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In search of a good, omnidirectional mic
Hi,
My apologies in advance if this is not the proper forum for this question. If it’s not, would someone please point me to the right place?
I need an omnidirectional mic for my new Panasonic DV cam, model PV-GS300. I was careful to buy a model that had a jack, but I’m still a little unclear about what is the best kind of mic, and whether I’ll need some sort of adapter. My wife will be using the cam and mic to film her kindergarten class room. Our previous attempts using the built in mic often resulted in not being able to hear dialogue.
Thanks.
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6 Replies
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You should not attempt to shoot dialogue with the on-cam mic (as ytou discovered).
But an OMNI-directional mic is not the best choice, either.A good ‘Directional’ mic is what you want, and you should have someone holding it (or have it mounted on) a boom-pole, so that it is JUST outside the picture area when shooting dialogue.
Pro mics have XLR connectors and you need an adapter to connect them to your camcorder’s 1/8-inch mini-plug.
The units made by BeachTek
are a popular choice for these kind of mic-to-camera connections.
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Hey, thanks for the response. We can’t use a boom and such because it’s too disruptive to the classroom full of kindergartners. Given our inability to use a directional mic, we were told an omnidirectional mic was our best bet.
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Use a wireless lavaliere mic.
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Jeez, I’m such a noob. Could you please recommend a specific mic that you think is worthwhile? I am overwhelmed by the myriad of choices on the beachtek site. Also, what are the benefits of a lavalier mic?
Thanks again for your help.
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You should explain a little more about what your wife is doing. Is she shooting presentations at the front of the classroom like show and tell? Or plays with the entire class as the cast? Or maybe just walking around shooting students working on projects at their desks?
The suggestions you’ve been getting are good for some of these activities but for not others. I hesitate to make even more suggestions when I don’t know how useful it will be to you. Give us a little more info and we can give you more detailed advice.
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Best bet is to find a local shooting/recording pro to come and help set you up right and show you some mic techniques.
There are too many variables for you at your (self-admitted) low experience level to to answer adequately on a bulletin board.
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