Quick Indoor Mic Test : AT3031 / AT4053b / Rode NTG-2 / Sennheiser MKE600

T

TheDingo

Veteran
I finally had a bit of free time this afternoon so made a quick indoor mic test with the mics I have on hand...

I recorded this in an 8 story office tower on a Saturday so I would be the only person on the floor.

I purposely chose to use the Tascam DR-40 recorder to supply 48v phantom power to the mics and to record the audio, because I wanted an example of using low cost gear to record sound.

My voice is fairly monotone, so if a mic can make me sound ok, it can be used to record just about anybody.

The Tascam DR-40 recording level was set to 50, which is on the low side ( I was peaking around -20 dB ), but I wanted to avoid noise from the DR-40 pre-amps.

After I finished recording, I brought the WAV files into Sony Sound Forge for a little bit of audio processing...

1- I dropped the un-used track, converting the 48 kHz 24-bit stereo recordings to 48 kHz 24-bit mono.

2- I increased the audio volume by about 14 - 17 dB, to even out the levels of the different mics and to make the finished audio loud enough for effective playback. If I had used my Sound Devices mixer I would have done this while recording. ( I know the DR-40 recorder mic pre-amps are noisy when pushed, so I prefer to keep the level a bit low and adjust in post )

3- I used -12 dB paragraphic EQ at 800 Hz to improve the tone of my voice. ( I do this with most of my dialog audio, though I vary the frequency and the amount of EQ used )

4- The room I was recording in was fairly noisy from the buildings air-circulation fans and the street traffic below, so used one pass of the Sony Noise Reduction filter on the finished audio. This brought down the air-circulation hiss by about 8 dB. If this was an actual shoot, I would prepare the room by temporarily blocking the AC vents, and moving the set as far away from them as I could.

Here's a download link to the finished recording...

Dingo's Quick'n'Dirty Mic Test : 20 MB ZIP FIle


Equipment Used for Test

Audio Technica 3031 Cardioid Mic ( discontinued, but you can find them used for about $100 )
Audio Technica 4053b Hyper-Cardioid Mic ( about $600 to buy new )
Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Mic ( about $270 to buy new )
Sennheiser MKE600 Shotgun Mic ( about $400 to buy new )
Tascam DR-40 Recorder ( about $150 at B&H Photo )
Canare Star-Quad Cable with Neutrik Black/Gold Connectors ( a 25 ft cable is about $30 from B&H Photo )
Rycote Pistol-grip with Lyre shock-mount ( about $230 if you buy it in a kit which includes the Rycote Softie wind jammer )
Manfrotto 420B Combi Boom Stand ( about $120 from B&H Photo )
 
Any chance you could repost the link?

Also, would be better if you could post the UN-processed files as well.
Thanks!
 
This was a year ago, so I'm not sure I still have the files. I'll check and see what I can find...

I should actually redo this test and see if I can borrow a Rode NTG-3 mic and maybe a Rode Video Mic Pro. ( I sold off my NTG-2 in the Spring because I wasn't using it anymore. To my ears the MKE600 surpassed the NTG-2 in a couple of areas. )
 
This thread is several years old but it's still interesting. Does anyone have a copy of the original test file? I have an MKE600 and wondering how beneficial it would be to get something different (like a AT4053b) for indoor interviews.
 
fhammond said:
This thread is several years old but it's still interesting. Does anyone have a copy of the original test file? I have an MKE600 and wondering how beneficial it would be to get something different (like a AT4053b) for indoor interviews.
Click to expand...

This was my test, but those files are long gone. If you want to improve your indoor audio quality over the MKE600, you can buy the $60 Takstar CM63 "pencil" mic on eBay. It's a great mic for indoor work, and an incredible value for the price. It appears to be a Chinese remake of the long discontinued AudioTechnica AT3031 cardioid mic, and they definitely tweaked the design to improve the sound with the CM63 mic. ( I still own the original AT3031 mic and the TakStar CM63 beats it by a mile )

I would recommend renting the AT4053b mic before buying one, as you might not think the price difference between it and the CM63 is worth it.
 
Hmm. I have both the MKE600 and the CM63, in what way do you find the CM63 superior? I mean, it's a cardioid so a different pickup pattern if you like more of the room picked up, but I don't see it as superior to the MKE600 for most indoor applications. The MKE600 is a bit base heavy to my completely non-pro ears, but otherwise has a very pleasant "full" sound. Interesting observation, either way, TheDingo!
 
