Shotgun Mic for car racing!

T

Trademark

Well-known member
Got about 1000 bucks to spend on a new shotgun mic for car racing footage, very very loud cars, peaking all my levels with the current mic, AT6067 is the one I think I have now, it was about 600 bucks....

Having problems with that mic because the mic itself peaks, even though the levels in my HPX170 are below peaking.

Its my understanding that I need a level attenuator? to drop it by like 10-15DB and then I'd like to get a new shotgun.

So anyone with some good experience shooting cars and by cars I mean really loud race cars have a mic recommendation around 1000 beans.

So I can make more pretty stuff like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEBLDOeM7f4

Thanks guys always helpful
 
Is the microphone going to be operated by someone or be on a stand? If operated, I might look into a highly directional mic like the MKH70 or 8070, which is rf-based and resistant to moisture and other kinds of abuse. It's above your price range new, but maybe you can get a good deal used? There's the older MKH816, but they are not in produktion and can be hard to get repaired.

Otherwise, there's always the MKH416 which is an industry workhorse (the MKH60 and 8060 are newer versions), which can be gotten new for around 1000. There's also the rode NTG3 which is a popular mid-range alternative.

I don't know if these can handle the sound levels you work with, as I couldn't find any info on a mic called AT6067.
 
I have done a bit of auto racing recording using a combination of DPA 4062 & Sennheiser MD421 microphones. Neither of which are shotgun mics.
 
Same here Dave.
When dealing with extreme SPLs, I bring along a 421. A 57, 58 or other dynamic would likely work too for TV, however LD dynamics seem to work best for motor racing or other high SPL sources with a lot of LF content. That said, I have used an SM11 in an engine compartment a few times which worked great for engine S/FX.
 
I question the opening premise. If you are so close that SPL is a problem, why do you need a shotgun at all? I don't see how you can justify acquiring any kind of shotgun for recording motor racing SFX. As others have suggested an inexpensive dynamic would seem much better suited for recording loud environmental sounds. Or a modular condenser where you can add a pad between the mic capsule and the mic body.
 
Richard Crowley said:
As others have suggested an inexpensive dynamic would seem much better suited for recording loud environmental sounds. Or a modular condenser where you can add a pad between the mic capsule and the mic body.
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Even the pad wouldn't work if the capsule itself is bottoming out due to the extreme SPL. I third the recommendation of a cardioid dynamic. One of the mics commonly used for bass drums and such might be the best choice -- E-V RE-20 (or -27), Sennheiser MD421, Shure PG52. The only issue is that all of those are rather large physically -- you wouldn't want to suspend them on a boom for any length of time.

Serious suggestion -- if you're working with sound so intense that common high quality microphones are overloaded, you should be wearing hearing protection while working around the cars.

- Greg
 
Sorry guys I should have been more specific....

I'm going to be using this on my camera hot shoe and mostly be recording cars that are atleast 10-50 feet away

no I dont want to record someone talking with the cars in the BG and no it wont be run on a boom pole

looks like the MKH 8060 is a good option for my prince range

pure race footage and yep always wear my earplugs and headphones
 
i'm so used tinking condenser that I didn't consider dynamic mics. With these kind of SPL:s they can be a good option.
 
You're basically shooting drive-bys, right? How about a pair of cardioid dynamics (Sennheiser MD46 comes to mind) in an X/Y or ORTF stereo array mounted on a stand trackside in front of your camera position? Or a pair of dynamic omnis on stands spaced about 10 feet apart trackside to make up an A/B stereo pair?
 
I would second the stereo pair option. Actually a stereo mic (you don't want a pair on a hot shoe). Stereo mics are generally very collapsable if you need to shrink the image in post but the sound in stereo will be much more dynamic.

I have recorded race cars (and lots of cars in general) and we have used condensers mostly. For real coverage where you have a mic under the hood and one close to the exhaust those are dynamics. WE are usually using a stereo pair of cardioid mics. For you though I would probably go for one of the "stereo shotguns". They are or can be tighter than a cardioid pair and can be made very narrow. They are also all (I think) MS internally so they collapse to mono with out issues.

You can check the SPL handling limits of the mic but I have very rarely had an issue with the mic itself clipping.
 
Noiz2 said:
I would second the stereo pair option. Actually a stereo mic (you don't want a pair on a hot shoe). Stereo mics are generally very collapsable if you need to shrink the image in post but the sound in stereo will be much more dynamic.

....
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For a shoe mounted mic I would agree with the single stereo mic. The stereo pair idea would be for mics fixed on stand(s) at trackside away from the camera
 
If you're mounting this mic on the camera and you're panning with the cars as they flash past, then a mono mic is the go.

We always have this mono/stereo question with airshows and a stereo soundstage doesn't work in the same situation.

For that I'd select a mono mic with a -10db cut and a low cut and put both in circuit. If you have a camera with an audio limiter, switch it on so you can concentrate on shooting.

It's wild how that function alone can really take some pressure off you in very loud situations, and you grab useable shots you otherwise might have missed.

Cheers.
 
Raster said:
If you're mounting this mic on the camera and you're panning with the cars as they flash past, then a mono mic is the go.

We always have this mono/stereo question with airshows and a stereo soundstage doesn't work in the same situation.
Click to expand...

I think it depends. If your doing essentially no post then maybe. But I have done a lot of auto and plane recordings and stereo has always been the first choice. You can always collapse the image down to mono in post but you can't really "expend" that mono recording to stereo with out a lot of work.

And those stereo recordings are going to be a lot more use down the line.
IF you are panning then a stereo pair on a stand would be problematic since the visual would stay in frame but the sound wouldn't, but he is camera mounted so the sound image will stay with the visual. And really if your recording sound only for auto races you need to be panning with the cars. If your not the recordings will be of almost no use since the bys are WAY too fast.
 
Noiz2 said:
But I have done a lot of auto and plane recordings and stereo has always been the first choice. You can always collapse the image down to mono in post but you can't really "expend" that mono recording to stereo with out a lot of work.

And those stereo recordings are going to be a lot more use down the line.
Click to expand...

We do busy airshows, and to help to capture the sound of the aircraft in shot from other sounds, we always use mono shotguns on the cameras.
To enthusiasts, the sound of the plane is as important as the picture.

A good airshow video tip is to stereo audio record a helicopter passing low right overhead. In post it can lay over 2 or 3 shots from one camera,
making it look as though it's a multicamera shoot.

That can busy up a 'quiet' airshow scene and as you don't actually see the chopper, it can be used again later in the video, flying from L > R, or vice versa.

We have a couple in the archives. This same trick can be used for car races, watching out for perspectives with regards to the direction the cars are travelling on the track.

Cheers.
 
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