Microphone for interior dialogue

[Andy Wilkinson]

I recently bought a AT4053b hypercardiod for indoor interview work and I like it very much. Bit more info here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...rdoid-mic.html

[Chris Medico]

On Monday I used an AT4053 on a boom in an indoor interview setup (also had a AT899 lav for backup). I recently picked up the 4053 second hand from a member here.

Anyway, the 4053 sounded terrific. When I played it back the dialog was rich and natural with just the right amount of room ambiance in the mix. This will be my go-to instrument for indoor setups from now on.

I would recommend putting an ear on one of those before making your final purchase.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Worth mentioning that there are 2 versions, the older AT4053a and the newer AT4053b version. I gather the older one was a very good mic but there are some improvements in sound quality in the latest version along with a few other things relating to EU materials of construction legislation etc. (so I've read).

[Chris Medico]

I have the "a" version.

[Rick Reineke]

The main difference between the 4053a and 'b' is RoHS compliance. (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) There may be some other minor 'improvements'. According to AT spec. sheets, the superseded 'b' version is about 2mV less sensitive than the 'a'. All in all, any sound differences would be negligible, I would surmise.

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Joe Piechura

I currently have just one microphone: the Sennheiser ME66. Which also means I own the K6 power module. I'm looking for a second microphone to go along with it for interior dialogue scenes, since I've read that shotgun microphones aren't ideal. Obviously, since I own the K6 module, I might be able to get something from Sennheiser that would work, and was looking at the ME64. But I also read that a hyper-cardioid is the way to go and that the NT3 is a good option at a similar price. What do you think?

No, they are daft. Let them try to hold an NT3 on the end of a 10 foot boom for more than 20 seconds. Maybe an NTG-3, but you said interior. Start with a Audix SCX-1HC and go up to Audio Technica 4053b, ...Sennheiser MKH50, or Schoeps CMC641.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Jon Fairhurst]

Yeah, the NT3 would work on a mic stand, but not on a handheld pole.

Add the AKG Blueline CK93 to the list of hypers that can be used on a boompole.

[Ty Ford]

"on a mic stand" infers no hands on operation.

To the OP. Don't know where you're coming from but putting up any mic on a stand and sort of aiming it at the person speaking is a precursor for crappy sound.

You need to be 18" or closer to begin to make it happen correctly and that's in a well-treated room.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Jon Fairhurst]

A stand can work when the person is seated and is conscious of the need to stay relatively still (and within the mic's cone) for good audio. (For instance, I can do a one-man audio test that way.) But this is the exception, rather than the rule. To grab an NT3 because it's on hand for a seated interview is one thing. To buy an NT3 as a general indoor video mic would be another.

BTW, we hired a pro sound guy here for a project a couple years ago, and he brought a stand with an attachment that could hold a full-sized boom. He used a lav as well as this fixed boom for seated interviews with no problem. Note that in this case, the "talent" was speaking to a person to the side of the camera and it was a technical topic, so they stayed quite still without emoting. Had the topic been more emotional, or if the person were dealing with props that would cause them to move their head, the stand would have been a fail.

Even with a lav, I've had people turn their head to a camera and then back to a display or whiteboard. I ended up having to ride the gain wildly in post to get an acceptable result, even for documentary purposes. (For better results, I would have ridden the EQ as well, but the project didn't require it.) For this situation, don't mount the lav too high, and make sure it's centered with their expected range of motion. A boom op could get quite the workout in this situation and would still have changing room acoustics as the head flips from camera to whiteboard.

[Ty Ford]

Jon,

Agreed!

Regards,

Ty