Shotgun Microphone

[filmguy123]

I was recommended the Sennheiser me66/k6 ENG Shotgun microphone. First of all, what is “ENG style shooting”? What does ENG stand for?

Next, do I really need to pay this much for a good shotgun microphone (aprox $450-$500) ? Also, while I appreciate the idea directional sound, I haven’t had experience with it. How limited is it? Will I want this? What if I want to have the person speaking, but still want to hear ambient noise as well (ie, to hear what my ears would hear standing where the camera is)? Wouldn’t the stock OMNI microphone be better for this?

And/or, is it possible to record both audio inputs, but onto different channels somehow? Sorry I am new to the more advanced techniques of sound recording as I have never used anything but the on-camera microphone.

Thanks for the help!


EDIT: oops, sorry, I meant to put this in the HVX's "HARDWARE" forum, if a mod could move it!

 

[Huy Vu]

ENG stands for Electronic News Gathering, but the mic can be used in many situation from broadcast to film. This post actually belongs in the Audio section, but I guess you're wise to put it here or else you would have been ripped a new one for not reading the stickies before asking .

I'll just summarize what other people will tell you. First, read the stickies in the audio section, there's a ton of stuff there on what mic to buy for what situation.

THEN, they will tell you that you don't want the Me66. It's probably one of the most hated mic around here because it's overpriced compared to what it offers. And actually, $500 is not a lot at all when it comes to audio. The minimum acceptable professional mic is the AT 4073a at $550. And then you need wind protection, shock mount and a boompole to make it work well, and that's just the starting point. To get even a basic sound kit you can probably expect to spend upward of $1000.

A shotgun mic has a narrow pick up pattern and is used outdoor. The on camera omni mic will pick up everything, such as that annoying car engine behind you, the kid screaming and yelling on the side etc. In short: please don't use your on board microphone.

Oh, and welcome to the world of audio dude!