hypercardioid, supercardioid, shotgun? Apples, cherimoyas, bananas?

[nyvideo]

Recently I used a Rode NTG-2 mounted on my camera when I needed to do a quick "get this on video" at my office. From across a small conference room (carpeted floors, acoustic tiled ceilings, and walls lined with books and many people standing and sitting), the sound was acceptable - for what it was. (It would not have been acceptable for a documentary or narrative film.)

In reading this and other forums the suggested advice tends to say "hypercardioid for indoor use" in general, with the usual "YMMV."

So, my questions:

1. Is this advice for a camera mounted mic or is it for boomed situations or both?

2. Is a hypercardioid the same as a supercardioid? And at what point in the pattern does a hypercardioid or supercardioid become a shotgun mic?

3. Why are there so many shotgun mics available for sale at B&H and other vendors, but seemingly fewer hypercardioid ones?

Thank you to all for helping those with much to learn like myself.

P.S. For those who don't know, a cherimoya is a fruit that tastes like a cross between an apple and a banana. (The rest of its characteristics are nothing like either.) :smile:

 

[Alex H.]

1. Is this advice for a camera mounted mic or is it for boomed situations or both?

No. The mic should never be on the camera for critical dialog, no matter what the environment. The advice for using a hypercardioid indoors pertains to using it as any other mic for dialog: on a fish pole or on a stand with boom arm, as close to the subject as possible without being in the frame.

2. Is a hypercardioid the same as a supercardioid? And at what point in the pattern does a hypercardioid or supercardioid become a shotgun mic?

Hypercardioid and supercardioid are not the same. They are both variations of the cardioid pattern, and are both similar in that they are tighter in response than the regular cardioid. They each feature a small lobe of response to the rear. A hypercardioid is even tighter than a supercardioid.

Shotgun has nothing to do with the response pattern of the mic element. Most shotguns use a supercardioid element. What makes a shotgun a shotgun is the interference tube that is placed in front of the element, and this is what gives the shotgun mic its physical shape as well as its super-tight response pattern. The interference tube uses principles of phase cancellation to reject most all sound to the sides of the mic, and almost everything but a small bit from the rear. Where it cannot reject is in bass frequencies.

3. Why are there so many shotgun mics available for sale at B&H and other vendors, but seemingly fewer hypercardioid ones?

Hypercardioids are a much more specialized type of mic than shotguns, and not as many are sold over time. So, there aren't as many out there. However, there are more out there than you think... many times, they are not regularly stocked or are special-order.

 

[ggrantly]

Given the scenario you described, a fairly dead space, the NTG-2 will work ok and as you noted, got the job done. A shotgun wouldn't be the first choice however. The most important thing you can do to improve sound is get the mic off the cam regardless of what mic you use. You might have been surprised if you got the mic within 18" form the speaker how much better it would have sounded.

Grant

 

[JordanBlock]

Neumann has a PDF on mic design that might interest you if you really want to get into the details. It's not exactly light reading, but it teaches more than most people would ever want to know about microphones.

 

[DrDave]

It varies from mic to mic. Many hypers that you buy today look more like supers, you will see a lot of variety in the way the mic handles sound from the back.Just look at the polar pattern to see what's going on. Basically, with these types, you can get some sound coming in from movement from the the audience or cameras, tech crew, unless you point the back end at the ceiling. The rear lobe makes the sound a bit more natural.

 

[Peternap]

The shotgun mics are extremely popular for video work. Audio used in a video via a separate recording system or off camera mic are not really a part of the video process. It is an art in itself that many of us will never be really good at. It's also equally (and my opinion, more) important to the quality of a video than the image.

I get my Mics from places that specialize in the music business (I'm not a musician). Sam Ash is a good place to start.

 

[nyvideo]

To all who responded, thank you.

JordanBlock, I began to read through the Neumann PDF and you're correct about it being heavy reading. :huh: Nevertheless, there are some things that it makes clearer for me.

Thanks again to all for taking the time to share your thoughtful and educational ideas.

 

[Guy_Cochran]

We took an omni, cardioid, super cardioid and shotgun into our studio and spun white noise around them to identify the polar patterns. You can hear exactly when the mic rejection kicks in by watching these videos http://www.dvcreators.net/microphone-polar-patterns/

 

[Petros Kolyvas]

Neumann has a PDF on mic design that might interest you if you really want to get into the details. It's not exactly light reading, but it teaches more than most people would ever want to know about microphones.

An amazing link. Thanks a million Jordan!