help need sound advice before time runs out

F

firmgrip

Member
hello all,
I am shooting a documentary that took off really fast and I have gained access to things beyond my dreams. I have the DVX100A and now I am need of advice on mics because i have about 1 month of access before this situation is gone forever from the planet. I need a mic for interviews, both inside and outside and a microphone for general shooting, mainly oustside. always a possibility of wind to contend with. I find all this technology overwhelming and am trying to crawl through it because I need to document this, but it is so nice to have advice directed right at me. Thanks for listening. I am near ottawa ontario.

thanks,
ryan
 
ok...this is a highly debated topic so I will try by myself

ok...this is a highly debated topic so I will try by myself

obviously the topic of mics is debated upon a lot. so I will not ask too much. so far I have figured out that...
1) there is no magical microphone that is good for every situation.
2) you get what you pay for
3) different people like different mics

but I do have one question, i pulled this off the net from a chat....
"No matter what the camera is, you should put a mixer in front of it. I've cut dialogue on projects that were shot on the XL-1, XL-2, DVX100, and F900. On all of these, save one, they recorded audio straight to camera without using a mixer. ALL OF THEM SOUNDED LIKE POO. Bad mic pres and bad A/D converters. You do need a mixer in front of your camera, no matter what anybody says. Camera manufacturers make cameras, not mixers. "

is this true.
when I am in the field?

thanks
 
no, no boom.
I am on a survey crew and I have the camera on my side at all times. I usually have almost everything set to automatic as I am usually pulling the camera up fast. yesterday I got footage of a fox that was coming up to me really close, so my crew chief says to the farmer to shoot it. so the farmer comes out with a .22 and shoots the fox three times and then says "thats why the government should back off on gun registration". it was perfect. but my sound is still on the cameras mic and i know I have to get something better. I can spend probably up to a thousand.
 
Man, that quote is from me...lol. I can see you are doing your homework.


So, it sounds like you will be camera mounted, then.

Do not leave the audio level set to "automatic" on the camera, as this allows to raise and lower the audio levels automatically. At first this doesn't sound like a bad thing, but what ends up happening is when people are talking, the level will sound ok, but when they stop talking, the camera raises the audio level, and your BG's get really loud, so over the course of the project, your BG levels are all over the place, making for a grumpy post sound person. Set your audio level control to manual, monitor the meters AND use headphones to actually listen to the audio.

Now..on to the mic..

Depending on your budget, you have a couple of options:

Sennheiser MKH416 - Around $1000
Audio Technica AT4073a - Price varies depending on where you go, but between $495 and $650 usually.
Sennheiser ME66/K6 combo - Around $500, again depending on where you go.
Audio Technica AT897- Just over $300

I list these in order of my personal preference. Obviously, budget is largely going to dictate which mic you get. They all have their pros and cons, but I think for the money, the 4073a is your best bet. You will also need wind protection. Either a Rycote softie or KTek fuzzy will work just fine. You will need a shockmount, and the PSC universal shockmount is my personal favorite. To get the on your camera, you will need to little adapters. One is a hot shoe adapter from Audio Technica, and that's $14. You will also need a 3/8" to 5/8" adapter from Sennheiser, which is $3. The part number for that is the MZA216. You will then need a shorty XLR cable to go from the mic to your mic input on your camera. PSC has a really nice cloth XLR cable that's 18 inches that works great. I think it's $29.

That basically covers you. As far as putting a mixer in front of your camera, I always recommend it, but sometimes there are situations that just aren't condusive to having a mixer, and it sounds like your situation is one of those. The mic pres on the camera aren't great, but it's definitely better to plug a shotgun mic directly into the camera than to rely on the camera's built in mic.


-Dave
 
Well, I would buy a Senn G2 kit with buttplug ($600), an AT897 ($300), and teh other gadgets Dave mentioned (adapter, cables, softie, maybe a shock mount). If you can use lavs, they will work best. Booming next best. on-cam is last choice, but the AT897 will be 10x better than the built in mic. Have a few if it makes sense. If you are shooting only one environment and setup, then bu the best you can afford to do just that. But having a wireless lav and a shotgun gives you alot more flexibility. I have even used my Bogen monopod as a boom. Here is my "do everyhting" kit (just joking).

http://www.VeniceDigitalVideo.com/locationDVXkit.htm
 
sweet, thanks to both of you who answered me, my brain relies on direct input and I find technology overwhelming and confusing(I am still trying to figure out the camera!), so it is perfect to have recommendations. I would have never known about all the equipment I would need with the mic.
I will let you know how it goes.
And if anyone is in the ottawa ontario area and wants to give me a lesson, that would be great.
ryan
 
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