Wireless mic, shotgun mic, or boom mic?

T

tmj1975

New member
I am going to be doing a lot of interviews and I was wondering what the best mic for sound was. I have a shotgun mic mounted to my dvx100, is that good enough or should I put it on a boom stand, or should I get a wireless mic (and if so which one). Also when I interview people how do I make it legal for me to use the footage? can they just say it on film? Oh and what is the best setting for an interview (I have been using 24p with +4 detail and +4 color, cine-like. Thanks for the help.

Tom
 
Tom,

I would not use a mic mounted to your camera. You want to get as close to the subject as possible, so yes you can put it on a mic stand, but I prefer to go with wireless mics. If you can pick up a sennheiser set that would be good, but if not try to at least pick up a UHF set. You can have your subject do an on-camera agreement, but it is best to get a depiction release signed on paper. As for settings, check out Barry Green's recommendations (I use them). Good luck :)
 
scorsesefan said:
You want something like this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/564454-REG/Azden_105LT_105LT_105_Series_UHF.html with a camera mountable receiver.
Click to expand...

Be advised that an Azden wireless system is not a wise investment. Head over to the audio forum and read up on sound, maybe even do a search on wireless mics. Really, the leat you can expect to spend for a decent wireless system is $500-600 per channel. The Sennheiser G3 systems are excellent ($600/channel) budget-minded systems. The Audio Technica 1800-series (about $500/channel) have noise problems. The Sony UWP-V1 systems are also about $500/channel, but I have also found them to have unacceptable noise levels.

There are fans of the AT and Sony systems around here, but the Sennheiser systems win out more often than not. Azden is generally regarded as cheap rubbish. I'd also avoid any wireless systems by Samson, and any AT systems (or all others, really) under $500. Your sound is too important to the overall quality of your video.
 
Yes, I agree with C2V that the G3 is a much better mic (I own two Sennheiser systems). I was just giving an example of a CAMERA MOUNTABLE RECEIVER system for Tom. If you can afford a Senn G3 you should definitely go for it, but it would appear it is out of his budget, no?
 
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scorsesefan said:
I was just giving an example of a CAMERA MOUNTABLE RECEIVER system for Tom. If you can afford a Senn G3 you should definitely go for it, but it would appear it is out of his budget, no?
Click to expand...

Giving an example by using sub-standard equipment comes across as a recommended purchase (especially when preceded by "you want something like this"). The Sennheiser G3 system is also camera-mountable.

Budget was never specifically addressed. Folks who don't know any different/better will often go for the sound gear they can find even if they could buy something more worthwhile. Good audio isn't cheap, but cheap audio can cost you more. It's helpful for anyone to know where that line is. And if purchasing the right gear is out of the question, there's always rental for each project.
 
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i know the op mentioned wireless but unless the shoot absolutely dictates mobility, i would suggest hard wired boom and lav.

hardwired audio often will sound better and should cost less.

ymmv

be well

rob
 
I use a hard wired Audio Technica AT831 lav for all my interviews. Sounds amazing! Picked up the mic and power module for a few hundred bucks. However, I rent the G3's or G2's (older version) if I need wireless capabilities. I also have an Audio Technica AT897 shotgun mic ($260) for everything else. Gives me great quality sound. For live concert recordings or anything that requires a handheld mic, I use a Sure SM57 ($100).
 
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