Sennheiser MD 441-U good for video production dialogue?

[Ivo van Aart]

Would it be?

[Seth Bloombaum]

I worked on a documentary film in 1979 in which a 441 was the primary boom mic for interviews. It worked and it sounded good (I wasn't the recordist).

Since that time I've occassionally used a 441 as an instrument mic - it is an excellent dynamic mic, no question about that. A contender for "best dynamic ever built".

As a type, modern supercardoid condensor mics are capable of finer detail and greater transparency, due to their lighter diaphram.

So, neither a yes or no to your question - if you have a 441 available and can mount it on a boom then it is definitely worth trying, and will probably sound better than some inexpensive condensors. If other choices were possible I'd test the 441 against the best condensor I could afford.

[Ivo van Aart]

So the 441 against the rhode ntg-2 would be no match? The 441 would win?
But the ntg-2 might be better for outside-work, and the 441 for inside? The ntg-2 had a longer pick up range.

[Seth Bloombaum]

Originally Posted by Ivo van Aart

So the 441 against the rhode ntg-2 would be no match? The 441 would win?
But the ntg-2 might be better for outside-work, and the 441 for inside? The ntg-2 had a longer pick up range.

No, there is no "win" for the 441 because you are comparing microphones of different types that are suited to different applications.

As a type, supercardoids such as the MD-441U and, more conventionally, a supercard condensor, are suited to booming interior work.

As a type, interference tube mics (short shotguns, shotguns) such as the NTG-2 are suited to booming exterior work.

These types both crossover, however. A supercard can be quite handy outdoors when a wider pattern is desired. A shotgun can be used indoors in some environments, especially when walls and ceiling are far away or non-reflective of low frequencies.

An NTG-2 does not have a "longer pickup range" in any meaningful way. The boom operator would work it as close as they would a supercard for the best speech reproduction. A shotgun does do a better job at rejecting sound from off-axis than a less directional mic.

[Ivo van Aart]

Ok...thank you! :-)
One more question: would many people notice if I used the two mics in one filmproduction? Like the 441 for interior, the ntg-2 for exterior. Or would you hear too much difference in sound?

[Wayne Brissette]

Originally Posted by Ivo van Aart

Ok...thank you! :-)
One more question: would many people notice if I used the two mics in one filmproduction? Like the 441 for interior, the ntg-2 for exterior. Or would you hear too much difference in sound?

We use multiple mics on every production. It's all about using the right mic for the right situation. You can mix and match as you please, but make sure the mics somewhat compliment each other. By that I mean, if one has a totally different sound, you wouldn't want to use that mic alongside other mics if you weren't going to spend a lot of time in post production trying to make things sound more even.

And that's another point. In post production many things happen. The idea of on-location sound is to get the cleanest lines/sound. The post production people will end up trying to match it. On low budget/Indie pictures you may be responsible for both on-location sound and post sound, but I usually hand off post production duties to somebody else.

Wayne