Audio Technica ATR6550

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pmk396

Well-known member
I hear from a lot of you that the best mic that one can buy at a low price would be something like the Rode NTG-2. However, I came across a review for the Audio Technica ATR6550 and for under $100, I am really considering investing in it. I know some of you may say that it is rubbish and that I should save for something better like the NTG-2 but being from a brand like Audio Technica, it can't be that bad, can it?

I know that it doesn't have an XLR connection but for the sake of saving over €100-$150 compared to the NTG-2, I'd be willing to sacrifice that. This will be my first shotgun mic and I want to start somewhere and to be honest, I can't afford to invest in a mic that would cost over $150 considering that amateur filmmaking is a new hobby to me. Perhaps in the future, if I took my hobby more seriously, then I would invest in more expensive equipment.

Has anybody experienced using this mic?
 
Makes an excellent door stop.

I think the message you're picking up from the forum is that the RODE is probably one of the least expensive shotgun mics "Worth" investing in also look at the Audio Technica AT875R, that is also a great mic to consider and under $200 for the most part.

Audio technica makes good mics, but they also make junk for the cheappie market too, they make $20 mics for the Karaoke market as well.

Give it a shot if that is all you can afford, but I think the common knowledge here is that you will prolly be throwing your money away.

Good luck
 
pmk396 said:
However, I came across a review for the Audio Technica ATR6550 and for under $100, I am really considering investing in it. I know some of you may say that it is rubbish and that I should save for something better like the NTG-2 but being from a brand like Audio Technica, it can't be that bad, can it?

Has anybody experienced using this mic?
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Its rubbish and you should save for something better.

You're considering "investing" in this mic, but it's no investment. It won't get you any long-term returns. If it's something that will last you a long time, hold up to use, and yield great results, it's an investment. If it's a stop-gap that's just going to "get you started" because it saves money, it is merely a purchase.

I have used this mic. Several years ago, I bought one for my brother for Christmas to go with his miniDV camcorder (soccer games, etc.). I knew it was not a great mic, but it was an improvement over the camera's built-in mic, and it gave him a little more clarity when taping his kids running around the yard and opening presents. The sound is mediocre at best.

If battery power isn't necessary, have you considered the NTG-1? It's the same mic as the NTG-2, except that it has no battery compartment and runs on phantom power only. It's only slightly above your stated budget, but here's the deal: good audio isn't cheap, and cheap audio is expensive.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.
Just in relation to the NTG-1, how well does it work with the H4N. I heard that the H4N and the NTG-2 can be a weak combination with the audio too quiet with the Zoom maxed out.
 
Adding the H4n into the mix changes things. Its pre-amps seem not to play nice with the NTG-2 (and thus, one would assume, the NTG-1). Check out the Audio-Technica AT875. It's closer to $200, but should do you fine.
 
I appreciate the recommendations guys but at the moment a $200 dollar mic is a bit outta budget for me and I need some sort of a shotgun mic for filming in January. I know that I could probably hire one but the thing is that the filming schedule in January needs to be very flexible to suit the actors. And filming for this could last a few weeks where we'd be filming for a few hours here and a few hours there so I don't wanna be having to go back and forth hiring the mic every other day when I need it. I'd much prefer to have one that I own so I can use it at short notice. As well as that, I'm based in Dublin and, with the exception of one or two places, film/audio equipment hire shops are few and far between here.

What about the Rode Videomic?? Again, I know it doesn't have an XLR cable but how would that fair out? The reason that I ask is because I can pick one up for about $100. The only concern that I have with the video mic is that despite it being design to mount onto a camera, I'd be looking to use it on a boom pole.
 
The VideoMic is okay, but is really intended to be a camera-mounted solution. That said, it can be mounted on a pole. There are two sizes of threaded hole built into the shockmount, and there are extension cables available as well as XLR adapters. Be advised that extending an unbalanced signals like that can make your signal vulnerable to added noise.
 
I don't plan to stretch things (ie. using extended cables) out when using a non-XLR compatible mic like the VideoMic. How does the VideoMic do when working with the Zoom H4N? Does it have the same reputation that the NTG-2 has when used with the H4N?
 
By the way, this could be a ridiculous question but I'm guessing that when an XLR adapter is connected to a 1/8" mic cable, it doesn't make the signal balanced? Does it? Or does it even improve the signal in any way?
 
pmk396 said:
I don't plan to stretch things (ie. using extended cables) out when using a non-XLR compatible mic like the VideoMic. How does the VideoMic do when working with the Zoom H4N? Does it have the same reputation that the NTG-2 has when used with the H4N?
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How would you use it on a pole without extending the cable?

Not sure how it interacts with the H4n... since it's a completely different beast (internal 9v battery, no phantom powered option) from the NTG-2. You'd have to adapt it to XLR to get it into the H4n, since the Zoom doesn't have a 1/8" mic-level in.
 
Pistol grips instead of poles would probably be the plan.

To be frank about it, is the VideoMic a shotgun mic or a hyper-cardroid? Where is it suited best for, indoors or outdoors?
 
pmk396 said:
Pistol grips instead of poles would probably be the plan.
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You're going to have a hard time getting the mic close enough for dialog with a pistol grip. Your only option for getting the mic where it needs to be is using a pole. That will require an extension. That's the price of going with the VideoMic as your primary dialog mic.

pmk396 said:
To be frank about it, is the VideoMic a shotgun mic or a hyper-cardroid? Where is it suited best for, indoors or outdoors?
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It's a supercardioid element inside a shotgun chassis. "Shotgun" is not actually a response pattern assigned to the mic capsule. It has to do with the interference tube design that surrounds the capsule, which narrows the response pattern of the mic. It's probably better suited for exteriors, and interiors that have lots of padding/carpeting/furniture and low reflection. But if it's your one and only mic, you'll need to make sure you get it in as close as possible to record decent audio.
 
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