To record speech : NTG2, NTG3 or sennheiser AT-875R
- Thread starter deleuze3
- Start date
First, the AT-875r is not a Sennheiser mic; it is from Audio Technica (hence the "AT" in the model number).
Second, for what kind of application? There are many scenarios in which voice is recorded, and there are different tools for each. Are you wanting something to place on a boom for on-camera dialog? Are you recording VO, narration, etc.? ADR? It's really hard to suggest a mic when we don't know how it will be used.
That said, I'm going to take a guess that you're asking about a boomed mic for on-camera dialog. In that instance, you have three shotguns listed of which two are comparable (NTG-2 vs. AT-875r) and one is a no-brainer. If you're at all thinking that you have the budget for the NTG-3, it shouldn't really be a question among those three. It's a great shotgun mic.
Like any shotgun, it won't work in every situation. Shotguns are generally great outdoors, with the exception of highly-reflective locations (such as a tennis court with concrete walls). Shotguns also are not always the first choice for interiors, but that's mostly in regards to really reverberant, reflective rooms. Interiors that are fairly dead (lots of absorption and diffusion, little reflection and reverb) are fine for shotguns. Some shotgun mics handle more interiors a bit better, and the NTG-3 can do quite a bit. The common advice you'll see about having a hypercardioid on hand for interiors pertains to more reflective rooms, so keep in mind that there is no such thing as one mic that can do everything every time.
Any of the little stock "shotguns" that come with cameras/camcorders will be cheap. If you're even considering making a purchase like the NTG-3, why consider this?
As Alex says, the NTG-3 is a considerable step above the others, being a near clone of the Sennheiser 416. It will also take more abuse than the others, and is better environmentally-sealed.
That said, the AT-875R is no slouch, is very compact/light and works very well indeed indoors, where other shotguns mics have problems with reflected sound, high-end "fizz", etc. Gary Nattrass (who has responded to previous posts of yours) loves it, and I like it too (for what it is).
Your question is vague as to your intended use. Which mic is "best" depends on a number of factors. My advice is to consider what use you're honestly going to put it to.
Will a more expensive mic really make a difference, or should you be improving your booming, handling and post production skills first? Will its results bring in more money (i.e will it give you a return)?. If you have other investments to make/toys to buy, get an AT875R. Maybe an expert production mixer could hear a difference between it and a Schoeps CMIT-5U, but will your intended audience?
On the other hand, if you have the cash, go for the Rode. And a hypercardioid for indoors. And some Lectrosonics lavs. And an SD 633 while you're at it. You only live once!
That said, the AT-875R is no slouch, is very compact/light and works very well indeed indoors, where other shotguns mics have problems with reflected sound, high-end "fizz", etc. Gary Nattrass (who has responded to previous posts of yours) loves it, and I like it too (for what it is).
Your question is vague as to your intended use. Which mic is "best" depends on a number of factors. My advice is to consider what use you're honestly going to put it to.
Will a more expensive mic really make a difference, or should you be improving your booming, handling and post production skills first? Will its results bring in more money (i.e will it give you a return)?. If you have other investments to make/toys to buy, get an AT875R. Maybe an expert production mixer could hear a difference between it and a Schoeps CMIT-5U, but will your intended audience?
On the other hand, if you have the cash, go for the Rode. And a hypercardioid for indoors. And some Lectrosonics lavs. And an SD 633 while you're at it. You only live once!
David W. Jones
Veteran
Mounted to your sony CX-760 camera, none of them.
Also be aware that the NTG3 will require a phantom power source.
Also be aware that the NTG3 will require a phantom power source.
doubledark
Well-known member
Hi Roly,
so for indoor seated interviews (I envision indoors but occasionally outdoors), you feel that this mic is a good compromise between quality&investment ?
Having no experience in this area, what shock mount & wind protection should I consider ?
unclebob6958
Well-known member
Instead of the NTG-2 consider the NTG-1.
