Are 2 NT3s better than one?

[Mark Burlingame]

Hey everyone,
I have been using a rode NT3 for some time now as a boom and general mic, and have been quite happy with the sound. I am thinking of getting another one for stereo, and I may be opening up a can of worms here, should I get a "stereo" mic instead, such as the NT5 or another stereo mic? I mostly shoot interviews and short scenes in a single room and so with 2 mics I could place them appart for a wide audio field, of course a stereo mic wouldn't be able to do that. any thoughts? Mark

[Jay Massengill]

I'd get another NT-3 unless you have a source of dual phantom power that the NT-5 pair would require. The single-point stereo NT4 can run on a battery like the NT-3 can, but as you mentioned it couldn't be physically separated.
All the Rode mics are substantially better in self-noise than the AT825, the other most common solution for single-point, battery-powered stereo.
If you do have phantom power, then there are other mics you could combine with the NT-3 to get two-track coverage. Like the new AudioTechnica U873r.
But you wouldn't use them together for true stereo, you'd use them to cover two separated subjects and then edit it together in post-production.
If true stereo is more important, then there are other phantom-powered mics that you could get besides the NT-5 pair. Like a pair of AT3031's. They are slightly lower in self-noise, have flatter frequency response, a switchable pad, bass roll-off and you can buy them separately to spread the cost out.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

I'd concur with Jay, unless you can afford a pair of matched omni's for wide spread, a matched NT3 would be close, and a good option. The NT4 is a great sounding single point, but...
The AT 3031's are great, but given my druthers...I'd go for a pair of 4049's, myself. :-)

[Mark Burlingame]

Thanks guys! It seems, given the price getting another NT3 is a no-brainer regardless of getting other mics (can one have too many microphones?...) I think I am getting a DVX100a, which supplies phantom power, and I am still very much in the newbie/beginner category so my soon be the new "phantom menace!" ;) (I can only pray I am not as bad as the "other one" ) Mark

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Mark Burlingame

Hey everyone,
I have been using a rode NT3 for some time now as a boom and general mic, and have been quite happy with the sound. I am thinking of getting another one for stereo, and I may be opening up a can of worms here, should I get a "stereo" mic instead, such as the NT5 or another stereo mic? I mostly shoot interviews and short scenes in a single room and so with 2 mics I could place them appart for a wide audio field, of course a stereo mic wouldn't be able to do that. any thoughts? Mark

Just FYI - spacing the microphones widely apart does not in itself create a wide stereo field in the playback. In fact, having the two mics so closely spaced they're almost touching, the so-called "X-Y" mic arrangment can create a very wide and stable field. Take two cardoid mics and put them together on a stand on the edge of the stage, capsules as close as possible without actually touching. Arrange them in a "V" with the point toward the centre of the stage so their centrelines cross at about a 75 degree angle, the right hand mic pointing to the middle of the performers on the left side of stage centre and the left hand mic pointing to performers on the right side of stage centre. Record the right hand mic as the LEFT channel and the left hand mic as the RIGHT channel.

Some of the most dramatic music with the most precise positioning and a room filling field that I've ever heard was a master tape recorded by Deutche Grammaphone of the NY Philarmonic and Chorus recorded in St Patricks cathedral using a single pair of a mics in a setup known as a Bluemlein array where the mics are similarly arranged together in the same spot on the stage.