Shotgun mic for DVC-30?

[ComedyGuy]

Hi -

Thanks to all you who've been posting great info about mics.

I own a DVC-30 (I know this a DVX user site, but hey... let us Junior Varsity kids listen in on your Varsity talk). I am an amateur videomaker, but really am just a comedian looking to have a decent camera/mic set up to be able to record a variety of situations.

(BTW, I just bought a beachtek dxa-4 so I could have two xlr inputs on this camera.)

I am looking to get a shotgun mike for under 300 (I know, I know...)

The two situations that I am mostly recording are:

1) My own stand up comedy sets, which is usually just my unmanned camera on a tripod at the back of a noisy club. The sound is coming from the PA system and, hopefully, the patrons laughing.

2) Short comedy films with me as the host, standing in front of the camera interviewing people "on the street".

The shotguns I am considering are the AT 897, AT 835b and the Azden SGM-2X.

My final destination for most projects will be online sites (youtube, myspace, and my own site, plus possibly for a DVD output).

Any insights would be great!

 

[SMuir]

To be perfectly honest, a shotgun mic wouldn't be my first choice for either of those situations.

For "man on the street" interviews, I prefer an omnidirectional dynamic mic such as an Electrovoice 635a(b) or RE-50. It'll inevitably wind up in-frame, but both mics are ubiquitous among broadcast news crews. They won't give you the off-axis sound rejection of a shotgun mic, but a tight pickup pattern isn't always a good thing for handheld interviews. Omni mics are very forgiving in terms of placement, as long as they're close to the subject. Both the 635 and RE-50 are built like tanks, with integrated shock-mounting and wind protection. What's more, instead of spending $300 for a cheap shotgun, you can get an excellent handheld for half that price. I own two 635's, both of which I bough used for a mere $100 (Canadian) each.

Recording live performance venues can be a bit more complicated, though. First off, try to get a "dry" feed from the PA's mixer. If that's out of the question (or if you want to add a bit of the PA "feel"), close-mic the actual PA system with a dynamic mic (again, the 635 will do nicely). Neither of these strategies will give you much of the appreciative crowd (very important in this situation), for which you'll really need an "audience" mic either on the camera or on a stand (to allow better positioning). Cardioid or hypercardioid mic's would do the job nicely for the audience mic. In a pinch, you could even use a dynamic mic for the audience, if you're not already using it to mic the PA.

A word of caution: dynamic mics have significantly lower output levels than condensor mics, so be sure to test any mics before you buy to see how they interract with your camera's onboard mic pre's. On the plus side, dynamic mics don't require any phantom power (with a few oddball exceptions).