What is the best Shotgun mic out there? at DVinfo.net

Kevin Lepp · October 17th, 2004, 03:39 AM

What is the best Shotgun mic out there?

What is the shotgun mic that the professional hollywood budget movie makers use?

And is that the way they get that super rich close sound... with those great shotgun mics?

Thanks,

Matt Gettemeier · October 17th, 2004, 07:30 AM

1) Sennheiser Mkh60 (opinion)

2) There are a handful of mics in that price range that may be used... including the Schoeps Mk41 (super-cardioid NOT shotgun)...

3) Professionals use several techniques to get the best sound... sometimes it can be done on the spot with a good boom... sometimes it'll be a wireless lav... and sometimes it's ADR (dialog dubbed in later)...

The best way to get a super-rich studio sound is to start off with a detailed mic with a smooth (and full) frequency response... then get that mic as close as you can to the speaker's mouth. Sound is like light... it's the Inverse Square Law.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · October 17th, 2004, 07:54 AM

I'll proffer a different opinion, my answer to such a wide question is "the one that works for you and fits your price range. There is no all-around best, but there are models best suited in certain applications.

Kevin Lepp · October 17th, 2004, 08:06 AM

price range is irrelevant-

I wanna know whats the best out there.

I want whats the caliber of mic that Barbara Walters uses for her interviews when she's interviewing The President or something.

The best.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · October 17th, 2004, 08:21 AM

Barbara Walters doesn't use a shotgun mic when she's interviewing the president. Her sound guy uses lavalier mics for that function.
There IS NO #1 all-around shotgun. It's like saying "I want the best hammer."

OK, hammer for what? Shoeing horses? Framing a house? Pounding shock absorbers? Finish carpentry?

These are all different hammers to be used in different situations. What are you recording with it? Dialog or other sounds? Is it going to be on a boom or on a camera? Does your boom operator know what he's doing? How far will the camera be away from the subject?

Audio Technica AT835
Audio Technica AT4073
Sony ECM 672
Neumann KMR82
Neumann KMR81
Sanken CS-3E
Sennheiser K6/ME7 Long Shotgun Microphone
Sennheiser MKH 416
Schoeps MK41

Are all common mics and all have their 'betters' than others.

Dan Lahav · October 17th, 2004, 11:38 AM

The show "CSI" uses the Neumann kmr81, kmr82 (long throw shotgun mic) and the Schoeps MK41. Wirelesses are Lectrosonics 195, 205, 210, 211 with Sanken lavaliers.

Jeff Donald · October 17th, 2004, 01:01 PM

Like DSE says, "the right tool for the job." I do a lot of nature and wildlife work and I prefer the AT and Sennheiser mics. But for voice I would prefer the Neumann or Schoeps shotguns. There is no one best mic for all recording applications.

Matt Gettemeier · October 17th, 2004, 05:16 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Kevin Lepp : price range is irrelevant-

I wanna know whats the best out there.

I want whats the caliber of mic that Barbara Walters uses for her interviews when she's interviewing The President or something.

The best. -->>>

Schoeps MK41... 9 times out of 10*.

*Based on the situation you just mentioned. (Indoors, controlled acoustics, one on one with no audio distractions... Mk41 about 6-12" over both Walters and Mr. President.)

Run that through an SD302... perhaps using TWO Mk41 mics... and into a PMD670 or some other portable digital recorder.

Bryan Beasleigh · October 17th, 2004, 08:48 PM

My "best mic" is the MKH60 short shotgun and the Schoeps MK41 hypercardoid. Someone elses may be the Sanken CS-3e or MKH50

The MK41 is $1350 with the CMC6 preamp and the MKH60 is $1430. If you listen to some of the other clips in the dvfreelancer sound forum the Oktava at $190 (sometimes less at Guitar Center) will give the higher priced mics a run for their money.

Ken Tanaka did a comparison here as well.Ken put a $400 mic up against a $1000 mic.

You could always search through RAMPS where all of the pros hang out.

Kevin Lepp · October 18th, 2004, 04:00 AM

"Barbara Walters doesn't use a shotgun mic when she's interviewing the president. Her sound guy uses lavalier mics for that function."

I recently saw a Barbara Walters interview, and there were 2 shotgun mics above her and who she was interviewing. But im sure there were also lavs on them as well.

Thanks for all the input guys!

Jay Massengill · October 18th, 2004, 08:29 AM

It depends on the room acoustics, ambient noise level and who is doing the sound. It can go either way (hypercardioid or shotgun) depending on the circumstances.

Jacques Mersereau · October 22nd, 2004, 07:36 AM

Q: What mic was used for both the republican and democratic conventions
primary lectern mic?
A: (2) Schoeps MK41s (This is the MK41 capsule with low end cut for speech)
and I think the other was a MK4 for use when talent had a tendency to
move around. I think prosound news had and article on the sound company
hired by both parties. But believe me, those guys could afford
to by ANY mic for that gig.

One other interesting thing about the Collette series of Schoeps mics is
you can change capsules. MK4 (regular) cardioid is also a wonderful sounding
mic when you don't need 'super zoom'. Omni, figure 8 and other patterns
are also available depending on your need.

