Rode NT3 or AKG C1000S at DVinfo.net

Mark Howells · March 5th, 2007, 11:30 AM

Budget £150 (approx 250$?). Needed for indoor recording of dialogue in relatively small rooms and voiceovers. Can anyone offer an opinion on the choice or suggest an alternative.

Jay Massengill · March 5th, 2007, 01:45 PM

First question is do you have phantom power or do you need a battery-powered mic? Secondly, voice-over and small room on-camera dialogue are best done by two different mics.
For small room dialogue and choosing between these two mics, the Rode NT3 would be much better. It offers much lower self-noise and greater sensitivity, and the frequency response is very helpful in potentially boomy spaces. It's also designed to be a hypercardioid, the AKG uses an add-on device to change the pattern between cardioid and hypercardioid.
You can do VO with an NT3, but it's not beefy and rich sounding in that role.
I've never tried VO with the C1000s.
Unless you're doing a lot more VO than dialogue I'd get the NT3.
There are some two-packs of mics, like the AT2041SP as well as some Chinese-made combos that would be under your budget. I haven't used them and can't directly comment on how effective they would be in your situation. They would also require phantom power.

Mark Howells · March 5th, 2007, 03:25 PM

Thanks for the reply. No I don't have phantom power that's why I was erring on the side of these battery powered mics. Having stated that, I have seen phantom power sources for as little as £30 but I'm not sure if these are appropriate. I've also been put off by the fact that I assume these phantom power sources, which look quite bulky, would restrict any movement you had planned for the camera. That is unless you used long cables which would then present problems with noise, I think. I've read about the Beachteks that sit under the camera on the tripod but they seem quite expensive.

I would be recording dialogue and performing voiceovers 50:50 of the time. With this in mind could anyone suggest a decent but budget set up. For instance, Rode NT3 (£100) for general dialogue, Rode NT1A (£110) for voiceover and a phantom source (£30).

Jay Massengill · March 6th, 2007, 02:25 PM

For VO, your phantom power source won't need to be mobile. There are a number low-cost mixers or preamps that can provide phantom and can feed either directly into your computer or to your camera for stationary work.
If you can go a little higher in cost, the Rode NT1000 or the AT3035 sound better than the NT1A. The NT1A will work with good technique and proper EQ, but it can be a little harsh.
The NT3 will work well for dialogue at this price point but it is larger and heavier than is optimal for booming. There isn't much else that's better unless you spend a lot more on a mic and power supply. You will need some sort of interface cable to go into your camera if it doesn't have XLR connectors. Shure makes one with a balanced transformer and the proper mini connector.

Peter Rhalter · March 6th, 2007, 07:14 PM

A long time ago, I owned a C1000s (thanks, Guitar Center). Eventually, as my ears got trained and as I compared it to other mics, I decided it wasn't very good for either tone or clarity. It's not that you can't make a usable recording with it, just that other mics sound, imo, much better. My suggestion; take a careful listen to the Rode.

Best wishes,
Peter
______________________
http://www.parkfilms.com

March 5th, 2007, 11:30 AM	#1
Mark Howells Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 99	Rode NT3 or AKG C1000S Budget £150 (approx 250$?). Needed for indoor recording of dialogue in relatively small rooms and voiceovers. Can anyone offer an opinion on the choice or suggest an alternative.

March 5th, 2007, 01:45 PM	#2
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	First question is do you have phantom power or do you need a battery-powered mic? Secondly, voice-over and small room on-camera dialogue are best done by two different mics. For small room dialogue and choosing between these two mics, the Rode NT3 would be much better. It offers much lower self-noise and greater sensitivity, and the frequency response is very helpful in potentially boomy spaces. It's also designed to be a hypercardioid, the AKG uses an add-on device to change the pattern between cardioid and hypercardioid. You can do VO with an NT3, but it's not beefy and rich sounding in that role. I've never tried VO with the C1000s. Unless you're doing a lot more VO than dialogue I'd get the NT3. There are some two-packs of mics, like the AT2041SP as well as some Chinese-made combos that would be under your budget. I haven't used them and can't directly comment on how effective they would be in your situation. They would also require phantom power.

March 5th, 2007, 03:25 PM	#3
Mark Howells Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 99	Thanks for the reply. No I don't have phantom power that's why I was erring on the side of these battery powered mics. Having stated that, I have seen phantom power sources for as little as £30 but I'm not sure if these are appropriate. I've also been put off by the fact that I assume these phantom power sources, which look quite bulky, would restrict any movement you had planned for the camera. That is unless you used long cables which would then present problems with noise, I think. I've read about the Beachteks that sit under the camera on the tripod but they seem quite expensive. I would be recording dialogue and performing voiceovers 50:50 of the time. With this in mind could anyone suggest a decent but budget set up. For instance, Rode NT3 (£100) for general dialogue, Rode NT1A (£110) for voiceover and a phantom source (£30).

March 6th, 2007, 02:25 PM	#4
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	For VO, your phantom power source won't need to be mobile. There are a number low-cost mixers or preamps that can provide phantom and can feed either directly into your computer or to your camera for stationary work. If you can go a little higher in cost, the Rode NT1000 or the AT3035 sound better than the NT1A. The NT1A will work with good technique and proper EQ, but it can be a little harsh. The NT3 will work well for dialogue at this price point but it is larger and heavier than is optimal for booming. There isn't much else that's better unless you spend a lot more on a mic and power supply. You will need some sort of interface cable to go into your camera if it doesn't have XLR connectors. Shure makes one with a balanced transformer and the proper mini connector.

March 6th, 2007, 07:14 PM	#5
Peter Rhalter Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 192	A long time ago, I owned a C1000s (thanks, Guitar Center). Eventually, as my ears got trained and as I compared it to other mics, I decided it wasn't very good for either tone or clarity. It's not that you can't make a usable recording with it, just that other mics sound, imo, much better. My suggestion; take a careful listen to the Rode. Best wishes, Peter ______________________ http://www.parkfilms.com