Oktava and ENG

dusterdoo

dusterdoo

Well-known member
Is this a good mic for ENG style interviews? Im concerned its too noisy per recent posts. .. .

If so, what extras should I use ? Ill probably run it off the hotshoe. . .

If not, another mic of comparable quality/value? And extras?

Thanks in advance. ..
 
ENG style interview is a very vague term, maybe you can provide some more info. the oktava is not a particularly noisy mic in terms of self noise.

I use the oktava all the time in ENG. would I use it on the hot shoe of a camera? heck no.

would I use ANY mic i want primary audio from on the hot shoe? also no. but sound guy are obligated say these things. :)
 
Yes you need to clarify what you mean by "ENG"... if you mean live, public interviews then you want an ENG stick mic... like an EV RE50 or similar... the Oktava picks up details... and if you wanted to conduct an interview on the street... and there's traffic, then you'll know what music every single passing car had playing in it.

There's a thousand mics to choose from out there... you need to be more specific about what you're calling ENG.
 
Do you mean handheld, out on the street with ENG here?
I though the Octava wasn´t so good for "waving" around?
I´m also thinking about getting the Octava, but for interious only with the hyper cardioid capsule...
For outside use people will probably suggest the Rode NG-1...
But I also would like one of the "audio gurus" to comment on that...
 
you're refering to NTG-1, which is a shotgun, and is one of several contenders in the shotgun mic category.

the oktava is not good for "waving around" if by that you mean trying to use it as a handheld mic. its great for waving around on a boom in a nice quiet room.

if you want the top contenders on shotguns, search for "top 5 shotguns", its a thread i did a while back that pretty much covers the low to mid end shotguns to consider.
 
So,
is there a consensus about the Octava?
Like: use it as you want inside a "nice quiet room", but not outside where it´ll pick up to much unwanted noise?
So with a nonmoving speaker in a controled interior setup (talking head aso) we would do fine with the Octava...?
And if I need to boom around in that same room, I´d at least have to have a good boom, shockmount and wind protection?
Or is this also a must for "static" recording?

BTW I know the "top 5 shotguns" post, thats why I sugested the Rode for outside use since it is in the Octavas pricerange...

@dusterdoo
I kind of took over your post, hope your questions were answered nervertheless...
 
Sorry, ENG meaning mic on board my HVX200, and YES, on the hotshoe? 'Sounds' like a big 'NO'.....
 
dusterdoo said:
Sorry, ENG meaning mic on board my HVX200.....
Click to expand...

NO!!!

ENG (electronic news gathering) and on-board mic are not interchangeable terms. In fact they really have nothing in common.

ENG tends to mean going out without any pre-production planning to record something immediately. A "fly by the seat of your pants/go where the story goes" style of shooting. It usually involves a small crew size, but can be larger. BUT it does not mean gathering half-assed audio.

The term, ENG, has been mutated over the years, but nowhere did it ever come to mean or relate to on-board mic.

Cheers
 
The Oktava MK012 can be used on-camera for run-n'gun type shoots quite successfully. Sometimes maybe as a back-up. It will all depend on your situation, and it would NOT yield the best quality, which is what has been talked about here.
 
An Oktava hyper on-cam will still SMOKE the normal built-in mic... at any distance. It's just not a really good idea to consider it "the solution". You might want to try it before you call it quits... just realize that booming is BY FAR the superior technique. Close wins... every time. Don't waste your money on a high-priced mic thinking that it will replace better technique. (not that you would... I'm just saying that at longer distances the price difference in mics... especially on-cam... isn't worth the improvement in sound.

If you don't see yourself booming at some point don't waste your money on a pricey mic.
 
Thanks for all of the advice. I have the Oktava and a AT897, will try both for my situation and report back. . ..
 
Sorry if my comment came off harsh but using the correct terms can be critical in this business. If someone tells me they shot their audio ENG when they mean on-camera it makes a world of difference. False terminology like this spreads on the internet like the plague and need to be corrected quickly and definitively.

If you must use the mic on camera, a shotgun will probably be a much better bet then the Oktava. It's wide pattern and extreme sensitivity will lead to a lot more noise.

Cheers
 
im totally with wabbit on this. ive used the oktava as an on cam mic a couple times, both times shooting drama in a bathroom so small there was no room for me. works great if the camera is in the actors face, but not so great otherwise.
 
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