I notice you never hear much talk about it.
Anyone used it before?

I don't know much about that specific capsule, but I do own a ME66/K6, and it is a great system - I plan to pick up more ME series capsules for the K6 at some point. I do have a mic that functions similarly to the ME62, however. It is an Octava, but I forget the specific model off the top of my head.

As fas as a pick-up for that type of mic, it's great for dialogue in an indoors/studio situation where the mic can be placed close to the talent. For the most part, that is the type of mic I use for all my indoor shooting.

Again, not specific information on your query, so take it for what it's worth. Hope I helped a bit.

Can you explain a little about the different capsules? Are you saying the the Me62/64/66 is the same mic with different parts for different purposes?
I was planning on getting an NTG-2 for an outside shotgun and an ME64 for indoors. With what you mentioned about the different capsules for the Sennheiser, would it be better to just but the one with a couple different capsules that serve the same purpose as buying both the NTG-2 and the ME64?


I don't know much about that specific capsule, but I do own a ME66/K6, and it is a great system - I plan to pick up more ME series capsules for the K6 at some point. I do have a mic that functions similarly to the ME62, however. It is an Octava, but I forget the specific model off the top of my head.

As fas as a pick-up for that type of mic, it's great for dialogue in an indoors/studio situation where the mic can be placed close to the talent. For the most part, that is the type of mic I use for all my indoor shooting.

Again, not specific information on your query, so take it for what it's worth. Hope I helped a bit.

The ME62 is a capsule for the K6 power module, making the MExx/K6 system. There are five capsules for the K6:

The ME62 - an omni-directional cardioid capsule.
The ME64 - a shotgun cardioid capsule, but in a very small package.
The ME65 - a supercardioid capsule which is "especially suited to vocal and speech applications" -- from Sennheiser's website.
The ME66 - a medium range, "normal sized" shotgun capsule.
The ME67 - a long range shotgun capsule for "[when] the microphone must be placed at a distance from the sound source." -- from Sennheiser's website.

- and two power modules:

The K6 - which is battery or phantom powered.
The K6P - which is strictly phantom powered.

I personally would reccomend the K6 over the K6P. My camera supplies phantom power, however, there have been times when the battery comes in handy; for example, when I have the mic hooked up to a tap box with no phantom output to simply listen thru the mic for checks and such. Also, using the battery (one AA, which Sennheiser claims will power the mic for up to 1000 hours) saves drain on the camera battery.

I don't know much about the Rode NTG-2, so I can't compare it to Sennheiser's equvilants. However, from a practicality standpoint, I would suggest purchasing one of the power modules and whichever capsules you need, and then all you have to do is switch them out to suit your location.

Currently I own the ME66/K6 and I love it. In the near future I plan on buying more capsules for the system - it has yet to dissapoint me.

John, I think one question whose answer would be
helpful is: How do the ME66 and the NTG2 compare
outdoors? If there's no big difference I
might think to go with the ME66 capsule if
it is cheaper than the NTG-2, and then just
put the 66 capsule on the 64's base.
You only need to buy one base (i.e. the
powering unit).
The MEs use the same base so you just switch
out the top pieces, which are the capsules.
I do have the 64 but that's the only one of the
capsules I've used.

I just checked and see the 66 is $180 and the
NTG2 is $250. So a thought would be to
go with the 66 and then put the difference
in price toward getting a furry wind cover for the
66, which you will need outside.

Wow. I was just over at the Sennheiser
site and saw that the self-noise of the
66 is 10dB! That's really low.

All these ME's seem to be geared for indoor use. How do they do outdoors as the NTG-2 is supposed to work great outdoors and that is a cardoid too I believe.


The ME62 is a capsule for the K6 power module, making the MExx/K6 system. There are five capsules for the K6:

The ME62 - an omni-directional cardioid capsule.
The ME64 - a shotgun cardioid capsule, but in a very small package.
The ME65 - a supercardioid capsule which is "especially suited to vocal and speech applications" -- from Sennheiser's website.
The ME66 - a medium range, "normal sized" shotgun capsule.
The ME67 - a long range shotgun capsule for "[when] the microphone must be placed at a distance from the sound source." -- from Sennheiser's website.

- and two power modules:

The K6 - which is battery or phantom powered.
The K6P - which is strictly phantom powered.

