Could an Audio Technica 4025 work as an onboard mic?

M

Mavoz

Well-known member
Hi All,

I recently watched a video where the Audio Technica 4025 was recommended as a great bang for buck stereo field recorder microphone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX0Zh5W6LeY

I can see it would be great for this.. but II'm wondering if it could also work as an onboard camera mic...going into my Mix Pre 6...or whether I should just be purchasing something else?

I realise in an ideal world the audio would be recorded separate to camera..and it is a bit 'amateur' to use the mic on the camera with possible handling noise etc...

But I'm often filming alone...in a more "Youtube video making" context....don't want to buy mutiple microphones..and like the idea of using this dual purpose...some times for dedicated field recording athmosphere needs...but also in a pinch attaching it to the camera..

"Speed and efficiency" is also a consideration.

Could this work? Would the attached BBG and Windshield I might need make this too bulky?

Is there some other mic that you would recommend instead that could be dual purpose onboard camera mic + general purpose field recording stereo?

(In my arsenal at the moment I have an Oktava MK12, DPA 4061 lav, Rode wireless lav and a very early edition bulky Rode Video Mic)

Thanks for any thoughts!
 
'The AT-4025 would work to capture stereo 'nat sound' but a shock-mount would be wanted for a cam. The AT 40 series mics are good but not typically considered in the 'low-cost' realm. Under $1k though..
 
The issue with the 4025 is that it's an X/Y microphone. So I'm not sure how great it would be for grabbing something happening right in front of the camera (ie- I don't know if it's OK or not so OK). It's also 10oz or so; kinda heavy for an on-camera mic. Maybe look into mid-side mics, which for our uses usually combine cardioid (mid) and figure-8 (side) capsules. (ie- for the music, you might use an omni for the mic. But for video not so much ime). Takes some decoding, which you could do in your MixPre or in post. But with M/S, you can adjust the "width" of your stereo field and also just use the mid track when you want "normal" camera audio. (I've not done much M/S recording, and only some M/S post, though I work with other music-oriented stereo mic'ing techniques semi-regularly. And in the past I worked with 4025 tracks someone recorded for game sfx).

Here's an overview of mid-sic mic'ing that looks decent (I only skimmed it), but is focused on recording-studio/music use and features different mics than what we typically use in the field.
https://www.uaudio.com/blog/mid-side-mic-recording/


A cool m/s mic to get, imo, is the Sanken CMS-50. But it costs US$1800.
https://www.sankenmicrophones.com/production/shotgun/cms-50/

Closer to earth, perhaps the Audio-Technica BP4029. It's 9-inches long and $800. Don't think I"ve heard tracks from it but in general I think AT mics are good values for the price.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/bp4029

And cheaper, maybe the Audio-Technica AT8024. It has a 3.5mm connector and is shown on a DSLR, so I think it's aiming at the low-end/affordable market. But it's only $200.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at8024

And in the X/Y world, there's the Rode VideoMix X. I know nothing about it, but since it's aimed at on-camera use, perhaps it'd work as an allarounder. US$250 or so.
https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/stereo-videomic-x
 
Jim Feeley said:
The issue with the 4025 is that it's an X/Y microphone. So I'm not sure how great it would be for grabbing something happening right in front of the camera (ie- I don't know if it's OK or not so OK). It's also 10oz or so; kinda heavy for an on-camera mic. Maybe look into mid-side mics, which for our uses usually combine cardioid (mid) and figure-8 (side) capsules. (ie- for the music, you might use an omni for the mic. But for video not so much ime). Takes some decoding, which you could do in your MixPre or in post. But with M/S, you can adjust the "width" of your stereo field and also just use the mid track when you want "normal" camera audio. (I've not done much M/S recording, and only some M/S post, though I work with other music-oriented stereo mic'ing techniques semi-regularly. And in the past I worked with 4025 tracks someone recorded for game sfx).

Here's an overview of mid-sic mic'ing that looks decent (I only skimmed it), but is focused on recording-studio/music use and features different mics than what we typically use in the field.
https://www.uaudio.com/blog/mid-side-mic-recording/


A cool m/s mic to get, imo, is the Sanken CMS-50. But it costs US$1800.
https://www.sankenmicrophones.com/production/shotgun/cms-50/

Closer to earth, perhaps the Audio-Technica BP4029. It's 9-inches long and $800. Don't think I"ve heard tracks from it but in general I think AT mics are good values for the price.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/bp4029

And cheaper, maybe the Audio-Technica AT8024. It has a 3.5mm connector and is shown on a DSLR, so I think it's aiming at the low-end/affordable market. But it's only $200.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at8024

And in the X/Y world, there's the Rode VideoMix X. I know nothing about it, but since it's aimed at on-camera use, perhaps it'd work as an allarounder. US$250 or so.
https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/stereo-videomic-x
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim...appreciate the comprehensive information and links etc...my conclusion is I'm probably looking at two mics:

1) An onboard easy to use..lightweight mic for capturing sound whilst filming that in a pinch can be used in the final edit.

Options here I'm concluding are:

Sennheisser 400 or 440 (stereo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwnkkBAMyOo

Or maybe that Rode you mentioned:
https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/stereo-videomic-x

The 400 has a few practical advantages...built in shockmount and wind protection..very light..headphone monitoring (pre cam)..quick and easy to use...also captures back to the operator...which is handy when I'm often throwing questions at the talent..and lets me be heard too.

Purpose: Run and gun audio that is more useable than just camera audio.

Then:

2) Mic 2...general sound effects/atmosphere mic:

Audio Technica 4025 with BBG and Rycote wind protection:

Purpose: Good quality field recordings..that can still be done with a minimum of fuss versus multiple microphones.

Thanks so much for all the advice and tips!
 
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