Thick "Film" Audio Microphone

K

Kevin McCallister

Well-known member
Ok, here's my situation. Gearing up to shoot a feature that takes place mostly outside, but with some indoor dialogue. Also, much of the dialogue is with an ensemble cast, and I want everything to come through thick and clear. I would like to find a boom microphone that produces that thick, fat audio for dialogue that you hear in big budget feature films. Nothing tinny at all. I've read the various comparisons of a bunch of microphones, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience to shooting situations similar to what I've described, and if they've found a microphone that could really perform in those situations. (Maybe Owen, with his "Sugar Creek Gang" experience? Those shoots seem to take place mostly outside.)

Specifically, I've had my eye on the AT4073A. I plan on running audio straight into the camera via XLR. Anyone have any thoughts as to how that would perform outside?
 
Hey Kevin,
I like the Senn. 416. You will need a Zepplin & Fuzzy for sure. AT's are "OK", but if you already know the difference & want the Fat sound go with a better mic. Sorry AT guys :-)
If you can, I would somehow try to run a few lavs in the mix, lavs mixed to ch. 1 & Boom on ch. 2. A small board & a 2nd guy (you do have a sound man, right?) would give you safty & flexabilty.
Steve
 
I like the AT897 versus the ME66 and the 416 specifically because the two Sennheisers sound so hollow. Ask a production mixer who has used both and they'll tell you that while the 416 is slightly more sensitive and directional, the full-frequency response is much better in the $250 AT897.

We're using the 897 on a new Discovery Channel series on cameras, booms and Rycote mounts and the single-system footage is sounding great. Like any other mic, you have to get the 897 in there. We're direct assigning an on-camera Windjammered AT897 to Ch1 and mixing lav and 897 (or 416) down to Ch2.

For wired lavs, we're running Tram TR50 and Sanken COS11s. Location mixers are SD442s and FP33s depending on what day of week it is.

I have owned K3U/88, ME66 and 416, so I have a good background in Sennheiser. I just think AT got the drop on them in this particular application.

e
 
You may have just sold another 897 for AT... and somebody else on the boards can have it for a discount after I get done checking it out.

Did you really mean to say that the 897 sounds better then the 416? Would you mind posting some split stereo audio on that? Or perhaps sending me something I could post? The best way to do it is 897 ch1 and 416 ch2 and then repeat the exact passage first with ch1 duped to both and then ch2 duped to both.

As for getting a nice, fat sound on interiors that could be done with an Oktava cardioid (if you want to cover several people)... or a hyper if you're booming one or two people... but remember: the farther the mic is away, the more you'll hear unwanted room interraction... so whatever you can do to get the mic in tight on everybody is what you'll HAVE to do.

Lav mics aren't that great... but they usually sound so good by eliminating the room interraction problem by putting the mic RIGHT THERE.

A 4073a is one of my favorite short guns... but not for interiors. It's so hot that you'll get a lot of room reflections...
 
overlandfilms said:
I like the AT897 versus the ME66 and the 416 specifically because the two Sennheisers sound so hollow. Ask a production mixer who has used both and they'll tell you that while the 416 is slightly more sensitive and directional, the full-frequency response is much better in the $250 AT897.
Click to expand...
I think you either have a bad 416 or are confusing the me66 with MKH416. There is zero comparison between the 897 and the 416. The 416 is anything but hollow (the me66 is but these mics are in no way related, not even the same technology). The worst that can be said of the 416 is that it is too crisp for some tastes. Those people tend to prefer the warmer sound of Neumann.

The 897 might be fine for TV work and a good deal for it's price but it is far from top shelf sound. I do not have one in my kit nor do any of the sound guys I know. The Sanken CS1 is probably the cheapest mic for quality you can get. If you are looking for a complete kit then the Sanken cs1 and cs3 will get thru most productions with quality audio.

From the samples I have heard of the new Rode mics, they are a threat to AT ENG mics. I haven't used or heard enough real world samples of the Rode but so far they are pretty impressive sound for the price.

To answer Kevin's post, the Senn MKHs, Nuemann, and Schoeps are the Hollywood standard but quality mics alone will not get you great sound. Good mics in the hands of someone who knows how to use them will. If you are serious about getting great sound, then hire a sound mixer for your project. An Arri in the hands of my mother is not gonna produce a Kaminski looking picture. A great mic in unqualified hands aint gonna give you "Hollywood sound".

Cheers
 
Wabbit,

I just picked up a pair of Rode NT5's (cartioids) to try out for interior work and so far I'm very happy with them. The sound is clear and rich, and since I work with novice (meaning never done it before) boom ops, I opted for a wider pickup radius rather than going with hypers. The biggest problem I've had with them is that they're short, and almost don't fit in the AT shock mount I got for them (replaced the stupid rubber bands with the K-Tek rubbers and the mic stays well.) They would never fit in my K-Tek mount and blimp (but I don't use them outdoors, anyway). As much as I would love to have Schoeps, it's just not in my budget right now. I'll try to post a couple of samples so people can listen.

Phil
 
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