Which budget dynamic/condenser handheld to buy?

[sonidista]

I'm trying to find out if there is a good sounding dynamic or battery powered condenser/electret mic I could use as a handheld for ENG/interview situations. I know the Sennheiser SKM series would be a good choice wireless but I already have a Lectro stick-on transmitter. So the usual suspects Sennheiser MD 441/421 are a bit more than I'd like to spend. I'v been considering the Beyerdynamic M201N and the Rode M3 but I haven't used these yet. So some of your expert advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AdrianF]

I have a Rode M3 which I use a jack of all trades and most it does fairly well. When you say ENG handheld, do you mean like a reporters mic? It will do the job here, handling noise is really low and it sounds good used this way. If you're after a mic for booming on interviews, then it can work too, but does tend to pick up a fair amount of colour from the room.

 

[sonidista]

no boom use intended, therefore a cardiod will be good. From your experience, how bad does the M3 sound compared to eg Senn MD 441?

 

[Alex H.]

The ElectroVoice RE50 is pretty much a news industry standard for handheld ENG.

no boom use intended, therefore a cardiod will be good.

Omnidirectional is better. For ENG interviews and standups, some background noise is actually desirable. And for an interview, omni mics will catch both voices, even if the mic swings slightly away from one of the people.

 

[Chadfish]

 

[sonidista]

The ElectroVoice RE50 is pretty much a news industry standard for handheld ENG.



Omnidirectional is better. For ENG interviews and standups, some background noise is actually desirable. And for an interview, omni mics will catch both voices, even if the mic swings slightly away from one of the people.

I'd really prefer a cardioid. Interviewers should be able to turn the mic a little towards themselves while they speak, I think. Plus in loud environments (which I will need the mic for) I'd rather focus on the actual voice.

 

[Alex H.]

I'd really prefer a cardioid. Interviewers should be able to turn the mic a little towards themselves while they speak, I think. Plus in loud environments (which I will need the mic for) I'd rather focus on the actual voice.

Yes, interviewers should know to turn the mic toward themselves when they speak, but often forget or don't turn it quite enough, quickly enough. The omni pattern compensates for that.

Being a dynamic mic will compensate for the loud environment. The mics have such a close operating range anyway that the voice will be fine in noisy surroundings.

 

[sonidista]

Yes, interviewers should know to turn the mic toward themselves when they speak, but often forget or don't turn it quite enough, quickly enough. The omni pattern compensates for that.

Being a dynamic mic will compensate for the loud environment. The mics have such a close operating range anyway that the voice will be fine in noisy surroundings.

I've been wondering about that for a while too. From your point of view, if I put a dynamic omni next to a condenser omni in a noisy interveiw situation and adjust the levels, will the dynamic actually display less of the noise than the condenser?

Apart from that, is there another (cheaper) dynamic mic than the EV you could recommend for that use? I wouldnt wanna use a Shure SM58 or 57 though that price range is what I've had in mind...

 

[Alex H.]

I've been wondering about that for a while too. From your point of view, if I put a dynamic omni next to a condenser omni in a noisy interveiw situation and adjust the levels, will the dynamic actually display less of the noise than the condenser?

If you look at the category of "broadcast interview microphones," you'll see two things that are common to about 97% of them: dynamic, and omnidirectional. The dynamic element may be able to handle higher SPL. It also has a closer working range and will not pick up distant sounds as well, meaning that sources have to be pretty close to the mic to be heard clearly.

Apart from that, is there another (cheaper) dynamic mic than the EV you could recommend for that use? I wouldnt wanna use a Shure SM58 or 57 though that price range is what I've had in mind...

ElectroVoice:
- 635A
- RE50 (which is really just the 635A in a shock-mounted chassis)

Shure:
- SM63L
- VP64

Audio Technica:
- AT8004L

AKG:
- D230

Sony:
- F112

 

[AdrianF]

no boom use intended, therefore a cardiod will be good. From your experience, how bad does the M3 sound compared to eg Senn MD 441?

I can't go against the advice given here. The dynamics will probably work better in the situation you want. I recently tested the M3 out for just this use, out of interest and while the M3 was definitely very useable, the dynamic mics worked better. The one that I prefered was a Beyerdynamic supercardiod and works well with cancelling out noise with the proximity effect.

If you want a mic for just this purpose then you will want to look at one of those suggested above. The M3 is a great mic, a real workhorse and can work really well in loads of different situations, but it won't always be the best choice..

 

[sonidista]

The one that I prefered was a Beyerdynamic supercardiod

probably the M201N. Been thinking about getting that. I read that it's a better SM57, Great for music recording (snare drums etc.) Only downside is that it's a bit small for a reporter's mic.


And thanks a lot C2v for your help. Greatly appreciated.

 

[8string]

I went with the RE50B for the price seemed the best handheld EKG reporter mic for the money. Works great. I also plug it into my Zoom H4N as well as Canon T21 (with adapter), and HMC 150. Very reliable.

 

[saneproductions]

I love my RE50 B!

 

[Chadfish]

I like my RE50 N/D version for 20 bucks more. It is more sensitive, which is good when dealing with dynamic mics. Not all preamps are as quiet as they should be.