Hypercardiod Mic for Commentary Tracks

Chris Messineo

Chris Messineo

Veteran
I need to record some commentary tracks for a DVD. This will involve 1, 2, or 3 individuals seated next to each other and watching the film (playing without sound).

I am planning on booming a hypercardiod mic placed close, but equidistant between the individuals.

I have a mic budget of $500 and I'm trying to decide between the following three mics I have read about in the forums:

1. AKG CK93/SE300B
2. Audio-Technica 4053b
3. Oktava MK012

I would love to hear any opinions on these choices.

Thanks a lot,

Chris

p.s. While I am initially using the mic for the commentary tracks, I will be using it in the future for indi-film work as well, so I am definitely interested in it's "flexibility" going forward.
 
Octava hyper is a good "secret weapon" mic. Many location recordists with gear that would us blush carry them around. They're prone to increased handling noise, but for interior work (if you're careful) many people swear by them.
 
Chris Messineo said:
p.s. While I am initially using the mic for the commentary tracks, I will be using it in the future for indi-film work as well, so I am definitely interested in it's "flexibility" going forward.
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Even with this statement I would say this is a perfect example of when to rent.
For $20-30 you could rent a schoeps and be done with it. (although you'd probably want 2 if you have 3 people).
I personally rent schoeps out for $20 a day (local) and I'm sure with not much hunting around
you could find someone local to you.

There are actually a lot of options out there for you (not just a schoeps)
for this situation because it's not a mic you'll be booming with.
You'll be simply putting it on a stand. Just using a Schoeps as an example that you can get a quality mic for a low cost for a day.

My 2 cents, worry about the "future" boom mic when you have that project ready to go. 100 things could happen by then including you deciding to hire someone to do your sound.

Make it easy on yourself.
 
I'm using the AKG CK93/SE300B combo, I have a pair of them in case I need to hand one off to a second boom op. I'm also quite pleased with the cost-to-performance ratio... since 2 of the mics you listed are quite similar in price (AKG: $478, A-T: $499) the only real difference between them is how the capsules mount- the AKG is a twist-on & the A-T is a screw-on. The extra capsules for the AKG & the A-T are also priced about the same (around $200 each) so the choice isn't about the expense, it would be more about which manufacturer you prefer.

The Oktava is the low-priced alternative, especially considering that at $385 it comes with omni, cardioid & hypercardioid capsules & a -10db pad. You'll never use the omni during a film shoot, unless you're gathering atmosphere, but the others are quite useful (especially the -10db pad for loud scenes).
 
Chris,

I have the AKG CK93/SE300B, which I generally use for interiors, and I have been very satisfied with its performance. I was deciding between the CK93 and the Octava, and decided to spring for the extra dollars for the AKG because of comments on DVXUser concerning handling noise with the Octava and suggesting that the price difference between the two wasn't as great as it appeared because of the extra gear you needed to buy with the Octava to deal with this, such as a baby ball gag and other noise reduction equipment.

Kevin
 
If you're going to put a single mic in front of a group of people, I would think an onmi would be better than a hyper. You'll want all the commentators to sound about the same, yes? With a hyper, those to either side will not likely sound the same as the one it's pointed at; they'll likely be out of the soundfield's sweet spot. With an omni, they'll all be in the sweet spot, so they'll all sound the same.
 
Bruce- if you use an omni in this situation you will get way too much extra sound/noise from the room, as well as a cacophony of voices... The hyper, or plain cardioid, is a much better choice- especially if the boom is moved between the commentators (at least, I hope that is what Chris plans on doing!). If the plan is for the boom to be stationary, then the best bet is to use a wired lavaliere on each commentator.
 
I always use a ribbon mic for voice overs, ideally as a virtual mic on two tracks that are mixed live or in post. So, for your budget you could create a terrific voice over mic with an Oktava and a Fathead. See if you can find a Stellar RM4 on eBay as well for a truly budget solution. However, if you are booming, then weight is definitely an issue to be considered. I use a touch of compression, EQ and a room simulator to tweak the sound. The EQ should have a pretty steep high pass since the voice will not usually go that low, I would start at 96 Hz and move the slider untill I could hear it affect the voice, then back it back down for some "foot room". Unless you want background noise for a live feel.
A hyper will as Bruce says favor a certain part of the room. You might want to get the Zoom H2 and use all four mics. The built ins are decent on voice. You can get a "zoom on a boom" Omnis if used wisely sound great, but they pick up everything, so I wouldn't want the omni to be the only mic in the room. Using a cardioid (or hypercardioid) and a figure of eight, say the Oktava and a ribbon, you can set up an MS pair and decode in software to even out the room, or to pan on the timeline. This works great on voice overs, but if you haven't used MS before in the way, I would keep it simple.
A wired lav on each victim, as Bruce mentions, is a tried and true solution.
 
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I think the 4053b is the best sounding hyper out of the 3. It sounds the best as a hyper, but it's value comes in even more when you get into purchasing alternate caps at 200.00 each. All the AT caps sound good. On the AKG, only the hyper cap is worth using, so there is no value in the modular nature of that mic. If you got the AT4053b and a cardioid (maybe omni if the room is quiet) cap (would be better for multiple people) you would have a good mic for use later.

BUT in reality a hyper isn't the mic for this job. A large diaphragm condenser is the tool for VO, but if a hyper was all you had, it would be best to use one on each person due to the directionality of the mic. If you had only 2 people sitting shoulder to shoulder, and an AT4053b with a cardioid cap, you could be in there.

Also you would have half of a very good mic set for recording live shows. Get another AT4053b and a cardioid cap and you would be set for quality stereo recording.
 
Apologies for taking it away from the mics you're asking about, but I've done a bunch of commentary tracks in less than ideal rooms and I'll generally give each participant a dynamic mic and record iso tracks as well as a mix. Cans for everyone and a headphone mixer lets each participant adjust the levels of the playback and the rough mix so they can hear what they want to hear without it getting into the recording.
 
Would agree with Jordan. As an alt you can use a pair of (or three) cardioid mics on stands. I wouldn't "boom" it because your never going to know who's talking next and you don't want to do retakes since it's the rambling spontaneity that folks like about com tracks. I think a Hyper wil be too tight a pattern. And Omni is likely to pick up too much of what you don't want. Most of the commentary tracks I have done folks would balk at headphones so YMMV.
 
I agree with Noiz and others that a hyper will have too narrow a pattern to properly cover three side-by-side people with one stationary mic. The person in the midlle will be on-mic but there will be a noticable change in the quality of the other two vices due to their being outside the zone of best sensitivity. The front lobe of a hyper is not that much broader than that of a shotgun. If you're going to use a single stationary mic, a regular cardioid on a stand in front of the centre person will work better, arranging the three talent in a quarter circle with the mic in the centre so they're all equidistant from the mic.
 
I have had great success with the Rode NT-1a Condenser mic for $230.00

NT1-A_SM6.jpg
 
You didn't include it in your list but I've used an Audix SCX1-HC ($500 range) on a number of projects and it's performed very well, including some ADR for a recent local TV commercial that's been airing.

Cheers,
 
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