Quality Sound Gear

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Paszkal

Member
Okay, so basically I'm looking forward to buying sound gear... thing is, I'm not so sure what to get, and I'm not too keen on sound... therefore, what are the best quality/price mics out there?

I'm thinking I'll need a boom, mics for outdoor and for indoor, and those you can strap on actors... that's about it, right? if possible, with a maximum budget of 5k.

Any suggestion will be appreciated!
 
Paszkal,

I had the exact same question many years ago. I would do a search and look up the stickies. I have read thousands of pages and although I go to UCLA's film school I can easily say I have learned more on this site than I have at UCLA. Use the search function and/or go through the stickies first.

Best of Luck,
Sinfear11
 
5k can get you a decent little package. will you be doing audio yourself while operating camera or will you have someone esle do it? what are the applications you are looking to use this for(movie, inerview, doc, etc)? and ditto sinfear11. stickies have most of the answers
 
read read read and um read

get jay rose's books

Oktava MK012 with hyper cardioid capsule $180 (sound-room.com) use the code "DV" for 5% off
K-Tek KSSM Shockmount with soft bands $120 (trewaudio.com)
Rycote Baby Ball Gag $140 (sound-room.com)
Rycote Furry Jammer $70 (sound-room.com)

and/or

AT4073a
K-Tek K-Zepp

and

Gitzo 12'5" carbon fiber pole (7560c?) $250 (just released a replacement for this pole at NAB, don't know the #)
Sound Devices Mixpre $665 (trewaudio.com) or SD302 if you can afford it
Petrol PSDMB-302 Mixer Bag $135 (trewaudio.com)
Sony 7506 headphones ($100)
GOOD Star Quad Cable $35-75 each (trewaudio.com)
 
Sorry to post a newbie mic question again. I have been reading for hours about mics and want to make sure I am thinking and understanding correctly.

I am going to Africa in less than a month to shoot a promo video. I will be shooting indoors and outdoors and some interviews. This is ultra low budget and I will be doing it all myself except I should be able to grab a guy to hold the boom pole.

My local dealer suggested the me66 (because thats what they have). After reading here I have decided against it. I have been thinking about doing the Oktava (even though at first I thought it was way too small to be any good). Will this be ok outdoors as well as inside on a boom? Is it ok to plug it straight into my XH A1 since i don't have the $ for a mixer yet? I would also like to be able to use it for some shorts.

Also as far as lavs go.....would a wired lav be good for my interviews? The retailer suggested Seinheiser 112 pg2.

Any help would be appreciated. ThankS!:huh:
 
not that lav. get countryman emw or b6 or the sanken cos11.

If you get the oktava for outdoors, you need to get the bbg and furry jammer.

get jay rose's book!!
 
So Mike would you suggest the Oktava over the Rode Ntg 1 or 2 for my situation?

So one more dumb question.....is the emw and the sanken cos 11 wired? I just plug in an xlr and run the cord to the talent? Are these a better bet than going with a wireless lav with a tranmitter and receiver?
 
are you going to film inside in areas with reflective surfaces? Us the oktava for that. If you are outside and have no reflection problems, use the ntg1 (you need proper wind gear for that too like the ktek kzepp).

Wireless is whole big thing that you probably can't afford if you are worried about which two other mics to choose. You can get the countryman emw wired or setup for whatever wireless transmitter (sennheiser g2 ew100 is 500, but the stock lav is not too good, so replace with an emw or b6 or sanken cos11 wired for g2). DO a search.
 
So if I'm doing interviews and short films would a oktava and a countryman emw lav or a oktava and a rode be the most versitile choice?
 
Cool, thanks for your answers, everybody. I'll be looking into the past posts and stickies. When you make a purchase for that much dough, you want to make sure you buy the right thing!
 
possibly the two boom mics, but it depends on the situation. The most important thing is to get the mic close to the speaker (about 18" above and in front of the speaker aiming right at their mouth). You also need to have proper shock/wind protection for whatever mic you use. I love to boom my interviews with a cradel on a c-stand, but I am careful of what locations I use. I would like to have the option for all 3, but I would settle for a hyper and a lav. THat is what I use the most.
 
o ...Is it pretty obvious if you switch mics during the same show....lets say from the oktava to the rode or to the countryman? Or is it usually hard to tell?
 
it could be pretty obvious, but it may make sense since they changed locations..say outside with the shotgun or inside with the oktava or a hidden lav on a wideshot that is so wide it can't be boomed. Things are processed in post to make them sound farther away when they are smaller on screen. The thing you should do is strive to get the best, cleanest, closest sound for everything.
 
I took the plunge and got the oktava "Bello nero" Mk112a (whatever "nero" means), rode ntg1, country man emw, starquad cable, gitzo pole, sony head phones, and foam and dead cat wind screens! Thanks for your help
 
Hey, another question that may or may not sound ridiculous...

Alright... so I'm thinking of getting a digital audio recorder, to record seperately from the camera... now, I was wondering... can a digital audio recorder also act as a mixer? Aren't both digital? There must be some combination... or do you necessarily need to plug your mic into a mixer, and then go from the mixer to the recorder?

While I'm at it... I'm aiming for something with about 4 or 5 channels... now there are cheap 4/5-channel mixers, and expensive ones... same with the digital recorders... it all depends on the brands... so, which brands are trustworthy and a good price/performance deal?

Thanks a bunch!
 
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Pas,
You can record onto a seprate recorder but it makes for more work I've had no problems going right into the camera. Yes you can use the recorder as a mixer but keep in mind it needs to have phantom power to power your shotgun mic. If you want name brands for mixers; Sound Devices, PSC, Shure, Wendt are all proven portable mixers. None are "CHEAP" but the first thing you learn in this business is how to go broke- then you start making money.
Good Luck
A.G.
 
Uh, if he has $5k to spend, I sure wouldn't be getting an Oktava unless it was a backup mic. It's a decent mic for budget use, but if you want good prod sound then at least step up to an AT 4053a or an AKG CK93.
 
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