-
MIC Recomendation, please.
Hello,
Sorry to do this as it looks like a lot of posts on this forum are “can you recommend a mic, please” but I’ve been searching the archives and the rest of the ‘net for information and haven’t come to a conclusion yet.
I create low-budget videos for a veterinarian who speaks approximately once per month in the same location. The past few videos have come away with some bad interference using our wireless mic, which I’ve been unable to completely remove with software. We’re trying to eliminate the chance of this happening in the future. Our mic is also bad at this point.
I use one of two consumer camcorders, both have 1/8″ mic jacks. We’ve been using an Audio Technica Pro 88W wireless lav MIC and have the option of buying a new mic for it (the mic has gone bad but the rest of the rig still works.)
We setup about 20′ from the speaker who sits in the same spot for the entire speaking engagement (4 hours each!) The facility has ~8’ ceilings, florescent lights and does echo a bit (large room). There is very little crowd noise or other outside audio to deal with.
Would my best bet be a wired lav mic with a long cord run along the ceiling back to my camera? It seems like the common suggestions for this type of filming are either a wireless mic or a mic that records in to something other than the camera, the audio and video are then fed separately into your computer for editing.
I kind of like the wired mic, long cord to the camera idea, will this work well? If so, any suggestions on a good wired mic (and what else do I need? power source of some sort?)
Or, should I be recording the audio off-camera?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or thoughts! Sorry for the long post!
-Grant
-
2 Replies
-
Let me start off by asking a few questions. What kind of budget do you have for audio? Which camera are you using?
Yes, a wired lav mic will give you the best results assuming that the subject is fairly stationary. Lav mics need power to operate, either phantom power (which your camera does not supply) or a power supply with a battery compartment. Not all power supplies have this compartment; some only convert phantom power to the necessary voltage for the mic.
Tram TR-50 https://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=383&cat=45&page=1
Sony ECM-77 https://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=786&cat=122&page=1
Both of these mics are available with battery powered supplies for under $400. You will get high quality sound with these mics.
Next you have to get the mic signals into the camera, which means you’ll need a special XLR to 1/8″ adapter, such as the one found here:
https://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=146&cat=31&page=1The next big question is: how much control does your camera allow over the audio levels? You need to be able to adjust the levels at the camera.
Hope this helps.
Rodney
Freelance Sound Technician/Mixer
-
Hello Grant,
Rodney’s advice is good. I’d add that a Countryman E6 earworn mic would probably get rid of the room sound. I can be ordered with an XLR and/or a cable that will plug into your AT wireless so you can go both ways; hardwired and wireless.
Five years ago these mics drew stares. Today they are part of the scenery.
Regards,
Ty For
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Watch Ty play guitar
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up