Sam Mallery
Forum Replies Created
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1) What Jordan said
2) For outdoor use you should get some kind of Rycote windshield:
https://www.rycote.com/products/families/personal-microphone-solutions/
I use Rycote Lavalier Windjammers. Just using the metal windscreen that comes with the Sennheiser isn’t enough for outdoor use. You just have to be careful not to lose the little windjammers.3) If you take a little time and learn how to use the frequency scanner that’s built into the G2 and G3, you should be fine. I would buy the A frequency as opposed to the B frequency. Why? Both frequencies have some room for wireless mics, but the A frequency is lower and it seems like the future of wireless audio is going to be lower frequencies.
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I don’t own the Rode Video Mic, but I’ve used them a few times. There is no buzz. It’s a good sounding mic for the money. In the trailer for Paranormal Activity the guy in the movie is using a Rode Video Mic. I don’t know if he used that as the main mic in making of the film, but it’s possible.
The person who tested it and reported that it buzzes either had a broken microphone, or a broken device they were plugging it into, or they were doing it wrong. They were most likely doing it wrong. There are millions of different ways to do it wrong in audio.
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Rode Video Mic all the way. The rubber bands on the built-in shockmount on the Video Mic allow the it to wiggle around a bit, which some people don’t like, but, whatever… This is about sound, and the Rode sounds much better than the Azden. Factor in an extra $39 for the Rode Deadcat and you’ll have a nice sounding mic you can use indoors and out. There is also a thread on the bottom of the Video Mic which allows you to attach it to a boompole. So you’re next purchase after the Deadcat can be a boompole. You’ll be rocking then.
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“a microphone with low-handing noise and a forgiving range is best.”
All sensitive shotguns & small diaphragm mics are going to produce handling noise. You need a shockmount on your boompole to avoid vibration noise. The Pearstone DUS-M is a good shockmount for a boompole that won’t set you back too much financially.
Of the mics you mentioned, if you were to only buy just one, the Sanken CS-1 is your best bet. Remember, if you ever plan on setting outdoors to use the shotgun, you are going to need a softie windscreen. The exact model you need for the CS-1 is the Rycote
Standard Hole Softie Windscreen with a 19 – 22mm hole. Factor in an additional $110 for the softie. -
How did the sound person come off as unfriendly? It sounded like good advice to me. The engineer didn’t want a portable stereo recorder placed in the back of a basketball arena to represent what the show sounded like on TV. They offered to do a dedicated mix for you off of the mixing console. That’s exactly what you want an audio engineer to tell you.
Mixing consoles have these things called Aux sends. They’re used to do many things (control stage monitors, send audio to effects, etc.). One thing that professional sound people will do is to create a separate mix of the audio in the console for video people. This mix will be different than the house mix. The mix they will create for you will be the closest they can get to the way the show is supposed to sound.
I would take the sound engineer up on their offer, but also have a back up plan in case they don’t have enough aux sends to create a mix for you. Perhaps you should ask this person what the best back-up plan would be in case they don’t get the board they need.
Also, I would use the mics on your camera to supply the ambient sounds (the crowd applause/reactions, etc.). Use the mix you get on the recorder as the main sound track, and your camera audio as a supplement you can bring in where it’s needed.
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Between the ME66 and the R0DE NTG-2 I would get the NTG-2. The ME66 has a really hot output, which makes it more susceptible to vibration and wind noise. It’s a noisy mic. I use an Audio Technica 4073a shotgun.
302 mixer is the best choice.
Between the Marantz PMD670 and the Fostex FR2, I would get the Fostex. I don’t find the interface of the PDM670 to be intuitive. I’ve heard positive things from active field professionals about the FR2.
I don’t know how the R0DE NT6 rates for video use either because I don’t think many people use them. It seems more like a studio/installation system to me. You don’t know how it will stand up to the elements, travel, and abuse of video work. I use the AT4053a because I couldn’t afford a Schoeps, period. So far I’m happy with my decision, and I still can’t afford a Schoeps 😉 I own both the hyper-cardioid and the cardioid capsules for my 4053’s (I have two). I may pick up a pair of omni capsules someday.
My advice would be to not be a guinea pig. Use gear that’s tested and proven.
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No external inputs on the Q3. Not an option for running double system in the audio bag. But, for people just looking for a point & shoot Flip-like video camera, the audio quality of the Q3 beats the pants off of everything. It “likely” has the best sounding built-in microphones of any video camera ever made. 😉
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The camera likely has a mic-level input, and the output of the H4N is line-level, so I think this would not work so well.
One thing you could do is sell your H4N and buy the new Zoom Q3. It’s got the same microphones and recording capability as the H4N, plus it has an integrated video camera.
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David, it may well be worth it to post a picture of the shockmount & mic you are using. You may not need to spend money.
Another thing, you stated that you need a mic with a wider pick-up pattern, yet your current mic is a 15″ shotgun. Typically, long shotguns like that have a very narrow pick-up pattern. Can you maybe explain what your needs are from the mic a bit more? What applications are you using it in?
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“use a balanced cable regardless of the 1/4″ jack being TRS or TS.”
I always use a balanced cable first (if I have one). Then I listen to it. If it sounds good, I roll with it. Not a very scientific approach, but it’s worked for me so far.
I used to make a point of using unbalanced cables when an input or output was unbalanced. About four years ago I was recording a vinyl record into a computer. I had a dual unbalanced RCA output cable from the phono preamp that I needed to plug into a Pro Tools interface. I had two RCA to 1/4″ adapters to stick on to the ends of the dual RCA cable in order to get it into the Pro Tools interface. The catch is that one of the RCA to 1/4″ adapters was TRS, and the other was TS. I plugged them in (with equal gain settings) and the TRS side was stronger & clearer.
So now I just roll with balanced and always listen.