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Choosing the Right Microphone(s)
I want to record a guy playing guitar and singing in front of my green screen for a Youtube level video.
He wont be moving around very much, nor will he be especially loud or abrasive. Really simple straightforward stuff.
I have a camera with 2 available XLR inputs. I do not have access to a full mixing board.
I have plenty of XLR cable, but the only decent microphones I have are lavalieres and those just wont do for this project.
I was initially thinking a good solution would be to get two mics with two stands and place them as close to him as possible while still being outside the video composition.
However, I really know next to nothing about audio. Is this even close to the type of set up I want?
More importantly though, what kind of microphones do I want to use? I have no idea what the differences between hyper or super cardioid, figure-eight or small and large diaphragm condensers are, but the distinction seems pretty important.
I’d like to keep my costs at around $500, but if I have to I can go higher.
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16 Replies
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I would suggest go with the Blue Bird or the Blue Baby Bottle. Thay are condenser mics and will therefore require phantom power which you should have on your camera. They are both under $500 and will serve you well.
Alain Koffi Sessi
Sound Designer -
Rather than buying a mic why not rent?
In fact, why isn’t it being shot like other music videos – syncing to the playback?
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First I assume we’re talking about Acoustic Guitar. It was never specified, so I’m not certain.
I will say that the Audio-Technica 3035 (now discontinued) is quite a sleeper of a mic. It’s affordable, transparent, and versatile AND you should be able to find one new for around $125.
Wolf
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Hello Adrian and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.
Unless you like a mic as a prop, I’d suggest a Countryman E6 for vocals.
Like this: https://gallery.me.com/tyreeford#100183
Does his guitar have a pickup? Mine does in this shot.
Mic to one track, guitar to the other. Mix in post.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field GuideWatch Ty play guitarSome contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
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I love what a great resource the COW is, and thank you all so much for your responses.
I guess there’s a couple things I should add to this, and a couple questions I’d like to ask.
Yes, he will be using an acoustic guitar. This wont be shot like other music videos because we don’t have any previous quality recordings of the song. My green screen isn’t large and doesn’t provide a wide range of motion, and any effects and backgrounds we produce will be very low budget. The project is really only a collaboration with just two people experimenting to find out what they’re capable of producing on their own.
I don’t want to rent because I basically have no microphones of my own and I would like to have something I can experiment with for this and any future projects. So I guess I should also mention I would like to buy something versatile enough that it could also be used for projects outside of this setting, for example two people having a conversation.
The Blue Bird and Blue Baby Bottle look really cool, I mean really cool. They put a big smile on my face when I pulled up a picture of each of them. However, they look like they need a close proximity. Is this correct? I would prefer to have something I could keep maybe 5-10 feet away from the subject, so that I can keep the microphones out of frame. The same goes for the Audio-Technica 3035, what is the proximity on that microphone?
I guess that also excludes the E6, although the vocals did sound great in that example you gave Ty.
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5-10 feet away will never work. Waaaaay too far away.
Yes, you need to be closer and the worse the environment the closer you need to be.
Skipper Wise (BLUE) is a bloody genius at marketing mics that look different. I think many of them look neater than they sound.
Have fun and don’t forget to write.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field GuideWatch Ty play guitar -
Would I be able to get away with just 5 feet away? One mic on his left and one on his right? My studio is quiet, there won’t be a risk of any outside noise coming in.
Or do I need to start looking towards alternative solutions? If so, what would you recommend? I’m open to all types of approaches.
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Okay, a couple of things…
I don’t know anything about you, but have to assume that you are a “general” videographer.
First, I recommend renting because there is no single mic that can “do it all”; you rent what you need for each given situation. Second, mics for musical applications don’t work well as production sound mics; they’re too bulky and too heavy to be used on location, and, conversely, production sound mics aren’t really the best choice for musical applications. Third, some places allow you to apply some or all of your rental fees towards your eventual purchase.
Another consideration is that in your projected scenario you can only have one continuous take; your artist, no matter how good he is, will not be able to give you “perfect” enough performances to allow for audio edits as you change angles (or whatever), and if you have him turning while performing that will change the quality of the audio mid-performance because the mic positions keep changing.
So I would still recommend that you rent two mics, plug them into your camera, record the music only, burn a CD, stick it in a boom-box, and shoot like a regular music video. You will have better sound quality and more visual shooting and editing options.
Peace,
Bob
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Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right. -
Adrian,
You must be scratching your head at this point. I would be if I were in your shoes. Bob has a great point and he is also correct in stating that no single mic can give you the best sound in all situations. In a controlled environment, all the recommendations will perform well with slight differences in texture and frequency representation. In an outdoor production situation however, they will not work. You can take Bob’s advice or if you still want to spend $500, go with the Audio technica and add a Rode NTG-2 for outdoor production applications.
Alain Koffi Sessi
Sound Designer -
Check out this video. This guy is a friend of mine whom I’ve advised on some gear purchases. This was recorded with one microphone just out of the shot. I’m not sure which mic he used (I can find out), but I’m pretty sure he ran it through a Focusrite ISA 428. I know he has done a lot to treat the room. I’ve advised him to record differently, but this was his vision: to record everything using one mic. This is about as good as you’ll be able to get considering your setup. If you try to use two mics at a distance you’ll need to pay close attention to your spacing in order to minimize phasing. But you won’t get a good guitar sound if you are more than 18-24 inches away from the guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtkVnYLKa84
Rodney Morris
Freelance Sound Technician/MixerSome contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
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