versatile mic system?

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dvxusr

Active member
Audio beginner here looking for an all around mic that can be adapted to various situations if needed:
- one I could use on camera + via long xlr cable + possibly with a separate wireless transmitter if i ever need to
- one that runs on at least phantom power but possibly has battery option
- one that has a "modifiable" pickup range

Now for my questions since this is all very confusing (hopefully just at first). I would like to improve the quality of sound by bypassing the built in camera mic. From what ive read it seems a shotgun mic is better than an omni since you can point it at your target and block out sounds from other directions. So Ive looked at lower priced shotguns such as the rode ntg2, from what i understand these are categorized as hypercardioid which means directional and average range? whereas supercardioid have higher pickup range and may pick up unwanted sounds farther away depending on situation (conversation vs nature). I was hoping for something versatile where you can have its range modified, i think i saw one with a removable barrel that goes from omni to supercardioid but not from hypercardioid, is there one that goes from h to s? or all 3 for most versatility? basically something that could take care of different needs, including getting close to action you cannot actually walk up to, im not talking eavesdropping across the street but quite a few feet for nature recording etc. which brings me to the specs on mics, i never see ranges in feet listed, is there a standard for each mic type i should know about? what other specs should i be looking at like signal to noise ratio? also, when i buy one, do they come with the short xlr cable for camera mounting or is that separate and if so how long does the cable need to be so it doesnt get in the way (just for camera mounting).

thanks in advance for any opinions/recommendations, i realize many people would say get 3 mics but id like to see what can be achieved with one "kit" (due to the $ thing)
 
almost forgot, does the dvx mic holder fit all the shotgun mics as in are they all made in a standard diameter so the hotshoe could be used for other things like oncam light? and do mics really get in the way of the shot when mounted in the shoe vs panny mic holder (vs a mount that really gets it out of the way)?
 
If you are looking for just one mic (to start with), get a short shotgun. If you plan to use it also with a (cheap) radio transmiter, get one with battery power option, as cheap transmitters do not supply phantom power. Rode NTG-2 comes first to mind. It can be used with battery and phantom and can be used as a camera mic.

There are no useble mics for video work with variable pickup pattern. Mics do not have "reach", more directional mics do not amplify sounds coming from certain directions, they REJECT sounds coming from unwanted directions.

Sound adheres to the inverse square law, which means that if you have two similar sound sources, say, 2 and 4 meters away behind each other, the closer one will sound four times louder. The pickup pattern of the mic does not make any difference. The pickup pattern only rejects sounds from the sides and back, more or less (omni hears all alround, cardiod more from the front, long shotgun mostly from the front). You can not have "depth of field" kind of control with sound.

Cable length. You will need several cables of different lengts, from about 40 cm for on-camera to 30 m or even more. They are relativelly cheap.
 
Petrus is quite right: a short shotgun is the best place to start. Don't forget to budget for a decent shockmount and wind protection, while you're at it. I would add that the short cables used for on-camera work should be fairly flexible, to reduce cable-born handling noise. You can never have too many spare mic cables.

Some mic systems consist of a power supply module with interchangeable microphone capsules. The Sennheiser K6 power supply, for example, can be fitted with a variety of capsules: ME 62 (omnidirectional), ME 64 (cardiod or unidirectional), ME 66 (short shotgun), and ME 67 (long shotgun). The K6 can be powered by either an internal battery or phantom power. Not my favourite mic, but it does give you the option to swap out capsules.

You won't see a standard "range" listed among a mic's specs because microphones don't really have a set range, any more than your ears have a set range. Like your ears, a mic may be able to hear a particularly loud sound from miles off, or it may have difficulty picking up a very quiet sound from a foot away. The reason shotgun mics have a greater "reach" is that they reject sounds coming in from the side, giving you a greater sepperation between the subject you're trying to record and the background noise level.

Omni mics are rarely used for on-camera work, in part because you would be picking up every single move the cameraperson makes.
 
great stuff guys, thanks :)
here is a nice comparison of polar patterns if anyones interested:
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/news_story/a/news_id/e/48

3 questions,
-whats comparable to an ntg-2 in quality and price?
-shockmounts apply to on camera mounting/the mic holder that comes with the dvx shouldnt be used at all?
- the really short cable for on camera mounting as i understood should be rather stiff so that it doesnt hit the camera etc + make noise? these are never supplied with the mics?

thanks
 
dvxusr said:
the really short cable for on camera mounting as i understood should be rather stiff so that it doesnt hit the camera etc + make noise?
Click to expand...
There's certainly truth to that observation, since you definately don't want a cable slapping against the camera. The issue I was concerned with was that a stiff jumper cable going into a mic will often compromise the effectiveness of a shockmount: a stiff cable can reintroduce the mechanical noise that was isolated by the shockmount.

To get around both issues, you may need to make a custom cable: a standard female XLR connector plugs into the back of the mic, which is connected to a short jumper of flexible cabling. The jumper should come out of the mic in a gentle loop, and be secured to the base of the shockmount (releasable cable ties are good for this). The cable can then come down along the side of the camera with minimum slack, ending with a right-angle male XLR connector. As long as you don't have excessive slack either above or below the shockmount base, you shouldn't be getting any cable slap. This is kind of the idea behind the "Conboxes" available on newer Rycote modular suspensions.
 
SMuir said:
... you may need to make a custom cable: a standard female XLR connector plugs into the back of the mic, which is connected to a short jumper of flexible cabling. The jumper should come out of the mic in a gentle loop, and be secured to the base of the shockmount (releasable cable ties are good for this). The cable can then come down along the side of the camera with minimum slack, ending with a right-angle male XLR connector.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good solution. What kinds of places do that (custom xlr cables, that is)? I mean, I'm just assuming that I'm unable to actualy do the technical stuff myself. And how long should the cable be ideally? Someone above said 40cm.
 
Drewcifer3000 said:
Sounds like a good solution. What kinds of places do that (custom xlr cables, that is)? I mean, I'm just assuming that I'm unable to actualy do the technical stuff myself. And how long should the cable be ideally? Someone above said 40cm.
Click to expand...
You could probably get the service folks at a pro audio dealership to put one together, but it'd cost you plenty.

I've made a bunch of these sorts of cables for my own kit, and its really not that difficult (even with my rudimentary solderring skills). If you already have XLR cables with Neutrik connectors, unscrew the the jack and take a look at how they ought to look on the inside. Make sure you get the pin assignment correct, and double check that there aren't any short-circuits between the various pins or phase reversals.

As for the length, you'll have to determine that yourself. Short enough between the camera's mic in and the point where its secured to the shock mount that the cable doesn't move around and get in the way, and long enough between there and the end of the mic that the loop is fairly relaxed and doesn't tug on the mic. The length of that loop will really depend on the flexibility of the cable in question: stiffer cables will require larger loops. The beauty of right-angle neutric XLR connectors is that you can set the specific angle of the cable, further minimizing the length of cable you need.
 
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