearby reflective surfaces (or not).
If you were shooting in a gigantic indoor space with no reflective surfaces 50 feet in any direction, then a shotgun may be the ideal choice.
OTOH, if you were out in the middle of a desert and had lots of hard-surface reflectors or light-blocking shades, etc. then a hyper may perform better.
 
I have a 416. an AT 4073 (short shotguns, both similar to the NTG-3) and the 4053. Covers exteriors and interiors well.
For the 4053, I use the Rycote Invision shock mount and a cheap foam windscreen is usually adequate for interiors.. boom swings, ect. I also have two stage Windtech US-2, but it's rarely needed.
 
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I have a NTG-3 and it serves me well most of the time - I have really grown to like it. Now that it's year end, I'm looking at purchasing a Hyper in a a similar price bracket to use for those more reflective situations and have come to the 4053b as a top contender. Anything out there that would be a better buy? Or perhaps, does anyone have a 4053b for sale they're looking to get rid of? Thanks.
 
About the only other popular contender in that $600 USD new/street price range is the (made in USA) Audix SCX1-HC ($500 USD new/street). As I recall, it's slightly less sensitive than the 4053 but highly regarded by pro PSMs as a lower cost alternative to the Sennheiser MKH50, 8050 or Schoeps CMC641.. as is the 4053... which BTW, pre owned, are few-and-far-between on eBay, but you may get lucky if you can lurk for a while.
 
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So this is probably a dumb question.... but I'm a dummy so who cares. Is there any way to block the pickup from a shotgun mic (say the NTG-3) so that it doesn't record sounds from behind? Always wondered that...
 
Well, sometimes baffles are used to block sound, so I see no reason why one couldn't do that behind a NTG-3, but that would be a practical question of being able to affix a baffle without obstructing or otherwise getting in the way of the shoot. The main way in which one prevents sound pollution from the back of a shotgun is to place it in situations where such sound doesn't happen :)... in other words, using a shotgun properly; for interiors one big danger is echo sound bounces and so on, sometimes a well placed baffle can help - even large blankets or other sound proofing.
 
The NTG-3 has a pretty tight pickup pattern, so I would agree with your choice.

I have really liked my Peluso CEMC-6 mics. They can come with a variety of capsules. Great value for the sound quality.
 
Lots of things come into play on why a particular mic is used indoors or out. Not just because of the reverb of the space.
How far the mic has to be so it's not in the shot, background noise, volume of talent, how things are being cut etc.
It really depends on the situation. I carry 2 shotguns (CMIT, CS3e) and 2 hypers (schoeps mk41's) personally to cover myself to my needs.

If you have both you really should try both until you learn them so well you know which one to pull out most of the time.
 
Felipe Henao said:
Is a much better option a Cardioid than a hyper-cardioid
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Generally speaking, no. They work best for different purposes, and neither is better than the other. For a single point source of sound with a short enough distance from the recording mics, both types of mic may work well. But if there are multiple sources of sound scattering around, a supercardioid is better at picking sound from 1 source while a cardioid is better at picking sound from most or all of them.
 
As a somewhat lower priced combo.... I'm thinking booming with NTG-2 outdoors and Oktava MK-012 indoors, how would this be?
 
IronFilm said:
I'm thinking booming with NTG-2 outdoors and Oktava MK-012 indoors, how would this be?
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Yes, the general procedure is to use shotguns for exteriors (non-reflective environment) and hyper-cardioid for interiors (reflective environment). Those particular low sensitivity mics may be an issue though for dialog and low SPL sources and you would want a high gain quiet pre amp.
The Oktava is 10mV, the AT approx. 7mV. For comparison, the short shotgun Sennheiser 416 is around 25mV; the hyper-cardioid AT 4053 is approx. 20mV.
 
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Thanks for the recommendations. I found an Audix on eBay for just under $400 and I really like it. I feel the sound matches my NTG3 pretty well. There's a nice warmth to it - not shrill at all.
 
henryqiu said:
Generally speaking, no. They work best for different purposes, and neither is better than the other. For a single point source of sound with a short enough distance from the recording mics, both types of mic may work well. But if there are multiple sources of sound scattering around, a supercardioid is better at picking sound from 1 source while a cardioid is better at picking sound from most or all of them.
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For Reflections control indoors, works better cardioid, Recently tested the Shure SM137, at around 4 feet from the dialogue, results were great no reflections.
Simple, polar pattern do not include the back.
 
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Felipe Henao said:
For Reflections control indoors, works better cardioid, Recently tested the Shure SM137, at around 4 feet from the dialogue, results were great no reflections.
Simple, polar pattern do not include the back.
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4 feet.... ? That's way to far away for that sort of mic. Mics should ideally be less than one arm length from the mouth for good sound.
 
Felipe Henao said:
Simple, this was a 3 people groupe
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Group or not, a cardioid mic is typically used about 12 inches from the subject when they're speaking in a normal conversational tone. Farther away and you start to lose 'presence' ... the conversation sounds distant as if one is eavesdropping rather than participating.
 
Steve House said:
Group or not, a cardioid mic is typically used about 12 inches from the subject when they're speaking as if in normal conversation. Farther away and you start to lose 'presence' ... the conversation sounds distant as if one is eavesdropping rather than participating.
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In theory yes in practice you have to do what you have to do, can not get closer with a groupe, not wireless this time.
 
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