It's time for me to update my microphones. I'm currently using (2) AT835B's, an AT 813a, and 2 Countryman B3's and B6's both direct wired & radio. I'm doing more dialog in indie film type situations as opposed to my past life doing corporate interviews in noisy environments. I'm thinking I should look for something with a more forgiving pickup pattern for the dialog work on a boom. What are you using (in a moderate price range)? I will be going into a Sony FS700 direct or a Zoom H6. Both have phantom power available.
Dialog Mic for Location
- Thread starter ric8138
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David W. Jones
Veteran
Sennheiser MKH-50
Sennheiser MKH-60
Sennheiser MKH-60
I've been using an AT4053b for years, along with a few other AT mics. Sure it's not a Schoeps mk41, but then you're paying about one third of what a Schoeps mic costs.
Recently, for fun I bought a Chinese Takstar CM63 mic from eBay for about $ 60 because I had heard it was a pretty good dirt cheap mic, and I was floored when it finally arrived and I used it on a small job. Physically the CM63 looks almost identical to the long discontinued AT3031 cardioid mic, but it sounds significantly better. ( I still own a AT3031 mic ) So this is the mic I am recommending beginners buy, as it is a great no-budget indoor dialog mic.
Recently, for fun I bought a Chinese Takstar CM63 mic from eBay for about $ 60 because I had heard it was a pretty good dirt cheap mic, and I was floored when it finally arrived and I used it on a small job. Physically the CM63 looks almost identical to the long discontinued AT3031 cardioid mic, but it sounds significantly better. ( I still own a AT3031 mic ) So this is the mic I am recommending beginners buy, as it is a great no-budget indoor dialog mic.
Bruce Watson
Veteran
The "sweethearts" of the indy crowd still seem to be the AT4053b and the Audix scx1/hc hypers for interior dialog work, and the Sennheiser MKH 416 (bought used) for exteriors. There are of course many others used, but these mics keep bubbling to the top of the discussions.
Hollywood dialog recordists still like the Sennheiser MHK 50 and the MKH 8050 hypers and the MKH 60 and MKH 8060 short shotguns. The 80xx series are smaller/lighter and thus easier to use on the end of a boom pole. It's hard to find an MKH 416 in active use in Hollywood any more apparently. As above, there are of course many others used, but these mics keep bubbling to the top of the pro forum discussions.
My advice is to look at the AT4053b and Audix scx1/hc for interiors, and also look at the AT875r short shotgun for exteriors. The AT875r reportedly punches well above its weight class.
I'm not really sure there is such a thing as a "more forgiving pickup pattern" in a mic for booming. The problem is if you open up the pattern to make aiming at the mouth easier, you loose some "reach" and so have to work harder to get closer (really riding the camera's frame lines). So to maintain the same audio quality levels, it's a trade off of pointing skills vs. frame riding skills. This perhaps is why so many boom ops end up with hypers; this is where they think the pickup pattern sweet spot is.
The odd thing is that when I went to the eBay page for Takstar CM63, the info blurb claims that this mic is especially suited for outdoor applications, rather than indoor... so have you tried using it for dialogue recording in exteriors? It has a cardioid pattern, and is a small-diaphram supposedly developed to record instruments, fwiw. I have no experience with the AT3031, so that comparison doesn't tell me much, but can you put the CM63 on a boom to use for dialogue? How would you compare it to the different pattern of the shotgun AT875r for interior dialogue on a boom, if you can? Thank you TheDingo!
combatentropy
Veteran
AT875R sounds better to my ears than any mic under $1,000.
David W. Jones
Veteran
If going with a modular system like the MKH 8050 or MKH 8060, I recommend getting MZX-8000 XLR modules for both mic capsules rather then just swapping microphone modules between a single output module. Reason being.... If a single output module goes bad, then you loose the ability to use all of your microphones. If you have a pair, you always have a backup and the ability to work.
Just my thoughts.
Dave
Just my thoughts.
