Looking for microphones to accompany Zoom H4n

D

dominichicks

Active member
Hi
I'm curious to know what sort of microphones are recommended for use with the Zoom H4n - I'm using the Zoom on a Canon 7D on which I'll be shooting narrative short films.

XLR Phantom powers mikes?
Lav mikes?

I'm really looking for a low budget solution to get very decent sound. Will be recording a lot of sound effects in the field as well as dialogue of course.

Thanks in advance
Dom
 
When you price a microphone the cost of having to hire a boom operator every time you want to use it may be a factor !

I think that is the biggest factor

I am a total newb at gathering sound

I have a sanken mic (used with the sonyEX1 as a sound recorder!) which as far as I can tell is very 'insensitive' meaning that it must be close to the subject but is also amazing at excluding ambient sound

having worked with a boom op for the first time last week and having done on camera (rode vid mic) sound too as backup I ended up using only the sound from the sanken unsuprisingly

There probably is a reason why 'hollywood' use sound guy and booms

ENG people with no crew OTOH swear by (and at) Lavs

Dan Chung gave me some good advice on sound - when you arrive somewhere close your eyes and listen for a while !

S
 
You should look around in the audio section, there is tons of great advice there. It is not as simple as getting a mic. You really should read up on production sound and get a good understanding of what you need first.
 
Ok I'll check it out...
I'm really more excited about audio than I am about the visuals right now; it's my first opportunity to properly integrate sound into my projects and sound design has always fascinated me. I'm particularly keen on the work of David Lynch, who always puts sound to great use.

Since I'll be using a Zoom H4N, which I understand has two very good quality directional microphones onboard, I'll probably end up going for a pair of lav mikes I think - as I'm really working as a bit of a one man band.

'Close your eyes and listen' - good advice, I'll remember that!
 
It really depends on what kind of projects you are working on. Lavs are good for some things (docs, interviews, etc.) but generally aren't liked as much for narrative sound. That said, if you are working as a one man band you may just have to go with lavs, although it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some help from a boom op, I'm sure you can find someone willing to do the job who wants to learn, and may already know a little - it's good to learn as much as you can and have a good understanding of all aspects of production, but there's no reason to put it all upon yourself if you don't absolutely have to, and you'll probably end up being more successful if you can learn to work with others, while it may seem impressive to be credited with every aspect of production in the credits, being able to manage a good team and get good work out of them is more impressive, and it's something you can replicate later on your next project.
 
Get a good lav if you don't have one. I'll assume that the sanken mic is a shotgun mic (great mic btw) and I would put the shotgun (boom) mic on a mic stand and point it at my talent and then use the lav as a backup. The is nothing better than a well recorded audio track with a good shotgun mic. If your talent is moving around, then put shotgun mic on your camera and still use the lav as backup. You will have to really monitor your audio because both can really get you in trouble if your not paying attention and being a one man band its hard to. So listen for things like rustling noises on the lav and on the boom listen to make sure talent does not go off mic. This setup will get you the best sound with as little hassle as possible. Also practice, practice, practice with what ever mic you choose. With the H4N, a good lav and the sanken you will have a great little kit for your audio needs both in the field and in the studio.
 
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