FS7: What microphone are you using on your FS7?

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Martin.G

Well-known member
I am shopping for mics for my FS7, and i am wondering what mics others are using?

A long shotgun is a must, but i am also curious about a shorter shotgun similar to that of the FS700 that can stay mounted on the camera even while in my backpack, so a similar sounding pair would be nice. I read in one FS7 review that the owner had 2x Sony mics, but i cant find that review again. The shorter shotgun will not be used for interviews, but for ambience and b-roll sound together with b-roll footage.
 
Maybe the review you saw was my FS7 master class? I have two Sony shotgun mics for the FS7: a short one (ECM-MS2) and a long one (ECM-680). They are both a good match for the camera and I'd buy them again.
 
I was considering both the ECM-MS2 and the ECM-680 but went for the ECM-673. The 680 is too long in centimeters and in Euro too and I don't need a stereo shotgun mic like the MS2
 
I bought a couple of Sony NX5s in 2010 and now use them with a Ninja 2 for extreme conditions (dust and dirt environments etc). Each came with the ECM-XM1 microphone. The mic works extremely well (-50db setting) with a Rycote Softie on the FS7. 160mm (about 6 and 3/8 inches in the old money) total length - it sits behind the kit lens nicely.

Claire
 
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Long mono shotgun plus shorter stereo mic is the best combo, covering majority of shooting circumstances and needs. A stereo mic shouldn't be given up on too lightly, as it's best for ambient sound recording. I still have a (probably lower quality on paper) mic like this from Edirol, and believe me or not - it saved my ass a couple of times when multicamera shooting one of the classical music events I do, when of course I do always have a dedicated sound engineer. But it's enough for him to screw for a couple of seconds, and I was able to use the sound from that modest Edirol mic to fill the gaps while editing! Sounds crazy, I know - but since I've always used it on the stationary (thus no camera handling noise), wide angle camera placed in the middle of the soundstage, this and the exceptional audio quality of my EX1 warrant a kind of sound which - after some tweaks in post - are now indistinguishable from the professional, multi-mic, multi-track work of my specialist sound engineer's mix... I don't know about the MS2 - probably on paper it has much better spec - but the Edirol has been exceptionally good.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Maybe the review you saw was my FS7 master class? I have two Sony shotgun mics for the FS7: a short one (ECM-MS2) and a long one (ECM-680). They are both a good match for the camera and I'd buy them again.
Click to expand...

I believe it was your master class that also spoke of the Sony lavalier microphones that connects through the hot shoe?

Does this solution together with the MCE-MS2 give me 2 lane stereo + 3rd lane lavalier mic recording simultaneously?


I already have Sennheisers, but if Sonys connect like above i`d really want two pairs of those for documentary work. Also, i really love Røde`s way of demonstrating all their mics. Its a shame theres not an extensive test comparing Sennheiser, Sony, Røde, and much more microphones with audio examples like Rødes online mic selector tool. But cameras, that we can pixel peep all day! :love4:
 
Martin.G said:
I believe it was your master class that also spoke of the Sony lavalier microphones that connects through the hot shoe?

Does this solution together with the MCE-MS2 give me 2 lane stereo + 3rd lane lavalier mic recording simultaneously?


I already have Sennheisers, but if Sonys connect like above i`d really want two pairs of those for documentary work. Also, i really love Røde`s way of demonstrating all their mics. Its a shame theres not an extensive test comparing Sennheiser, Sony, Røde, and much more microphones with audio examples like Rødes online mic selector tool. But cameras, that we can pixel peep all day! :love4:
Click to expand...

I have a related question.

I know I can hook up a UWP-D wireless audio receiver via Mi interface to get a wireless channel in addition to the stereo.

Is there a way to get TWO wireless channels (4 channels in total) via the Mi interface without using the XLR-K2M?
 
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Martin.G said:
I believe it was your master class that also spoke of the Sony lavalier microphones that connects through the hot shoe?

Does this solution together with the MCE-MS2 give me 2 lane stereo + 3rd lane lavalier mic recording simultaneously?
Click to expand...

Sure, you can do that. Stereo from the MS2 on channels 1 & 2 . . . and hot shoe input to channels 3 and/or 4.
 
aly324 said:
Is there a way to get TWO wireless channels (4 channels in total) via the Mi interface without using the XLR-K2M?
Click to expand...

No, you'd either have to use the XLR-K2 or the XLR-K1 to get two inputs into the hot shoe. The UWP-D11 system only has one channel.
 
Rode NT4. Good front to back ratio, wide 20-20KHz response (rather useless on the FS7 with it's rolled off low end mic preamp firmware 2.x and above) but big and heavy and too large to fit the stock mount. $44 will get you a nice shock mount that will fit with a rail adapter.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Sure, you can do that. Stereo from the MS2 on channels 1 & 2 . . . and hot shoe input to channels 3 and/or 4.
Click to expand...

Amazing, its just what i need! The FS7 might not be the biggest improvement over the FS700+Odyssey7Q in terms of image quality and horsepower, but man, all the little bells fitted everywhere justifies the upgrade easily.

I ended up buying the MCE-673 and MCE-MS2 for now. Both used from ebay, so they where rather cheap. I plan to invest in a high quality shotgun later on. For now, these will do the trick.

I do own the Røde NTG-2 from before, but im not satisfied with the sound from it, and especially when comparing it on the Røde comparison tool. Likewise, i think the NTG-3 is too high pitched, so i am eager to run my own comparison tests now against the Sonys.

Found the Sennheiser MKE66 too for a bargain used, but will try the Sony first.
 
I have a Røde NTG-2 when I need it, but would prefer something a bit 'sharper' and crisper. For scratch audio the internal mic does an admiral job in low wind.


For interviews it's a Countryman B6 lav attached to the Sony MI Shoe transmitter and receiver. Sounds great, and a huge improvement on the stock lav mic that comes with the set.
 
the ME66/K6 is a great mic and worth the money. I use it often on the boom. The NTG-2 has a low sensitivity and will get all the noise out of your pre-amp. I have no idea why it has such a high rating.

But for my needs the are both too long for a on camera mic.
 
I have been pretty happy with the Senheiser Mke 600, If you don't need the interchangeable capsules I would say it is as good as the ME 66. It's length is decent and usable on camera - even while shooting wide with a 14mm.

Chris
 
Rode ntg3 or ntg2 and rode videomic pro Also Rode wireless with lavalier or ntg2.
And last but not least rode reporter.
 
I never get rid of my camera mics. I have at least 4 of the original Betacam mics. They have a Sony brand but not sure they actually made them. At the time they cost an additional $1600 as an option. They have great, great response. Can't tell you how many network sound bites those mics have been responsible for. I mean if you are close up and personal, they capture great.
Equally good as an ambient mic in my opinion.
I keep a 25' audio cable and if on a OMB gig and suddenly get thrust into a real interview situation, I will not hesitate to pull the mic, add a section of cable and with a c-stand, use it as a boom. Sounds great.
In fact I took one of the mics and rewired the connector to 5 pin so I could use it with my XDCAM.
Now I use the mono version on my FS7 and couldn't be happier.
But if you are buying new, Rodes makes nice stuff in that $300-$500 range. I had one of those as well but opted to sell it with my f700 as the camera mic.
No compalimts from the buyer!
 
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