Need Advice: Sanken CS3e or Rode NTG3 and AT4053B?

W

Wendt

Active member
I am building an audio kit for my own productions that include inside and outside locations. In addition some locations will be hard to control the ambient sound (by a creek for example). I will also be filming in some places that have hardwood floors and sound seems to bounce around. After reading a bunch of reviews, I am leaning toward the Sanken CS3e, but I would like to know what you would choose given that there is only $150 separating the Sanken CS3e from both the NTG3 and the AT4053b? I will be getting the SD MixPre-D as well.
 
One more question: How much humidity is to much for the Sanken CS3e? I live in east Tennessee and the humidity ranges from around 85% in the morning to 55% in the afternoon.
 
Can't comment on the Sanken, wish I could but my budget says no. Matt, one of the moderators, and a sound fella, swears by the Sanken as a all around go to mic. Maybe he'll chime in here. Having said that, at some point a small condenser hyper or super type is called for in bare rooms like you described. I own both the ntg3 and 4053b, and can vouch that you can produce some very good quality work with each. Your choices should depend on what level you you care to play. The Rode and AT can certainly suffice for most work. If you need better, likely you will have a sound person with a bigger kit?

You didn't mention lavs which are an important part of any good kit, especially down by the creek.

Regardless of what you purchase, allow some budget for shock mounts, wind protection (including a ball gag for a hyper) decent pole, headphones, etc.

Grant
 
I ended up with countryman lavs, but that was before Rode came out with theirs. The beauty of the Rode is all the micon adapters so you can use the same lav with multiple power sources; wireless, phantom. They also have a pin mic that seems to sound the same as the lav. The Senn wireless system is very decent for the money.

Do a search for the lav testing done by chad Johnson, it's worth a listen for entertainment value and a pretty decent test.

I am on the west side near whatcom-skagit counties.

Grant
 
This is an interesting question, and as such quite hard to answer. The CS3e is loved by many, especially people often taking sound in noisy places, and is really good if you often find you have no time to exchange the mic. The NTG-3 is a good mic to have though, since it's RF-based and doesn't care about humidity, and having a mic with a less directive pattern, like a hyper or sometimes even a cardioid, can be very desirable when you boom fast dialogue between several people.

The answer is, sadly, it depends. If you do a lot of fast paced ENG work, or find yourself having noise problems on many locations, then I would go with the CS3e. I would also go this way if you can consider spending more money on a hyper further down the road. Otherwise, I think the NTG-3 and hyper is a bit more flexible.
 
davefisk said:
I use my CS3e for exteriors and CS1e for interiors. I love them both....a LOT
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Can you tell my why you prefer the CS1e for interiors over the CS3e and why do you feel the CS3e performs better outside over the CS1e? And can the CS1e reject unwanted noise like the CS3e.
 
Jema said:
This is an interesting question, and as such quite hard to answer. The CS3e is loved by many, especially people often taking sound in noisy places, and is really good if you often find you have no time to exchange the mic. The NTG-3 is a good mic to have though, since it's RF-based and doesn't care about humidity, and having a mic with a less directive pattern, like a hyper or sometimes even a cardioid, can be very desirable when you boom fast dialogue between several people.

The answer is, sadly, it depends. If you do a lot of fast paced ENG work, or find yourself having noise problems on many locations, then I would go with the CS3e. I would also go this way if you can consider spending more money on a hyper further down the road. Otherwise, I think the NTG-3 and hyper is a bit more flexible.
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Thanks for the great post. Update: As much as I wanted the Sanken CS3e, I decided to start with just the Rode NTG-3 and the MixPre-D.
 
I ordered the black NTG-3 and received the Silver. I was thinking that the black would reflect less light, but maybe its not that big of a deal since it will mostly be in a black foam wind shield or the Rode blimp. Should I return it for the black one or just forget it.
 
The colour of the body is the only difference, I'd keep the silver one, register it at Rode, make sure you enter the correct serial number, some people don't.

Don't pull it out of its aluminium tube so it goes 'pop!' that's not good. Once a year, wash its foam windshield in warm water and mild soap to remove the dust.
Squeeze the water out with a towel, then let it air dry overnight.

Cheers.
 
Wendt said:
I ordered the black NTG-3 and received the Silver. I was thinking that the black would reflect less light, but maybe its not that big of a deal since it will mostly be in a black foam wind shield or the Rode blimp. Should I return it for the black one or just forget it.
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As it was not supplied as ordered I would contect the supplier and say that you will keep it (as the only difference is teh colour) providing thay offer you some extra discount or freebies as compensation.

If they won't do this, then insist they swap it, at their expense (ie: they pay shipping in both direcions), for a black one as ordered.

This will probably convince them to give you something.

PS - I agree about taking it out of the tube as "popping" will damage the capsule.
 
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