boom mic recommendations for short film at DVinfo.net

Jim Stamos · June 8th, 2012, 12:44 AM

doing a film competition this weekend. the rental house im going to use has 3 AudioTechnica mics. the at897 is the shortest and the next two get alittle longer. forgot the models. anyone familiar with these . guy told me to go with the longest one
will be mainly used for dialogue between 2 actors, fairly close together, say3-5 ft.
will be setting my audio to manual. not sure if i should change the gain from the default 41db or not.
any advice on this?
the rental house also has an me66, but not sure it will b available.
input welcome.
when we were testing the 3 audio technicas the other day, there seemed to be a slight hiss. couldnt figure out why???

Les Wilson · June 8th, 2012, 05:53 AM

Presumably you are familiar with the review and article in this thread (since you started it :-)):
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ml#post1725699

I think you mean "Trim" not Gain. The trim (in my experience) is something that you tune for specific mics so leaving your self some time to do some tests will help. I would expect it to affect the hiss.

The advice to go with the longer one is advice to pick one that is more directional.... generally.

James Kuhn · June 8th, 2012, 10:03 AM

Jim...you don't say, but are you planning to use a 'Boom-Pole'? I say this because the "Old Crew Dogs" on DVINFO will tell you to get the Shotgun Mic off of the camera. The example often sited, "Just because you see a Mic mounted on the camera, doesn't mean it's the 'primary' Mic recording the audio." Also, don't forget wind-shields. I would recommend a 'Blimp' system if you can get your hands on one.

I have an Audio-Technica AT4053b microphone that had a 'hiss', I sent it back for repair, AT replaced the entire microphone. You shouldn't hear 'noticeable' hiss unless you are over-driving the signal (too much Gain), or there's something wrong with the Mic.

Regarding which Shotgun Mic to recommend, I like, and own a RODE NTG-3. The Sennheiser ME66 is an industry standard. Both, in good working order, would serve you well.

Best regards,

J.

Guy Cochran · June 8th, 2012, 02:26 PM

Reminds me of this nice video that Fred put together. In the example, the AT897 isn't too bad, but it looks like he's on a stage. Later in the video, you'll hear him mention that the price you pay for the 4071's reach indoors is dramatically more echo/reverb. You may want to see if the rental house offers a hyper if you're in a small room.

Jim Stamos · June 9th, 2012, 02:53 AM

ended up using the at897 and was extremely pleased with the sound. not too bad for a mic under 300.00

June 8th, 2012, 12:44 AM	#1
Jim Stamos Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 565	boom mic recommendations for short film doing a film competition this weekend. the rental house im going to use has 3 AudioTechnica mics. the at897 is the shortest and the next two get alittle longer. forgot the models. anyone familiar with these . guy told me to go with the longest one will be mainly used for dialogue between 2 actors, fairly close together, say3-5 ft. will be setting my audio to manual. not sure if i should change the gain from the default 41db or not. any advice on this? the rental house also has an me66, but not sure it will b available. input welcome. when we were testing the 3 audio technicas the other day, there seemed to be a slight hiss. couldnt figure out why???

June 8th, 2012, 05:53 AM	#2
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: boom mic recommendations for short film Presumably you are familiar with the review and article in this thread (since you started it :-)): http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ml#post1725699 I think you mean "Trim" not Gain. The trim (in my experience) is something that you tune for specific mics so leaving your self some time to do some tests will help. I would expect it to affect the hiss. The advice to go with the longer one is advice to pick one that is more directional.... generally.

June 8th, 2012, 10:03 AM	#3
James Kuhn Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 865	Re: boom mic recommendations for short film Jim...you don't say, but are you planning to use a 'Boom-Pole'? I say this because the "Old Crew Dogs" on DVINFO will tell you to get the Shotgun Mic off of the camera. The example often sited, "Just because you see a Mic mounted on the camera, doesn't mean it's the 'primary' Mic recording the audio." Also, don't forget wind-shields. I would recommend a 'Blimp' system if you can get your hands on one. I have an Audio-Technica AT4053b microphone that had a 'hiss', I sent it back for repair, AT replaced the entire microphone. You shouldn't hear 'noticeable' hiss unless you are over-driving the signal (too much Gain), or there's something wrong with the Mic. Regarding which Shotgun Mic to recommend, I like, and own a RODE NTG-3. The Sennheiser ME66 is an industry standard. Both, in good working order, would serve you well. Best regards, J.

June 8th, 2012, 02:26 PM	#4
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	Re: boom mic recommendations for short film Reminds me of this nice video that Fred put together. In the example, the AT897 isn't too bad, but it looks like he's on a stage. Later in the video, you'll hear him mention that the price you pay for the 4071's reach indoors is dramatically more echo/reverb. You may want to see if the rental house offers a hyper if you're in a small room. Mic Basics: Part 4 on Vimeo __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

June 9th, 2012, 02:53 AM	#5
Jim Stamos Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 565	Re: boom mic recommendations for short film ended up using the at897 and was extremely pleased with the sound. not too bad for a mic under 300.00