Best indoor mic for under $1,000?

M

mustangranch99

Active member
I'm going to get some serious gear soon and I have to upgrade my current shotgun.


I'll be shooting a lot of interior dialogue shots in small to medium sized rooms. From what I've been told, a shotgun mic like the MKH 416 is terrible for indoors, correct?


What's the best indoor mic for $1,000 and under?
 
I love my Audio Technica AT4053b hypercardioid. It's an excellent mic for indoors and it doesn't do too badly outdoors either, if you ask me! Runs about $600 and requires phantom power. Check out some reviews and sample videos on Vimeo.
 
I would say a used MKH50 (or MKH8050 if you want something really small).
Don't forget that you also need a shockmount and wind protection.
 
Same answer: The NTG-3, like the 416, is an interference-tube shotgun, the AT4053 is not.
Again, typically the NTG-3 would be preferred for exteriors.. the 4053 for interiors.
 
I vote for a used MKH-50. However, you might want to look into a modded Oktava MK-012 if budget is a major concern.
 
Rick R said:
Same answer: The NTG-3, like the 416, is an interference-tube shotgun, the AT4053 is not.
Again, typically the NTG-3 would be preferred for exteriors.. the 4053 for interiors.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I've heard a few people recommend the Rode but quite a few more recommend the AT.
I'm guessing because the RODE is more of a shotgun like the 416 like you said.

My only fear is the 4053 might be too bassy...
 
I've said it before elsewhere on this and other forums but my main go to mic for inside and out is the AT875R.

Ok it's not the best mic in the world but it gives fairly instant and consistent results straight out of the bag and as it's a halfway between a hyper cardioid and a 416 sized shotgun it has some of the best of both worlds.

If I had $700 or even $1,000 to spend I would be buying two of them with pistol grips and softies, I personally use the rode PG2 and the WS/6.

Any money left over would go to a gitzo carbon fibre boom pole!
 
Why not spend your budget on a selection of different types, and have more in the arsenal, rather than just one that could not be ideal for everything. Mics are too personal to listen to absolute advice. A 416 indoors is fine in the hands of somebody who knows how to use them, equally they can sound terrible - but the problem is not the model, the brand or the type, it's usually how immune they are from operator error. HUGE numbers of broadcast TV content are recorded indoors with 416s. 416 indoors = train wreck is getting so much promotion, it's become a standard comment, and it's just misinformation from people who hear bad soon, see a 416 and make the faulty connection. There are plenty of examples of 'wrong' mics being used. Number one selling albums recorded in the studio with an SM58 mic, not thousands of pounds worth of esoteric mics. So much humbug!
 
I agree with Paul and pretty much every single drama I have worked on or dubbed has been recorded inside and out with a sennheiser 416.

I was given an 816 recently and before I sold it on I was amazed how hard it was to keep quiet and use without it bumping and banging before I put an 80hz high pass filter on it.
 
So would my concerns with that type of mic be eliminated since I'll have the mic so close?
The mic would be a foot or less away from the speaker.
 
mustangranch99 said:
So would my concerns with that type of mic be eliminated since I'll have the mic so close?
The mic would be a foot or less away from the speaker.
Click to expand...
Eliminated? Laws of physics can not be eliminated .
Less than 18" is the typical working distance anyway... To many unknown variables, might work, might not. Try it.
Good luck.
 
Funny that mic choice can be so confusing for some at times, in TV we used neuman U87's on our fisher booms and they worked great and were easy to sight as you looked along the boom arm, we always put the LF cut in though to prevent too much bass and overload if we moved them quickly. Neuman KM84's were also a favorite on the fisher studio booms for drama.

Now in the very old days at ITV Tyne Tees they put an akg D12 dynamic mic on the mole richardson booms a mic that as the next incarnation D25 was more famous as a bass drum mic, I also have to laugh when people rave about the sennheiser 421 as a great tom tom mic as it was designed to be a hand held presenters in vision mic!
 
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I have both the ntg3 and 4053b, and both are terrific within their price range. If I had to choose only one mic for everything, I'd go with the ntg3. While inside, it won't handle hot rooms as well as the 4053, but it can do most interior voice work. Even in hot rooms, with skill and good placement it will usually get the job done. Music would be different. If you have a shotgun and want a dedicated interior mic, the 4053 is very good.

Grant
 
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