NTG3 kit advice requested

I think the Røde windshield is quite heavy - if you must get the NTG3 rather than the MKH416 I would still put it into a Rycote windshield rather than a Røde as it's lighter and, IMHO, much better.
 
Those kits are really the same except that one has a carbon fiber pole and the other is aluminum. Both are from the same company and good quality and should work about the same. The carbon fiber is a bit lighter and has a bit less handling noise, but that noise is much more dependant on how your operator is handling the pole than what it's made of.

If I were in the market for a shotgun the NTG3 would be very high on my list. For me the main competition would be the Sanken CS-3e (at about twice the price) because it does not have the problems of interference tube shotguns in bouncy situations.

I have not heard really any bad reviews on the Rode zeppelin performance wise. It is fairly large so it probably does weigh more and that is a concern. But a lot of people are using them and they are a lot cheaper than Rycote.

I would probably see if you could swap out the suspension for the Rycote though since that is very good and the parts are not that expensive.

But there is another question, which is what are your plans for all of this?

IF you are/ want to be a sound person I would go for the B&H setup because of the better boom pole. You are going to depend on that day in and day out and a few ounces here and there are going to make life better.

IF you are a low budget filmmaker who wants to add some better sound gear to your setup and tu are having an inexperienced boom op feed the camera, then this may be over kill. Something like this might be a better fit. It really depends on what you are aiming for/ at.

If your trying to up the game a bit on your way to hiring a sound person with gear then it's silly to invest a lot in sound gear. The NTG-2 (or 1) is a decent mic and sounds pretty good. The difference between it and the NTG-3, in the hands of an inexperienced boom op, may be close to nonexistent. For the difference in price you could get a used MixPre or MM-1 and get a lot more of "what you need" (limiter, meters, headphone amp, etc).

And none of it is "junk". So while I am an advocate of not over spending if it's not what you want to do with your life, I would not go for some $50 "shotgun" you might find on ebay. The NTG-2 is a respectable mic that you can sell if you want to move up or keep around as a backup.

The NTG-2 is not on my list of things to buy but that is much more because it doesn't fill a hole that I don't have filled with what I have. And I do this for a living. But I have used one and I was really impressed with how good it sounded, much better than I expected. I was volunteering to boom on a friends short so not my equipment. It also handled an indoor scene (admittedly a fairly dead room) much better than I expected.
 
Thank you everyone for the excellent responses.
What I have been using for a number of years is a Sennheiser ME66 with Sennheiser shock mount and a Rycote Furry Windjammer atop a DIY boompole going straight to camera.

What I am wanting to accomplish is to take the audio quality up to a higher level by getting better gear and spending serious time improving myself and others who operate it.
Yes. We are low budget, but if I can spend a couple thousand to bring the audio quality up and reduce post headaches that is what I want to do. The windjammer hasn't fared well in windy situations so that's why I want to step up to a full blimp. I also want a better microphone but for reasons mentioned earlier am leaning towards NTG3 over MKH416 even though I want the 416.

I hadn't realized the size/weight difference in windshields between Rycote and Rhode.

I wasn't planning on bringing up the other gear in this thread but I am also looking at something like an MM-1 and also a $300-600 audio recorder like one of the Tascams or Zooms. Not sure what all I need to accomplish decent results without spending a lot of money.

As you can tell I don't know much about this but I want to step up our game in the audio world. I appreciate you guys who do know a lot chiming in to help.
 
The MM-1 is a great pre-amp/line driver/HP amp, but isn't meant for single operator remote adj. ie: does not have an oscillator or more importantly, an output meter, so levels must viewed at a downstream device.. It also won't turn a pigs ear into a silk purse or correct pilot error.
Another common question/statement: "I spent thousands on great gear, why does my sound still suck?"
Sorry to be cynical .
 
Absolutely some will disagree with the following:

If your shoots aren't too long, you can get by nicely with an aluminum pole. Or get a boom op that likes working out ;-)

I would get the NTG3 over the less expensive options, fuller sound and a hotter signal. If you search, you might find a comparison which will tell the tale.

If I had any extra money, maybe because you opted for an alloy pole, get a Mixpre, even one of the older models, it will rock your world compared to controlling audio with the cam. Whenever possible, I mount a mixer (302) on a tripod mounted shelf and go line in to cam. It is so much better than straight to cam. If you have a second person to ride the bevels, so much the better.

The Rode blimp is a bit big and is heavier, but works well enough, especially for the money.

