Recommended Mics

[Ty Ford]

Hello again, Kat.

A.) Handheld mic – Beyer Dynamic M58 n(c)
or EV 635EL

B.) Countryman E6 Omnidirectional Earset Microphone (Not sure if I will get this)
very nice mic

C.) Countryman Lavalier (I haven’t found a model yet)
That might be the EMW.

d.) A boom pole and boom mic (I haven’t found one yet)
K-tek makes them. You need a suspension mount and wind protection.
A lot depends on whether you’ll be using it indoors or outside and what the outside environment is.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Cow Audio Forum Leader
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide

[Jordan Wolf]

I want to buy some mics for students to use while learning to shoot video with cameras. They will conduct interviews, do commentating like a newscaster, and shoot scripted video.”

That’s awesome – your students should be happy to have someone willing to invest in them.

I’m thinking of getting a couple of each of the following:

A.) Handheld mic – Beyer Dynamic M58 n(c)

Beyerdynamic has some good handhelds; Electrovoice, Shure, and Sennheiser have some, too. The longer handles not only allow for closer mic-to-mouth proximity, but they also make it easier to put a mic flag on and stioll have something to hold onto.

B.) Countryman E6 Omnidirectional Earset Microphone (Not sure if I will get this)

Unless you’re doing theatre, corporate audio, or surgeries, I don’t think an e6 will be necessary. It’s a great mic, but I personally would pass over it for ENG/EFP use. You should invest in a lavalier mic or two, probably ones that can convert between wired and wireless operation for maximum flexibility. Sennheiser, Shure, Tram, Countryman are all viable options.

C.) Countryman Lavalier (I haven’t found a model yet)

The B6 is quite small and sounds good. The B2 is good, too, as is the Isomax line. Omni can be a nice choice for run n’ gun field audio as you’re almost guaranteed to pickup something…BUT that “something” may not be the sound source you anticipated. I’d stick with cardioid for lavs in the field. Handhelds can be omni because they are usually much closer to the sound source and will pick up more direct sound and less ambient noise that way.

d.) A boom pole and boom mic (I haven’t found one yet)

Go with something good from the start – pay the money NOW to have a lifetime of solid performance from your investment. The Sennheiser MKK416 and Schoepps C-MIT5U are industry standards for a reason. You should also look into one or two hypercardioid patterned mics for indoor use (shotguns don’t usually fare well inside…they get kind of “boomy”, no pun intended).

Wolf
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[Eric Toline]

Handheld it’s the Electrovoice RE50 and then everything else. It’s the de facto standard in on camera mics. The Countryman EMW or B3 lavs are great performers and reasonably priced.

For effective use of lavs you’ll need a wireless system, the Sennheiser G3 series with the plug on transmitter for the handheld mic in addition to the beltpack tx for the lav is a good value at around $600.

For a shotgun mic the Rode NTG-3 is a pretty good bang for the buck mic. What are you planning to use for a mixer to connect the microphones to the camera? A K-Tek Avalon series aluminium boom pole is a good choice for student use. Don’t forget headphones, shockmounts, windscreens and connecting cables.

Eric

[Kat Hayes]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the info!

For now, since we are on a budget, I’m thinking of going with a few handhelds and a few lavs.

When doing voice overs, I am going to get this preamp that Ty recommended in another thread:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=CECE1801&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

and I am also going to get this handheld mic for use with a camera
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=ELRE50B&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

and I figure it could be connected to a mic stand when students sit at their computers to do voice overs
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=2109050055&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

and using a pop filter for when it is windy outside or for doing voice overs
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=PEWSBR41&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

I’m figuring that this setup will allow us the best bang for our buck — being able to use it with cameras and also adequate for doing voice overs. What do you think? I’m trying to give students the option of having good quality on a budget.

Thanks!

[Ty Ford]

KAt,

Good starter kit. Don’t forget the headphones.

Sony MDR7506 or Audio-Techinca ATH-M50

Regards,

Ty Ford

Cow Audio Forum Leader
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide

[Kat Hayes]

We are going to get a lav also. When I go to BH’s site, they have a lot of different variations of the Countryman B6 and EMW and B3.

We are not going to get a mixer just yet, so it will have to be plugged directly into the camera. Which specific lav would you recommend we get from all of the available variations on the pages below? We are interested in good quality, while not wanting to buy the best, but something good enough.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/B6-1-Round-Lavalier/ci/13824/N/4232861642

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/B3-2-Round-Lavalier/ci/13823/N/4232861643

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/EMW-Classic-Lavalier/ci/13825/N/4232861641

Thank again.

[Ty Ford]

If you don’t want to see the mic, get the B6. Otherwise the others will both do.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Cow Audio Forum Leader
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide

[Eric Toline]

Get the EMW with the shelved response & the XLR connector. You can’t go wrong with that choice. I’ve got about 5 of them and are my goto choice. Remember they will require 48 volt phantom which should be available on your camera.

Eric

[Richard Crowley]

IMHO, the Rode lav is an excellent choice here. It is reasonably priced and seems to be reasonably rugged. And it performs great IME. It is also interchangable (cable, connectors, etc.) with their headset mic.

But a tremendous feature is that it has a field-replaceable cord AND different connectors for either hard-wired (XLR) use or for wireless use (various different connectors for different brands of wireless transmitters). IMHO, this is a brilliant design/marketing scheme of Rode’s and shame on the old-school competition for not coming up with this years ago. It makes them look like un-innovative money-grubbing scrooges and dolts. (IMHO, YMMV)

Lav mics take a beating even under the best of conditions with professional users. Letting students use them is fine, but just PLAN on significant abuse, even if only from ignorance or haste.

Unless you have unusually conscientious kids, I would place more emphasis on rugged and cheap to repair/replace.

[Eric Toline]

Richard is 100% correct in his recomendation. Being from the old school of UIMGS&D the Rode line fell under my radar.

Eric