Interview (dnyamic) mic for under $100?

That's a hypercardioid and hopeless for interviews - if you can guarantee that it can be aimed at the sound source - as in somebodies mouth, then fine - but give one to a reporter and just a few degrees off-axis and you get a horrible thin sound, and worse still, if you miss their mouth in a noisy environment, then you get less of them and more of whatever it's pointing at. I don't like disagreeing so strongly - but we're all saying omni, not cardioid, and then somebody suggests even narrower. For a voice over, or maybe on a mic stand where you have proper control, great - but add in some bass tip up from proximity effect and that's a rotten mic for interviews in noisy environments. It's great for other things of course but just not a good choice for interviews. I've seen these in a few radio studios for the guests and they work fine, but if you look at all the interview specific mics talked about here, they're omnis!
 
Another mic that I like is also from Audio Technica (I even use it boomed with a decent preamp) is the MB4k, cardioid mic that runs on AA battery. Not dynamic, as requested, but a solid mic for voice.
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Don't want to create a new thread so I'll just ask hear, seeing as this thread is pretty much over...

I'm buying a hand mic for doing interviews (ext. and int.). It will mostly be used with Roland R-26.
Price range would be somewhere in the "normal" limits, ie. I don't want to go in the high upper range of diminishing returns territory:) Not with this as it's going to be used for reporting, which is mostly low budget work.
That being said, I was looking at the Rode Reporter, primarily because I would get plural eyes with it (which I was think of buying anyway), and the inbuilt pop/wind filter does a nice job to my unprofessional sound ears. I realize this is a cheap microphone, but as I have never really worked with hand mics I have no idea what is a normal price range for this mics. TBH it looks like they are all pretty much between 100-200€ ?
Other thing I am confused is dynamic vs condenser. Hand mics are mostly dynamic right? What would produce better results when paired with R-26 (it has decent preamps for it's price, they are the same as in it's bigger brother R44): a dynamic or condenser? I've read that these dynamics often don't produce adequately hot signal or something like that?

I am also planing in getting a wireless system going: a preamp like one of those Beachtek ones for when working with DSLRs and I was looking at Rode Ilink (that's the one with the plugon transmitter that has phantom).


Really appreciate any help on this topic!
 
Condensers inherently have a hotter output, but are more subject to damage and/or other performance issues due to physical and environmental conditions.. There's also the powering issue (or lack thereof), and a 'compromised' mic cable may work fine with a dynamic, could be unusable with a condenser. The top dynamic contenders are pretty much indestructible and in terms of reliability.. the dynamic mic wins hands down..
FWIW, the dynamic omni directional EV RE50 is the 'standard issue' TV news reporter's mic in the US. The RE50 'N/DYM' model, has a hotter output, among a few other improvements. This doesn't mean other manufacturers mics won't do the job.
There are usually a few pre-owned standard model RE50s on eBay and elsewhere for around $100 USD.
 
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I have a RØDE Reporter... not my favorite mic. The pop-filter is okay but the mic is way too sensitive to handling noise for field use, unless the person holding it is very experienced. It's also not the hottest ouput; plugged straight into a DR-40 took all the gain the recorder had to offer and then still was recording low. I haven't tried it with my DR-60mkII. If you have plenty of clean gain, it can be okay as far as output, and I have been able to work with it through both a MixPre-D and through a Sennheiser SKP-300 (G3) plug-on. Still, just for the handling noise, I wouldn't recommend it.

Check out the Sennheiser MD42. While the EV RE50 is a widely-used standard for reporters, it isn't my favorite for sound quality. The Sennheisers are pretty standard these days for in-stadium sports reporters.
 
This quote from the OP:

"Thanks guys, but the suggested mic that comes up (The RE50) is a bit more expensive in my neck of the woods (Australia) and I also really do not like the sound coming from that mic."

The sound from the dynamic RE50 is very dependent on the preamps used (like any other mic) and the OP didn't state what his recording scheme was. So there might be other reasons why he didn't like the sound. The RE50 doesn't have a particularly hot output (even the hotter N/Mb model), so recording to any weak recorder (read weak preamps) will be a problem. Using a recorder with better preamps or a decent mixer solves the issue. It may not have the full sound of a good condenser type mic, but used for it's intended purpose, with good preamps, it is a very good mic.