OldCorpse said:
Hmm. I have both the MKE600 and the CM63, in what way do you find the CM63 superior?
Click to expand...

Far less reflected sound, where most low cost shotguns ( the MKE600 is quite good in this category ) pick up echo from walls, floors, ceilings.

The Rode NTG-2 has much more base than the MKE600 does, and none of it's nice bright high end.

I like the CM63 because of it's overall high quality sound, and the wider cardioid pattern makes it easier to mic two people. ( I shoot lots of interviews with two people on camera )
 
Thank you, TheDingo. I never liked the NTG1/2, but I've used the MKE600 quite a bit, and have been very pleased. Caveat, I'm not a pro, so my experience of more expensive mics is pretty limited - I guess I don't know what I'm missing... which is a good thing, since that way I don't spend more money :).
 
TheDingo said:
This was my test, but those files are long gone. If you want to improve your indoor audio quality over the MKE600, you can buy the $60 Takstar CM63 "pencil" mic on eBay. It's a great mic for indoor work, and an incredible value for the price. It appears to be a Chinese remake of the long discontinued AudioTechnica AT3031 cardioid mic, and they definitely tweaked the design to improve the sound with the CM63 mic. ( I still own the original AT3031 mic and the TakStar CM63 beats it by a mile )

I would recommend renting the AT4053b mic before buying one, as you might not think the price difference between it and the CM63 is worth it.
Click to expand...

Thanks! That's very useful information. I'll check out the CM63.
 
fhammond said:
Thanks! That's very useful information. I'll check out the CM63.
Click to expand...

Very intriguing. I love cheap but relatively high quality mics. They are hit and miss but this one could be good and it is cheap enough to take a chance on. Let us know if you order one fhammond and what your impressions are.
 
fhammond said:
This thread is several years old but it's still interesting. Does anyone have a copy of the original test file? I have an MKE600 and wondering how beneficial it would be to get something different (like a AT4053b) for indoor interviews.
Click to expand...

I own a MKE 600 and I went with an Oktava MK012 film edition for indoor. It's vastly superior for me for indoor work over the MKE 600. The lack of an interference tube makes a big difference.
 
"Oktava MK012.. The lack of an interference tube makes a big difference"
- For sure.. and, you must be blessed getting a primo 012 off-the-shelf. I have a pair of Sound Room 012s .. which I love the smooth sound.. , but the low sensitivity (10mv) is a draw-back for me when reaching for low talking or whispering talent, even with my SD pre amps/recorder. For low- talkers & mumbling 'talent', I'll use a MKH50.. (if in's production's budget... and I encourage the talent to project. OTOH,. Actors with stage/theater background are almost never a problem regardless. TALENT <end rant>
 
drapeama said:
We basically tested cheap mics (the most expensive being the AT897 from Audio-Technica). Been pretty happy with the results!
Click to expand...

Cool test. The Tascam TM-PC1 and ISK Pearl have pretty bad sibilance, much more than the other mics do. Your AT875R sounds a lot better than my copy from a few years ago, perhaps I had a defective mic. ( I got rid of it ASAP )
 
TheDingo said:
The Tascam TM-PC1 and ISK Pearl have pretty bad sibilance, much more than the other mics do. Your AT875R sounds a lot better than my copy from a few years ago, perhaps I had a defective mic. ( I got rid of it ASAP )
Click to expand...

1) Yeah, the TM-PC1 is, on the other hand, very good for foley or ambiance sounds. I've used the pair with the Tascam DR-40 and got a very decent 4ch of audio to create background sound in short films.
2) The AT875r really impressed me. It has a quite hot output and sounds really good. The AT897 is more directional and sounds warmer. But you have to work a bit in post as it's much lower (like -10dB easily).

I've been impressed by the CM-63 in this thread, so I ordered 2. They're great for LIVE audio recording, for music or live performance capture.
This is what I'll be doing next saturday, using 2x DR-40 with either the pair of TM-PC1 or CM-63. I'll be in the back of the place, using a DR-40 with 2 mics, getting 4ch of audio on the front, same setup in the back and using the console to feed the camera for sync purposes. Should give enough room to create a good mix from the band!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top