Well...........
 

I run an ME67, ME66, ME64 and a double EW100 G2 system with Lav. The 64 doesn't get a lot of use unless I'm stuck for mics, the 66 & 67 do most of the work and I prefer the 67 just because it keeps the strays away better.

To put this in context: I shot a one man (me) documentary on the Otago Goldfields a few months ago and had to ditch the 64 as I couldn't keep the sound of farm machinery some 3 MILES away out of it, even the 66 was struggling. Ended up using the 67 "off axis" and the Lav/ G2's - almost perfect.

Shooting wildlife in my garden a week or so ago (Tuis, Bellbirds and Waxeyes) had to ditch the 64 yet again as it was catching a beatifull rendition from a chainsaw, again some 3 - 4 miles away. The 67 again saved the day as I also had to deal with the exceedingly noisy air con unit from next door which bounced most elegantly off another neighbours metal walled garage and wrapped straight round the house - 67 "off axis" , bingo.

Give me a 67 any day, oh, and a REALLY good set of cans!

CS

You mentioned earlier that the ME67 picks up a good 20 foot wide corridor from 40 feet back from the sound source. From the same 40 feet back, what size corridor does the ME66 pick up?

As a very rough guess...........
 

30 feet, maybe more, tho' all those figures need to be taken with a serious pinch of salt - depends on relative loudness, frequency etc.

CS

Thanks! This is helpful.

Which mic? What is your budget? How obsessed are you with having the best? How many different mics do you want to deal with? How obsessed are you with sound quality?

The directional properties of shotgun mics are a function of frequency. The higher the frequency, the more directional. See the curves in the mic specs. Sound pick-up from the sides and back is reduce, but not totally eliminated.

Hypercardoids, the narrowest shotguns, usually do not reject sound from the rear well as they do from the sides.

For all events, for the best sound, get as much audience behind you as you can.

Just a thought. Disney tends to be hyper about copyright. You may not want to look too professional going into video tape their stage productions.

For school events stereo can be important. Video of a concert can be boring because there is little action. Sound become the main interest. Because you may have some more control over that type of event, work with the teachers running the event, get there early, install mics at the edge of the stage, run cable to your seat, tape the cabel down with gaffer tape.

Go to the Shure web site, read their white papers on mic selection and recording.

I'm looking for a mic ( or two) that is good quality, better than the on-board, and reasonably priced. The ME66 or ME67 price is the most I want to pay. Is the Rode quality comparable? Or is it not quite as good, but the qualitative difference is more than compensated for by the cheaper price?

It doesn't make a lot of difference. Shot gun mics are intended to be used 1-1/2 to 4 feet from the subject. Your examples are all farther than that, so nothing will sound great.

A popular mic, and one that was used by ABC all over at the Australia Olympics is the AT4073a. I have this and it can be a general purpose mic, and its a professional standard in its price class... probably the best mic you can get in its price range:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bi...#37;3A+Shotgun

It is hot and may need attenuation (which the A1 can provide). This mic is fairly sensitive to handling, and can be a problem on camera. (The more you pay for a shotgun, the more sensitive and hard to use on camera it will probably be. The Schoeps makes noise if you look at it too hard.)

The AT897 mic also does a good job, it's cheaper, though it's not as sensitive, but it also has less handling noise, and it's about two inches longer. It has a different type of condenser that works off a battery as well as phantom power. (The AT4073a is only phantom power.)

The three stereo mics by AT at about $1000, the BP4027 and BP4020 are designed for long distance pickup. Also, the AT835ST.

(All the mics mentioned are on the link above, where you can read more about them.)

**** BEST CHOICE ??? *****************
Prerhaps best for your needs would be one of the AT stereo mics from the one-point series:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bi...ones%3A+Stereo

These are just over and under $500 and will give you stereo audio better than the cam mic, are designed for on camera use (AT822 & AT825). You can use the unbalanced version or the balanced version with the XH-A1, since the camera has inputs for both types of mics.
***************************