NEED help with first mic purchase!

W

Wcast

Member
Hi,
I just purchased a Panasonic DVX-100B, and I am looking to purchase a decent quality mic that will mount onto the camera's hotshoe, because I am a one man crew as of right now. I am shooting mostly events, such as large conventions and meetings, and I conduct a lot of walking interviews as well.
I have done a good amount of research over the past couple of days and I wanted to get some suggestions on my situation specifically.

First of all, what would I even need to begin with? My budget is around $400-$500 for everything I need (Mic, cables, etc.).

What type of mic would you guys suggest? Keep in mind that I do a lot of standing/wakling one on one interviews, in large crowded indoor and outdoor environments, and I also do a lot of interior shooting (i.e small rooms, inside of cars). I know I need a mic that can mount onto the camera, since I have no sound guy or boom operator...but what else do i need along with that (power supply, xlr cables, windguard, etc.). Would you guys suggest getting wireless mics as well?

I apologize for asking newbie questions, but my boss says that I MUST figure out the audio deal by tomorrow night, because we are leaving to go to a huge convention for our company this weekend. Please help a fellow DVX user out...any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
 
Rode NTG-1 or 2 with a Rode hotshoe mount should do the trick. You could get a Rycote Softie for extra wind protection (or one from this new DVXuser sponsor...)
You´ll also need a short XLR cable.
Inside real noisy conventions you might need a dynamic mic though.
Don´t forget decent headphones, the Sony MDR-7506 are probably the most used ones.
Don´t expect miracle sound from an on-camera setup, but since I see more and more of these one man "teams", it seems to work...

And tell your boss to plan more in advance next time...
Good luck!
 
Spartacus said:
Don´t expect miracle sound from an on-camera setup, but since I see more and more of these one man "teams", it seems to work...
Click to expand...

Why is it that an on-camera setup not as good as having someone with a boom operator or an off-camera setup?
 
Wcast said:
Why is it that an on-camera setup not as good as having someone with a boom operator or an off-camera setup?
Click to expand...


For me you can get the boom closer to the interviewee so it will sound better. Plus with a boom, the mic is pointing down at the ground so it isn't picking up all the background noise behind the person you are interviewing.
 
Wcast said:
Why is it that an on-camera setup not as good as having someone with a boom operator or an off-camera setup?
Click to expand...

Bimdas hit in a nutshell. The best position for a mic to be to record best sound is rarely the position the camera should be to get good picture. It's a common misconception that shotgun mics are like a telephoto lens for sound -- they're not. They do NOT magnify sounds. They work by reducing the level of sounds coming from directions other than where they're aimed. But they have no more "reach" than any other mic. The typical short shotgun such as a Rode NTG2, Sennheiser416, Neumann81, etc need to be within 2 to 4 feet of the subject to register good levels without a lot of ambience intruding and to give good fidelity and tone, the closer to the shorter side of that range the better. That's usually going to be way closer than you'll want to put the camera for a pleasing image unless you're shooting ECU up their nostrils.
 
WCast,
there is an AT4073a shotgun in the Marketplace right now.
At $430, it is a deal. Paid $550 for mine.
 
Thanks so much for all the suggestions guys, i really appreciate the help.

So my question now is, am I just better off using the "stock" mic if most of the dialougue/interview footage will be shot indoors ( Inside automobiles, small hotel rooms, and maybe a couple walking interviews outdoors)? I guess what I am trying to say is will the difference in quality of sound be significantly different between the "stock" mic and a higher quality shotgun mic ( like the Rode NTG2) when it comes to the type of shooting i will be doing? Is it worth the extra money?
 
higher quality mic will always sound better. But seriously, depending on what you are doing with the footage, a bit of post audio work can do alot in even making on camera mics sound good enough. But the higher quality mics you start of with, the less you have to push it in post.
 
Wcast said:
Thanks so much for all the suggestions guys, i really appreciate the help.

So my question now is, am I just better off using the "stock" mic if most of the dialougue/interview footage will be shot indoors ( Inside automobiles, small hotel rooms, and maybe a couple walking interviews outdoors)? I guess what I am trying to say is will the difference in quality of sound be significantly different between the "stock" mic and a higher quality shotgun mic ( like the Rode NTG2) when it comes to the type of shooting i will be doing? Is it worth the extra money?
Click to expand...

IMHO it would be worth it. YMMV
 
The advantage of getting let´s say the pretty inexpensive NTG-2 and a medium long XLR cable, would be having the ability to take the mic off camera, give it to a "reporter" (this can be anyone with the ability to ask questions...) and get the standard on-the-street interview look.
Or put the mic on a mic stand for lockdown interviews/talkingheads...
 
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