What would be the best microphone for graduation?

Seriously, you have to give us more information if you want a good response: Where are you going to be? How many people are speaking? Is there a podium where the speaker is going to be? Inside or outside? What do you want to capture? Is there a mult box you can plug into?

Jonathan

Seriously, you have to give us more information if you want a good response: Where are you going to be? How many people are speaking? Is there a podium where the speaker is going to be? Inside or outside? What do you want to capture? Is there a mult box you can plug into?

Jonathan

There will be from 2-10 people speaking
There will be a podium
It depends if it's inside or outside (weather)
I want it to capture from long distances (at least 50 ft)
Not sure what a mult box is... =\

The best mic you are going to have is one you can get up close. Inside + distance = echo, typically. Outside + Distance = low volume, high wind noise, high car noise etc. If it were a graduation I was doing, I would think wireless/wired mic or both.

Scott,

A mult box is a piece of hardware (usually permanently built-in somewhere) that allows multiple inputs (hence the name) of XLR cables for one source (usually a microphone). So instead of 30 mics on a podium, there's just one and the rest of the photogs (usually in press conference situation) plug into the mult box and get the same audio. See link: http://www.mattszabo.com/archives/2005/08/itas_called_a_m.html (just a funny example)

I agree with Steven that a wireless mic would be best...probably a lav mic attached somehow (gaffer's tape?) to the mic on the podium. Make sure you get it somewhere close to the end of the mic (where the person will be talking), and attach it underneath so you can't see it. Make sure to tape the wire out of the way so no one knocks it.

Jonathan

I myself have jumped off the wireless boat. It's too risky with drop out and you can never forsee something else coming into your clean frequency space until it does, and then its too late. I use harddisk recorders/iRivers to record audio and then sync it in post. The audio quality is the same if not better, and i no longer risk any kind of interferance. The only thing that can go wrong is user error, so as long as i do my job and properly set everything up before hand it works fine.

One the other hand, If there is a podium already mic'd up I would patch into the board and get a direct feed. If the school/venue has a mult box available this is ideal as well.