Decent inexpensive lav mic
- Thread starter pulp
- Start date
mainstreetprod
Veteran
Sony ECM44, around $100. I've used it's much older cousin, the ECM50, for years and it works great and is indestructible.
Richard Crowley
Veteran
What does "inexpensive" mean to YOU? Some people think that means $20 and some think it means $800.
You question isn't really going to work without some digits and a currency symbol of some kind since we also have not the slightest clue WHERE you are, either.
Hint: At least complete you profile to the point where you reveal what country you are in. Many questions (like yours) are location-dependent.
You question isn't really going to work without some digits and a currency symbol of some kind since we also have not the slightest clue WHERE you are, either.
Hint: At least complete you profile to the point where you reveal what country you are in. Many questions (like yours) are location-dependent.
AwakenedFilms
Veteran
Shure SM93; wired for XLR. I have a few of them and they sound as good as a countryman on a lectro. Just about anything wired sounds better than a wireless...
Jason
Jason
I'm a recent college graduate. Inexpensive to me means under $100, better even if under $50. As I said, I won't use it often, so I can't justify spending much. I'm in the US.
Steve House
Veteran
The thing is, assuming you're shopping for a piece of kit ultimately to be used professionally, is that you have to be concerned with quality before you're concerned with price. Frequency of use is irrelevant ... even if you think you'll only use it once, if the one time you use it you find you can't reliably deliver acceptable quality results because you bought bargain basement kit, you'll never be given the opportunity to use it again because the people who would have hired you will be hiring other's instead. The better approach is to first research what tools will be required in order to do the job properly, THEN research how you can acquire the use of those tools at the lowest cost. Most of the time, bargains aren't.
manglerBMX
Veteran
Hit up these guys. The tram knock off(801) is a great mic
http://www.oscarsoundtech.com/index.html
I don't remember prices off hand, you'll have to email them for a price list, but I think ost 801 wired for xlr is around $90.
http://www.oscarsoundtech.com/index.html
I don't remember prices off hand, you'll have to email them for a price list, but I think ost 801 wired for xlr is around $90.
+10. My kit has been steadily filling with Oscar Soundtech. I have been using the 801s (they even fit my original tram accessories), and will be trying their
You know my budget and you know what I'm looking for. Whatever my explanation, it is what it is and that's what I have to spend. I don't have the money, or the justification, to spend more than that. If I have to buy equipment that costs more than what the job is worth, or a considerable amount of the final compensation, it isn't worth it. If I won't be using it again, it isn't worth it.
We understand budget constrictions. They happen. There are some basic things to keep in mind:
- Good audio isn't cheap, and cheap audio will cost you more in the long run. That's a truth that doesn't change, even though the lines of cost
erformance ratios have shifted a bit.- Related to the first, buying something cheap now may result in said item needed replacement, often several times over, at which point the item is no longer inexpensive.
- It may not make sense to invest in a piece of gear that is going to spend most of its time collecting dust.
- There may not be a budget available to invest in something proper.
That said, and considering that this mic won't see much play (at least for now), have you considered renting? It's even possible to rent a wireless system with a decent lav mic for about $45/day, and there are large, reputable rental houses that will ship anywhere. That way, you have it when you need it and you aren't paying to have it sit around when you don't.
I have not used the Oscar Sound Tech lavs, but have heard good things about them. I used to sell a ton of ECM44 hardwired lavs, but the thing with that is the mic itself is pretty big, and hard to hide. But, like mainstreetprod said, the thing is a tank, and it sounds pretty good. If you are using it for talking head interviews and hiding a lav is not important, it might be worth looking at.
We understand budget constrictions. They happen. There are some basic things to keep in mind:
- Good audio isn't cheap, and cheap audio will cost you more in the long run. That's a truth that doesn't change, even though the lines of cost
- Related to the first, buying something cheap now may result in said item needed replacement, often several times over, at which point the item is no longer inexpensive.
- It may not make sense to invest in a piece of gear that is going to spend most of its time collecting dust.
