I have been using the Audio Technica 897 for weddings and sports games, now Iam looking into using this for a independent digital feature. Would this be a good mike to put at the end of a boom pole, or should I get a different mike. Thanks!
~Matt

Use mine on a boom just fine....using it on a AUDIO TECHNICA - AT8415 UNIVERSAL SHOCK MOUNT and an ali boom pole...
cheers
Gareth

It depends on your camera's mic preamps. You need much cleaner gain to use an AT897 for dialogue than you do for sports or as on-camera mic at a wedding. If your camera preamps aren't up to that task for quiet dialogue and they can be switched to accept line-level signals, then a good preamp will work well with that mic and can be very beneficial for how you control and monitor your audio. Something like a SoundDevices MM-1 or MixPre.

The mike in being plugged into Beachtek DXA-6, next to each nob per channel it has a mic/line switch on it. Would I just switch it to "line"? 'Cause I thought that was to be used for like mixers and what not.

Use the mic switch. Line is for feeding it a signal from a mixer.

I think you'll probably be all right without a mixer. I had an 897 for a while. It's not as hot as the ME66, but I don't remember it's output being all that low either. That mic isn't really suited for indoor shooting anyway, which is where you'd usually have quiet dialog. My guess is that in outdoor environments there will be enough extraneous noise that will swallow up the hiss.

If you're really going to attempt a feature you'll need more than just this one mic. It's a good mic, but as I said, it won't cut it for indoor shooting.

Use the mic switch. Line is for feeding it a signal from a mixer.

I think you'll probably be all right without a mixer. I had an 897 for a while. It's not as hot as the ME66, but I don't remember it's output being all that low either. That mic isn't really suited for indoor shooting anyway, which is where you'd usually have quiet dialog. My guess is that in outdoor environments there will be enough extraneous noise that will swallow up the hiss.

If you're really going to attempt a feature you'll need more than just this one mic. It's a good mic, but as I said, it won't cut it for indoor shooting.


I had a completely different experience. I used mine for an indoor shoot connected to my XL2 to record dialogue and it is completely hiss free.
If there's a hiss there, it must be below the threshold of my ability to hear it, that and everyone else who's heard the dialogue recorded with it.
There may be other factors that may have caused you to experience this if this is what happened to you.
I love this mike and was extremely happy with the lack of noise and crisp well rounded sound it recorded.

When I said the 897 wouldn't cut it for indoor shooting, I was referring to the fact that it's a shotgun, not its output or self noise.

When I said the 897 wouldn't cut it for indoor shooting, I was referring to the fact that it's a shotgun...

So if not using a shotgun, what then? Omni?
Thanks again.

So if not using a shotgun, what then? Omni?
Thanks again.

For booming indoors the preferred mic is a hypercardioid. The directivity of a shotgun mic is frequency dependent and there's a lot of pickup off-axis in the lower ranges. That makes it less desirable in an environment with a lot of reflections such as most interiors.

Instead of an AT4053a would a Sure 57 be suitable? I mean for studio use only (I have no plans to take it anywhere else), how do these two mics compare?

I have a lot of concert background, so I guess I am biased towards the 57 and beta58 series... but I bet these aren't the greatest for film use.

Any input is appreciated, as always.

Thanks,
Max

Instead of an AT4053a would a Sure 57 be suitable? I mean for studio use only (I have no plans to take it anywhere else), how do these two mics compare?

I have a lot of concert background, so I guess I am biased towards the 57 and beta58 series... but I bet these aren't the greatest for film use.

Any input is appreciated, as always.

Thanks,
Max

The SM57 is a dynamic mic, while the 4053 is a condenser mic. Additionally, the 57 is a uni/cardioid mic, while the 4053 is a hyper cardioid mic. Two very, very different animals. The 57 won't be anywhere near as sensitive as the 4053, nor will it have the response nor quality of sound. So...no. They're not exchangeable at all.

thats a big ol' 10-4, yeah thats really good to know, thanks for the info.

I just keep on learning new things...

Thanks again,
Max

The AT897 itself has very low self-noise. Any hiss you'll get in recording will come from boosting a less clean part of your chain, such as camera mic preamps that can't be cleanly boosted. The DXA-6 doesn't provide any boost, so again it will depend on which camera you're using and how quiet the dialogue is.
For indoor use, the quieter the dialogue, the less problems you'll have with a shotgun's off-axis response because there's simply less off-axis reflection.
Ambient noise may still give off-axis problems, but if it's that loud, then it's going to affect any mic to some degree.

I used the AT897 with my DVX for a broadcast commercial here in Ohio and it worked wonderfully. There's a soft music track in the backround of the final cut that smooths out the sound a little bit. However, I was shooting in a large store showroom and i could get it fairly close to the actors.

I recently purchased a AKG SE300B with the 93 cap (supercardiod) and a sound devices 302 mixer. You can tell where the money went. Sound is definatly improved and I have a wider range of situations i can record in.

In short, you won't be disapointed in the AT897. with little adujstments, it can be used in a lot of situations. For the cost, you can't beat it. It's not the last mic you'll ever have to buy, but it is a great one to have.

I like the CK93 a lot too. It mixes well with a Schoeps in many environments.

just to put a cap on the thread. I used the AT897 with a wind-sock and it worked excellent.

I'll take them over ME-66s any day. I'm not a huge fan of Sennheiser's lower-end mics in general; there's something too blocky or cold about the sound.