I personally would reccomend the K6 over the K6P. My camera supplies phantom power, however, there have been times when the battery comes in handy; for example, when I have the mic hooked up to a tap box with no phantom output to simply listen thru the mic for checks and such. Also, using the battery (one AA, which Sennheiser claims will power the mic for up to 1000 hours) saves drain on the camera battery.

I don't know much about the Rode NTG-2, so I can't compare it to Sennheiser's equvilants. However, from a practicality standpoint, I would suggest purchasing one of the power modules and whichever capsules you need, and then all you have to do is switch them out to suit your location.

Currently I own the ME66/K6 and I love it. In the near future I plan on buying more capsules for the system - it has yet to dissapoint me.

The ME66 is such a great mic for indoor and outdoor use.

All these ME's seem to be geared for indoor use. How do they do outdoors as the NTG-2 is supposed to work great outdoors and that is a cardoid too I believe.

No, no NTG-2 is not cardioid. It is shotgun.

From Rode's site:

NTG-2
Dual Powered Directional Condenser Microphone.
Features:

Broadcast sound quality. Rugged metal construction. Condenser microphone transducer. Weighing 161 grams approx. (5.17 oz.). Low noise circuitry. Low handling noise. Supplied with stand mount and zip pouch. Designed & manufactured in Australia. Full 2 year guarantee.
Operation power:

The NTG-2 is designed to operate from standard P48 phantom power or a 1.5 V Alkaline Battery. The NTG-2 will operate between 44 V to 52 V applied with positive polarity to pin 2 and pin 3 via the output XLR connector.
Operation output impedance:

The NTG-2 will operate satisfactorily into a load impedance as low as 1 k§Ù. If a load below this is used, the output signal level will be reduced. The NTG-2¡¯s output is balanced between pin 2 (hot) and pin 3 (cold). Pin 1 is ground.
Acoustic principle:
Line plus Gradient.
Directional pattern:
Super-Cardioid.


No, no NTG-2 is not cardioid. It is shotgun.

As far as the ME series being geared only for indoor use, that is entirely untrue. The ME67 is definately not an "indoor mic." It is rather large and has a very directional pattern; neither trait is very conducive to an indoor application. Personally, I would not use a medium or long shotgun indoors unless it were a very large space and/or covering some distance.

I wonder if anyone has ever tried using the
ME65 indoors as a boomed "hyper"? The specs say it's down
on sensitivity and self-noise as compared to the rest in the
series. Maybe that's because it's mostly
(I think) designed for handheld use.
Maybe with a good preamp. It's a thought.

RE the comments about indoors or outdoors for the ME family, the issue is with humidity. ME is much more sensitive to humidity than the more expensive mkh series. I would guess that this is the source of the comments, and to a certain degree in high humidity rain etc, using the me family is not recommended

Sharyn

OK, the part about humidity makes sense. However, I live in North Carolina, the home of humidity (and mosquitoes), and I have not had any noticible problems or drop in audio quality with my ME66, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

I would strongly disagree that the ME66 is geared for indoor use. I've tried using it in a variety of bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, etc. and it has always sounded really bad to me. I now use a Rode NT3 for indoor shoots and I'm really impressed! Despite the fact its a fairly inexpensive microphone, it does a truly amazing job. I concidered purchasing a ME64 capsule - but the NT3 sounds heaps better (in my opinion).

If you haven't already, it's worth taking a look at these posts:

- Untraditional Microphones/Mixers... (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=66341)
- Audio for Documentary (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=74389)

Having said that, the ME66 works great outdoors. I wouldn't say its the most appropriate purchase for its price/performance, but it's the one I purchased and with good wind protection comes up all right.

My 2c.

Chris, how are you using the NT3? On a boom for dialog?
How far off do you usually have it from the
person?

Yes, I normally have the NT3 on a boom pole (with suspension) as close as I can to the subject. Normally this is about 3-4 feet.

Also: If you haven't already, have a look at this (http://dvestore.com/theatre/mics.html) site (DV eStore Theatre - Shotgun Shootout).

Yes, I normally have the NT3 on a boom pole (with suspension) as close as I can to the subject. Normally this is about 3-4 feet.

Does the 66 sound hollow indoors?

My comment on the me 66 came from a conversation with one of the experts at senneheiser. It is not to say that it is not for out doors, but you do need to be careful in rain and high humidity, so for the typical go anywhere in anything eng type of application the pro's go for the mkh wich uses a different system and is relatively imune to humidity

Usually shotgun mics are not recommended for indoors, for just the type of sound hollowness people have reported.

