"Electrovoice 635A dynamic omni mic" as a boom mic

linkdafourf

linkdafourf

Active member
Hi all,
Im having a bit of a problem. I got to temple, for film, and im only a freshman. The only mic we can check out is the Electrovoice 635A dynamic omni mic. I was wondering if i should use that, connect it directly to my dvx and use it as a boom mic, or just stick with my rode vidmic mounted as a shotgun mic on my camera. If anyone has any experience with the first mic, if you know that its better then the rode, that would be good to know. thanks a lot.
-Ryan
 
Dynamic mics like the EV 635A are only good for "close in" work; the further away it gets from the sound source the less effective it will be as opposed to a condenser mic.
 
so, your saying that unless the person is holding the mic, like a news cast or somthing, its pretty much useless and i should go with the shotgun mic?
 
Without knowing WHAT you are shooting and HOW, we would only be guessing whether a dynamic omni like the RE635 or an electret condenser hypercardioid like the the Rode would be more suitable. In other words, it is not a generic question. It is a specific question for that particular situation.

In general an omni like the EV RE635 is ideal for something like a hand-held reporter or interview-on-the-street kind of shot. It is not very good at any distance, primarily because it is an omnidirectional and will pick up not only the desired signal, but all the ambient noise around it as well. Except in very rare conditions it probably isn't appropriate as a boom mic.

Why do you think you are limited to using the Rode on the camcorder? Put it on the boom.
 
linkdafourf said:
so, your saying that unless the person is holding the mic, like a news cast or somthing, its pretty much useless and i should go with the shotgun mic?
Click to expand...

Typically yes. But why are you limiting your options to a:EV mic on boom; or b:shotgun on camera? Why not c:shotgun on boom? That's the best way to go, although you might want to consider something other than the videomic.
 
i would use the rode on the boom, but i dont have the cables to make that connection, the rode vidmics cord is like six inches long.i would need a mono to xlr cord, and i dont know where to get that, in time for the shoot.
 
linkdafourf said:
i would need a mono to xlr cord, and i dont know where to get that, in time for the shoot.
Click to expand...

"Mono" does not refer to a connector type. The Rode VideoMic has a 1/8" TRS connector (TRS = Tip Ring Sleeve) which is wired for two-channel output. Rode's technical specs call it a "stereo" 1/8" connector, which is inaccurate.

Stereo vs. mono has nothing to do with two channels vs. one channel (well, mostly, as stereo does require two channels). Stereo consists of two channels that work together to create a spatial image from left to right. Even if there are two playback channels, the audio can be monaural if there is not left or right panning. In that case, all audio plays equally on both channels.

In the case of one mic recording to two channels on a camera or external recorder, the recording is dual mono as the two channels are completely independent and only one of those channels will be used in editing.

You're also dealing with balanced (+, -, and ground pins) vs. unbalanced (+ and -/ground pins). With two channels carried over only three conductors (the 1/8" TRS), you have two unbalanced channels. The XLR ins on the DVX are wired for balanced input.

So you'd need to adapt a 2-channel, 1/8" TRS female connector to dual XLR male. And it'll need to be wired to interface the unbalanced, 2-channel output of the 1/8" to two, independent, XLR connectors. Those cables exist, or can easily be custom made.

Back to the DVX, it really doesn't matter whether you have the Rode VideoMic on the camera or on a fish pole when it comes to connectivity... you'll need the same cable either way. That said, the VideoMic isn't the best mic out there to begin with. Unbalanced audio runs are not great over long distances, so adding 25' or more to run from a boom to a camera will degrade the signal.

But sometimes you work with what you have.

Otherwise, you could rent. Trew Audio will rent shotgun/boom kits and will ship them anywhere if you don't have a rental house close by.
 
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wow, haha that was probably the most informational response i have ever gotten to any question ever. thank you. I'm stuck then, im not really sure what to do. The shoot is this friday and saturday. I have a DVX and the rode vidmic. and i only have acceses at my school to check out the condensor mic. I have no idea where i would get the required cables in time, and it sounds like even if i did, it wuold result in poor sound quality. guess im SOL. I just would hate to spend all this time on an awesome project, and have it be shoot with the on board DVX mic. any one on the forum here live in philly and wanna help me out and maybe do the sound for my project!? i live like 4 blocks from temple!
 
linkdafourf said:
wow, haha that was probably the most informational response i have ever gotten to any question ever. thank you. I'm stuck then, im not really sure what to do. The shoot is this friday and saturday. I have a DVX and the rode vidmic. and i only have acceses at my school to check out the condensor mic. I have no idea where i would get the required cables in time, and it sounds like even if i did, it wuold result in poor sound quality. guess im SOL. I just would hate to spend all this time on an awesome project, and have it be shoot with the on board DVX mic. any one on the forum here live in philly and wanna help me out and maybe do the sound for my project!? i live like 4 blocks from temple!
Click to expand...

Rent. Google... find a film/TV production rental house in Philly. Or, call trewaudio.com and have them ship you a boom kit from their Nashville shop. You can rent a mic with pole and zepplin for +/- $50 a day. That may not be so economical by college student standards, but it's a worthy investment in your production.

Get a shotgun mic for outdoors, but ask about a hypercardioid such as an AKG Bluline CK93, or an Audio Technica 4053a or 4053b, for shooting interiors.
 
ill have to keep that in mind for my next project, but right now, thats definatly not in the price range of my budget right now, which is somewhere in the ball park of zero. Maybe I can get an upper classman to check out those mics for me.
 
linkdafourf said:
Maybe I can get an upper classman to check out those mics for me.
Click to expand...

So is the limitation of only being able to check out a 635a something specific to your class level, or to this particular assignment? Would upper-level students have access to more gear?

Back to the Y-cable, you should be able to find one in order to use your Rode VideoMic. You may have to order it online, but check with Sweetwater or Full Compass to see if they have one in stock. Or, if you have a local music store with a good selection of audio adapter cables, check with them. If you are in a time and budget crunch on this, it's going to be better to use what you have rather than give up and shoot with terrible (no) sound support.
 
linkdafourf said:
Hi all,
Im having a bit of a problem. I got to temple, for film, and im only a freshman. The only mic we can check out is the Electrovoice 635A dynamic omni mic. I was wondering if i should use that, connect it directly to my dvx and use it as a boom mic, or just stick with my rode vidmic mounted as a shotgun mic on my camera. If anyone has any experience with the first mic, if you know that its better then the rode, that would be good to know. thanks a lot.
-Ryan
Click to expand...

Hi Ryan,

I don't want to be unnecessarily discouraging, and I advocate the use of boom mics, but I will say, with emphasis, that the EV-635 should not be used as an overhead boom microphone for dialog. I know the 635 well, and it is great for certain applications, but boom poll use is not one of them. You will be much better off using a directional microphone mounted on the camera than the 635 on a boom.

Glen Trew
 
For this...make mistakes...use wrong mikes... and you will know how important sound can be.

This is "only" a schoolproject... if it sucks...who cares ? I suppose there will be still other schoolprojects to come ?

Most important thing is that you've learned from it.
 
well, i mean the class is really competivie and they only accept 25 percent into the next level, so it has to be good. i ended up shooting with the rode mic, and got some pretty decent sound, not amazing, but definalty not terrible. regaurdless, thanks for all the input, the help hooking up the rode mic to my dvx was really apreciated, but its definatly clear to me im going to need to move up to an xlr based boom mic set up. rather then the camera mounted rode. anyways, thanks again for your time guys.
-ryan
 
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