Shotgun Microphone

[Mike Kujbida]

[Graham Bernard] “What is the difference between a Report’s Omni and a Lavlier Omni?”

At least 8 inches. As you know, lavs are typically mounted on the chest and the distance to the mouth is about that distance. Reporters usually have the mic no more than 2 inches away from their mouth.

[Roger Bansemer] “Why do I never hear background trucks, etc when reporters are next to a highway. I know they hold the mike close but I often see them holding it further away than what my lav mike is which is right at my throat so it has to be something else.”

It’s been my experience that while most reporters use some kind of stick mic, the pick up/polar pattern of the supplied mic varies from station to station.
For example, one local station gives all their reporters short shotgun mics (Sennheiser ME-66 I believe) while the other is an omni mic and there is a huge difference in audio quality between the two. Because these are shotgun mics, they are much more directional than an omni and background noise is greatly reduced. I used its predecessor (ME-80) for several years and was always very impressed with its ability to drastically reduce background noises.

As Grazie has said before, you need to look at the polar pattern of any mic that you’re considering as there are differences that need to be considered.

Roger, I know you don’t want to but you really should consider a head-mount mic. The new ones are very thin, and are flesh coloured so you hardly see them.
As was repeated several times on that forum, the bottom line is that you need to get the mic closer to your mouth to get rid of background noise. Handheld and shotgun mics are out of the question so a headworn model is your best choice.
Jan gave some examples of good quality models and I encourage you to check them out.

[Roger Bansemer]

Mike,
I would consider the head mount mic except for one thing. Wind noise which also seems to be a plague when shooting outside. I use a fuzzy on my lav and sometimes hide that whole thing under my shirt. I don’t think there’s a solution for wind on the head mount. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks

Roger Bansemer

[Graham Bernard]

Roger, I think you are becoming more and more aware just what extremis you are putting yourself under; why one mic is notionally refereed as the same as another (omnis); why recordings are made inside a Studio with all those controls; why sound crews exist, if only to hold a Boom with a shottie on it; why cardioid exist and for what purpose; why sound design is so very important, and especially here with your soft voice concentrating on putting across your art.

Look, you are wanting your viewers to get that immersive and authentic and immediacy from what you are doing: Here’s a thought, how about your own voice-overs and breaking away from that just when you want to share a rather dramatic or even sensitive point in your work? If wind noise for a face mic is a show stopper then think towards the viewer. A Voice over does really spell out “professional”! Besides which you can add further detailed narrative. We know you are being filmed in situ, however we can accept, and more than that, your dulcet tones explaining your Art! Used at the most crucial point, it can be truly stunning.

Here’s another thought, do actually “know” if people find the wind noise inappropriate or detracting?

If you can get a mic solution, then good for you. It would be a sweet solution.

Cheers

Grazie

Video Content Creator and Potter
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Cameras: Canon XF300 + PowerShot SX50HS Bridge

[Mike Kujbida]

Roger, my experiences with headworn mics have been limited to the cheaper ones used by the music theatre students at my community college.

Going by the models mentioned on the other forum, you have two choices.
The first is the DPA d:fine and the other one is the Countryman E6.

I know very little about either model other than to strongly recommend that you find a pro audio shop that carries them so that you can talk to knowledgeable people about them. They will be able to make recommendations based on your applications and will even let you try them out.
FYI, I don’t mean a shop like Sweetwater either. I’m sure that they’re OK but you need an even better place. Go back to the other forum and ask where the closest pro shop to you is.
Why do I say this?
This Countryman E6 Microphone Selection Guide is why 🙂
Go through it and you’ll see that there are a lot of options that can be overwhelming to users like us.

[Barry Hull]

Thanks Mike, just what I was looking for, within price range too.

I’m not the same Mike but I’ll take a stab at answering your questions. There are two inexpensive recorders to consider, the Zoom H2n and the Zoom H4n. Prices are $180 and $270 respectively at B&H. The H4n is a stereo recorder while the H2n is a surround sound recorder.
Windscreens and remote control units are highly recommended options as is a large SD card. You want to record to WAV, not MP3 so the bigger the card, the longer you can record.

Barry W. Hull

[Roger Bansemer]

I have a Sony D50 that is very nice and you can get a wind screen for it as well.

Roger Bansemer