Rode M3 cardioid ?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
Would I go wrong buying the Rode M3 cardioid microphone for better picking up dialog among two actors? $300 retail, I like the shotgun shape so I could use it in a homemade blimp zeppelin windscreen. Purpose would be for making a few shorts this next year. I have a Rode NTG2 shotgun, used that for my first short film that only had one actor. New shorts I will make have 3+ actors, most scenes with 2 actors dialoging.

Related to choosing a mic, I think this mic has a frequency response of 40Hz-20,000Hz. Normal human hearing range is 20Hz-20,000Hz, so why the 40Hz? Is the 40Hz cut off to help reduce ambient wind noise?
~randall
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
Would I go wrong buying the Rode M3 cardioid microphone for better picking up dialog among two actors? $300 retail, I like the shotgun shape so I could use it in a homemade blimp zeppelin windscreen. Purpose would be for making a few shorts this next year. I have a Rode NTG2 shotgun, used that for my first short film that only had one actor. New shorts I will make have 3+ actors, most scenes with 2 actors dialoging.

Related to choosing a mic, I think this mic has a frequency response of 40Hz-20,000Hz. Normal human hearing range is 20Hz-20,000Hz, so why the 40Hz? Is the 40Hz cut off to help reduce ambient wind noise?
~randall
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With the exception of actors like James Earl Jones there's very little information in the human voice below about 100Hz. A high pass filter is commonly used in dialog recording to cut wind and handling noise.

The M3 is really better suited for music than dialog IMHO. And the weight will make it hard on your boom operator. Better to rehearse the scene with the boom so he can swing the mic to follow the dialog. A common technique is to pause a beat between easg actor's line to allow for the boomer to reposition the mic. Or use lavs on each actor.
 
Okay maybe I will look for something lighter, more suited to boompole operation. I just duct taped a pound of butter to my fully extended carbon fiber boompole and yeah it is definitely heavy! Something much smaller and lighter would be much more productive I think for a boom operator-- less chance of that mic dipping down into frame from operator fatigue!

How about something like the Audio Technica AT3031 (112 gms compared to the almost 400 gms of the M3)? $150 street price
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/literature/0efadbc4d951f5ea/at3031_english.pdf

or there is this $99 cardiod mic, perhaps too cheap?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...phone&lp=5&type=product&cp=1&id=1215818567058




Steve House said:
With the exception of actors like James Earl Jones there's very little information in the human voice below about 100Hz. A high pass filter is commonly used in dialog recording to cut wind and handling noise.

The M3 is really better suited for music than dialog IMHO. And the weight will make it hard on your boom operator. Better to rehearse the scene with the boom so he can swing the mic to follow the dialog. A common technique is to pause a beat between easg actor's line to allow for the boomer to reposition the mic. Or use lavs on each actor.
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Hey, you laugh now, but when you are at a pancake feast fundraiser and I am the one wanding my pound of butter over your table using my boompole you will be reaching out with your knife for some of that sweet golden spread to mix with your syrup, LOL.

I think I might take the plunge and buy that Audio Technica, been googling reviews and it looks quite good. And it is light, 1/4 lb just one stick of butter LOL, and it is shotgun so it will work great with my existing shock mounts and zeppelin blimp.

JordanBlock said:
If you duct tape a pound of butter to a boom, you better post pics!
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Just bought the Audio-technica, feel good about the decision, hope I did not make a big error. Like I said, I do have a Rode NTG-2 also, so between the two I should be good for making some shorts. I just want to get better dialog audio with more than one actor speaking. Thanks for the help guys. And yeah now my boompole operator will not have to hold a brick out on the end of the pole!
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
Just bought the Audio-technica, feel good about the decision, hope I did not make a big error. Like I said, I do have a Rode NTG-2 also, so between the two I should be good for making some shorts. I just want to get better dialog audio with more than one actor speaking. Thanks for the help guys. And yeah now my boompole operator will not have to hold a brick out on the end of the pole!
Click to expand...

The AT 3031 is a nice sounding mic - I own a pair of them myself. But I'm not sure I'd go to them for dialog. Vocals or instruments, yes. Podium mics, sure. Or the pair for stereo micing as an X/Y or ORTF array. But for normal speech they need to be close to the subject - about 8 to 12 inches is optimum, more than that and you'll get a fall-off in quality. And their cardioid pattern lets a lot of the room in. I think you'll find your NTG-2 is the better choice for dialog, with its reduced sensitivity to off-axis sound giving you more working room, along with actors who give a beat between lines and a boom operator who is well rehearsed and can follow the dialog properly from actor to actor.
 
Cancelled the order just in time! Thanks for the alert. Guess I better slow down and get more advice on what to buy. Or maybe just save money and stick with my Rode NTG2 and good boompole usage, etc.

Steve House said:
The AT 3031 is a nice sounding mic - I own a pair of them myself. But I'm not sure I'd go to them for dialog. Vocals or instruments, yes. Podium mics, sure. Or the pair for stereo micing as an X/Y or ORTF array. But for normal speech they need to be close to the subject - about 8 to 12 inches is optimum, more than that and you'll get a fall-off in quality. And their cardioid pattern lets a lot of the room in. I think you'll find your NTG-2 is the better choice for dialog, with its reduced sensitivity to off-axis sound giving you more working room, along with actors who give a beat between lines and a boom operator who is well rehearsed and can follow the dialog properly from actor to actor.
Click to expand...
 
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