Budget microphone recommendations

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pmk396

Well-known member
This question has probably been asked thousands of times but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I need a low-budget microphone ($300 max.) to use for a short film that I plan to shoot in two months time. Can anybody recommend a microphone that will perform with half decent results for recording dialog both indoors and outdoors?

Note: I know a lot of you will say that two different types of microphones are required with recording audio in both indoor and outdoor environments, but if you were in my situation where you could only afford one microphone before March, what would be recommended? And hiring a mic is out of the question because the shooting schedule needs to be flexible for the talents so I can't be running to and from the hire shop every second day. Also, the audio will be recorded on a H4n.

Please help, because I need to make a decision on this as soon as I can.
 
Hi Seth,
Thanks for the reply. The mic would be a boom mic connected to the H4n. I'll give the AT8035 a look.
 
Indoors, a hypercardioid is almost always better than a shotgun. You can sometimes get away with an NTG-1 or NTG-2 in some rooms, but it's often reported that the H4n doesn't have enough gain for them. The Avantone has been suggested as an inexpensive hyper lately, someone on here picked one up recently, but I haven't heard samples yet.
 
I saw the comment on the Avantone but how well would it play out when recording dialog outdoors. I was just thinking of getting th AT875R and dealing with indoor dialog audio as best I can with it.
 
I haven't seen a mic that is better than the H2 for that price range, but if you go just a tad higher you can get an Oktava, either cardioid, hyper, or both. It is decent.
The Studio Projects B1 ($90) is great, but it is too heavy for a boom. If you are a hacker you can ditch the beercan it came in, but that's a messy job. I've always wanted to put one in an aluminum tube.
 
Dr Dave,
When you mention the H2, do you mean the Zoom H2 audio recorder? I saw a few threads on the Octava but they seem few and far between to get, especially for someone like me who us buying from Ireland. And how would the Octava work as an outdoor mic as well? With the different capsules, would they improve the mic's outdoor performance any better?
 
pmk396 said:
Dr Dave,
When you mention the H2, do you mean the Zoom H2 audio recorder? I saw a few threads on the Octava but they seem few and far between to get, especially for someone like me who us buying from Ireland. And how would the Octava work as an outdoor mic as well? With the different capsules, would they improve the mic's outdoor performance any better?
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A hyper is almost as directional and has almost as much "reach" as a shotgun. You can use one outside as well as inside and it's not at all unusual to do so. However, hypers do suffer from a somewhat higher sensitivity to wind and handling noise so you do have to be a bit more mindful of proper wind shielding. It boils down to, shotguns behave well in non-reflective environments but are prone to problems in environments where there is a high proportion of reflected to direct sound hitting them, such as most normal interiors. Hypers, OTOH, work well in both reflective and non-reflective environments, however they need to be held a bit closer to the subject than a shotgun might. As you noted earlier, while there is no such thing as a single all-around mic, if you can have only one mic to work with, a decent hyper on a boom handles a larger variety of situations than does a shotgun. While 'guns are ubiquitous, IMHO they actually are the more specialized of the two and the hyper comes closer to being a general-purpose dialog mic. Many people, especially tyros, seem to think the 'gun is the standard mic and they switch to a hyper to solve the "problem" of working indoors. It's actually the opposite ... the hyper should be considered the standard mic and you switch to a 'gun when you're setting up a wide shot out of doors and need the extra working distance because your usual mic would intrude into the frame.
 
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I just picked up the Avantone. If you have a mixer, it's not a bad mic, but it's sensitivity is 3db less than the NTG-3, so I'd say it's a no-go trying to run it directly into the H4n. So far what I've found is it has a high freq. boost (like most of the chinese mics), but it's not brittle, and smoothes easily with eq where as some of the other inexpensive mics which have this high end boost seem to go lifeless when trying to eq the boost out.

JordanBlock said:
Indoors, a hypercardioid is almost always better than a shotgun. You can sometimes get away with an NTG-1 or NTG-2 in some rooms, but it's often reported that the H4n doesn't have enough gain for them. The Avantone has been suggested as an inexpensive hyper lately, someone on here picked one up recently, but I haven't heard samples yet.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I really do appreciate it. The bottom line is though, what would be the best hyper mic that I could use with my H4n on my budget?

