Bought NTG-2 but considering using stereo mic to go mono? am I loco?

M

Marshallarts

Well-known member
Hello all,

I can only afford one mic at this point and the guys at B&H convinced me of the Rode NTG-2. They said, "it's the best mic under $400". I got it for $270 plus the XLR>1/8" and Rode shockmount.

I wish I read your threads here suggesting the Oktava MK012, I didn't know of that option. Would you consider the Rode NTG-2 to be a better mic? Obviously I'm new to sound, and broke, and my sincerest apoligies for 'another' thread on this.

Before the Oktava MK012 question, my original question was deciding to get a stereo mic or a mono one (specifically the Rode Stereomic since thats about my budget or perhaps the Rode Videomic). I was told it's best to go mono but spend as much as you would on the more expensive stereomic, hence I got the NTG-2.

It then dawned on me that in FCP you can select a stereo track and bring the spacial range closer together to lessen the stereo effect. It would be nice to have a stereo mic in some situations (to be honest, i'm still learning when those situations are).

Should I have gone with that stereo mic and simply lessen the stereo effect in FCP when it becomes a distracting issue? This is a serious question no matter how dumb I may look in the end. I would really appreciate your advice on this and haven't found any luck in the forums. thanks
 
Depends on what you are doing. Indoors the Oktava is probably the better choice, but outside probably the NTG-2. As a rule you should not record your production sound in stereo. You want to focus on the dialog not pick up BG's. For FX it's the opposite, you usually want stereo and you will play with it in post if it needs to be narrower on mono. I'm much more of a post person than a production person so others will probably have more specifics for you. I never use stereo production tracks (dialog). If it comes as two tracks (usually the same mono track doubled) I will pick one and toss the other, on a cut by cut basis. The dialog is going to go center and I don't want to get into phase problems with multi tracks and you double the noise when you double the track.

I used a NTG-2 on a shoot and was very impressed with the quality at it's price. It seemed to sound quite good and wasn't noisy. Of course I was going into a good preamp.
 
Very good input Noiz2, thanks. And i'm glad to hear both of you approve my mic. I could consider this a long term investment (though still an entry level mic) and probably something I will hold on to for awhile.

Noiz2, your input about stereo vd mono is greatly appreciated. I think I need to learn a little more about when to use stereo effects. Specifically I was interested in recording stereo concerts but the effects use was something I was aware of. From what i've seen in movies, when I notice a stereo anything, it usually takes me from the film (it does distract me a big) but this is something I need to pay more attention to. I know most of my favorite films (i.e. Kubrick's and all the other great older masters) where probably all in Mono. I'd like to learn when and where to use stereo but wanted to leave that option open when I asked my original question about which mic to get. Noiz2, you definitely gave me an argument to give the mono a chance.

Since I like to film outdoors, and it seems a good investment, I'll hold onto the Rode. Maybe the Oktava can come later when I know more about mics and this units interchangeable heads.
 
What if you're doing a documentary and you have a setup where you interview two people who arent sitting close together and you want to get good sound on each person? Would it be wise to have one mic on each person?
 
Mic both people or get a good boom operator. For docu work I'd mic both either with two booms or lavs in the event both people talk at once. In a controlled narrative setting this is at least predictable. My current doc method (for two people) is to put lavs on both and have 1 boom op doing the best he can.
 
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