I have both the NTG3 and the AT875R. I generally don't use either for indoors though the former does work better than the latter for that role. The latter is what I use regularly mounted on my C100 for run and gun ambiance. It's nice and short so out of the way but has really good sound for a cheap mic. I use a wired/wireless lav or a handheld Sennehiser MD46 for any vocals like on the spot interviews.
Hi Roly,
so for indoor seated interviews (I envision indoors but occasionally outdoors), you feel that this mic is a good compromise between quality&investment ?
Having no experience in this area, what shock mount & wind protection should I consider ?
Hi Roly,
so for indoor seated interviews (I envision indoors but occasionally outdoors), you feel that this mic is a good compromise between quality&investment ?
Having no experience in this area, what shock mount & wind protection should I consider ?
Egg Born Son
Veteran
Any mic mounted on the camera will be incapable of giving its best. That goes double for shotgun mics. I recently used an NTG2 as a backup mounted on the camera and while the voice was clear the ambient (room) noise was loud as well. I knew it would be and only used it as a safety to my lavalier, which fortunately provided perfect sound. I only used the shotgun in case the lav failed since I only had one chance to get it recorded as it was a live event. In the worst case scenario I could have used it because the speech clear enough but it would have been embarrasssingly unprofessional and I was out to impress.
You want to get the microphone, especially a shotgun, close to the source. As in 12"-18" ideally. If you use it properly you will get better sound with any mic. Your existing mic will perform much much better if you get it closer to your talent than the NTG3 will be mounted to your camera. If you can't boom it you can put it on a stand close to your talent. Disguise it behind an object like a pot plant or other object to hide it, just get it close. The NTG3 is amazing but if you don't get it close it won't be a silver bullet to your problem. Also for interiors shotguns are not so good, they work by off axis rejection so they work incredibly well outdoors but don't handle the reflection of sound off hard surfaces in a room so well.
And what do you mean ambient sound? I thought you where trying to record dialogue. Ambient sound is everything except dialogue and sound effects. It is the room sound or background noise. Like cars on a highway in the distance, the hum of the engines and aircon on a plane, bird chatter and insects in the forest etc.
GaryNattrass
Veteran
Out of the three the NTG3 is the best but if I was to have one general purpose mic it would be the AT875R.
I actually have five of them mounted in a rode PG2 grip and with W/S6 softies, I use them for virtually everything as they are a good compromise between a full shotgun and a cardioid mic.
They need phantom power though so if you don't have that you will need a battery operated mic or a mixer that can provide full phantom power. (NOT the lower voltage plug-in power common on semi pro kit)
Here is a short filmed by the students acting in it using a single AT875R into the back of a HPX371 for the dialogue thorughout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C5zy1l4c_U
Note it is a fully dubbed film so stereo sound effects and background atmos has been added.
I actually have five of them mounted in a rode PG2 grip and with W/S6 softies, I use them for virtually everything as they are a good compromise between a full shotgun and a cardioid mic.
They need phantom power though so if you don't have that you will need a battery operated mic or a mixer that can provide full phantom power. (NOT the lower voltage plug-in power common on semi pro kit)
Here is a short filmed by the students acting in it using a single AT875R into the back of a HPX371 for the dialogue thorughout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C5zy1l4c_U
Note it is a fully dubbed film so stereo sound effects and background atmos has been added.
Last edited:
Egg Born Son
Veteran
I nominate those wigs and mo's for an oscar!
EDV
Well-known member
Always check if your subject will move half way through his speech before choosing a mic. Speakers have the habit of moving ( towards a whiteboard for example ) and even at weddings, just shifting positions ( bride and groom can be made to face each other at a moment's notice ) can ruin your shotgun mic setup. Lavalier mics when you're not sure, but that becomes a little more expensive and complicated if doing it wirelessly.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
? Not according to AT. Since it is an XLR and "plugin power" is a 1/8" connector thing I'm guessing that what is happening, providing you managed to actually get it to work, is that the adapter cable is doing some converting, though that would be a bit of a surprise since plugin power is well below the lowest spec for Phantom power.
