best mic with jack and battery in body?

[Graham Jones]

What's the absolute best mic possible with jack and battery within it's own body?

For a JVC GR-PD1, externally the same (and precisely the same in audio terms) as the HD1.

Thanks.

[Bryan Beasleigh]

Which jack? If you're talking a 3.5mm (1/8) stereo, you're limiting yourself. If you're really serious about quality audio, you can use an XLR, and open yourself up to some respectable quality. If the mic doesn't have XLR inputs then a $10 adapter cable is required.

Audio Technica 835b
Audio technica 897
senneheiser K6 with an ME 64 or ME66 capsule
A Rode NT3

These are all either short shotguns, cardoid or hypercardoid. They are all a profesional quality, battery operated microphone.

[Graham Jones]

Thanks Bryan. Yes, it's a 3.5mm (1/8) stereo jack.

I'm leaning towards getting the Audio-Technica AT822.

Do you think it's quite inferior to those you mentionned?

[Bryan Beasleigh]

http://www.audiotechnica.com/prodpro/addinfo/AT822_english.pdf

It's as good as you'll get in a 3.5mm jack. It looks the be the same basic capsule as found in the AT825, it looks to be a quality mic, Ive heard some good things about it. It's stereo and unsuited for dialog. Stereo would be better for ambience or music.

[Graham Jones]

I'm going to be shooting predominatly head-on interviews, many of which will be impromptu. I actually heard mono was better for that and was thus thinking of the Sennheiser MKE 300 - but then read that sometimes with Stereo 16 bit cams they only record it's input onto one track and it needed to be doubled in post.

I then read a lot of good things about the audio-technica... and wondered if it might be easier. I know, generally, mono's smarter for dialogue but if it's these two mics head to head am not sure if I'd be losing out going with the audio-technica.

I'll explore some of the others you mentionned.

[Graham Jones]

I should also mention:

-the interviews are all in Japanese and will only be left alone for two or three seconds before an English voiceover will begin translating

-I need to use the same mic on the same cam to garner respectable ambience during the interviews and afterwards atmos tracks

Bearing all this in mind maybe the AT822 is better

[Bryan Beasleigh]

Graham Jones
An Irishman with a Welsh name ;-)
Take some time and listen to a few examples. For dialog you really should stay with mono. I'd stay away from the MKE300, its not in the same class as the others.

I'd look at a battery operated mic with an XLR connection.
the right mike may suffice for the interview and voiceover.

For interior interview a hypercardoid nay be a better choice. Some of the more reasonable mics include the K6 with ME64 capsule or the Rode NT3. At $155 US the NT3 is an amazing microphone, very suitable for interview and voiceover.


To use a battery operated mic with XLR inputs all that is needed is a 3.5mm stereo to female XLR adapter cable ($10US)

To go to the next level you must be able to supply phantom power. this would mean a Beach Tek DXA6 or for limiters and preamplification the DXA-8. The next level opens up a fair number of excellent dialog mics such as the Oktava MCO12 ($200), The AT3031, the AT4031 and the AT4053a. There are many more.

Most of the 1/8th (3.5mm) are junk. The 822 that you mentioned is a good ambience tool but no stereo mic is good for dialog.

[Graham Jones]

thanks