ME66 best results?

J

jaredalv

Well-known member
I'm a new ME66 owner and was wondering if any other users of this wonderful mic would care to share any experiences/tricks you might employ in getting the best possible sound. I'm looking at using it primarily in interview and wedding settings. I have a Rycote softie on it as well.

What I'm looking for also is mic placement (distance and angle), how much boost your giving it from the DVX, etc.

Also, do you prefer the low-end filter on or off?

Thanks,
Chico
 
Re: ME66 best results?

The ME66 can sound a bit thin as it is, so I never use the low end rolloff filter  You can always slap on a high pass filter or two in post.  With the ME66 you need to be very careful with room reflections.  Try to have the rear of the mic pointing at a non-reflective surface like some drapes or a carpet (if you're booming from below).  Some moving blankets are very useful for taming small reverberant spaces.  As with any mic, the closer the placement the better.  You need to use a good pair of headphones like the Sony MDR-7506's if you want to use a shotgun mic correctly.  Experiment with mic placement.  If you're only using the ME66, do the old trick of running it into input 2 and splitting it to both channels with one channel set a bit lower than the other.
 
Re: ME66 best results?

[quote author=Barry_S link=board=Links;num=1081969198;start=0#1 date=04/14/04 at 20:59:42] If you're only using the ME66, do the old trick of running it into input 2 and splitting it to both channels with one channel set a bit lower than the other.[/quote]

Why?
 
Re: ME66 best results?

The ME 66 is a great mic, but it has a very hot signal. If you route the ME66 to two two channels with one channel set to a normal level and one channel lower than normal--you can recover dialogue that overloads the normal channel.
 
Re: ME66 best results?

It will give you 2 possible choices [ tracks ] in post to choose from with one obviously being a little louder ! It just might save your butt on a shoot!
 
Re: ME66 best results?

Ahh! Great idea.

Wouldn't this be true when using one mic generally (i.e., not just the ME66)?
 
Re: ME66 best results?

Absolutely. It should be your standard procedure when using a single mic of any type.
 
Re: ME66 best results?

jaredalv,
Ditto what Barry said. I try to keep the mike 3-4 feet away (max) for interviews, and generally pointing down 30-45 degrees to the subject. This seems to give clean audio, good presence and reduce the bounce effect of "live" rooms.

At this distance, my record settings are well below the halfway mark on the camera dials.
I'm NOT an audio person, but this works for me.
Hope this helps.
Ken
 
Re: ME66 best results?

Thanks all. Finished my first ever paid job with the DVX over the weekend. An interview for an Air Force Day Care provider out at Travis AFB. Sound came off great. Looks like they were so impressed they said they will be using me for all future jobs as well as passing me around to other squadrons as well as a couple of them want some personal work done.

Hopefully this will allow me to pay off my DVX debt a lot quicker so I can go get more toys and also start shooting some film-type work.

Thanks again,
Chico
 
Re: ME66 best results?

Fantastic. Congratulations on a job well done. Getting referred for more work is the ultimate compliment.
 
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