What lowbudget microphone(s) for interviews and voiceovers?

All I can say is I used my HV20 with a simple cable and a NTG2 without any problems. You have to live with the fairly noisy pre-amps of the HV20, of course. To avoid that, you could get a mixer or something like a Juicedlink. Most Beachteks (actually all except of one) don´t have pre-amps though.
C2V - it would just be helpful if you wouldn´t state things as fact ("you need...") if you are not really sure about it. That´s all, I´m not trying to "condem" you.
As for the cheap mic for the web - my experience is: garbage in, garbage out...
 
mbwkrause said:
All I can say is I used my HV20 with a simple cable and a NTG2 without any problems. You have to live with the fairly noisy pre-amps of the HV20, of course. To avoid that, you could get a mixer or something like a Juicedlink. Most Beachteks (actually all except of one) don´t have pre-amps though.
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Noisy pre-amps are a problem, in my opinion. I've also had to troubleshoot many audio clips recorded to camera with one of those cables that recorded one mic to both channels, but out of phase. While it's pretty much a non-issue if you ditch one channel in post, it can still be a pain to work with... especially for folks editing with programs like iMovie that won't allow the channels to be separated.

While the Beachtek boxes are mostly passive (and I linked to both Beachtek and Juicedlink for a reason), they still create a stronger output signal to the camera which means that the camera's pre-amps don't have to work as hard. Active pre-amps are better, but the passive units still create a noticeable difference.

mbwkrause said:
C2V - it would just be helpful if you wouldn´t state things as fact ("you need...") if you are not really sure about it. That´s all, I´m not trying to "condem" you.
Click to expand...

The need for a converter box stemmed from the rest of the thread preceding that. We're trying to make the point that good audio needs good equipment to acquire it, rather than the cheapest solution. You said it yourself, the cable works though you have to deal with the noisy pre-amps of the HV-20. And noisy pre-amps are a signal killer, no matter how good the mic is.

As for what's helpful, I'm glad you made the point the the HV20 doesn't supply power. But opening up a post with "Sorry, but that's wrong on both counts," pretty much guarantees to put the other person on the defensive. I'm all for mutual conversation around here. That's what these forums are. But remember that emotions don't easily convey over email or Internet post, and words must be chosen wisely. I'm sure this post sounds pissy, but it's not intended to be. And while I was apparently wrong about the mic power, the other (cable vs. box) is a matter of discussion and is not so objective.
 
I am all for a mutual conversation too, but there is so much misinformation on these forums from people who give advise about things they read somewhere or heard somewhere that it is hard to figure out what actually is useful and objective information and what is an opinion. And I am not saying that you are spreading misinformation, but sometimes things need more context than just saying "you need this or that"...
So, for example, I don´t understand how a passive Beachtek adapter would create gain which you claim it will. That is not my experience while I used one on my HV20. Only if I dialed the potentiometer all the way to 10 I would get the same mic level as if I would not have used an adapter, but I would never get more/a stronger signal. And if I remember correctly, the Beachtek manual doesn´t say anything about that either. So I would really like you to elaborate on your point. Thanks.
 
I used to shoot, years ago, with a GL1. Terribly noisy pres with a 1/8" connection. Adding a passive converter box gave me tactile level controls, and resulted in less noise. It didn't eliminate the noise, but it reduced the noise considerably, especially when I flipped the box to line-level in and fed a mixer into it. But even with a battery-powered shotgun straight in, it was cleaner than without the box.

Incidentally, I sold the GL1 to buy a DVX and never looked back.
 
The other one is for 119 CZK which is $7.
The Hosa cable is probably not getable in my country. I don't see it in any shop here in Czech Republic.
 
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