Olympus ME-31?

T

Tobias F

Member
Hi Guys,
I have been looking at small shotgun mics for on-camera use, and I know that the MKE-400 is probably the best option, but I am curious to know if anyone has tried the Olympus ME-31. It appears to be sold for use with their voice recorders, but I wonder if this might mean that it has enough discrimination to improve on the onboard mics of most small camcorders.

Thanks,
t
 
On-camera is the last/worst place to put a mic, especially if you want decent and usable results. Since you mention the Sennheiser and the Olympus, which both feature 1/8" connection, I assume this is for either DSLR or some compact camcorder with 1/8" input? Try a quick search on the forums, as this topic has been covered extensively. Or, you can start here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?247260-Audio-101-Helpful-links-and-information, in which you will find:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?246730-SHOOTOUT-of-the-MINI-SHOTS!
 
After hearing Chad's shootout of lower-end shotguns a few months back, I would be hard pressed to say the Sennheiser MKE400 is anywhere close to being the one to beat in that category. Its performance in some of the test scenarios was truly dreadful. The Rode Videomic and (even better) Videomic Pro are much more satisfying in most respects (basic sound quality first and foremost). I know nothing about the Olympus mic except to say that it's not a model most audio people would be familiar with -- which is not a good sign.

- Greg
 
On-camera is not always the worse place to put a mic, as sometimes it is the only place possible. Sorry, I guess I should have elaborated, but I find that the shorter the post, the more likely I am to get a response. making posts is like fishing. or is that dating? And besides, even if recoding from a boom, don't you stick a mic on the camera too, for backup? A few years ago this seemed standard. Anyway...

The purpose for my question is to set up an inexpensive B camera for doing impromptu interviews at events, so yes, it is a compact HD camera, and some discretion is needed, so the on-camera mics are likely to be insufficient. I had initially ruled out the Videomic because of its size compared to the camera (and for some reason the manufacturers and distributors rarely give the form-factor of their items, so I had no idea the Pro was smaller).

So, the shootout is pretty clear that the MKE400 is the poorer of the four. odd fate indeed. If I had the cash to throw, I would try the ME-31 just to post in comparison (to something). Though I do still have to sort out my other audio compatibility issues.
 
Tobias F said:
On-camera is not always the worse place to put a mic, as sometimes it is the only place possible. Sorry, I guess I should have elaborated, but I find that the shorter the post, the more likely I am to get a response. making posts is like fishing. or is that dating? And besides, even if recoding from a boom, don't you stick a mic on the camera too, for backup? A few years ago this seemed standard. Anyway...

....
Click to expand...
Nope, the camera mounted mic was not a backup for another mic. The camera mounted mic you refer to was/is there for two basic reasons: a) capturing ambient sound in the location; and b) for ENG news crews working under extreme time pressure in fast breaking news situations where getting anything at all, no matter how bad the quality, was better than not bringing home the story. News crews had at least two people, more often three, sometimes even four. Basic bare-bones crew would be two, camera operator and on-camera reporter/talent. Three person crew adds a dedicated sound person. Four person crew adds a field producer. Interviews, standups, etc were done with other mics, usually a hand-held stick mic in the hands of the reporter or a boom mic handled by the sound person, never the on-camera mic. Even fast moving doco shows like "Cops" don't use the on-camera mics, instead fieldiing 3-person crews of a camera operator, sound person, and field producer.
 
John, that wee mike looks rather nice. But looks are just looks. Does anyone actually sell it? Has anyone tried it?

Steve, I know fine well how a TV unit functions, as I used to work with them. You will find that it is hard enough to go and interview people at events without a camera, just talking to people is intimidating, and having a crew would make it worse. But this is beside the point, as this is not for TV, and there is no budget to hire people to do this. So the situation is, indeed, the one that you describe, where things need to be ready at any time, there is no crew, and also one needs to be unobtrusive.
 
If it's speed, agility, and low-profile that you need in event interviews, why not consider just going with a handheld, either hard-wired or wireless?
 
Tobias F said:
John, that wee mike looks rather nice. But looks are just looks. Does anyone actually sell it? Has anyone tried it?

Steve, I know fine well how a TV unit functions, as I used to work with them. You will find that it is hard enough to go and interview people at events without a camera, just talking to people is intimidating, and having a crew would make it worse. But this is beside the point, as this is not for TV, and there is no budget to hire people to do this. So the situation is, indeed, the one that you describe, where things need to be ready at any time, there is no crew, and also one needs to be unobtrusive.
Click to expand...

Talking to people without feeling intimidated yourself and without them feeling intimidated by you is a skill an interviewer must learn. If you insist on going with an on-camera mic then you must be willing to accept marginal, severely compromised, sound in most cases. Can you live with it? If yes, then go for it. If not, then come up with a Plan B. IMHO, it better be a damned important interview to settle for anything less than fully professional sounding results and one needs to do anything in one's power to insure that one gets them.The last thing the world needs is yet another mediocre video on topic X Short of videos on the level of those the newsies accidently captured of the planes hitting the WTC, quality matters and the lack of it will interfere with anyone ever getting your message.
 
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