Looking for a single mic to work in several situations

[Brian Brown]

No, don't use the internal mics on the DR-100 for interview work. It will sound awful. Invest in a pair of wired lavs and you'll have great sound. Record them into separate channels and you can create a great mix. AT803bs are decent lavs, only $150/each.

A single hypercardioid mic on a boom is just too difficult to get close enough to your subjects (and out of the shot). As said, a supercardioid on a boom is way too directional. If two wired lavs is out of your budget, I suppose each person could hold their own dynamic mic and talk into them, like reporters. But handling noise and plosives (p's and b's) will make your life difficult in post.

Capturing good audio is more important than getting good video when people are talking. And there's very few cheap solutions for good audio. Just acceptable ones on up to exceptional ones, and the price grows exponentially from one threshold to another. And capturing bad audio might mean you won't get to work for that client again.

[John Peterson]

You said you wanted one with an XLR connector, but you didn't say which camera you have.

That said, proximity to the speaker will turn even a cheap microphone into an acceptable solution for just voice work.

I have used this one on several occasions with a minidisc recorder. It works just fine.

Newegg.com - Audio-Technica ATR-35S Lavalier Microphone

John

[Paul Owens]

Camera is a Canon XL H1

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by John Peterson

You said you wanted one with an XLR connector, but you didn't say which camera you have.

That said, proximity to the speaker will turn even a cheap microphone into an acceptable solution for just voice work.

I have used this one on several occasions with a minidisc recorder. It works just fine.

Newegg.com - Audio-Technica ATR-35S Lavalier Microphone

John

Put that mic alongside a more professional lav and feed them into a good quality recorder and you WILL hear the difference. With their eyes always on the bottom line, broadcasters and the major studios would use the cheapos if they could get as good a result as they get with more pricey kit.

[Richard Crowley]

Originally Posted by Steve House

With their eyes always on the bottom line, broadcasters and the major studios would use the cheapos if they could get as good a result as they get with more pricey kit.

The audible differences are well within the range of modest EQ tweaks on the input channel. OTOH, more expensive models tend to be more rugged under everyday wear and tear of places like network or local news studios, etc. So in heavy duty use, the more expensive (and rugged) gear is probably more cost effective in the long run.

[Jay Massengill]

As already mentioned, even basic pro audio tasks will need a selection of versatile mics to do a good job in different situations.
I'll point out a few models that haven't been named yet that are useful if you have the opportunity to add them to your kit.
In the interview situation with two people, I do think two lav mics will give the greatest chance of good audio if you're working in a poor audio environment. Of course lav mics have their own set of potential problems with clothing noise and animated interview subjects hitting the mic, but they offer the best chance for reducing the sound of the room you're in if you don't want to use very small headworn mics or closely-talked dynamic handheld mics. You will also need to checkerboard edit the 2 audio tracks more carefully than if just using one mic.
A couple of lav models beyond the AT803b are the AT899 and the Countryman B3. These are both small but still affordable and come well equipped with accessories.

If you did choose to try a single cardioid mic to cover two closely spaced interview subjects in a quiet and non-reflective space, the AT4021 cardioid has the lowest self-noise and a high sensitivity in a physical package similar to the AT4051/4053 but is much more affordable if you search carefully.

Another cardioid mic that works well and can be used hand-held, stand mounted, or even camera-mounted is the AT8031. This mic can also run on battery power if you paired it with a small recorder that doesn't supply phantom power.

The NTG2 shotgun is versatile and has a hotter output than the AT897, but if your mic inputs are sensitive enough for the AT897's lower output I think it has a smoother sound and is less prone to off-axis coloration.

[John Peterson]

Originally Posted by Paul Owens

Camera is a Canon XL H1

OK,

Then you can use a simple adapter:

Rode VXLR - Mono Mini-Jack to XLR Converter VXLR B&H Photo Video

John