Jay, what do you think of this?: New AT873r!

Dave Largent · September 17th, 2005, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Massengill

The U873r is on my list of things to get with end of the year money. Was it sensitive enough for your needs? That's the one thing that worries me with the change in this model, the lower sensitivity.

Hi Jay,
I'll get back with some details on what I've observed with this
mic, hopefully this coming week. I, too, wondered about the
sensitivity. I've used it in a variety of situations as an on-board mic for a Sony PD and I will say that I have never been left feeling like the 873 sensitivity was insufficient.

Dave Largent · September 21st, 2005, 04:43 PM

Just a quick follow-up on the U873r.
Like I said, I have not been dissatisfied with
the sensitivity of the mic. To give you an idea
of how it works in the real world, I'll give some
examples of how it has been for my wedding work.
When I've used it indoors on-cam for receiving
line coverage, where the subjects were between
3 to 6 feet away, I had the manual gain at about
about 2/3 of max. When I used it on-cam outdoors
where the subjects were between 3 to 8 feet away
(and talking a bit louder) I was at about 60% of
max gain. One time I did an outdoor park photo
shoot where the subjects were 15 or so feet away
and I used 100% of max gain, but this was
adequate.
I also used it at a reception near the dance floor
(DJ playing) and the level was 60% of max
gain, with the MIC ATT position selectied (i.e.
-20 dB of attenuation).
I didn't care for the sound of it compared to other
mics (ME64, AT3032) around music as it seemed
pretty weak in the base. Also, at one point it seemed
like it was starting to get that hollow sound that
the shotguns get indoors. I only noticed this once
when I was directly across from the DJ's speakers.
I think the mic's strength is that it seems to
have a "tractor been" for human voice, both
male and female, so that spoken word cuts through
ambiance. It is pretty directional, too. It isn't
the smootest mic, but it's not harsh, either. Sort
of middle-of-the-road in this respect. But I would
say if you need a mic for just cutting through and
picking up what's being said, with good intelligibility,
this mic does do that. I remember one time
I was shooting cocktail hour, where everyone was
all about me at about 6 to 10 feet, and I was
pleasantly surprised how it was able to pick
out conversations.

September 21st, 2005, 04:43 PM	#17
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	Just a quick follow-up on the U873r. Like I said, I have not been dissatisfied with the sensitivity of the mic. To give you an idea of how it works in the real world, I'll give some examples of how it has been for my wedding work. When I've used it indoors on-cam for receiving line coverage, where the subjects were between 3 to 6 feet away, I had the manual gain at about about 2/3 of max. When I used it on-cam outdoors where the subjects were between 3 to 8 feet away (and talking a bit louder) I was at about 60% of max gain. One time I did an outdoor park photo shoot where the subjects were 15 or so feet away and I used 100% of max gain, but this was adequate. I also used it at a reception near the dance floor (DJ playing) and the level was 60% of max gain, with the MIC ATT position selectied (i.e. -20 dB of attenuation). I didn't care for the sound of it compared to other mics (ME64, AT3032) around music as it seemed pretty weak in the base. Also, at one point it seemed like it was starting to get that hollow sound that the shotguns get indoors. I only noticed this once when I was directly across from the DJ's speakers. I think the mic's strength is that it seems to have a "tractor been" for human voice, both male and female, so that spoken word cuts through ambiance. It is pretty directional, too. It isn't the smootest mic, but it's not harsh, either. Sort of middle-of-the-road in this respect. But I would say if you need a mic for just cutting through and picking up what's being said, with good intelligibility, this mic does do that. I remember one time I was shooting cocktail hour, where everyone was all about me at about 6 to 10 feet, and I was pleasantly surprised how it was able to pick out conversations.