Best Mic under $5000?

[rahulvictor]

After reading through this thread I was completely surprised that it wasn't a joke posting. I mean does the OP actually expect that Hollywood is going to "come knocking" after his first lowbudget short??? I didn't look but did this thread start on April 1st?

But on the off chance your serious I think you should reexamine you assumptions. Your soon to be professional doesn't want to work with the good stuff they want to OWN the good stuff. And working for free isn't going to get them there. Also I know few professionals that loan out mics, and there is a reason. They are fairly fragile and can be damaged in subtle ways that are hard to notice at first and the tend to be pricey. Youv'e talked about the mics a lot but what are you connecting them to? Not the Scarlet I hope (BTW it's the Scarlet your talking about which is not what people are talking about when they say RED). So you should be looking for a recorder/ mixer and then you get into post. Are you planning on getting a PT HD settup too? At the risk of getting PMed, I think your logic is way off. Getting hands on is going to be one of the least tempting carrots you can hang out there and will most likely attract folks who you really don't want working on your film.

I wrote a response and it got lost...look, I don't expect hollywood at any point, certainly not after my first short, which was...well, a couple shorts ago. I'm just seeing what you guys, as pros, have to say about certain pieces of equipment. My original post about a mic under $5k might have been ridiculous and sensational but it opened up a portal of discussion for me in which I learned a lot and gave me something to hit the ground running with on audio. People have made movies which have been bought by distributors from $70 to $300 million, but that's neither here or there and isn't meant for the audio section. I just want some advice on audio equipment, which may also be helpful to others. You guys are the pros, I'm not, I know that.

Yes I will eventually get a mixer, right now I might plug in straight to my HVX for a few shorts and have someone boom-op and level (not nearly ideal, I know). When/if I get a Scarlet I will not skimp on audio, no worries.

 

[Noiz2]

Well you got a lot of responses. My opinion... You wont get "pros" or semi pros with the promis of touching good stuff. I would in your shoes do one of two things. If your a good producer your a good hustler, many fine sound folks are not. So if you can score really good deals on some useful equipment then you can pay the crew with "stuff". I know people this has worked really well for. While a semi pro might not work to use a Schoeps they might well work to end up with the mic at the end of the shoot. If you have scored a good deal on the mic everyone wins. The other alternative is buy some last ditch stuff and use the money you saved to pay some up and coming mixer.

Also as I mentioned don't forget post, it is very important.