Hey guys,
I just purchased an Audio Technica ATR55 to help with my sound, I'm afraid it's not gonna be what I want. What mics do you all recommend. I'm on a budget fellows. Thanks,
Josh M.

Call Brian at Zot Digital, he'll help you with a mic selection. He talked me into the new NRG as opposed to the Senn or the AT. It works pretty well, though if I had the $280, I'd go get the AT 835b in a heartbeat. If I had $430, I'd upgrade to the SennM66. If I had a million, well, let's not go there.

What kind of budget? That is , how much can you spend?

100.00 maybe 200.00 if it was a substancial difference.

For low cost shotgun mics, check the Sennheisr MKE300, the Azden SGM-1X or 2X, or perhaps the recently appearing NRG Research SA-568. Keep in mind that in mics you generally get what you pay for.

I believe the MKE300 doesn't come with the XLR option. If you have the MA300 - which I do - you will be stuck with the standard plug end looking for a place to go! Senni MKE66 here, with the XLR, straight into the MA300.

Grazie

The low cost mics often come with a shoe mount and mini-phone plug connector so the MA300 may not be required to use them.

The ME66 is substantally above the $200 upper limit specified.

Ouch! Got it Don!

Grazie

Its going to be hard to find a new mike that a sound guy will like for under $200. You may be able to get the stock mike from a guy with a PDX10 or PD150 who put on an ME66 or above.

If you post on pro audio you will get some good answers.

If you don't need the MA-300 device can you just use XLR to mini plug??? I heard of such a device at Radio Shack I think. Beachtek makes it too right?

I was looking at the Audio-Technica AT835b mic and it only has XLR though.

There are a variety of low/medium cost made up XLR to 3.5mm Mini-jack adaptors available in the UK. Canford Audio (www.canford.co.uk) have range of high quality adaptors - type XFB is OK. Depending on mic output and cam input impedances you may need one which incorporates a matching transformer. All the Sennheiser mics are 5/600 0hm impedance which is OK for the GL2.


Provided the lead is short, there is no need to go to the expense of a balanced-unbalanced transformer. You need an XLR-3F and a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack and a length of double screen audio cable. Wire:

XLR pin 1 to mini-jack sleeve
XLR pin 2 to mini-jack tip and ring
XLR pin 3 to mini-jack sleeve (or to XLR pin 1)

I use a 20cm lead to connect my ME67 to my XM1. I find that a right angle XLR connector is more convenient than a straight one - the mic is too long already!

Alan, how does one locate the "direction" or identify the Pins 1 thru 3? Is that looking at the pins head on? In a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation? I'm sure there must is an XLR convention I could look up. Are the pins numbered internally, within the plug housing?


Is it like this - looking onto a male XLR head on at the pins?

_________ 1


_____ 3 _______ 2


Grazie

I find it easier to describe the female of the species. This is a view looking at the outside end of the female socket. The order is 1,3,2 round the arc, with a locating rib next to pin 2.

O represents the hole for the pin.

...............3
...............O


........1.............2
........O............O
...........Flat here.....Rib Key here

..........Lock catch
.............here


Sorry, this is not very clear. I have had to use the dots to position the representations of the pins. Spaces don't seem to show up when I post.

Every XLR I have seen has its pins labelled, usually both internally and externally. I usually buy Neutrik brand

Alan - well clear - thank you! G

Which mic is better.

The Audio-Technica AT835b or Canon's Zoom mic, or that NRG mic??? How can u tell how far it will pick up sound from anyhow?

It's obviously not as good as that ME66 but better than the MKE300???

I might buy that Audio Technica soon so let me know.

As noted, the pins on XLR connectors are usually numbered (molded into the plastic holding the pins), but the numbers are small. Pin 1 is ground, pin 2 is the + lead, pin 3 the - lead (and typically is grounded with pin 1 in simple XLR adapters)

The AT-835b is the best of the three mics you mentioned.

Shotgun mics do not "reach" in the same sense as a telephoto lens reaches to distant subjects. They tend to exclude sound reaching the mic from the sides and back, and often they have more internal amplification which means they are more sensitive. Thus a weaker sound from in front of the mic can be heard and sounds from the side will not be as pronounced. However, sound quality/clarity of distant subjects will suffer as they do with other than shotgun mics. There is no substitute for having the mic near the sound source.