cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

T

translumination

Active member
Well I've saved up enough to get one.
Researched alot of posts on the fantastic rejection patterns of these mics. I will be using it as an on camera for 70% of the time for my one man shows and the rest for occasional indie film use.
Now apparently the cs1 is great for indoors but lacks the reach of the cs3 which is good for both indoors and out.
What do people think, is the cs3 worth double the cost of the cs1? will I fret over the lack of reach of the cs1 if I go with it?
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

The CS-3 is rather too long to use it on camera. Maybe a CS-1 is more appropriate for your use. Besides, don't forget that yo should have a good suspension and wind protection system no matter which is the mike, so that adds up.

The CS-3 is one of the best long shotguns there is out there, but maybe it's overkill, especially if you are going to be using it camera mounted. The CS-1 seems also more versatile to use in interiors and some quiet exteriors too. But take with a grain of salt, because I don't really know what I'm talking about. ;)
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Actually the CS3 is also a short shotgun.  It's just the CS1 is a very very short shotgun, more of a hypercardioid.  

I have the CS3 - it's a great mic, but unless you're shooting almost entirely outdoors, I think you should go with the CS1.  I just shot a feature and hardly touched the CS3 because it didn't suit our locations, which were primarilly indoors.  The CS3 is definitely not twice the mic, in fact, the CS1 is a better alrounder.  

You wouldn't want to use the CS3 indoors for instance, unless you were in a very large hall.  Longer shotguns don't really "reach" any further, they just achieve the impression of doing so by rejecting more off axis sound.  But this blocking out comes an the expense of losing warmth and ambience (generally speaking), and also makes more directional mics prone to nasty boxiness in confined spaces.

Also, if the mic's camera mounted (do you really have to do this?), the CS1 is a little more compact for the job.  But Taubkin is right, ideally if you're forking out for a quality mic, you really ought to get yourself some suspension and wind protection.  

Hey, you're on the right track though... Sanken mics are superb.
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

HI Lacuna,
I thought the cs3 was OK for indoors as well as outdoors. I know the cs1 is suppose to behave like a hypercardiode due to its lack of rear lobe and wide acceptance angle so why wouldnt the cs3 as well?
Others have also commented on the thickish sound of the cs3 compared to the more neutral sound of the cs1. Is this what you have found as well?
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

I don't have the CS1 myself. When I bought my kit it wasn't on the market - I have the CS3, the Senn MKH50 (hypercardioid) and AKG CK61 (cardioid).

Because the feature I just finished was shot principally indoors in small, controlled environments, I hardly touched the CS3. In fact, for many intimate scenes we used the farily wide AKG cardioid because it has a very uncoloured sound.

My feeling is that you can get away with using the CS1 outdoors, and in additon, with its wider pattern it will be better indoors. But it depends on your application. If you're going to be shooting 90% outdoors or in noisy environments, perhaps you should go with the CS3 (yeah, it will do a job indoors as well - it's less directional than many shotguns).

The other point is that with the money you save by buying a CS1, you can pick up some wind protection (a Rycote Softie at the very least). I don't think you should consider the price difference between the two to be indicative of quality - rather they have differing applications.

By the way, once you have a good mic, the most important point is to get it as close to the subject as possible, irrespective of the polar pattern. That's absolutely critical - distance to subject will make a thousand times more difference to your end result than whether you choose a CS1 or CS3 imho. Aren't mics so much more fun to talk about than cameras?
;)
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

I have a CS1 as part of my kit and used it on mainly on camera for my doco shoot. (K-tec make a camera mount for it.)
It is a great little short shot gun mic. I bought it from John Barrys in Sydney. The Australian Film and Television and Radio School have bought a few for their student use.
Hope this helps.
PS see if you can compare the two mics. In you are in Sydney try John Barrys, I'm sure they would help.
Cecil beta
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Hey thanks guys. This is quite an Australian contingent we got here.

Someone said pay for good stuff and it only hurts once, so thats what I want to do. I really didnt think the cs3 was so weak indoors compared to the cs1.

I downloaded the samples on dvfreelancer and couldnt really honestly tell a huge difference between the various mics- no doubt my ears arent well trained.

Ideally I'd like to rent them for a few days and see how well they perform. I'll check out Lemac.
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

[quote author=translumination link=board=audio;num=1104143094;start=0#7 date=01/01/05 at 08:41:04]Hey thanks guys. This is quite an Australian contingent we got here.
[/quote]

lol :D That's what I was thinking as I read this thread.

I'm glad you 'Aussies' could get to know each other via DVXUser.com. ;)
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Great to see so many Sydney siders on the list.

I am always looking for help on short films that I am making, ie camera, sound etc, especially if you have experience with a DVX. If you are interested drop me an email to warren@read.net.au


Cheers

Warren
 
Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Re: cs3 twice the  mic of the cs1?

Hey I need projects to cut my teeth with so email me tungbui@ausdoctors.net and we'll talk film. I do it for a serious (expensive!) hobby. Its great when you see your own stuff played back.
 
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