best shot gun or boom microphone for AF100 interview indoors

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Nicholas Natteau

Veteran
Just wondering if anyone can advise me regarding a good shot gun / boom microphone for indoor interviews with my new AF100.

I've read a lot on these forums and elsewhere but still not sure which boom microphone would work best. I prefer not to use wireless lav mics as I find that setup to be a lot more cumbersome.

I prefer not have to bother the talent being interviewed with the whole lavalier setup. That's why I figured the boom mic would be a more efficient solution.

I was thinking about the Rode Video mic or Sennheiser models, but just need some advice from anyone who has used boom / shotgun microphones in interviews. Please tell me what you would recommend.

I'm also looking for a boom mic that will give a warm sounding tone.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
for interiors you need a hypercardoid. oktava mk012 on the cheap end and a schoeps cmc641 on the high end. but i hope you're planning to get that mic off the camera, on a boom and properly placed over the subject as close as possible. otherwise you're wasting your time.

questions like this are generally better answered in the sound section of DVXuser as a lot of us don't visit the camera parts of the site that often.
 
I have the Schoeps CMITU5 shotgun and a classic schoeps Hypercardioid Colette style mic. THe shotgun has more reach and stronger off axis rejection than the Colette. You cannot go wrong with with either, but they are pricey. The sennheiser MKH 60 is also very good mic but bigger and heavier than the schoeps shotgun. On Thing about the CMITU5, with the proper windscreen it makes an awesome on camera mic for Doc shooting. I spent a month with it on an expedition to an uninhabited island where we had constant exposure to trade winds. I had so few wind noise issues with this mic even in some awful conditions that I'm still amazed when i listen to the footage. It also makes a great boom mic in a quiet room interview set up.
 
I am going to assume you are asking about a boom/shotgun as a camera mount and if so, all I can say is don't. If you are going to set up a boom stand or have someone boom then fine. The suggestions above are good ones.

having done quite a few interviews over the last year I will tell you to lav the interview subject is the simplest way to get reliable audio. It is not that big of a hassle, people don't mind and your audio will be much better. Proximity is the key to audio and lavs can't be beat for that. Ive gotten good results with sony wired lavs http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/49318-REG/Sony_ECM44B_ECM_44B_Omni_Directional_Lavalier.html. Then you can also get the Sennheiser G3's, which I also use, if you want wireless as well which is good for running and gunning. Most people will tell you to switch out the stock lavs on the G3's for something better and you can find plenty of suggestions on the audio section.

Finally if you don't want to lav and you don't have a boom stand/person. Take an HVN recorder and put on the table directly in front of the person out of frame.
 
Schoeps are great mics I love mine but they are sensitive to handling noise on a boom that is not done right. I have gone to a Sanken for boom and camera mount, Sanken is also great mic but with less noticeable handling noise compared to the Schoeps.
 
I had a sanken shotgun too (CS-1) but it was so sensitive to wind noise even with proper windscreens I had to cut my use of it back. Sanken off axis rejection is much sharper than the Schoeps so the sweet spot is sweeter but the not so sweet spot is worse than Schoeps.
 
If you're looking for a on-the-cheap solution, I actually used the Rode video mic, but on a boom stand, directly over the subject, pointed down (towards their chest) just out of frame. As long as you're not going very wide, you can get very close. This also allows you to get boom mic sound w/out a soundperson, if that's not an option. And from my experience (and from watching Barry's sound video) lav mics are not going to get the same quality of sound. The most important things are 1) mic as close to person as possible 2) acoustics of room. An echo-ie room gets echo-ie sound. A room with lots of soft surfaces gets nice, crisp sound. And with the Rode video mic, I use a 1/4 " to XLR converter which also works fine. Other, more expensive mics will sound better, I'm sure. But this is pretty good for the money.
 
Whats the plan with the AF100 though? I thought there was a lot of debate since it needs to be padded down quite a bit to work with it.
 
