help me choose an indoor an an outdoor shotgun.

[Jaser Stockert]

i'm looking for one shotgun mic specifically for indoor use and another for outdoor use. i'm willing to spend $500-1100 per mic. seems like the at4073a is hard to beat for quality/price. i'm looking for 2 mics that will not sound obviously different from one another. i am using a dvx100a and will use these mics exclusively on boom poles. i've done a search and have seen great recommendations, but didn't find any info on 2 particular mics that complement each other well for indoor and outdoor use. pretty much my question is, which mic would you choose for indoors and the other for outdoors but at the same time the mics aren't way off from one another where the audience will notice a difference that 2 different mics are being used. any help, suggestions is greatly appreciated! thank you very much for your time!

[Matt Gettemeier]

Oktava Mk012 with hypercardioid cap... www.sound-room.com $193 (indoor mic)

At4073a www.bhphotovideo.com $530 (outdoor mic)

K-Tek KSSM with Soft bands for shockmount... www.trewaudio.com $109

Rycote BBG for Oktava... www.trewaudio.com $125

Optional Jammer to use Oktava hyper outdoors... www.trewaudio.com $60

Rycote long haired Softie for At4073a... www.trewaudio.com $132

'POP'... $1200 well-spent.

I also like the At3031 cardioid... and that mic will still be happiest in the support gear I suggested for the Oktava.

Somebody else may suggest the At4053... but I don't have experience to comment on that mic... even though it would seem like the logical pairing for the 4073.

In my own experience I found the Oktava to have a similar sound to the 4073... and that's what I'm basing my comments on.

[Dave Largent]

Matt,
Why not the cardioid cap with the 012 for indoors?

[Jaser Stockert]

great, thanks for your response matt! my philosophy is picture is only half the battle. that being said, i'd like to take advantage of the dvx's superior audio quality and move on w/ these mics for use on the hvx200(assuming it will have the same quality as the dvx). your thoughts on a sanken cs-3 and sennheiser 416 for outdoor use and a sanken cs-1, senn mkh-50 or schoeps cmc6/mk41 for indoors compared to your recommendation above? once again, thank you for your time and precious knowledge!

[Matt Gettemeier]

Originally Posted by Dave Largent

Matt,
Why not the cardioid cap with the 012 for indoors?

Sometimes the cardioid is just as good as the hyper... I've got both of 'em and I usually choose the hyper. I don't think the cardioid would be very much different most of the time... just depends on the room and how close you can get the mic.


Jason, if you can afford the CS3e or the Mkh416 then I'd suggest one of those mics over the 4073a. I always tout the 4073 as the value leader of the shotguns... but you'll never hear me say that it sounds BETTER then the higher-end models. It's close enough to give the others a run for their money... but if money's not the issue then it's a no-brainer. CS3e or Mkh416... If I were you I'd buy one of those two mics first and see what they sound like in some of your interiors... I'd probably lean towards the Sanken... just to see if all the hype is justified. All I know is the 416 was surprisingly capable in many interiors... and the Sanken is supposed to be even better at doing the indoor/outdoor trick.

I think you get your money's worth with the higher-end shotguns, but I don't think the Schoeps is as happy running directly into the cam as the other mics are. Don't get me wrong... the Schoeps really is the ultimate indoor dialog mic... but unless you have some other top-notch gear I don't think you'll hear as much of an upgrade [over a cheaper hyper] as you do when moving from mid-range shotguns to high-end shotguns.