Also with out said adapter the AT875R won't connect to either the Gh2 or the H1n. I think your confusing the mic with something else.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
I'm assuming there is a language difference going on here. In the US "Fully Dubbed" would mean that you didn't use any of the production dialog and dubbed in the voices in post. I'm guessing that this is the production dialog and what you are calling dubbing translates to sound post here.
I actually think the production sound on this sounds pretty bad. You can understand it but it's very bright and has that bouncy sound of a shotgun in a live space. And by and large the dialog does not sound like it lives in the space of the set. It's very no-budget camera mounted sounding.
But that again may be a translation issue. I have noticed that a lot of BBC shows have a very live performance feel about them, and often sound like someone filming a stage show. Not bad but a very different aesthetic from US broadcast which always seems to aim at a big screen Hollywood feel and sound. So I'm not sure how much is intentional and style related and how much is the mic it self.
Aiming at an american broadcast/film this sound would get you looking for work, IF that is how the production actually sounded.
Of course YouTube may also be pushing it that direction. I would be interested if others that use this mic think that is pretty much what it sounds like. It's been on my "add to the kit" list but I haven't had the need to get me to actually buy it yet. If it actually sounds that crisp all the time then it's not staying on the list.
GaryNattrass
Veteran
We do things differently here Scott and fully dubbed in your terminology would be a reference to ADR that is in addition to the location recording.
Not every production has ADR and we tend to use a more natural location sound compared to the USA where everything tends to be tight mic-ed and very close.
It's all down to personal taste but not every production here has that tight almost voice over radio mic sound with no perspective that is prevalent in the USA and on feature films.
It is a no budget kids movie written shot and post in 5 days but the location is part of the sound here and we tend to go for a more naturalistic approach to drama production, I only used the term fully dubbed to indicate that certain sound effects have been added in post as someone on another forum thought they were recorded on location.
A couple of AT875R clips that may give a better indication of the mic are below with no audio post and straight as recorded to the camera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH8mVouKkhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvCcjrAueI
Not every production has ADR and we tend to use a more natural location sound compared to the USA where everything tends to be tight mic-ed and very close.
It's all down to personal taste but not every production here has that tight almost voice over radio mic sound with no perspective that is prevalent in the USA and on feature films.
It is a no budget kids movie written shot and post in 5 days but the location is part of the sound here and we tend to go for a more naturalistic approach to drama production, I only used the term fully dubbed to indicate that certain sound effects have been added in post as someone on another forum thought they were recorded on location.
A couple of AT875R clips that may give a better indication of the mic are below with no audio post and straight as recorded to the camera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH8mVouKkhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvCcjrAueI
Last edited:
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Ah yes the exterior sounds much better. The interior still has that "Shotgun in a bouncy room sound", but then that is what it is.
I would categorize the exterior one as "naturalistic" The interior doesn't sound like what you would hear if you were in the room, because of the bounciness. Some of the BBC stuff goes toward the "stage" sound, where even if it's a soft living room it sounds like it's a set in a 400 seat theatre. But you are right american films tend to hit the other extreme where everyone is close miked no mater how far away they are. I don't "hate" either style but depending on what you are doing and where it's going to end up it's important to know what the perceptions and expectations are.
Actually over here "dubbed" generally refers to dubbing in a language that was not what was recorded. ADR is ADR. However Mix stages are also called dub stages and you record to dubbers always so it's just as logical, maybe more so, to refer to all the post sound as being dubbed.
I would categorize the exterior one as "naturalistic" The interior doesn't sound like what you would hear if you were in the room, because of the bounciness. Some of the BBC stuff goes toward the "stage" sound, where even if it's a soft living room it sounds like it's a set in a 400 seat theatre. But you are right american films tend to hit the other extreme where everyone is close miked no mater how far away they are. I don't "hate" either style but depending on what you are doing and where it's going to end up it's important to know what the perceptions and expectations are.
Actually over here "dubbed" generally refers to dubbing in a language that was not what was recorded. ADR is ADR. However Mix stages are also called dub stages and you record to dubbers always so it's just as logical, maybe more so, to refer to all the post sound as being dubbed.