Beyer Dynamic MCE 58 mic, good for documentary use? at DVinfo.net

Matthew Roberts · October 27th, 2009, 02:04 PM

I am picking up equipment for a documentary I plan to be shooting with a small crew and Im looking to buy a used mic. I have some basic training from school about audio and microphones but I want some opinions from people who know what they're talking about before buying the wrong mic. I was looking for some sort of shotgun mic since that is what I have used in the past but I came across a Beyer Dynamic MCE 58 Beyerdynamic MCE 58 Condenser Omnidirectional Microphone for $100 and supposedly in great condition.

I just want to know anyone's thoughts on whether or not this would be good for a documentary that will consist of sit down interviews, but then also would need to be used to cover any other audio in B-Roll shots or interviews shot outdoors. It sounds like a great interview mic but I really need to make sure I get the best all around mic as we are super low budget and this needs to be able to get my audio in all situations. I will be running this into a Zoom H4 field recorder.

Rick Reineke · October 27th, 2009, 02:24 PM

Like the ambiguous omni-directional EV RE-50, which gets more airtime than Seinfeld reruns, the Beyer is a good mic for on/off-camera journalistic news reporter type work.
It is NOT a substitute for a boom mounted shotgun or hyper-card... and certainly would not be a good choice for sit-down interviews.
Sounds like a decent price though.

Matthew Roberts · October 27th, 2009, 02:31 PM

Ok, that's what I was thinking it just seemed like a great price and I had to figure out if it was worth dropping the money or not. I will keep looking for that shotgun. Thanks for the advice.

Steve House · October 27th, 2009, 03:44 PM

Just so you know, shotguns are not the best choice for sit-down interviews either. I would expect most of those interviews to be shot indoors where shotgun performance is degraded from being in a reflective environment. A hypercardioid boomed just out of frame about 20 inches from the subject is usually the mic of choice for that scenario.

October 27th, 2009, 02:04 PM	#1
Matthew Roberts Tourist Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 4	Beyer Dynamic MCE 58 mic, good for documentary use? I am picking up equipment for a documentary I plan to be shooting with a small crew and Im looking to buy a used mic. I have some basic training from school about audio and microphones but I want some opinions from people who know what they're talking about before buying the wrong mic. I was looking for some sort of shotgun mic since that is what I have used in the past but I came across a Beyer Dynamic MCE 58 Beyerdynamic MCE 58 Condenser Omnidirectional Microphone for $100 and supposedly in great condition. I just want to know anyone's thoughts on whether or not this would be good for a documentary that will consist of sit down interviews, but then also would need to be used to cover any other audio in B-Roll shots or interviews shot outdoors. It sounds like a great interview mic but I really need to make sure I get the best all around mic as we are super low budget and this needs to be able to get my audio in all situations. I will be running this into a Zoom H4 field recorder.

October 27th, 2009, 03:44 PM	#4
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Just so you know, shotguns are not the best choice for sit-down interviews either. I would expect most of those interviews to be shot indoors where shotgun performance is degraded from being in a reflective environment. A hypercardioid boomed just out of frame about 20 inches from the subject is usually the mic of choice for that scenario. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

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October 27th, 2009, 02:24 PM	#2
Rick Reineke Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: New York Posts: 2,038	Like the ambiguous omni-directional EV RE-50, which gets more airtime than Seinfeld reruns, the Beyer is a good mic for on/off-camera journalistic news reporter type work. It is NOT a substitute for a boom mounted shotgun or hyper-card... and certainly would not be a good choice for sit-down interviews. Sounds like a decent price though.

October 27th, 2009, 02:31 PM	#3
Matthew Roberts Tourist Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 4	Ok, that's what I was thinking it just seemed like a great price and I had to figure out if it was worth dropping the money or not. I will keep looking for that shotgun. Thanks for the advice.