C300: Sennheiser ME66

New_Zealand

New_Zealand

Veteran
I have the Sennheiser ME66 mic and it a bit thin to fit into the mic holder on the C300. Any ideas? i thought about wrapping something around the mic to make it thicker but not sure if it is a wise idea? On my up coming film shoot I do have a sound guy but I would also like to record sound during filming as a backup.

Thanks
 
I've had this problem. Treat yourself to some fresh broccoli or asparagus. Use the wide rubber band provided to hold the produce together to increase the girth of the mic. Problem solved.

A better design for the clamp would be most welcome. I also have mics that are too big, so I end up using a separate mount either on a 1/4 20 or a cole shoe. If you don't like your veggies, a separate mount is another solution.
 
New_Zealand said:
I have the Sennheiser ME66 mic and it a bit thin to fit into the mic holder on the C300. Any ideas? i thought about wrapping something around the mic to make it thicker but not sure if it is a wise idea? On my up coming film shoot I do have a sound guy but I would also like to record sound during filming as a backup.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Kind of low tech but wrapping it with gaff tape until it is thick enough works.
 
Just a suggestion, sell it and buy a better mic. The ME-66 is not a good sounding mic, it's actually unpleasant sounding. I own one, with the ME-64 and ME-67 capsules also and compared the ME-66 side by side with the much cheaper and smaller Audio-Technica AT875r. No comparison, the AT sounds leagues better and is super cheap. You'll still have the same diameter problem to solve but you'll have better handling isolation, better sound quality and smaller physical size, which is better for an on-camera mic, which is exactly what the AT875r was designed for. It's been my best kept secret for years, for a cheap mic, it actually sounds as good as most $800.00-$1,000.00 mics and even sounds better than some of them. I've used it for tons of broadcast and even an upcoming feature documentary that will open at SXSW.
 
I have the O rings, the same ones that Dustin has linked above. In India the newspaper guy throws the newspaper wrapped in a rubber band cut from cycle tubes. Those also work.

I use a standard MKH 416 as on camera mic.

Dan, I am surprised to hear that the AT875r priced at only $169 usd is comparable. Interesting. Did you use the AT975r for ambience or for dialogue? What kind of documentary was that?

Cheers,
Sabyasachi
 
As I look and touch the mic holder on the camera I was thinking it is kind of wobbly? Is it suppose to be like that or is it that my camera is about five years old?
 
Also if I'm going to do recording onto the camera would I want to have the audio Output to be on channel CH1/CH2 even though I'm only using one Mic?
 
With one mic, it's common practice to record a safety track on CH2 that's set a bit lower.
 
New_Zealand said:
I have the Sennheiser ME66 mic and it a bit thin to fit into the mic holder on the C300. Any ideas? i thought about wrapping something around the mic to make it thicker but not sure if it is a wise idea?
Click to expand...

Yes, perfectly normal to wrap a bit of gaffer tape around the mic if the mic holder with the camera doesn't match the size (and if you can't source a smaller replacement one).

New_Zealand said:
On my up coming film shoot I do have a sound guy but I would also like to record sound during filming as a backup.
Click to expand...

On camera audio is not for a "back up", it exists to help making syncing easier.

Although, as you now have a C300 you really should use timecode to sync up as that is by far the easiest process for post. Put a timecode box on the C300.

Such as an UltraSync One, it is my favourite at the moment:



NorBro said:
With one mic, it's common practice to record a safety track on CH2 that's set a bit lower.
Click to expand...

Or have the second track use AutoGain, it is only the scratch track after all.

New_Zealand said:
thanks I will try that. Also what would a good second Mic be for this C300 MkI?
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Why would you want a second microphone on the camera?! :-/

Ideally use the 2nd channel to feed a camera hop from your mixer.

New_Zealand said:
As I look and touch the mic holder on the camera I was thinking it is kind of wobbly? Is it suppose to be like that or is it that my camera is about five years old?
Click to expand...


If it is a little wobbly then that is quite normal, as the shock mount is designed to have some small degree of freedom of movement to isolate the handling noise from the microphone itself.
 
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New_Zealand said:
I have the Sennheiser ME66 mic and it a bit thin to fit into the mic holder on the C300. Any ideas? i thought about wrapping something around the mic to make it thicker but not sure if it is a wise idea? On my up coming film shoot I do have a sound guy but I would also like to record sound during filming as a backup.

Thanks
Click to expand...

As many have said, on camera mics (especially for a film) are not a backup. If anything, they can be a scratch track to make syncing audio easier but there are lots of other methods to do that (clap board, timecode sync, etc).

Backup audio on a film is the sound person listening while recording and letting you know if anything sounds off between takes.

If you were recording interviews by yourself (without a sound person), it is typical to have either:

1.) One hyper cardioid mic boomed over the person being interviewed, and channel 2 set to duplicate channel 1 but at a slight lower volume setting.

or

2.) One hyper cardioid mic boomed over the person being interviewed, and a wireless lav plugged into channel 2 as a backup.

Again, on camera mics will never sound acceptable due to the distance from the source (unless it’s okay for it to sound terrible). On camera mics should purely be used as a scratch track or to record ambience during events (not clean dialogue).
 
mizzar said:
...Again, on camera mics will never sound acceptable due to the distance from the source (unless it’s okay for it to sound terrible). On camera mics should purely be used as a scratch track or to record ambience during events (not clean dialogue).
Click to expand...

Amen. Preach.
 
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