On-Camera Shotgun Mic and Cable

[Paul Owens]

I'm learning about cameras but know nothing about audio. I've got an out door shoot this weekend filming a Lacrosse Tournament. The Client asked to record audio along with the video. I know I'm looking at a Shotgun Mic but need help in picking one. I have been looking quite a bit and they range in price from $29-$5000. I know you get what you pay for, but in the up to $500 range what is a good option for me?

Lastly, I know I need a windscreen and a Cable. is 1.5 ft. the correct length for the XLR cable to run from a Mic to the jacks on a Canon XF300?

Thanks!

[Gary Nattrass]

For $500 I would get two AT 875R mic's one for on camera and the other to do closer sound pick up or interviews etc if needed.

The AT875R is a short shotgun mic with superb pick-up and will suit the XF300 very well as an on-camera general effects mic, use a short 1.5ft XLR cable to connect to the camera and fit a rode WS-6 softie to keep wind noise down or at a push use the supplied foam wind shield.

The second mic would be best mounted in a rode PG-2 pistol grip with another WS-6 softie and would be good to have on channel 2 with a longer cable as a hand held mic for closer pick-up or in vision interviews if needed.

I use this set-up on my own camera and find that it covers most work I need to do, the AT875R has a great tight focussed sound and is very compact, its design also makes it very suitable for inside and outside work and it does not have some of the phase problems associated with longer shotgun mics.

Bear in mind that regardless of the mic used it is best kept within 2-4 feet of any sound you wish to pick-up unless it is just getting general sound effects.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/495302-REG/Audio_Technica_AT875R_AT875_Short_Condenser_Shotgun.htmlhttp://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/577183-REG/Rode_PG_2_PG2_Pistol_Grip.htmlhttp://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/573091-REG/Rode_WS6_WS6_Deluxe_Windshield_for.html
Hope this helps, I appreciate that $500 can buy you a better quality single mic but for covering events it is better to have two mic's and having them identical will make sure that all your sound is of the same quality, I use the AT875R mic's on full broadcast productions and they are very good quality and exceptional value for money. Their compact size is also good for mid range camera's such as the XF300.

[Dave Haynie]

Originally Posted by Paul Owens

I'm learning about cameras but know nothing about audio. I've got an out door shoot this weekend filming a Lacrosse Tournament. The Client asked to record audio along with the video. I know I'm looking at a Shotgun Mic but need help in picking one. I have been looking quite a bit and they range in price from $29-$5000. I know you get what you pay for, but in the up to $500 range what is a good option for me?

I have shot dozens of soccer matches with the Rode NTG-1, it does a fantastic job of picking up the game sounds, things heard via PA systems, etc. Unless you had wireless lapel mics on them, you're not going to get much from the refs... there's just too much space to cover.

On my Panasonic HMC40, I have a short XLR, a coiled cord about a 12-18" long when stretched out.. you can find these at B&H: xlr cable coiled. I also strongly recommend a "dead cat", not just a foam wind sock, otherwise you may well be recoding about half wind noise.

The other trick is to record both channels at different levels from the same mic... most pro-level camcorders support this. Set one for the loudest sounds you're likely to hear at the event, and the other much more sensitive, and you can get a nice extended dynamic range.

I use this mic on-camera for most things, though for any serious indoor event I have multiple cameras and audio recorders going (Tascam DR-1, Zoom H4n).

Originally Posted by Paul Owens

Lastly, I know I need a windscreen and a Cable. is 1.5 ft. the correct length for the XLR cable to run from a Mic to the jacks on a Canon XF300?

Too new, I don't know the distances. But you can pretty easily measure with a length of string. As mentioned, I like the coiled cables... they're easier to keep out of the way.

[Brian P. Reynolds]

Coiled cords are a great idea but be aware that often the shielding on these cables are less than normal microphone cables. I have a one and the braiding is quite poor, it works well except in places with lots of RF and electrical equipment.

[Dave Haynie]

You're actually picking up noise over a balanced mic cable? If that's the case, I'd just toss toss the cable. The GND shielding is actually secondary for noise immunity -- it's the differential link from mic to camera that's the real reason signals stay quiet. Could be P and N wires on that cable aren't a proper twisted pair.

That's reason I can put a condenser mic over a 100ft cable on a stage, at a carnival or other show (some of the most electrically noisy places in the world.. I could tell some tales of pulling several volts straight out of the air) and not pick up any noise. Even given the tiny levels of output from pro mics. If you can run the 1/2 foot from on-camera mic to the camera, either you're in an environment that might be physically threatening in other ways, or you need a new cable.

[Ty Ford]

The problem may not be the cable, but how it mates to the connector. Audio Techinca did a study a few years back and found that the culprit was very short unshielded portions of the cable at the back of the connector. The fixed the cables in their pre-hardwired (non-XLR) cables to make sure those sections were properly shielded.

The same problem can occur with XLR plugs. Grounding the XLR shells can help, but isn't always something you might want to do.

These also help, but are fiddly to solder up.
Neutrik - Audio - EMC-XLR Series



Regards,

Ty Ford

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

These also help, but are fiddly to solder up.
Neutrik - Audio - EMC-XLR Series

+1

These are what I use for all new mic. cables now.

[Ty Ford]

John,

Do you make them up yourself?

If so, you're my hero!. :)

Regards,

Ty Ford