The most directional mic under us$600?

[Greg Bellotte]

Cringing with the rest of you...and yes the $25 lav would have totally eliminated the room reverb...pointing the mic at her face wouldn't have hurt either. I've NEVER set my gain based on room noise...wow.

And Garrett, that was a TWO?? i would have given it at least a 4 or 5 (out of 10), tough room... I have a neat toy (Izotope ANR-B) that would get rid of the surf noise, but not the birds.

[Garrett Low]

Wow, why didn't I ever think of setting audio levels by moving the mic closer or further away from the speaker? Guess they don't care about all that room reverb or proximity effects. I'd argue that this is a great video on what not to do to get good sound.

Originally Posted by Greg Bellotte

And Garrett, that was a TWO?? i would have given it at least a 4 or 5 (out of 10), tough room... I have a neat toy (Izotope ANR-B) that would get rid of the surf noise, but not the birds.

Thanks Greg, Yeah, I do a lot of small movies with dedicated production sound mixers and sound designers so I'm constantly surrounded by people who can get great sound in a lot of very difficult situations. I've read about the iZotope. Would love to have one on a lot of projects but I'll have to leave that to the sound guys. Only can have so many toys.

[Greg Miller]

I especially like the background hum in that video... although it's somewhat covered up by the jungle drums overlaid on the track. And they were so proud of their 10' unbalanced 3.5mm extension cable. ;-)

The reverb isn't all that bad... they were recording in a bathroom, right?

From the photo, it looks as if the mic is pointed over her left shoulder toward the floor... a very innovative technique. And she says they position it above and point it down to minimize the "deflection" ??? Where did this bimbo get her training (if any)... on the moon?

Of course when you read the comments posted by their site viewers, you get some idea of the target audience. Sic transit gloria mundi.

[Rafael Lopes]

Guys, I´ve been listening to a lot of different tests with the NTG3 under different circumstances and the more I hear the more I like it. It seems to have very nice side rejection and even good results indoors. I´m actually looking around to see if I can get me one of these babies.

[Rafael Lopes]

Just pulled the plug on a Rode NTG3. It may not be THE most directional mic of them all, but it seems to be general consensus that it´s a great all around mic. I loved the tests I´ve heard.

[Brian P. Reynolds]

Yesterday I saw a camera crew from a community TV station shooting some segments at a show / fair using a rode NTG2 outside (without any wind shield), They were shooting a 2 person interview with a the mic (pointing above the talent) on a boom pole with the base resting on the ground just in front of the sound operator who was standing next to the camera, about 1.5 - 2m from the talent.
I spoke to them why they did it that way and not even monitor the sound in H/Phones? .... The comment was "they fix it up in editing"

And the thing was they thought this was the standard way to do things and the audio would be OK.....

I just shook my head as I walked away and thought "At least my income is secure for many years to come as a location sound recordist"

[Garrett Low]

Originally Posted by Brian P. Reynolds

Yesterday I saw a camera crew from a community TV station shooting some segments at a show / fair using a rode NTG2 outside (without any wind shield), They were shooting a 2 person interview with a the mic (pointing above the talent) on a boom pole with the base resting on the ground just in front of the sound operator who was standing next to the camera, about 1.5 - 2m from the talent.
I spoke to them why they did it that way and not even monitor the sound in H/Phones? .... The comment was "they fix it up in editing"

And the thing was they thought this was the standard way to do things and the audio would be OK.....

I just shook my head as I walked away and thought "At least my income is secure for many years to come as a location sound recordist"

Five words I never let my crew say, "We'll fix it in post."

[Don Palomaki]

Mic selection is very much a matter of individual taste and knowing the specific application. Ther is noone fits all solution.

For information on directionality review the published polar patterns of the mics of interest. Keep in mind they depend on frequency and often have significant side and back lobes. That is why patterns should have many plot lines at different frequencies. Some mics that are directional for some frequency sound might be substantially less so for other frequencies. Some have excellent rejection to the side at 90 or 120 degrees, and not so good directly to the rear (where the camera oeprator often is).

Sound isolation is very much a matter of both mic pattern and placement. Put the dominant unwanted sound source at a null point in the mic pattern and the desired sound source on the pickup axis as close as you reasonably can.

If recording a small number of people or just a small group from a distance, wireless mics are potential solution.

The square law effect mentioned in several posts above is unbelieveably effective (until you experience it a few times at which point you become a believer).

If all else fails, voice over in a studio (or similar) environment