AT835B or Azden SGM 2X - Which is better?

[Guest]

Hey everyone,
I need a little advice on which microphone to use for a feature that will be shot using the DVX100A. I have narrowed my list down to two choices.

Audio Technica AT835B
Azden SGM 2X

I am curious as to the difference in the polar patterns, the AT being 'Line + Gradient' and the Azden being Supercardioid. The feature is going to be a drama, with dialouge driving the story. On my last shoot, the mic used was horrible and resulted in countless hours of ADR. I would like to avoid that this time around. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to all.

Geoff Reisner

 

[dtainer]

Re: AT835B or Azden SGM 2X - Which is better?

I have not used the AT 835B, but I have used both the Azden SGM-2X and AT 897. The Azden will work in a pinch, though the AT is demonstrably better. If you do use the Azden, make sure the boom operator points it at the actors: doing so, you will get workable dialogue (although you will have to sweeten in post). The AT 897 will be much better under all circumstances, although I did have one go out in the middle of a shoot and the Azden had to fill in. I'm not 100% happy with it, but it did do a decent job in the emergency situation. (The Azden is my backup, the AT my primary).
-DT

 

[MKnmovies]

Audio Technica AT835B v. SENNHEISER 914 & others

Audio Technica AT835B v. SENNHEISER 914 & others

Hello, first time thread input here. My experience with the Audio Technica AT835B is one of an Indi filmmaker on a budget. I read a book from ifilm, & they gave this rig high marks and I soon bought it off of Ebay. Now having never used a shotgun mic before it was a strange looking thing out of the box. I set it up and discovered very quickly that it must be within 4 feet or less, and placed in a rubberband type isolation mount to work well. Now I was warned that some of the higher priced shotgun mics have a longer range (9 feet) than that from what I am told, but watering down a audio problem with the "money hose" is not an option for me, so I stayed with the mic, used a c-stand and 5 pound sand bag to deploy a Gitzo boom and staged my actors so that they spoke when they were not moving and I framed my shots as medium close ups or two shots with the talent standing closer together. I discovered I needed a field mixer early on and headphones on the camera to get a solid idea about what my audio was like, and I had to either heat up the audio with gain (which I did not like the sound of in post) or move the mic within 3 feet to get good sound. When we moved outdoors, I quickly discovered I needed a wind screen, but not having the $700 for a Rycote outfit I went online, found plans and made my own. It works great, but it does not solve the problem of mic distance, it only makes it worse. My advice? Consider the shots you want on screen. If you want lots of background and wide shots with good dialogue then either (a) spend the $$$ for a SENNHEISER 914 with a ranges approaching 9 feet or (b) be creative and go with a small wireless mic setup for about $200.00 or less (keep in mind the sound won't be bad, but it sure as hell won’t be ideal either) I like my AT 835B, but you have to know what it can and can’t do and plan accordingly. Good luck!

 

[Barry_Green]

spend the $$$ for a SENNHEISER 914 with a ranges approaching 9 feet

In movies we like to get the mic within 9 INCHES. No mic is going to give you good sound from 9 feet away. There are some mics that will do better than others, of course, but the #1 thing you can do to improve your audio quality is to get the mic closer. An AT835B from 9 inches away will probably sound better than a $1200 Sennheiser 416 from 9 feet away...

A skilled boom operator will fight for every inch of distance they can get. I know it's not convenient, especially for a one-man-band type of situation, but it's one of the things you have to do to get the best quality.