Which Mic is best for Indoors?

The AudioTechnica AT2020 is not directional enough, and is rather large and heavy for use on a boom pole.
The Peavy PVi 100 is just not sensitive enough (or directional enough) for use much more than a distance of 6-8 inches.

Of the three, the Sony ECM-GC50 is more likely to work as an interior boom microphone.
However, those "default" mics that come with a camcorder typically don't have the performance (sensitivity, low noise, hyper-directionality, etc.) of a "proper" mic intended for use on a boom pole.

Remember also that using a boom microphone is not a simple thing even with the proper microphone.
The best microphone in the world isn't going to cut it if you have chosen a location that has too much echo, reflections, or ambient noise.
And the best microphone in the world won't give you any better results than your little plastic Sony mic if you attempt to use it at too great a distance.
 
Richard Crowley said:
The AudioTechnica AT2020 is not directional enough, and is rather large and heavy for use on a boom pole.
The Peavy PVi 100 is just not sensitive enough (or directional enough) for use much more than a distance of 6-8 inches.

Of the three, the Sony ECM-GC50 is more likely to work as an interior boom microphone.
However, those "default" mics that come with a camcorder typically don't have the performance (sensitivity, low noise, hyper-directionality, etc.) of a "proper" mic intended for use on a boom pole.

Remember also that using a boom microphone is not a simple thing even with the proper microphone.
The best microphone in the world isn't going to cut it if you have chosen a location that has too much echo, reflections, or ambient noise.
And the best microphone in the world won't give you any better results than your little plastic Sony mic if you attempt to use it at too great a distance.
Click to expand...


Well, I create YouTube Videos and film in my house which is echoey so what choice do I have?
 
offbeatbryce said:
Well, I create YouTube Videos and film in my house which is echoey so what choice do I have?
Click to expand...

Selection and placement for the mic - the most directional response/off-axis rejection, and placed as close as possible without getting in the frame - and then some ingenuity to help reduce the reflections in your house.

One of the least expensive options is to get some sound blankets (aka furni pads or moving blankets) and hang them around the room off-camera (to the sides and behind). It won't turn your room into a professionally-treated studio space, but it'll knock down a considerable amount of reflected sound.

I might suggest posting a sample of what you do on your YT channel. There are lots of solutions out there, and many of them depend on the type of video being shot and the specific setup of that space.
 
offbeatbryce said:
Well, I create YouTube Videos and film in my house which is echoey so what choice do I have?
Click to expand...

Are you doing costume period piece where the appearance of a microphone would destroy the image?
Can somebody explain to me the obsession with invisible microphone?
Which is more important that people won't see the microphone (assume you are doing it by magic?) or decent sound so people can hear what you say?

Remember also that it isn't rocket surgery to make you recording location less echoey.
 
The mic should be no further than 18" from the person speaking and pointing on-axis. If it's still too echoey, the aforementioned blankets and carpeting would help as well as other plush furniture that can be added. A lav would likely be the best mic choice in this case, otherwise the Sony CG50 shotgun. None of the OP's mics are well suited to an echoey interior.
 
https://www.youtube.com/user/OffbeatBryce

Your echoey sound seems perfectly adequate to the general "production level" of your videos.
It is generally on the same level as most other similar DIY videos on YouTube.

If you want better "production quality" sound, then you have to understand that there is nothing magic about audio.
The laws of acoustic physics were discovered and documented long before you were born.

Even with 21st century cutting-edge technology, we still haven't found any magic solution to eliminating early reflections and echo from microphone pickup.
There are software apps which do an almost magical job of reducing echo and reflections. But they cost more than your car and are rather fiddly.
It seems rather beyond the casual production level we see in your YouTube videos.
 
What budget do you have to get another mic? As none of the three you linked too are great at all for this purpose.
 
Agree with Richard. In this video (beware of the use of foul language) your sound quality is appropriate for the style of work you are doing. You could also use compression in your DAW on the sound.
 
offbeatbryce said:
Here are the mics I have.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3 ... phone.html
Click to expand...
Assuming you pointed to the right mic, XLR and not the USB version, you can provide phantom power to your microphone.
From there, I could suggest you to get/invest in the AT875r, which is a short shotgun microphone from Audio-Technica that actually performs quite well indoor. Add what Alex suggested about the blankets and you'd be good to go in pretty any situations/environement. I recently purchased it and I'm impressed how well it performs for like 150-170$ shotgun mics.

Now if money is an issue, and you have to choose from the 3 mics you've pointed out, I would go with the AT2020 and speak close to it, like he does in his video:
You might have to speak closer, depending on the sensitivity of the mic.