The RE50 also has features that make it a good interview mic including internal suspension (for hand held work) a built-in pop filter, and is also extremely rugged, all of which for interviews are real assets. But no doubt, the new price is above his budget. I haven't used the MD-46, but suspect it to have similar qualities.

Grant
 
Alex, is the MD hotter than the Rode? The RE50 sounds nice with inbuilt suspension! But is it really that quiet? As I said we will be using it only with R-26 and nothing else. It has decent preamps but nothing like SD offers...

Grant I think you are confusing me with OP:)
 
ggrantly said:
The RE50 also has features that make it a good interview mic including internal suspension (for hand held work) a built-in pop filter, and is also extremely rugged, all of which for interviews are real assets. But no doubt, the new price is above his budget. I haven't used the MD-46, but suspect it to have similar qualities.
Click to expand...

Including, unfortunately, being above his budget.

I used to do a lot of interviews in dirty, gritty, noisy industrial and street situations where a directional microphone that could attenuate some of the distracting ambient noise was a real advantage. Therefore, my preferred handheld mic to this day is the MD46 (cardioid version of the omni MD42). It does take a little more skill on the part of the reporter to operate, being sure to point it at the subject and away from the background noise sources. Most have been able to get the hang of it after awhile, though.

But that may be moot since the MD46 is around $200 in the U.S.

- Greg
 
KINOKS said:
Alex, is the MD hotter than the Rode? The RE50 sounds nice with inbuilt suspension! But is it really that quiet? As I said we will be using it only with R-26 and nothing else. It has decent preamps but nothing like SD offers...

Grant I think you are confusing me with OP:)
Click to expand...

I do confuse easily, but the quote was from the second post by the OP. I'll now retire to my torpor until aroused.....

Grant
 
From Greg,

"Including, unfortunately, being above his budget."

Used is an option and could probably be got for $100 in the US market; not sure about down under. IMHO, I'd rather have a good used mic that a crappy new one.

Just a question to folks that have more directional dynamic interview mics like the MD46: would you consider a shotgun handheld for the same duty except where the room was unsuitable? I see national level broadcast reporters using handheld shotguns in blimps on a regular basis. Maybe this lets them standoff just a little more than a dynamic interview mic given a hotter signal. Not sure what they are packing inside those blimps but I'd be curious. Maybe a CS3e? Not that it sounds good, but they even seem to use them in the Capitol Hallways which is an audio house of horrors.

Grant
 
Agreed -- maybe I've been lucky, but I've purchased many used microphones over the years and have never had any trouble with them.

I've used handheld shotguns for outdoor interviews regularly, especially in noisy environments. There was one interviewer I worked with a lot who had excellent technique and made this work very, very well. We conducted an interview once directly in front of the glass bottle smashing machine at the local recycling center -- it worked out beautifully with a great balance between the voices and the equipment in the background. But a lot of people were not so precise in handling the mic, so I've come to prefer cardioids overall. I have a CS-3E but have never tried it indoors in this way. There's a shoot coming up in the next few days where I may get a chance, though.

- Greg
 
Greg, Grant, I don't have such a low limitation on my budget. I think you are again confusing me with OP?

Anyway so you guys are recommending the MD46?
 
Handheld shotgun seems to be the new standard for ENG here in the UK as most of the news crews don't seem to have a dynamic mic these days.

They look really ugly especially when a sennheiser plug in transmitter is fitted to the pistol grip and the sound they produce is usially pretty poor as the operator struggles to wave them about or put them too close.

The usually have a rode or a beyer mic fitted but if I was going to offer one of these I think my favorite mic the AT875r would be the choice.

Just as a side note I have used omni condenser mic's for many years as hand hend interview or presenter mics and they can look very good in vision and have good handling noise, I also have a couple of Takstar CM61 mic's that are very small and low cost but sound very very good.

I was watching some LE live vocal performances from the BBC archive last weekend and most of the mic's were sennheiser or AKG condenser omni hand held but I suppose it was pre zillion watts of monitors.
 
Gary, if the condensers are good why not use them? As I understand it, condensers have a hotter signal which means better S/N, doesn't it? If phantom is not a problem why use dynamics?
 
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