Thanks everyone for all the feedback. This is really helpful. And sorry for not posting in the Audio forum.

Bosindy, actually I happen to have the Sennheiser EW100 wireless lavalier mics but I find the sound actually way too warm, wooly, even a bit muffled. Not sure why that would be. Is it in the nature of wireless lavalier mics to be on the warm side, soundwise? I know I said that I'm looking for warm sound, but what I'm getting out of my EW100 is way too warm. Could it have anything to do with a low battery warning? I'll do another test today with a fresh pair of batteries.

Speaking of my Sennheiser EW100s, those wireless units I have are nearly 10 years old. Should I upgrade to a better / more recent lavalier set? For lavalier, what would you recommend?

I also just ordered Barry Green's Sound for TV and Film DVD to get up to speed.
 
Nicholas,

If the technology is 10 years old then you probably would benefit from buying used g2's or the g3's if you want to upgrade. I used the old 100's once and didn't like them, Iv'e owned both g2's and g3's and they have worked great. In my opinion I would upgrade and switch the lavs. As to pure sound, the lavs will make more of a difference upgrading from the stock in improving the overall sound. Countryman has a couple of inexpensive options and Sanken Cos-11's seem to be a favorite. There are audio comparisons in the audio section of this site. If you have unlimited cash then you can look into lectrosonic wirless as well, but I haven't seen the need to spend the extra cash just yet.

Having said all that make sure you have them set up properly as far as af out, sensitivity, and placement on the subject. I would also get the Sony wired set I put the link to in the earlier post. If you are having any issues, those are plug and play. My DP recently, who shoots on big reality shows etc, loved the sound of the wired. With a set of the G2/G3 with upgraded form the stock lav and the wired lav , you are covered for pretty much anything. for around $800

edit, here is a comparison of the stock lav (me2) v. the sanken. i use the stock still btw.

http://www.vimeo.com/9776528
 
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Nicholas Natteau said:
Just wondering if anyone can advise me regarding a good shot gun / boom microphone for indoor interviews with my new AF100.
...

I was thinking about the Rode Video mic or Sennheiser models, but just need some advice from anyone who has used boom / shotgun microphones in interviews. Please tell me what you would recommend.

I'm also looking for a boom mic that will give a warm sounding tone.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Click to expand...


I'm very happy with the sensitivity and tonal quality of the Rode NTG3 (I've also got some older Sennheiser and Sony mics).
 
Skeptikal said:
I'm very happy with the sensitivity and tonal quality of the Rode NTG3 (I've also got some older Sennheiser and Sony mics).
Click to expand...

So the Rode NTG-3 will work with the af100 right out of the box? I have a Rode NTG-3 and love it, just wondering if this is a good mic with this camera?
 
I picked up the AT875R for it and like it a lot.

Nice and compact.

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Just wondering if anyone might have read Ken Stone's article "Choosing the Right Micrphone" at http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/right_mic_brockett.html where he lists 11 top rated shotgun mics and provides audio samples

From Ken's samples, it seems to me like the sound from the Neumann KMR 81i, Sennheiser MKH50, MKH60 and Sanken CS3e sounded noticeably better than the other ones he listed.

Can anyone comment on those 4 shotgun mics for an indoor talking head interview? If I had to choose from those samples, it seemed like the Neumann KMR81i had the best sound but that the other three were nearly as good.

Sorry to keep rambling on, I'm just a little lost because I'm not sure how much I should consider spending to get excellent quality sound for a talking head interview. I mean there's the Rode NTG-3 for $700 and then twice the price for something like the Neumann KMR 81i or Sennheiser MKH60 ($1,600).
 
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The short answer: spend the money. I've learned the hard way, working my way through some less expensive ($700) mics to the CMITU 5 Schoeps.
There is no guarantee that you will only shoot interior interviews. With a decent windscreen the Schoeps got me great sound (windy exteriors) where every other mic was unusable. Also works in quiet indoor locations. Its the long haul solution, but once you buy in, you're done thinking about it.
 
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