Some thoughts on a boom mic.
 

Hi all,

I'm not a sound specialist, so be patient with me, please.
This subject should have been discussed some times.

I'm shooting a series of interviews with a Z1 cam.
90% indoors. Most of them on the peoples homes. Some on a small studio.
I'm using a wireless Sony UWP-C1 with an ECM-77BMP mic.
I don't complain on the sound quality, just on the presence of the mic on the image.

I want to start using a shotgun mic.
Because the people I shoot are seated and don't move to much, I can place the boom mic on a tripod more near the person than the camera.

Seems that the VERY BEST is the Schoeps CMIT 5U.
I believe that the sound should be terrific, but I simply can't go there. $1.790 is quite a lot for me.

On B&H Photovideo there's a list with some mic's and prices. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...O=RootPage.jsp

What's your advice:
- Should I buy the more expensive that my pocket can buy? (usually a good option...)
- For the application that I need is there a special recomendation?
- I will use it on indoors. For outdoors should I use another?

The list is:
- Schoeps CMIT 5U
- Sennheiser MKH-416
- Sanken CS1
- Audio Technica AT4073A
- Sennheiser ME66/K6 ___ What about ME67/K6?

Sincerely
Carlos Manuel

If shooting indoors in a normal, not acoustically conditioned, room a hypercardioid mic will usually give better results than a shotgun. Shotguns really come into their own in non-reflective environments such as either outdoors or on a sound-stage.

What hypercardioid mic do you advise me?
($400 to $900)

My main concern is that the mic is out of the image, so it has to stay away from the person around 1 to 1,2m (3 to 4 ft).

Carlos

Audio Technica 4053a, AKG Blueline SE300 with CK93 Capsule, AKG ULS series C480 with CK63 capsule are all good mics to consider. Position as close as you can while staying out of frame.

Thanks Steve,

I've looked at the AKG website and noticed the C480B-ULS + CK69 (around $1800)

The total price is a bit high for me now, but the possibility to have an Hyper-Cardioid and a Shotgun Condenser in one piece seems atractive.
I could use the Hyper indoors and the Shotgun outdoors. Correct?

If I get $1800 (we never know the future...) what's your advise:
the C480B + CK69___OR___Schoeps CMIT 5U

Three pieces actually <grin>. The AKG mics are modular - the C480 is the power supply and electronics module and then you can swap the capsules to have either a hyper or shotgun as the situation requires. So for AKG it would be C480+CK63+CK69. Whether to go that way or with the Schoeps CMIT I'll have to leave up to someone with more expertise who has used both to comment. Either one would be outstanding, IMHO.

I just received my AKG blueline SE300 hyper(ck93) and shotgun(ck98) combo and I`m quite satisfied with it. My only concern is that no matter what mic I use my camcorders`s amps still seem to put quite a bit more noise in the audio than my field recorder does but maybe it`s only the headphone output on the camcorder as I haven`t tested it in the field yet.
The AKG blueline combo ran me about $600 and almost half of it was the shotgun module.

Cheers,
T

3-4 feet is really too far away for good boomed audio; shotgun or hyper.

Having said that, your choices for a hyper/super in descending order of quality are;
Schoeps: CMC641
Audio Technica: AT4053a
Audix: SCX-1
Oktava: MC012

Regards,

Ty Ford

Anyone tried the Rode NT3 hyper?

I see a video of it in action on Guy's site here: http://dvcreators.net/rode-nt3-condensor-mic#

Bear in mind, he is selling the product, so it's not like an unbiased review or anything.

Just curious if anyone here has had experience with it.

Brian Brown