Oh, and while using a hyper, what would be the recommended distance for the mic to be from the talent?
 
Nominal working distance for dialog recording, normal speech, is about 18 inches for a hyper, 24 inches for a shotgun. The general rule of thumb is the talent should be able to reach up and touch the mic without having to stretch.
 
Are you looking for phantom only, or batt and phantom? I have used the AT8035 quite a bit...indoor and outdoor. In a pinch IMHO its a tough mic to beat.
 
I always look on eBay for mics as it is probably the best place to buy for someone like me who is buying from Ireland. I still can't come to a decision of which to get; either a hyper mic or a shotgun mic?

I was thinking of just getting the AT875R and doing my best with indoor dialog. From previous replies, a hyper mic would be a better option for me but I still haven't heard any recommendations for hyper mics that work well with the H4n.
 
This is one of those problems that demonstrate the shortfalls associated with device primarily designed as a musician's tool, and trying to use it in a production sound environment. The preamps in the H4 (and H4n) simply do not have the gain necessary to get proper levels from the vast majority of microphones used for production dialog capture. The Tascam DR-100 demonstrates the same shortfall to a lesser degree. With both the H4n and the Tascam DR-100, the input gain has to be cranked to max to get near a usable level when capturing soft dialog.

There are a few solutions. None of them free. The Sanken CS-1, CS-2, and CS-3 have high outputs, very capable of driving the H4n. The SC-2 has nearly twice the sensitivity of the Rode NTG-3.

Most any production mixer, placed in the front of the recorder will solve this as well.

My advice would be to invest in a quality field mixer, and then issue of what mics work well with the H4 goes away.

pmk396 said:
I always look on eBay for mics as it is probably the best place to buy for someone like me who is buying from Ireland. I still can't come to a decision of which to get; either a hyper mic or a shotgun mic?

I was thinking of just getting the AT875R and doing my best with indoor dialog. From previous replies, a hyper mic would be a better option for me but I still haven't heard any recommendations for hyper mics that work well with the H4n.
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Rule number one is to audition the gear. Find a dealer who will let you try a few things, and then buy the one that works for you. Or buy them from a store with a return policy, get a few items, return the ones you don't like.
You can certainly try the Oktava video mics, see if you like them. Compare them to a Zoom H2 and some of the other mics mentioned here.
 
Again guys, thanks for the replies.
Regarding the suggestion of getting a mixer to help drive the H4n would definitely be an option that I'd consider long term but, at the moment, I can't afford a mixer and a mic. It's either one or the other.
Due to the fact that I am due to start shooting a short film in March, I need a microphone and I have to come to a decision fast on what mic to get. I can't reschedule this production either because two of the talents are going travelling for a year when production is finished. I am still leaning towards getting the AT875R and doing my best to deal with indoor dialog/audio issues. If someone can recommend to me a decent hyper mic on my budget that plays well with the H4n, then I may reconsider.
 
Oktava test

Oktava test

Hi,

I have the Oktava.

I'm in Dun Laoghaire, you can test the mic here if you want.

Very good mic indoor but for outdoor in Ireland you will need to invest in some very good and expensive wind protections.

I agree with Ulisses (paulista), maybe the AT 897 could be good enough.



pmk396 said:
Again guys, thanks for the replies.
Regarding the suggestion of getting a mixer to help drive the H4n would definitely be an option that I'd consider long term but, at the moment, I can't afford a mixer and a mic. It's either one or the other.
Due to the fact that I am due to start shooting a short film in March, I need a microphone and I have to come to a decision fast on what mic to get. I can't reschedule this production either because two of the talents are going travelling for a year when production is finished. I am still leaning towards getting the AT875R and doing my best to deal with indoor dialog/audio issues. If someone can recommend to me a decent hyper mic on my budget that plays well with the H4n, then I may reconsider.
Click to expand...
 
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