SHURE SM81 Condenser

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DevonH

Well-known member
Hey All,
I'm wrapping up my audio kit for my documentary and I'm still lacking a mic. The audio sticky suggests the Oktava MK012 w/ Hyper Cardiod Cap (which at $180 would fit into my budget), but I can't find them in stock anywhere. A local craigslist seller has a Shure SM81 for $150, though it's not a hyper.

My film is a documentary that consists of only in-home interviews, and I've spent the past few hours reading through past posts regarding the Shure that seem to go back and forth between "fine for indoor interviews, and horrible for indoor interviews". I also see that quite a bit depends on the "build" of the room.

I'll be running the mic through my Zoom H4n.

So my question is: Will the Shure be acceptable for indoor interviews as long as I'm careful about placement, and can you offer any suggestions on "tricks". Also, if you know of somewhere I can get the Oktava (or have a used one for sale), let me know!

Thanks.
 
The SM81 is a great mic, for several applications other than this. It's a bit heavy for boom, and the regular cardioid pattern may not be your friend in many situations.

Have you tried the Sound Room for the Oktava? http://www.sound-room.com/inc/sdetail/474
They're reliable, and you're guaranteed to get quality control, and a genuine (non-counterfeit) Oktava.
 
@Alex, thanks for the lead on the Oktava, I see that one is listed at $290 instead of the $180 in the sticky. Have they gone up?

@Zazacast, I'd love to do both a hyper and lavs, or perhaps even just lavs, but the budget won't allow for it. (I'll have some interviews with 3 people at once)
 
Yes, that thread is a bit out of date on prices.

You're going to have a heck of a time interviewing three people with one mic if you don't have a skilled boom op, just FYI.
 
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The SM81 is a lovely mic for drums, cymbals, acoustic guitar, banjo, etc. when used fairly close to the source. I have four of them and they're my "go to" mics for acoustic folk instruments. On voices, not so much. The cardioid pattern requires that you get the mic fairly close to the speaker, and then you'll find that the SM81 is very prone to sibilance, breath popping and handling noise. I like to think of it as an exquisite, delicate instrument that is just too sensitive to handle the roughness of the environment around the human mouth. $150 is a great price, though, so if the mic's in good shape and you ever think you will do any music recording with it, I would snap it up.

You'll be much better off with a hypercardioid intended for dialogue, or a lavalier, for this kind of recording.

- Greg
 
Thanks for all of the input guys, I'll continue hunting for a used hyper. The Avantone CK-1 set for $149 is intriguing, but it looks like it doesn't play nice with the H4n.
 
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