Shotgun mic for 550d

E

Enaver

Hey everyone,

i have a £100-200 budget to get a fairly decent shotgun mic for my Canon 550d.

Wind and bird noises are starting to ruin things for me. And would be nice to get a persons voice loader.
 
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As everyone here will simultaneously tell you you're going to need to record audio externally, so that should be factored into your budget.

Best value seems to be the Rode VideoMic or, if your budget can stretch a little, the Rode NTG-2.
 
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Oh BOG!!!!!!!! Here we go again....


The down and dirty...

1 - The audio quality of components and the audio implementation of your camera is garbage.

2 - If you want to put out professional product it has to sound professional as well as look professional.

3 - Audio quality has a cost.


If you want to be a filmmaker - whatever that is - then you need to take your audio seriously. This means:

A - Hiring a pro

B - Working with an ambitious up-and-comer

C - Buying audio gear.



My immediate recommendation is to get the Rode VideoMic or the VideoMic Pro (VMP). It will fit on a boom-pole and is compatible with your camera without any serious effort. But in the very near future you are going to have to acquire some prosumer/semi-professional audio gear.

Use the search function and look for my dozens of posts on the topic. You may also want to read my blog:

myspace.com/alcoveaudio/blog
 
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im very new to sound so to me this is all new.

If using a boom pole does it connect to my camera via a lead?

I have no idea about anything so everything needs to be explained very well.

I just wanted somthing which would make the audio better for the short films i make in my spare time.

I am only one person so everything i would have to do by myself as this is done for fun.
 
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Enaver said:
im very new to sound so to me this is all new.

If using a boom pole does it connect to my camera via a lead?

I have no idea about anything so everything needs to be explained very well.

I just wanted somthing which would make the audio better for the short films i make in my spare time.

I am only one person so everything i would have to do by myself as this is done for fun.
Click to expand...

The sound recorded on your 550D is of very low quality no matter what kind of microphone you use. For short films, the sound will have to be recorded externally on a separate recorder with a boom and a shotgun mic and it will cost a bit of money. No getting around it.

For now, you can get a Rode Videomic, plug it into your 550D and have better bad sound than using the internal microphone with extremely bad sound. Later on, when you can afford a sound recorder, you can use the Rode Videomic with a homemade boom pole and have some usable, adequate for starting short films sound.

I hope that helps.
 
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I can push my budget up, id rather get it all now so i dont have to deal with it.

What sound recorder would you recommend?

Also how does it work? What connects to what and when it comes to editing how to i synch it up with the footage?

Sorry for the noob questions.
 
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Enaver said:
I can push my budget up, id rather get it all now so i dont have to deal with it.

What sound recorder would you recommend?

Also how does it work? What connects to what and when it comes to editing how to i synch it up with the footage?

Sorry for the noob questions.
Click to expand...

I'm just repeating what I've read here, but the Tascam DR-100 gets the nod over the Zoom H4n for having better preamps, but people who own either seem generally happy with them.

Then your next purchase even further down the road would be a better shotgun mic for even better sound.
 
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Enaver said:
Also how does it work? What connects to what and when it comes to editing how to i synch it up with the footage?
Click to expand...

To step up from a one man jack-of-all-trades "Director Dude with a camcorder and buddies" to some pre-pro/novice filmmaker quality work we need to get a second key crewman: Audio Dude.
One guy behind the camera + One guy recording audio.


Guy recording audio will look something like this:
boompole_4091.thumbnail.jpg

The dead cat wind protector on the microphone at the end of the boom pole you probably recognize.



Recording audio inside that blue bag he's hauling on a shoulder strap is something like this:
4-2-1.jpg

Now that is waaaaay too complex for most of our needs, not to mention out of our price range.



So, screwwit. Get something sensible, like either a Zoom h4n or Tascam DR-100 and plug your mic into that.
Zoom-H4n-001.jpg
or
dr100-hand-180.jpg

Some of the folks here can better argue the merits of one over the other.
(FYI: XLR jacks are MUCH! better than mini-plugs).



Microphone --> Boom Pole (mic wires run the length) --> Recording Device + Sound Guy

Your audio is no longer tethered to your camera/DSLR/Camcorder.
Obviously, you're going to have to manually sync audio to video in editing, and that's a whole other hassle.

Wecome to increased production values!


Enaver said:
I just wanted somthing which would make the audio better for the short films i make in my spare time.
I am only one person so everything i would have to do by myself as this is done for fun.
Click to expand...
Now, conceivably, if you want to remain a one man show and there's not much moving about, the boom could be balance mounted on a mic stand:
Hercules%20microphone%20stands.jpg


You're now ready to rock and roll, sans audio dude.

GL & GB

Ray
 
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Perfect-I needed some audio advice too. I was really hoping (though not expecting) I could get some decent audio without effectively doubling my budget, but apparently not. So these preamp things-do you plug the microphone into them and then plug the preamp into the camera, or they're entirely separate and you have to sync the audio in post? (I too apologize for my noob-ness...)
 
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