Isn't the included mic poor.
One of the few things that I don't like about my HD101 is the supplied mic. Quite muffled sound and a fair amount of hiss.
What have people replaced it with? I already have an MKH60, but I want something smaller to keep mounted on the camera. Any ideas? Thanks guys! |
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I use a Rode NTG1 mounted to the shoe adapter with the shock mount designed by Rode as well. It was a bundle at B&H. The mic is very nice and a vast improvement compared to the stocker. |
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Another vote for the Rode. It really isn't up to much compared to a 416 or similar but it's just fine for a basic camera mic, if you ask me. I use it as a back-up.
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Yeah, I chucked that JVC mic in the closet. It's pretty much cosmetic. It has a very limited dynamic range, and it's just a lame cardioid sensitivity pattern. I think they put it on the camera just so they could say, "Hey, you can take it out of the box and shoot." Ditto with the stock batteries, as has been well documented on this site.
I noticed a pretty stunning amount of hiss on a couple of different mics I tried. I also found a lot of tape transport and fan noise transfers through the metal body of the camera. The little rubber bits on the mic holder don't really insulate the mic from the noise. I built a little shock mount out of a couple of PVC pipes and it makes a HUGE difference. My friend had a cool little acoustic guitar mic from Sennheiser - cost him a fortune but it was dead quiet when I plugged it in to the camera, so basically I learned that if you get a really good quality mic with high impedance and high sensitivity (expensive) you'll be much happier. The camera also has two settings for standard audio level: -50db and -60db. Depending on the mic you have you may find that changing this setting in the menu system will give you better results. Personally, I'm going to use lav mics as much as possible, or else a proper shotgun mic on a boom. If I'm desperate, I've got a decent Chinese-made sennheiser replica that'll do the trick for runnin' and gunnin' it. |
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Sanken CS-1. Doesn't stick out too far on the cam, great sound and sensitivity; very small rear lobes. Much like a super-cardoid. Should be mounted in a better mount: I made a tube that goes into the stock mic holder, and to that I mounted my good mic mount. For all my mics I use an Audio Technica AT8415 mount with K-TEK "K-SUS" polymer suspension rubber mounts. Good noise isolation from the camera motor, camera handling etc.
Gary Morris McBeath SaltAire Cinema Productions |
How good is the AT 897? I have been reading that the Me-66 stay away from.
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Thanks for all the info guys!!
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My reason is that I keep the MKH60 in Rycote suspension all the time so it is ready to be boomed at a moments notice. I always record key sound (ie interviews) with a remote mic and so the camera top doesn't need to be perfect - just better than the junk that comes with the camera. I don't want to spend a fortune but just get something that will produce acceptable camera-top sound for when I need it. |
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OK, just better than the supplied mic: I use an Audio-Technica AT3031 short shotgun (about $170 street) for wide angle audio gathering as back up to the
boomed mic, where the audio quality isn't critical; can use it on or off the cam. Or, for a narrower angle the AT835b shotgun. Both will take a lot of rough handling, and give surprisingly good results. The CS-1 I mentioned earlier is rich for voice and picking up subtle richness, but not so great for really hot locations, like where the train is going by, and just then the engineer lets loose with the whistle. Or trying to mic bagpipes. You know, like a cat screaming. For condenser mics, the AT's are better for that sort of thing. Gary Morris McBeath SaltAire Cinema Productions |
I'm using the AT897 and think it's a great mic (much better than any typical built-in-on-camera or lav mic). It's very close to the Rode mic, but in my opinion slightly better. When I was deciding I browsed around the "Now Hear This" section and came across a test that TY Ford did between the AT897, the Rode NTG-2, and the Sennheiser 416. Of course the 416 was far above the other two mics, but the 897 sounded the closest of the two contenders to matching it. I believe the price difference is around $20-$30, and the increase in quality is about relative (not terribly much). But others may disagree. I couldn't find the comparison, but maybe if you ask TY, he'll point you to it.
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Mike, you should check out the "Tiny Mike" (yes, that's how they spell it) from the German company "Ambient Recording". I've used one, it is half the price and size of a K6/ME66 and in my opinion has a nicer sound. It is a fantastic mic and really small.
See this link: http://www.firstsense.co.uk/Ambient/mics.htm |
What about the AT-4073a? It's quite a bit smaller and a little lighter than the AT897 (9" vs 11" and 4 oz vs 5 oz). It's also twice the cost of the AT897, but half the price of a 416 and most reviews I've read seem very positive. I don't own one, but that's likely the mic I would choose. I did buy a K6/ME66 once and wasn't really blown away by the sound, especially for $450, so I returned it.
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P.S. I'm an audio engineer! |
Yes, for playback on crappy flat TV speakers, the stock mic is fine.
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Micro for HD100
Friends,
I have replaced the originy micro by an Audio Technica AT815ST, and I am very satisfied with it. It is a stereo microphone which can be switched between MS- and XY-stereo. It also allows to switch between two characteristics (stereo wide (normal) and stero narrow), and has a switchable low-frequency roll-off. I bought it in the US for 600 US$. Regards, Joachim |
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I normally use the on-board mic (CH1) for background "color/room" tone and for "drive bys" (montage shots), AND the occasional quickie sound byte. I use a Sennheiser MD46 (w/wireless cube) handheld for my on-camera reporter's use, or one of the Senn shotguns on a carbon fiber boom. Sometimes I use the boom mic on CH1 and the handheld on CH2. I use the Lectrosonics 400 for my lavs (CH1 & 2), and a Sound Devices 442 field mixer when needed. None of these units has ever let me down or failed to produce less than excellent results (except on one occasion). I consider the Sennheiser ME series to be an excellent choice for a modular ENG system, and that's what it is, a system. Based on the K6 power capsule, you can mount a spot mic (the ME67 head), a narrow shotgun (the ME66 head), or a ME64 head for interior multi person interviews (use it on a boom). The K6/ME64 also works excellently as an on-board ENG "interview" mic and the combo is short enough so it doesn't overpower the camera. If you purchase the ME67+K6, it usually ships in a nice large padded plastic box that can be modified to hold the K6, ME67, ME66, and ME64 along with the foam covers for each. It makes a nice compact audio kit, and every pro sound mixer is already familiar with the Senn characteristics, so there's no learning curve. The problem users have with Senns is choosing the wrong head (or mic) for the recording situation. As an added bonus, the K6/ME system will work wireless without any problems. An important consideration when you have the boom person close to the talent but the cam 30 feet away. That combo has allowed me to get some really good and exclusive sound bytes. I also like the Sennheiser MKH416 and Neumann KMR81i very much, but for the price of either, you can get a Senn K6 three head combo and have much more versatility. Mic manufactures usually publish a chart that shows the pattern and dB loss or gain in different areas of that pattern. That's always a good staring point in choosing the correct mic for your intended or anticipated uses. Good sound is just as important as good picture, and a good sound kit can equal or exceed the price of the HD100. |
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