Microphone recommendation?
- Thread starter HeyAndy
- Start date
Have you looked through the stickies in the Audio forum? Lots of good information there. Also, you may want to get a copy of the "Sound for Film and Television" DVD that's available through DVXUser.
Now, about that mic...
Any mic is going to pick up background noise, it just depends on how much and where. That also depends on how certain mics are used, meaning that one mic may pick up less ambient noise if used one way than if used another way.
Recording audio straight to DSLR cameras is ill-advised. I'm not sure what the Lumix G2 has, but most have terrible AGC (automatic gain control) that cannot be turned off and thus mangle the recorded audio. There are converter boxes from Beachtek and Juicedlink that will defeat AGC at the expense of one record channel. Those boxes also allow for use of mics with XLR connections. Your best bet, still, is to record to a separate audio recorder and then sync in post.
So what do you shoot? Is this a mic just for interviews, or are you looking for a mic that's suited to other things as well? Are you shooting news magazine spots? Docs? Weddings? Mic choice is also guided by the scenario.
Now, about that mic...
Any mic is going to pick up background noise, it just depends on how much and where. That also depends on how certain mics are used, meaning that one mic may pick up less ambient noise if used one way than if used another way.
Recording audio straight to DSLR cameras is ill-advised. I'm not sure what the Lumix G2 has, but most have terrible AGC (automatic gain control) that cannot be turned off and thus mangle the recorded audio. There are converter boxes from Beachtek and Juicedlink that will defeat AGC at the expense of one record channel. Those boxes also allow for use of mics with XLR connections. Your best bet, still, is to record to a separate audio recorder and then sync in post.
So what do you shoot? Is this a mic just for interviews, or are you looking for a mic that's suited to other things as well? Are you shooting news magazine spots? Docs? Weddings? Mic choice is also guided by the scenario.
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At least two, possibly three different mics.
Lavaliere mics, either wired or wireless, are fine for seated interviews. In fact, wired is much more reliable that wireless when you don't need the subject walking around and are shooting tight enough that a cable running out the pant leg isn't visible.
A shotgun mic, like the Rode NTG-2 or NTG-3, is a workhorse mic that will capture dialog outdoors as well as in certain indoor situations (rooms with little/no reflections).
A small-diaphragm condenser with hypercardioid capsule is going to be your interior go-to, especially in reflective rooms where shotgun mics won't perform well.
For your short films and docs, you'll get by 95% of the time, or more, with a shotgun or hyper on a boom pole. Of course, this requires having a boom op with you.
There are some shots that are so wide that a boom mic cannot get close enough without getting in the shot, so a wireless system with lav mic is your backup there.