Question about the AT4053b I bought.

[harmonica44]

I got this new mic to go with my shotgun. I tried recording and playing back samples in the place at the same levels, but both mics sound almost exactly the same. One sounds a little more quiet then the other, but other than that I can't tell a difference. They both seem to pick up the same amount of background noise as well. I was told on here it was good to have both, but what is the difference in sound? I read about the polar pattern difference between shotgun and hyper, but can't tell what difference I'm suppose to be listening for.

Also curious, is there any particularly reason why the wind cover for the hyper is much more thin and flimsy, then the thick, more stern cover for the shotgun, that each comes with?

 

[PaulGriffith]

What type of shotgun do you have?

Not an educated audio guy, I probably can't really tell you the differences in what to listen for. I know the room reverb and echo can sound different.

What are you playing back on? Without pro monitors you might not hear the difference

Also, how far away is mic placement on the recordings? If they're both 6" away you probably are'nt won't notice much. Shotguns have a bit more range than a hypercardoid, but they need to point exactly at the audio source. You have more wiggle room with a hyper.

And as far as windscreens, it's probably a brand thing? I wouldn't look too much into that.

 

[harmonica44]

I have the NTG-3. I kept the mics pointed about 14 inches away from my mouth. I was trying to match the distance, I usually have to go, so the mic isn't in frame while shooting. I listened to it through the headphones after, and plugged in some external computer speakers, but perhaps it makes a difference on bigger speakers? I just wanna know if the AT4053b was worth the money. It may make a difference, but if it has less range... It also is seems more wimpy in material, lighter, and shorter than the shotgun, so I hope that it's not less quality. Since a hyper is more for indoors I was planning on using it more often, when I bought it.

 

[PaulGriffith]

The NTG3 is a nicer mic for sure. But a shotgun isn't always the right mic.

Move the mic 6' away, then 12' and see what they sound like. Have a grind talk and move it from straight on to a few degrees off. See how that sounds.

 

[Alcove Audio]

It all depends upon how you are using them. If you are using both within about 6" to 12" and you are speaking directly into them, yes, they will sound quite similar. It's when you get into a reflective environment at larger distances that, as long as they are aimed exactly the same, you will notice less of the "roomy" sound with the hyper. You will notice the differences even more when you are actually "swinging" the boom between the actors during a real shoot. Do some experimenting in highly reflective environments like a kitchen, a bathroom, a long hallway or a gymnasium at varying distances; you'll notice a much more marked difference as the distances increase. BTW, your monitoring environment will also make a difference in how you hear the recordings. In a treated studio environment there are very few reflective surfaces when compared to your living room or bedroom which are, after all, reflective environments themselves; you'll hear more of the differences in a controlled monitoring situation. Also, the biggest difference is not the "tail" but the amount of reflection you will notice in the dialog itself.

The so-called wind protection that comes with the mics when you buy them will have minimal affect in a very windy environment. You are much better off with windjammer/softie for the shotgun and a baby ball gag for the hypercardioid, or, better still, a blimp with a dead cat for both.

The extra thickness on the back end of the foam windscreen for the shotgun is meant to prevent wind from entering the long interference tube that turns a hypercardioid polar pattern into a shotgun (lobar) pattern.

 

[harmonica44]

Okay thanks. I tried recording nothing but room noise as well, but the hyper is a little more quiet. Still doesn't seem to be too much of a difference in room noise though, just a little less volume. And as far as a hyper not having to speak directly into it, I still like to have my mic pointed directly at the actors, so buying a hyper for that reason alone, is not necessary for me, since I think I'm good at aiming at the mic directly. But if the room noise makes a difference while moving it, then I'll keep it. I wanted a hyper just as nice as my NTG-3 but didn't know where to start, cause you don't know how nice it is, till it's ordered in. The pics on the net just made it look a lot nicer.

So I try to place the mic as close as I can but, what's the distance limit to place the mic, before it's too far away from the source?

 

[knightly]

You are much better off with windjammer/softie for the shotgun and a baby ball gag for the hypercardioid, or, better still, a blimp with a dead cat for both.

Sorry, but I have to OT this reply slightly... jargon often makes me giggle... you said "softie" "ball gag" "blimp" and "dead cat" all in the same sentence.

Carry on.

On topic, I keep a cardioid mike in my camera case for emergencies, but generally run with a boomed shotgun for everything. Another question is; are the mics mounted on your camera? If so, it's going to be a ways away and not "grounding" the sound. I think of the shotgun as having a "cone of sound" (very GET SMART) and the more of the background that isn't blocked by the subject that can make it in will get you tons of junk in the audio... so pointing down to the ground "grounding" or blocking with the subject's mass or pointing toward the sky (no background noise) will get you more of the subject and less of the background (better signal to noise ratio).

 

[harmonica44]

Yeah I always keep it pointed to the ground on a boom. Never on the camera. So when is it appropriate to pull out the hyper then? Not sure which indoor situations call for it, as oppose to shotgun. I was thinking of shooting the rest of my short film with the hyper, for all the indoor scenes. But if there is any reason to use the shotgun, I'm all ears.

If it's too hard to tell which mic is best to use at my stage of experience, I could always get a second XLR cable, and plug both mics into my recorder, and use both at the same time during shooting, then pick which recording is best.