- There may not be a budget available to invest in something proper.
That said, and considering that this mic won't see much play (at least for now), have you considered renting? It's even possible to rent a wireless system with a decent lav mic for about $45/day, and there are large, reputable rental houses that will ship anywhere. That way, you have it when you need it and you aren't paying to have it sit around when you don't.
I'm in WV, renting isn't an option. It's also a bit counterproductive if I can get an SM93 for $50.
Why is renting not an option? You can rent a Countryman B6 lav or a Sanken COS11 for $20/day, and they'll ship it to you from Nashville.
You can spend $50 on something that's mediocre but passable, or you can rent something outstanding for a very low rate. Rental makes sense when you don't have enough need to own, and if it's for a job then rental costs can often be factored in and paid for by the project.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Pulp,
I think part of the problem is you started off saying this was for a job. People are giving you good advice IF you intend to work in sound professionally.
It sounds to me like you don't so that changes the equation a bit. Maybe you should elaborate on what this is going to be used for and what your future plans for it are. If your doing some in house whatever and you are not a filmmaker but got roped into doing it then it's a very different story.
Run and gun commercial stuff, shoot an interview, shoot b roll, go home and edit it for a small sum. Not worth buying new equipment of any costs for, because with some of the suggestions being made, the cost of the mic will quickly outdo the pay of the gig.
Done them for a different company before, audio is almost never a concern as long as the speaker is audible. They seem to hire a lot of students and recent graduates, though that's a general statement about this type of gig, not this specific company, though they meet all the criteria of the generic commercial mill.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Well your kind of stuck. If you need to go to XLR and you don't want to go over $100 (and really if over $100 is pushing the edge of what you are getting paid then maybe it's time to reconsider...). I would go to B&H find some of the cheap Sony and AT mics then find out if they can be wired to go direct to XLR and run off phantom. I kind of doubt it. Or look used. I have a bunch of old Countryman lavs that terminate in XLR but the XLR has electronics in it. The problem is that those lave are really only the capsule so you need the power/ preamp part of the mic before you can go to XLR. You might be able to find an adapter that goes from XLR and accepts 1/8" and provides "plugin power" and then you can use any of the large number of "interview" lavs that are out for very cheap.
I'm going to assume from your description that you are the one-man-band shooter and your interest in sound extends only to the point of getting something acceptable to the client. Because for a sound person the "Not worth buying new equipment of any costs for, ..." attitude will get you nowhere fast. Your building kit for a career. I have bought things that were well over the whole cost of the gig (and at a lot more than $100). If it's what you do it's part of the deal. Of course unless you goof you will be using that gear for some time so it does pay for itself over time. But especially starting out you have to over buy or you wont get the gigs that pay better.
I'm going to assume from your description that you are the one-man-band shooter and your interest in sound extends only to the point of getting something acceptable to the client. Because for a sound person the "Not worth buying new equipment of any costs for, ..." attitude will get you nowhere fast. Your building kit for a career. I have bought things that were well over the whole cost of the gig (and at a lot more than $100). If it's what you do it's part of the deal. Of course unless you goof you will be using that gear for some time so it does pay for itself over time. But especially starting out you have to over buy or you wont get the gigs that pay better.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
the "I don't really have money for this but I need it" option is the audio technica ATR3350
I plug it directly to a zoom H1 recorder
as seen on cheesycam:
http://cheesycam.com/zoom-h1-lavalier-winner/
not stellar, but gets the work done (I boom most of the time, just needed this for a couple of shots)
I plug it directly to a zoom H1 recorder
as seen on cheesycam:
http://cheesycam.com/zoom-h1-lavalier-winner/
not stellar, but gets the work done (I boom most of the time, just needed this for a couple of shots)
Steve House
Veteran
For what it's worth, my opinion is that if you're going to accept money at all for a gig, you need to deliver the product with the highest level of professionalism you can muster. Good enough is never good enough. It's not for the client's benefit, it's for yours, the fact that they may not care about the quality doesn't matter. Your reputation is only as good as the last job you did.