What is the Best Boom Mic for less then 200$?

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Polarjee

Active member
I'm shopping around for boom mics but I honestly have no clue what I'm suppose to look for. I'm just using it mainly for short films and I just need to capture dialog. I see so many different boom mics but professional audio is so confusing to me! I don't know any of the terms or what the specs me so help meeeee :( haha
Heres the two main ones I was looking at.

137$ MXL FR-304
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...4_FR_304_Professional_Shotgun_Microphone.html

165$ Azden SGM-1X
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/238826-REG/Azden_SGM_1X_SGM_1X_Shotgun_Mic.html

Thanks!!!
 
I did some searching, and I found that people consider the Azden SGM-1X or SGM-2X to be the best microphones around $200. But if you want really good audio, then consider spending up to $300. In that range, the Rode NTG-1 and NTG-2 and the Audio Technica AT897 and AT835B are tops.

Don't skimp on audio when your video is going to be so strong. An indie filmmaker looking to buy a microphone should spend at least $300. The most popular budget microphones, such as the Sennheiser ME-66 and the Audio Technica AT4073, are above that price. You should try going to a store and sampling microphones for yourself. But if $200 is all that you can afford (and I suggest saving for something better), then you can certainly get by with the Azden.
 
ydgmdlu said:
I did some searching, and I found that people consider the Azden SGM-1X or SGM-2X to be the best microphones around $200. But if you want really good audio, then consider spending up to $300. In that range, the Rode NTG-1 and NTG-2 and the Audio Technica AT897 and AT835B are tops.

Don't skimp on audio when your video is going to be so strong. An indie filmmaker looking to buy a microphone should spend at least $300. The most popular budget microphones, such as the Sennheiser ME-66 and the Audio Technica AT4073, are above that price. You should try going to a store and sampling microphones for yourself. But if $200 is all that you can afford (and I suggest saving for something better), then you can certainly get by with the Azden.
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First of all, thanks that info! Any info helps! Now I see that there's a used Rode-NTG-1 on B&H for 185$. Would you say that's a better way to go then a new Azden for 165?
 
What/where are you shooting? If you're mostly shooting inside, you probably don't want a shotgun, but a hypercardioid.

On shotguns, the cheapest I would consider going would be the AT875 from Audio Technica. Should be under $200 at B&H. Rode's NTG-1 and 2 are also good deals. Azden has earned a terrible rep among audio professionals, and those MXL guns look pretty cheaply made, though I haven't seen anything on them from a reliable source yet.

Don't foget to budget for shockmounting, wind protection, and good headphones. None of those are optional.
 
Just remember that almost all condenser mics require phantom power.

The AT8035 and NTG-2 will supply their own phantom power with internal batteries, otherwise the phantom power will have to come from your camera, mixer or recorder.
 
Polarjee said:
I'm shopping around for boom mics but I honestly have no clue what I'm suppose to look for. I'm just using it mainly for short films and I just need to capture dialog.
Click to expand...

You didn't mention what camera you are using. Does it have XLR mic input? Does it provide phantom power? Many (most) more professional shotgun mics use XLR output connectors and require phantom power. It is easy enough to adapt XLR to 3.5mm stereo mini-phone in a consumer camcorder, but if the microphone requires phantom power, you will need some separate way of powering it. This will significantly increase the cost and complexity of your kit.

As others have mentioned, shooting indoors typically favors using a hypercardioid microphone because the longer line-gradient shotgun mics depend on sound arriving from the sides to perform their directional discrimination. Long shotguns used indoors become "confused" by reflections from walls, floor, ceiling, etc and do not exhibit their desired directional characteristics.

Highly recommended to study the sticky thread "If you are considering a shotgun/cardioid..." by "puredrifting". In the low-end price range, he said that the AudioTechnica AT875R was surprisingly good, and Google shows that you can find it at a street price of $199 from reputable dealers. Note that it requires at least 12V phantom power, however.

If you don't have P48 phantom power available from your (undisclosed) camcorder, you might consider options that run from their own batteries such as the Rode Videomic.

AKG and even Rode are more reputable brands than Azden or MXL. At least from the pro audio perspective. But your choices may be significantly affected by what kind of camcorder you are using.
 
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