bying shotgun microphone advice

[Marlon Torres]

hello, i have a question concerning shotgun microphones. I'll be making a short film next month and I need a recommendation on a shotgun microphone that will be dropped from a boom. whats the best one i can get for around 2-3 hundred dollars?

[Jay Gladwell]

Are you sure a shotgun is your best bet? Where/what will you be shooting?

Anyway, look here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=50288 Check the "Private Classifieds" you might find something there.

Jay

[Eric Brown]

Originally Posted by Marlon Torres

hello, i have a question concerning shotgun microphones. I'll be making a short film next month and I need a recommendation on a shotgun microphone that will be dropped from a boom. whats the best one i can get for around 2-3 hundred dollars?

Sometimes even something like audio is slightly subjective, some people swear by one mic, some by another. For me, in that general price range, It is either the Audio Techinca AT-897 or Sennheiser ME66/K6. Check them out at evsonline.com

[Lauri Kettunen]

Originally Posted by Marlon Torres

I need a recommendation on a shotgun microphone that will be dropped from a boom. whats the best one i can get for around 2-3 hundred dollars?

I would recommend you tested Azden mics. The quality/price rate is very good and they fit to your budget. Of course, if money is not a problem, hardly anything beats Sennheiser. So, if you want to compare Azden or others mics against the best available, use Sennheiser as a reference.

[Ryan DesRoches]

Shure or Audio-Technica are great mics as well.

[Glenn Chan]

If you search on this forum, there are a bunch of clips comparing various mics so you can hear things for yourself.

Personally, I think that:
A- The Azden shotguns are noticeably inferior to the Sennheiser K6/ME66. The ME66 is hands-down a better microphone. Counterpoint: the Azden might sound better because it has less detail and because of the greater bass. It's "warmer".

Anyways, there's a clip comparing those two microphones so you can judge for yourself.

B- The AT4073a is a better microphone than the ME66, and it only costs $80 more.

C- My guess is that the AT897 is a better microphone than the ME66.

D- At the same price of the AT897 is the Rode NTG-2, which some people like.

E- For interiors, a hypercardioid microphone will sound better.

Shotguns can exhibit that weird artificial/hollow sound indoors. It's related to distance... when you get within 1-2 feet with an excellent microphone, you don't really hear it anymore. Listen to the other clips of shotguns on the site.

2- If your camera doesn't have XLR inputs, you may want to consider the Rode Videomic (and the accessory boompole for it).

[Marlon Torres]

I have an XL2 so it does support XLR. Also, ive been checking prices for the Me66 and their all over 400 bucks, over my budget :(. any other suggestions?

[Graham Bernard]

How much did your XL2 cost you? If the Senni is 400 "over" what is the budget for the mic?

[Marlon Torres]

paid 4000 for my xl2 from BH, my budget for the mike is 2 to 300

[Jacques Mersereau]

Originally Posted by Marlon Torres

paid 4000 for my xl2 from BH, my budget for the mike is 2 to 300

I wouldn't bother then. Figure out a way to get a mic extender for
the XL2 mic and get it closer to the source.
You'd be wasting you $2-300 imo on a crummy shotgun.
To get the same audio quality as your XL2 video
quality you'll want a Sennheiser MKH-416 which cost about a grand.

[Glenn Chan]

For your budget, you may be able to get an Oktava MC012 (see the sticky; this is a hypercardioid mic) and maybe even a decent boompole for it.

Or, figure out a DIY boom pole solution (someone here linked to a website where they were talking about a fishing pole). The do it yourself route does take elbow grease though.

If shooting outside, you do need a windscreen. I believe there are a few threads here talking about an appropriate windscreen for the Oktava.

2- Does the budget include money for the boompole?

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Jacques Mersereau

I wouldn't bother then. Figure out a way to get a mic extender for
the XL2 mic and get it closer to the source.
You'd be wasting you $2-300 imo on a crummy shotgun.
To get the same audio quality as your XL2 video
quality you'll want a Sennheiser MKH-416 which cost about a grand.

Generally, yes, specifically, no.

Marlon - the Rode Videomic has been acclaimed in many reviews (even Ty Ford was marginally impressed i think) and it is, at a guess, about 150USD.
I've read reviews where it has outperformed Sennheiser models costing USD500.

[Dean Sensui]

I just posted this info in another thread but if you're using a mic on a boom you might want to avoid using a hyper cardioid like the AT 897 and use a cardioid such as an AT 4051.

Shotgun mics have an amazing ability to pick up sounds from the rear as well as from the front so room ambience and other noises could cause a few problems.

During a demo of the two mics the AT 4051 did a very nice job of getting audio from a two-shot using a boom. Audio from the AT 897, on the other hand, was colored by room ambience and had a pickup pattern that was a bit too tight and critical. OK for single subjects outdoors but not so good with two-shots or indoors.

I'm using an 897 right now but am about to try out a 4051.

Something to think about is that the 897 has a battery option. The 4051 requires 48v phantom power, something that the Canon MA100 XLR adapter doesn't provide.