AT 875r vs NTG-1

S

SoundMonger

Member
You all have been incredibly helpful helping me understand what will be needed as far as entry level gear goes. Since my last line of questions I have a k-tek pole and a Rode blimp on the way. I'm pretty sold on the the DR-680 with a Mic pre D. That leaves me with the need of a shotgun mic. I'm debating the AT875r and the NTG-1. Does it mater at this price point? Once I learn what I'm doing I'll invest in better. From my limited knowledge it looks like the Rode in theory has better specs. But would the AT's lower low end of 90 hertz be better for handling noise over a 20-20k mic (Rode). Anything else I should consider?

Also would one be better as a second mic when I get a (most likely) NTG-3 down the road?

For indoor work I have a pair of Oktava's MK 012 with the 3 caps So this will be for mostly outdoor work.

Thanks in advance

SM
 
The biggest difference between these two mics (yes, they sound different from each other and that's really a matter of personal preference) is the higher output level of the 875. That only matters when using the mic with the weaker pre-amps of budget recorders. Since you're going to be using the MixPre-D (I assume that's what you meant by "Mic pre D"), the output levels aren't as much of a concern. You'll have plenty of clean gain for the NTG-2.
 
I currently own an AT875r mic and I used to own a Rode NTG-2 mic.

To my ears the AT875r has better off-axis rejection, which makes it better indoors in smaller rooms, but it's got a very weak low frequency end, so you will have to compensate for this with EQ.

The Rode NTG-2 ( essentially the same mic as the NTG-1, but with the option of battery power ) is less effective indoors, has a good low frequency end, but can sound a little muddy on the high frequency range. You will need to add a little EQ to boost the high end to clear up some of the "mud".

I would also suggest a third microphone that's in the same price range which I think has better sound than the AT875r or the NTG-1, which is the Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun mic. It has most of the off-axis rejection the AT875r has with a better low end. Of these three mics, this is the one I would pic almost every time.
 
I had the NTG1 and hated it as it sounded very artificial and electret to me, I now have five AT875r and they are far better in my opinion.

Rode PG2 and W/S-6 make it a good all round low cost small shotgun and the sound is very natural and focussed!

For my pro work for other companies I have mainly used the sennheiser 416 but have also used the AT875r on many broadcast productions and I think it would compliment the NTG3 better if you choose one of those in the future.
 
Thanks for replies.

Yes it's the mix pre D. I'll pick that up before end of the year.

I'm not seeing anyone say NTG1 over AT 875r. If Gary has five of them, I should just buy one and learn the craft and stop worrying about gear at this point.

Thanks
SM
 
They are an absolute bargain and I haven't heard many people saying bad things about them, as a side note they feel like proper pro mic's too where the NTG1 feels very semi pro. Also all the FX mics we use on the Olympics for OBS are Audio Technica!

The AT875r is my general purpose mic for video and I have used them on just about everything from V/O to indie drama, full choirs and stage productions.
 
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