Looking for mic recommendation

Leo Mandy · December 13th, 2005, 03:20 PM

I have a shotgun mic that doesn't seem to be cutting the mustard. Picks up alot of background sound and has problems with hiss. I spent about 140.00 on it a year and a half ago, now I think I need to upgrade. I was looking at the Marshall 2003 MXL - is this a good mic for the price? I am making short films and some TV stuff for the net, do you think this will work out for me? Thanks

I have also heard good things about the V67G from marshall as well, the cheaper cousin of the 2003 mxl...

Jim Feeley · December 13th, 2005, 03:26 PM

For a variety of opinions about shotgun mics, check out this thread:

<http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=55898>

>I was looking at the Marshall 2003 MXL

That mic might be useful for recording voiceovers or musical instruments (at close range), but I don't think a mic like that is going to do what you want for standard video field production. Yes, there was a guy who boomed high-profile films with Neumann U87s...but that was a long time ago and that guy was eccentric.

Check out the thread above, that'll get you off on the right track I think.

Best,

Jim

Jay Massengill · December 13th, 2005, 04:36 PM

What camera are you using? That will make a big difference on the recommendations.

Leo Mandy · December 13th, 2005, 09:24 PM

Panasonic 852 - it has a stereo input, but I have an impedience coupler so I can go from XLR.

What I really need is a good mic for dialogue on location/studio.

Mike Rehmus · December 13th, 2005, 10:11 PM

Most of your problem may be that you are attempting to gather the sound on location. Does your current microphone work OK in a quiet studio? If so, then a more expensive microphone is just going to capture a slightly better copy of the noise and hiss you've found outside.

If you have any wind present, then that too will contribute to your problem. For that problem, you need to use a quite expensive (compared to your microphone) wind suppression system.

Shotguns are not my first choice for capturing sound outside. They are plagued by low-frequency off-axis sounds. Beyond that, they don't sound all that good anyway.

Jay Massengill · December 13th, 2005, 10:20 PM

You should also consider adding a source of phantom power so you could choose from the full range of XLR mics. This could either be an external unit like the Denecke PS-1 or PS-2 that you could use with your XLR adapter, or the BeachTek DXA-6 which you would use instead of your present XLR adapter.
Otherwise you'll have to choose from battery-powered mics for those times when you need greater sensitivity than is possible with a dynamic mic.
One of the better non-XLR battery-powered mics is the Rode Videomic which would work directly with your camera, but isn't as easy to use off-camera as an XLR mic. Rode has created very nice accessories to get around some of those problems.
Other battery-powered mics that have XLR connectors and are appropriate for various field and studio tasks are the:

AT897 short shotgun
Rode NTG-2 short shotgun
Rode NT3 hypercardioid
ATM31a cardioid
Sennheiser K6 with ME64 cardioid or ME66 short shotgun
various models from Azden

Each of these mics has at least one disadvantage and there are specific tasks each would be better at. There isn't one mic in this class that can do it all. Search the threads here for alot of discussions of these mics, or give some more details about what you shoot and how you go about it.

December 13th, 2005, 03:20 PM	#1
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Looking for mic recommendation - help! I have a shotgun mic that doesn't seem to be cutting the mustard. Picks up alot of background sound and has problems with hiss. I spent about 140.00 on it a year and a half ago, now I think I need to upgrade. I was looking at the Marshall 2003 MXL - is this a good mic for the price? I am making short films and some TV stuff for the net, do you think this will work out for me? Thanks I have also heard good things about the V67G from marshall as well, the cheaper cousin of the 2003 mxl...

December 13th, 2005, 10:11 PM	#5
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Most of your problem may be that you are attempting to gather the sound on location. Does your current microphone work OK in a quiet studio? If so, then a more expensive microphone is just going to capture a slightly better copy of the noise and hiss you've found outside. If you have any wind present, then that too will contribute to your problem. For that problem, you need to use a quite expensive (compared to your microphone) wind suppression system. Shotguns are not my first choice for capturing sound outside. They are plagued by low-frequency off-axis sounds. Beyond that, they don't sound all that good anyway. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

December 13th, 2005, 03:26 PM	#2
Jim Feeley Supports LPFM Radio Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Northern California USA Posts: 168	For a variety of opinions about shotgun mics, check out this thread: <http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=55898> >I was looking at the Marshall 2003 MXL That mic might be useful for recording voiceovers or musical instruments (at close range), but I don't think a mic like that is going to do what you want for standard video field production. Yes, there was a guy who boomed high-profile films with Neumann U87s...but that was a long time ago and that guy was eccentric. Check out the thread above, that'll get you off on the right track I think. Best, Jim

December 13th, 2005, 04:36 PM	#3
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	What camera are you using? That will make a big difference on the recommendations.

December 13th, 2005, 09:24 PM	#4
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Panasonic 852 - it has a stereo input, but I have an impedience coupler so I can go from XLR. What I really need is a good mic for dialogue on location/studio.

December 13th, 2005, 10:20 PM	#6
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	You should also consider adding a source of phantom power so you could choose from the full range of XLR mics. This could either be an external unit like the Denecke PS-1 or PS-2 that you could use with your XLR adapter, or the BeachTek DXA-6 which you would use instead of your present XLR adapter. Otherwise you'll have to choose from battery-powered mics for those times when you need greater sensitivity than is possible with a dynamic mic. One of the better non-XLR battery-powered mics is the Rode Videomic which would work directly with your camera, but isn't as easy to use off-camera as an XLR mic. Rode has created very nice accessories to get around some of those problems. Other battery-powered mics that have XLR connectors and are appropriate for various field and studio tasks are the: AT897 short shotgun Rode NTG-2 short shotgun Rode NT3 hypercardioid ATM31a cardioid Sennheiser K6 with ME64 cardioid or ME66 short shotgun various models from Azden Each of these mics has at least one disadvantage and there are specific tasks each would be better at. There isn't one mic in this class that can do it all. Search the threads here for alot of discussions of these mics, or give some more details about what you shoot and how you go about it.