Grant
 
I want to thank everyone again for your patience and assistance.
I am also looking at used equipment.
I know the MM-1 doesn't have an output meter.
I have been reading about the MixPreD and also 302.
I don't mean to be a burden to you audio pros. I am genuinely wanting to improve and that will take more knowledge, practice and better gear...all of which I am serious about.

Our typical outdoor setup has been:

1X Crew on camera2
1X Crew on camera1 / monitoring audio levels
1X Crew on boom mic
1X Crew on lighting/bounce boards

So that's about as good as I have to work with, 3-4 people.
 
Any reason why your boom op isn't the one monitoring sound? If you have a limited crew like this, dedicate one person to sound rather than having one of your camera ops multitask.

Adding the pre-amp or mixer will help with this. The MixPre-D will give your boom op reliable meters, level control, and monitor return from the camera.
 
"1X Crew on boom mic"
Any pro ENG sound person would be able to handle all the sound.. including the boom. BTW, having an inexperienced boom op is NOT a good idea, and can screw up the simplest shot.
 
Getting the boom op to be able to monitor levels is one of the things I'm trying to accomplish. One guy does a decent job booming with our limited config so I intend to work with him to get better. I'm trying to raise everyone up from where we are. I wasn't sure who was advisable to be adjusting levels so I've had the camera op monitoring so the boom op could keep his eyes on close mic placement during conversations plus the boom op hasn't been able to see the camera screen.

The MixPre-D looks very beneficial and within my budget. If I understand correctly, I can run 1 XLR from it to the recorder and the other XLR to the camera, allowing the boom op to both monitor levels and listen while also giving the camera audio to help sync in post.
 
Last edited:
firehawk said:
I wasn't sure who was advisable to be adjusting levels so I've had the camera op monitoring so the boom op could keep his eyes on close mic placement during conversations plus the boom op hasn't been able to see the camera screen.
Click to expand...

Visibility of the camera's meters may not always be practical for your boom op/mixer. If an external mixer is properly calibrated to the camera, that won't be as big of a deal, especially if the boom op/mixer is monitoring from the camera's headphone return.

Running a recorder as well? That redundancy adds even more security.

firehawk said:
The MixPre-D looks very beneficial and within my budget. If I understand correctly, I can run 1 XLR from it to the recorder and the other XLR to the camera, allowing the boom op to both monitor levels and listen while also giving the camera audio to help sync in post.
Click to expand...

Which recorder are you using? The 1/8" tape out of the MixPre-D is very useful for running to a recorder (very short run, mind you). I've run a MixPre-D to a Fostex FR2-LE using a 1/8"TRS>dual 1/4"TS and have gotten great results. Unbalanced isn't really an issue running a few inches between devices in the same bag. That frees up both XLR outs to go to camera, or you can send one to each camera.
 
Thank you very much.

Currently I have a Sony PCM M10 recorder but I've been looking at some Tascam and Zoom recorders that have XLR. I didn't think of running an XLR to two cameras or both to one. It would be nice to have those options and still use a recorder with the line in. I do want to use a recorder also one way or another.

Is the biggest advantage of the Rycote blimp over the Rode in the size/weight or also quality?
 
Last edited:
firehawk said:
Currently I have a Sony PCM M10 recorder but I've been looking at some Tascam and Zoom recorders that have XLR. I didn't think of running an XLR to two cameras or both to one. It would be nice to have those options and still use a recorder with the line in. I do want to use a recorder also one way or another.
Click to expand...

So the MixPre-D can easily feed your Sony line-level (-10dB) using 1/8"TRS to 1/8"TRS.

If you're looking to upgrade, it may be more sensible to upgrade not to another handheld but to something that's bag-friendly. That way, your sound person can organize in one bag and have meters and controls quickly visible and adjustable. The FR2-LE is a great place to start in the "not much more expensive than some handhelds" category.

firehawk said:
Is the biggest advantage of the Rycote blimp over the Rode in the size/weight or also quality?
Click to expand...

This may be a tad subjective. Personal opinion: weight.
 
Alex H. said:
So the MixPre-D can easily feed your Sony line-level (-10dB) using 1/8"TRS to 1/8"TRS.

If you're looking to upgrade, it may be more sensible to upgrade not to another handheld but to something that's bag-friendly. That way, your sound person can organize in one bag and have meters and controls quickly visible and adjustable. The FR2-LE is a great place to start in the "not much more expensive than some handhelds" category.
.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much and I see your point.

I feel a lot better about what to do after the help I received on this thread. You guys are great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top