No more cheap mics

L

Libby

Okay I have had it with cheap mics. The ones I can use range up to 50 dollars. Even changing the batteries doesn't help much. You tilt it a little to the right or left and it doesn't pickup anything and it sounds like the person is in the next room. I resorted to the camera mic - because that sounded better actually.


So I am going to purchase a decent mic.

Where would I start? Most of the filming would be indoors...one actor at a time. Don't know if I want one that works off batteries because I would have to ensure I had spare batteries with me all the time...but if there was a decent one that worked off batteries than I would.

I was using a shotgun mic and a handheld mic...the shotgun was fine but sometimes tunes out and picks up nothing when tilted slightly. The handheld mic isn't much better and would work okay if the mic could be in full view and the person were holding it.

Lav mics do not appear to work in this camera because the one that I tried buzzes.

Merci
 
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The mic itself may not be the problem, are you running the mic signal into your camera? What type of camera is it? You may need an external recorder.

The type of mic you want depends on your situation. A handheld mic sounds the best, but generally only works for singers and interviews.

Of you're shooting narrative, you want a shotgun on a boom pole.

What's your budget?
 
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Libby said:
You tilt it a little to the right or left and it doesn't pickup anything and it sounds like the person is in the next room.
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um...except this is often a GOOD thing. It means the mic has a super-cardioid pickup pattern. A shotgun mic is designed to reject sound waves from its periphery, which is why they're used for noisy environments to isolate dialog.

If that isn't what you want, then you need to get an omni-directional mic.
 
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When the camera mic sounds better than the mic you bought - that's operator fault, not the mic's.

Keep the mic you have and drill with it.

You're right - if you point it away from the person, you don't pick him up. This is what a shotgun/rifle mic does. Learn how to use it before you get rid of it.
 
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Look Libby, I'm the first to applaud the decision to get a good mic. If you are shooting primarily indoors the Oktava mk-012 or the Audio Technica AT4053b are great budget choices. But mic technique - meaning the skill of the person handling the boom - is just as, if not more, important than the quality of the mic.

Go here for some tips and other great info:

http://www.rodeuniversity.com/with_ric_viers/
 
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ROC said:
You're right - if you point it away from the person, you don't pick him up. This is what a shotgun/rifle mic does. Learn how to use it before you get rid of it.
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Yes, learn how to use that uni-directional mic! I always have 4 mics on set, including short, medium and long Sennheisers, depending on the kind of "focus" I want; plus an Audio Technica AT3031 for reflective rooms. I really want the Sanken shotgun, though!
 
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ROC said:
Yeah I've heard a lot of good things about the Sanken. Though, my heart lies with another mic. Can you guess which one?
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It's gotta be one of these...

leapfroghuge005.jpg


DSCF1962.jpg


microphone.gif
 
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I have a few mic related questions: the boom is the pole thing that you attach the mic to right? So it can be near the actors and pick up the sounds they make? What kind of mic do you use for that? Is that a shotgun mic? And a hand held mic is obviously one you see all the time, being held in people hands :/ Also, what should the mic be connected to? I'm sure I saw someone say it should be connected to an external recording device, but now I can't find that (my eyes just aren't working). Does that mean a computer?
I know even less about mics than I do about cameras, but hopefully sometime soon I'll be getting one, so I thought I should start asking. I'd be filming mostly indoors too.
 
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Here's what I use - the Sennheiser ME66 most of the time. I also have a ME64 and 67. They are workhorse mics that have been around for years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya2SQJyUxP4
 
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