Rick R said:
The mic should be no further than 18" from the person speaking and pointing on-axis. If it's still too echoey, the aforementioned blankets and carpeting would help as well as other plush furniture that can be added. A lav would likely be the best mic choice in this case, otherwise the Sony CG50 shotgun. None of the OP's mics are well suited to an echoey interior.
Click to expand...

As Rick suggest, a lavalier microphone would be best suited. Cheap (under 50$) and quite good are the Aspen ones that comes to my mind:
 
offbeatbryce said:
Well, I create YouTube Videos and film in my house which is echoey so what choice do I have?
Click to expand...

Aw man, you didn't really say that out loud, did you?

What choice do you have? You can treat the room to control (<- that doesn't say eliminate) the reflections. Bass traps help with the bottom end, and there are various absorbers and diffusers you can use to make a much nicer sounding space without making it "dead". Look up acoustics forums to learn more.

That said, it can be as simple as bringing in furniture, book cases, rugs, etc. So don't panic.

Then, use the proper microphone, with its proper placement. This is what dialog sound recordists have been doing since the 1920s when it first became possible to record dialog. As Mr. Crowley said, it's not rocket surgery. But it's also not plug-'n-play either. It takes some thought and some effort, but what activity worth doing does not?
 
offbeatbryce said:
Well, I create YouTube Videos and film in my house which is echoey so what choice do I have?
Click to expand...

You are right no choice might as well pack it up and go home. Oh wait your already there ;~)

As someone else said your choice is to have echoey sound, or treat the space you record in. Some mic's will make it worse but none will actually solve your problem. The best mic only choice would be a dynamic very close to your mouth but that is not likely to be a usable option for filming.

You can go very cheap with the "fix" and just pin up some packing blankets on the walls and cover non carpeted floors as much as possible. You can go up a step by using some egg crate foam in front of the packing blanket, but that is probably over kill for you. And you probably only want to do the opposing walls. So if you number the walls 1-4 clockwise you would treat 1&2 or 2&3 or 3&4, etcetera. You are trying to stop the sound from bouncing around so much, not kill the bounce all together.

it's not rocket surgery
Click to expand...
, that must take one heavy duty scalpel!

Does it take a Brain Science degree to do that?
 
Bruce Watson said:
Aw man, you didn't really say that out loud, did you?
What choice do you have?
Click to expand...

You may want to consider the excellent Audio Technica's AT875r which Drapeama has mentioned...
and/or the ATu873r which is better suited for indoors, low ceilings, etc. Either of these are really good bang for the buck.
The choices are many... Too many to list actually. You have nothing but choices regarding Mic selection and
room acoustic treatment. :)
 
drapeama said:
Assuming you pointed to the right mic, XLR and not the USB version, you can provide phantom power to your microphone.
From there, I could suggest you to get/invest in the AT875r, which is a short shotgun microphone from Audio-Technica that actually performs quite well indoor. Add what Alex suggested about the blankets and you'd be good to go in pretty any situations/environement. I recently purchased it and I'm impressed how well it performs for like 150-170$ shotgun mics.

Now if money is an issue, and you have to choose from the 3 mics you've pointed out, I would go with the AT2020 and speak close to it, like he does in his video:
You might have to speak closer, depending on the sensitivity of the mic.




As Rick suggest, a lavalier microphone would be best suited. Cheap (under 50$) and quite good are the Aspen ones that comes to my mind:
Click to expand...

Would I hid the lav mic under my shirt or clip it somewhere out of view of the camera?
 
offbeatbryce said:
Would I hid the lav mic under my shirt or clip it somewhere out of view of the camera?
Click to expand...
A lav mic like that is meant to be used no more than 12 inches from your mouth. It would be useless "somewhere out of view". Whether you clip it OVER your shirt or UNDER your shirt is an artistic decision. Remember that the farther away the microphone is from your mouth, the more ambient noise, reflections, reverberation, etc it will pick up. And if you hide it under clothing, you will lose high-frequencies because they are attenuated through the cloth. There is no magic solution. It is just living with the laws of acoustic physics.
 
offbeatbryce said:
Would I hid the lav mic under my shirt or clip it somewhere out of view of the camera?
Click to expand...
Does it really matter that we don't see the mic on your shirt?

Otherwise, I got pretty decent results recently using the Takstar CM-63 (pretty much an unknown mic) on a table, barely out of frame. Quite directional for a Cardioid pattern, sounds clean and warm (to my ears):
14352493_10154611512812526_1629835089418212677_o.jpg
It requires Phantom Power though. But definitively an option to consider, at 50$/microphone.
 
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