Need Broadcast quality shot gun mic for documentary work

J

jzw

Member
Need Broadcast quality shot gun mic for documentary work

I am currently a student at film school where I have been borrowing their mics weekly to do my own work with the Sennheiser ME 80 Hypercardiod Mic Capsule with the Sennheiser K3U Power Module. Now that I am graduating I need to invest in somthing good. Any suggestions on a make, model, and best place to purchase this microphone? I am not looking for something decent, I want something that sounds fantastic and I am willing to spend as much as $500.
People have recommended the AT 407a and AT 897 ENG, but I want to hear other peoples opinions.
Any responses will be appreciated.
Cheers,
Joshua
 
I have to agree the Sanken CS-1 is the best in the field for under $1000! If you can afford it - get it. I used one recently (not mine unfortunately) and loved it.
 
Man alive. All the brilliant DVXusers must be online today!

The Sanken CS-1 is the finest shotgun mic I have ever used in the price range.

The only downside is because it's very short, you'll need a specific shock mount
designed for it, like the K-TEK K-SSM Mount (note: two SS's, and not K-SM)

dv26.jpg

www.mklemme.com

Also, this site is a great resource for recorded samples of various microphones
http://www.dvfreelancer.com/articles/shotgun_shootout.html

Good Luck!
 
Thanks for the suggestions, I looked into the price of the Sanken CS-1 and it is a little bit out of my price range. Any suggestions that are closer to $500 or less?
 
jzw said:
Need Broadcast quality shot gun mic for documentary work
I need to invest in somthing good.....I am not looking for something decent, I want something that sounds fantastic and I am willing to spend as much as $500.
Click to expand...

The $500 cap kills every other request you made. All sub $800 mics are electret prosumer half-solutions. The ME-66, AT 4073, et. al. were designed for industrial video not broadcast. In addition to sounding like they were recorded thru a tincan, the life of an electret mic is limited. A true condenser mic (ie MKH416, MKH60, KMR81, or even the CS-1) will give you accurate sound with good side-rejection and retain their value. They are a wise sound investment. You buy a electret shotgun mic and you will be shopping for something better a few years down the road.

Personally, I don't like the sound and noise of CS-1 but a certain part of mic shopping is taste. A large amount of people laud the Sanken like it's the second coming :) Just a matter of preference. (Me? I sing the praises of the MKH60 or 416).

Good luck
 
In all fairness, I've used the Neumann KMR-81i, Sennheiser MKH-416 more than any others.
But, after a recent a brief listen to a CS-1, I'm sold on it being my next small shotgun of choice.
 
Come on guys? You're trying to tell us that an ME66 will not produce audio acceptable for broadcast?
Of course the 416 or CS-1 is "better" but the ME66 will produce acceptable broadcast quality audio.

Lets not try to convince a struggling film student that he "HAS" to spend $1k ++ to get audio that will be more than acceptable for any festival or local broadcast.
Lucas may not accept it though...
 
I didn't mean to imply the Sanken CS-1 was anything less then a great mic. It is. Many sound guys swear by them. I will add the CS-3e to my line up someday; an amazingly versitile mic.

Can you broadcast with the ME66? Sure. It just sounds empty and thin (compared to today's professional mic standard). It is certainly far better then mic standards of the 70's and early 80's.

"Broadcast quality" is a somewhat meaningless term. The closest you can determine it is what the standard is and what the minimal acceptable quality is. Listen to some locally produced commercials; what is "acceptable" is really quite low (much lower then what you can get with a well placed ME66).

Repeating a point that has been made many times before: placement and use is far more critical to getting good sound then the difference between a prosumer and a professional mic.

Still, if you want the best sound, you need the best equipment and a knowledgable user behind it.
 
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