October 17th, 2004, 07:54 AM	#3
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	I'll proffer a different opinion, my answer to such a wide question is "the one that works for you and fits your price range. There is no all-around best, but there are models best suited in certain applications. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

October 17th, 2004, 08:06 AM	#4
Kevin Lepp Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 38	price range is irrelevant- I wanna know whats the best out there. I want whats the caliber of mic that Barbara Walters uses for her interviews when she's interviewing The President or something. The best. __________________ Kevin

October 17th, 2004, 08:21 AM	#5
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	Barbara Walters doesn't use a shotgun mic when she's interviewing the president. Her sound guy uses lavalier mics for that function. There IS NO #1 all-around shotgun. It's like saying "I want the best hammer." OK, hammer for what? Shoeing horses? Framing a house? Pounding shock absorbers? Finish carpentry? These are all different hammers to be used in different situations. What are you recording with it? Dialog or other sounds? Is it going to be on a boom or on a camera? Does your boom operator know what he's doing? How far will the camera be away from the subject? Audio Technica AT835 Audio Technica AT4073 Sony ECM 672 Neumann KMR82 Neumann KMR81 Sanken CS-3E Sennheiser K6/ME7 Long Shotgun Microphone Sennheiser MKH 416 Schoeps MK41 Are all common mics and all have their 'betters' than others. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

October 17th, 2004, 01:01 PM	#7
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Like DSE says, "the right tool for the job." I do a lot of nature and wildlife work and I prefer the AT and Sennheiser mics. But for voice I would prefer the Neumann or Schoeps shotguns. There is no one best mic for all recording applications. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

October 17th, 2004, 08:48 PM	#9
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	My "best mic" is the MKH60 short shotgun and the Schoeps MK41 hypercardoid. Someone elses may be the Sanken CS-3e or MKH50 The MK41 is $1350 with the CMC6 preamp and the MKH60 is $1430. If you listen to some of the other clips in the dvfreelancer sound forum the Oktava at $190 (sometimes less at Guitar Center) will give the higher priced mics a run for their money. Ken Tanaka did a comparison here as well.Ken put a $400 mic up against a $1000 mic. You could always search through RAMPS where all of the pros hang out. __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ".......holy smokin rubber lips...what a ride!"

October 17th, 2004, 03:39 AM	#1
Kevin Lepp Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 38	What is the best Shotgun mic out there? What is the best Shotgun mic out there? What is the shotgun mic that the professional hollywood budget movie makers use? And is that the way they get that super rich close sound... with those great shotgun mics? Thanks, __________________ Kevin

October 17th, 2004, 07:30 AM	#2
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	1) Sennheiser Mkh60 (opinion) 2) There are a handful of mics in that price range that may be used... including the Schoeps Mk41 (super-cardioid NOT shotgun)... 3) Professionals use several techniques to get the best sound... sometimes it can be done on the spot with a good boom... sometimes it'll be a wireless lav... and sometimes it's ADR (dialog dubbed in later)... The best way to get a super-rich studio sound is to start off with a detailed mic with a smooth (and full) frequency response... then get that mic as close as you can to the speaker's mouth. Sound is like light... it's the Inverse Square Law.

October 17th, 2004, 11:38 AM	#6
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	The show "CSI" uses the Neumann kmr81, kmr82 (long throw shotgun mic) and the Schoeps MK41. Wirelesses are Lectrosonics 195, 205, 210, 211 with Sanken lavaliers.

October 17th, 2004, 05:16 PM	#8
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	<<<-- Originally posted by Kevin Lepp : price range is irrelevant- I wanna know whats the best out there. I want whats the caliber of mic that Barbara Walters uses for her interviews when she's interviewing The President or something. The best. -->>> Schoeps MK41... 9 times out of 10. Based on the situation you just mentioned. (Indoors, controlled acoustics, one on one with no audio distractions... Mk41 about 6-12" over both Walters and Mr. President.) Run that through an SD302... perhaps using TWO Mk41 mics... and into a PMD670 or some other portable digital recorder.

October 18th, 2004, 04:00 AM	#10
Kevin Lepp Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 38	"Barbara Walters doesn't use a shotgun mic when she's interviewing the president. Her sound guy uses lavalier mics for that function." I recently saw a Barbara Walters interview, and there were 2 shotgun mics above her and who she was interviewing. But im sure there were also lavs on them as well. Thanks for all the input guys! __________________ Kevin

October 18th, 2004, 08:29 AM	#11
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	It depends on the room acoustics, ambient noise level and who is doing the sound. It can go either way (hypercardioid or shotgun) depending on the circumstances.

October 22nd, 2004, 07:36 AM	#12
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Q: What mic was used for both the republican and democratic conventions primary lectern mic? A: (2) Schoeps MK41s (This is the MK41 capsule with low end cut for speech) and I think the other was a MK4 for use when talent had a tendency to move around. I think prosound news had and article on the sound company hired by both parties. But believe me, those guys could afford to by ANY mic for that gig. One other interesting thing about the Collette series of Schoeps mics is you can change capsules. MK4 (regular) cardioid is also a wonderful sounding mic when you don't need 'super zoom'. Omni, figure 8 and other patterns are also available depending on your need. __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager