Two Questions....
 

I have just ordered a Beachtek DXA-8 and have two questions regarding microphones:

1. Should I remove the battery from my AT897 when I plan to use phantom power from the Beachtek?

2. Can anyone recommend a good not-too-expensive microphone for recording ambient sound (forest sounds, city streets, etc.)?

I am assuming that the AT897, being very directional, wouldn't be too good for that kind of application.

Bob Reed

No battery has to be installed. It doesn't matter either way. If phantom is there the mic will use it.

It depends on whether or not the ambience you want is directional. Try the mic and see if it does the trick. I thing generally an omni is used for ambience but most of us don't own one anyway.

Looking at the polar pattern you'd have 110-120 degrees of really usable spread.

Sony sells the MS907/908 (one of them is the camcorder mount version) that will do the job. It's a mid/side stereo microphone and sounds really good to my ears (I don't have any expensive mics to compare it to though). Jay Rose gives a one liner review of it over at dv.com.

"The mic is the company's MS908, a stereo unit designed for on-camera use-regular readers know what I think of that idea-but very nice for recording ambiences. " http://www.dv.com/features/features_.../2000/rose1200

It's $100 or so and you should be able to try it out at any Sony store. I would definitely try to evaluate it before buying, although a Sony store might be really noisy and not helpful.

Your shotgun might be ok too if it sounds *right*. Sounding right doesn't have to mean it sounds like real life. Car crashes and gunshots sound very differently in real life for example. Using what you have already is free so I'd try it out anyways. Sounds and echo that hit the shotgun off-axis will sound weird which may work against you.