Rode VS Octova

S

Stryfe

Active member
I ordered and watched Barry Green's Sound DVD, and it told me for interior dialogue you're gonna want a hyper cardioid. Since my movie is almost entirely interior dialogue I've decided to get that.

I originally was going to order a Rode NG-2 Shotgun, since most people told that that it worked out well for them. But the DVD told me that shotgun's are not good for indoor dialogue.

So I looked up the Otava on it's own website, but was confused. There's so many variations of the MK012 that I don't know which one I'm supposed to get(Hopefully the cheapest). And I don't understand what caps are either.

Then, I hear about the Rode NT3, which is a hyper cardioid with good feedback.

I was wondering if anyone could give some sound(pun) advice on which one to buy.
 
I have both mics, and I bought the mk012 hypercap (hypercardioid). Shotguns are directional so they pick up echos when sound bounces off the walls, so i use the oktava for most indoor shooting, especially in small tight spaces. If the indoor area is large though (like a convention center), a shotgun works fine.

So, depending on what you are primarily going to use the mic for, buy the more suitable mic. If indoor things that are close quarters (like interviews), go with the Oktava. If outdoor or larger areas (like conventions), then go with the rode. PS, the rode is easier to stick on your camera if you are into that sort of thing.
 
Stryfe said:
I ordered and watched Barry Green's Sound DVD, and it told me for interior dialogue you're gonna want a hyper cardioid. Since my movie is almost entirely interior dialogue I've decided to get that.

I originally was going to order a Rode NG-2 Shotgun, since most people told that that it worked out well for them. But the DVD told me that shotgun's are not good for indoor dialogue.

So I looked up the Otava on it's own website, but was confused. There's so many variations of the MK012 that I don't know which one I'm supposed to get(Hopefully the cheapest). And I don't understand what caps are either.

Then, I hear about the Rode NT3, which is a hyper cardioid with good feedback.

I was wondering if anyone could give some sound(pun) advice on which one to buy.
Click to expand...

The Oktava is a modular microphone system with a common body holding the electronics and interchangeable capsules that hold the actual transducer. This is so you can have a set of capsules with different pickup patterns such as omni, cardioid, and hypercardioid and mount them to the amplifier section to configure the mic to the specific recording situation needs. The idea is that buying one amplifier and 3 different capsules is cheaper than buying 3 different complete microphones. For dialog recording you want the hypercardioid capsule. If you anticipate you might also want to record music at some point, especially if you're going to get a second mic so you can record stereo, the omni and cadioid capsules wouldn't be bad to have in your kit as well.

The NT3 is a nice mic but very large and heavy to use on a boom, being several inches longer than the Oktava and weighing 371 grams compared to about 125 grams for the Oktava. The Rode's pickup pattern is closer to a cardioid than it is to a true hypercadioid so it has less side rejection. The Rode would be a great mic on a stand for stage vocals, micing instruments, etc, but perhaps not so great for booming dialog.
 
Check out the U873R for an inexpensive hyper. It's a small and light. It can double as a handheld. You can get interchangeable capsules (like an omni).

That's the indoor mic that I'm using in pretty much all of the YouTube tutorial videos.
 
Thanks guys, you've helped me a lot. So now it's down to the MK012 Bella Nero and the U873R.

I couldn't tell if the MK012 was Dynamic or Condensor. I would assume Condensor. The MK012 would also take 2-3 weeks to get here.

The U873R is cheaper and phantom powered. So it's a tough call.

The site also offers a Sabra Som SSM-1 Shockmount and Ramtech/Neutrik XLR 1ft cable. The Shockmount seems good since it's universal. This may sound dumb, I don't understand the purpose of the 1 ft XLR cable. Aren't most cables 10-20 ft.
 
The Oktava MK012 is a condenser, and is thus phantom-powered.

Stryfe said:
I don't understand the purpose of the 1 ft XLR cable. Aren't most cables 10-20 ft.
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XLR cables can be any length you wish, especially if you make your own. My kit has everything from 1-foot cables to 50-foot cables.

1-foot XLR cables have many uses. Two of those uses:

- short jumper for on-camera mic to camera's XLR input
- decoupler for fish pole/boom pole use.

It's important, when mounting the mic on a boom, to decouple the cable run from the mic. While you'll have a 25' cable running from the mic to the mixer/camera, handling noise can travel up the cable as well as the pole. The shock mount counteracts handling noise from the pole, but not from the cable. By adding the shortie in between the mic and the main cable, you'll counteract handling noise from the cable.
 
I'm still not sure by what you mean. You put the shorty(1ft cable) in between the cable and mic?

I will be using a DVX100B.

Still choosing between the U873R and the Oktava. May go with the U873R since it's cheaper and is interchangable with caps like the Oktava.

It's become even tougher since a tech school offered Lavlier microphones that are hypercardioid. But Barry Green's DVD told me that Lav mic's are better suited for interviews and reality TV, not to mention all the hassle that goes into using them. Plus it would be good to own my own mic anyway.
 
Stryfe said:
I'm still not sure by what you mean. You put the shorty(1ft cable) in between the cable and mic?

I will be using a DVX100B.

Still choosing between the U873R and the Oktava. May go with the U873R since it's cheaper and is interchangable with caps like the Oktava.

It's become even tougher since a tech school offered Lavlier microphones that are hypercardioid. But Barry Green's DVD told me that Lav mic's are better suited for interviews and reality TV, not to mention all the hassle that goes into using them. Plus it would be good to own my own mic anyway.
Click to expand...

A never seen a hypercardioid lav - cardioids yes but not hypercardioids. At any rate, except in live sound situations where feedback control is a problem, lavs are usually omni. Cardioid lavs are a real PITA for dialog because their directivity means there'll be tonality changes every time the subject moves their head.

Don't know anything about the 873R but looking at the info on the web it appears it would be more appropriate for stage mic use than it is for dialog booming.
 
Steve House said:
I'll be darned, learn something new every day! Bet it's a b***h to get consistent results with it where the subject moves their head normally..
Click to expand...

Consistency is for quitters. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

"Hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna ask you to wear this neck brace for the duration of the interview..."
 
Thanks a lot guys. I've made up my mind. I'll buy an Oktava with a hypercardioid cap.

Instead of letting them bring their Hyper Lav's I'll just have the most experienced boom operator guide my mic.

Unless the tech school has a boom pole and mixer they can bring I'm going to be doing two cardinal audio sins.

A DIY Boom Pole and no mixer. My friend made a movie called Bachelors, you can rent it off Netflix, and didn't use a mixer and I didn't hear any audio problems.
 
"The Oktava would take two or three weeks to get here."

??? Are you talking about getting it from the Sound Room at Oktava.com?

They are here in the States and send out mikes right away. Got mine in a couple of days. I wouldn't buy from anybody else. They are the best to deal with and used to offer a DVX User discount (and may still).
 
I got my Oktava MK012 from the Sound Room. It got here quickly, and it's a really great condenser mic. Great for interior sound. I run it through a Sound Devices 302, and sound quality is amazing.

Plus, it comes in a cute little cedar box that smells terrific! :)
 
That's what it said on their site. I ordered a used one from someone else anyway, so I'm good...for now.
 
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