Dave
Thank you all for your input. Microphones amaze me, that they can be so different in cost and function. I don't know if I can bring myself to spend $1300 for one, but I do follow the logic, that we spend 5-7 times that to capture the image, and let's face it, 80-90% of what's going on is in the dialog. I have also more often than not regretted buying cheap gear, but never regretted buying the best.
David W. Jones
Veteran
Keep you eye open for high quality used microphones on places like eBay and the like. There is always a filmmaker selling his or her gear, and there are deals to be had.
Here's the manufacturer's web page for it : Takstar CM63 Cardioid Condenser Mic
Apparently this mic can also be used in humid environments, which is probably why somebody on eBay mentioned using it outdoors. So far I've only used it indoors, and have been very impressed with the sound it captures. It put's out a fairly strong signal too, so it works well with low cost recorders like the Tascam DR-40 or Zoom H5.
The discontinued AT3031 I mentioned previously was popular with nature shooters because of it's fairly low self-noise and resistance to humidity, and it looks like the Takstar CM63 is a nice upgrade to the AT3031 design.
Not yet. As long as you've got proper wind protection ( like a baby ball-gag and a dead-cat ) I don't see any reason why this mic wouldn't be a good fit when shooting outside. It's a cardioid mic so you won't get the same degree of isolation you'll get with a good shotgun mic, but depending on where you are shooting it may not matter.
Yes, the CM63 works just like any other small capsule "pencil" condenser mic, so mounting it on a boom is dirt simple.
I owned an AT875R mic for about one year and then sold it off. I found the AT875R mic had very good off-axis sound rejection, so it was a good mic for indoor recording. My main issue with the AT875R was that it had a very week lower range, so I had to add a lot of EQ in the lower frequencies to try and get good audio out of it. Compared to all my other mics, the AT875R was the only mic I owned with this weak lower frequency issue, so eventually I sold it.
Looking at this review, the LineAudio CM3 mics might be less sensitive than the TakStar CM63 so you might need a better preamp for the CM3 mics. It's impressive how small the CM3 mic is, which appears to be less than half the length of the TakStar CM63.
One small drawback with the TakStar CM63 is the built-in roll-off switch, which is supposed to roll-off at 100 Hz but it sounds like it's more like 200 or 250 Hz, which makes it useless for me. It's possible that it's just the mic that I own, but I won't be able to tell until I get another mic to test with.
Intrigued by TheDingo's experience, I've gone ahead and ordered a Takstar CM63 off ebay. I am curious to see how it will compare to the Rode NT5 I have that I sometimes use for dialogue recording. Now, this is no doubt entirely due to my being a non-pro sound person, but I like what I get out of the NT5 for dialogue. Then I came across a blind test Curtis Judd did on his site, where he featured 5 mics and you could pick what you liked the best, and then some time later he revealed which mic was which. I picked the Rode NT5 for interior dialogue, lol. Now possibly it's just because I was used to it already, but in any case I just used my ears. Which is what I always recommend: use your own ears. Of course it may be that what a NT5 records is less pliable in post compared to an AT-4053b, but like I said: I'm not a pro. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to testing the CM63. Thanks TheDingo!
drapeama
Well-known member
I purchased one recently and I'm still impressed with it. I had the "good old" NTG2 for a couple years, and I haven't used it since the AT875R. For the price (being cheaper) it's a lot better than a couple mic I've used and heard.
The Sennheiser MKH-50 or 60 are great mics, but for a fraction of the price, the AT is hard to beat. And even indoor, it performs quite well while having a good off-axis rejection. It's a very good mic to have in the bag.
GaryNattrass
Veteran
I have been using the Takstar Cm60 and CM61 mic's for several years and have found them to be excellent sounding a value for money.
I am surprised that these mics are not better known. I kind of stumbled into the CM63 by accident.
GaryNattrass
Veteran
I had to import mine from China but they are good quality and you can see they have gold capsules. The Omni is a cracking mic and really good as a compact hand held reporter and interview mic.