Mics are like artists brushes, you select different ones based on how you want your sound "canvas" to be

Sharyn

I put a good set of headphones on and compared all these and I really like the AT4073A. It seems to have the least static/humm/buzz than the rest. Any of you using this one?

But again, these are all tested indoors. Are there any outdoor tests available?

Also: If you haven't already, have a look at this (http://dvestore.com/theatre/mics.html) site (DV eStore Theatre - Shotgun Shootout).

I put a good set of headphones on and compared all these and I really like the AT4073A. It seems to have the least static/humm/buzz than the rest. Any of you using this one?

But again, these are all tested indoors. Are there any outdoor tests available?


I'm using 4073a. Had been using it almost exclusively indoors
and was about ready to sell it because of the hollow sound.
I felt I was never able to get a decent sound out of it.
But then I used it outdoors and there is where it really
comes into its element. The reach outdoors was amazing
compared to other mic's I've used. I'm going to start to
use it again indoors to see if I feel any differently because
most of my work is indoors so the mic has just been sitting,
unused. Maybe if I get the mic closer to the subject
this time it'll work out better.
On the other hand, I do know a pro video guy who
does events and corporate and he doesn't find anything
wrong with that mic indoors.

The sound on the shootout sounds very clean. Another question though. I already have the NT3 so how exactly do I use it? If I still get whichever shotgun, do I use both? The NT3 close to my subject and then just keep the shotgun on-camera? Still confused about all this stuff.

Thanks.....JD

I'm using 4073a. Had been using it almost exclusively indoors
and was about ready to sell it because of the hollow sound.
I felt I was never able to get a decent sound out of it.
But then I used it outdoors and there is where it really
comes into its element. The reach outdoors was amazing
compared to other mic's I've used. I'm going to start to
use it again indoors to see if I feel any differently because
most of my work is indoors so the mic has just been sitting,
unused. Maybe if I get the mic closer to the subject
this time it'll work out better.
On the other hand, I do know a pro video guy who
does events and corporate and he doesn't find anything
wrong with that mic indoors.

Mic placement and putting acoustic absorption material a short distance behind the mic can make a difference indoors.
Sharyn

John, why are you thinking of getting the ME64 for
indoors if you already have the NT3? For
most dialog work indoors I would think the
NT3 would be preferable over the 64.

Please bear with me, I am new to all of this and that is what I am trying to figure out. I did not know if I need to use 2 mics being that the XLR adapter has 2 channels. So what you are saying is if I just use the NT3 around the subject this is all I need? Do I just connect it up to channel 1 on the XLR and the mic on the A1 will not pick up anything?

Another reason I got the NT3 was to use it wirelessly with the Senn wireless module but I still would like to get some sort of shot gun for situations when I can't use the NT3. Sorry for all the questions but it's just I have so much $ invested that I really want to learn how to setup and use this stuff.



John, why are you thinking of getting the ME64 for
indoors if you already have the NT3? For
most dialog work indoors I would think the
NT3 would be preferable over the 64.

The NT3 has a narrow pickup angle so you would
need to have the mic either be aimed at the
person if they are moving about or, if the mic
is on a boom stand, the subject needs to
stay in one place.

Hi John,

I created the DVeStore Shotgun shootout to allow folks to listen to the capability of some of the more popular mics on the market. What I found personally is that a RODE NT3 works great indoors and no so great outdoors. The RODE NTG-2 shotgun is a mellow, natural sounding mic with low noise. I like it a lot, especially for the price. However, I still think the AT4073 would be my choice, but at double the cost, it's a tough call for anyone contemplating. You're getting 90% of the quality of the 4073A with the RODE, the question you need to ask yourself, "Is the extra 10% sound detail worth $300?" Note, you'll also need phantom power with the AT4073 which may bring your up another couple hundred if you need to buy an adapter. Besides if you answer yes, take a closer listen to the Sennheiser 416 and you're now at A list feature film level quality.

Besides the tighter pattern and off axis rejection, the benefit of a shotgun mic is that they are meant to be placed in shock absorbing suspension blimps and wrapped with a muff for wind protection outdoors on a boom. This can get pricey, however we're seeing K-TEK is coming out with a fantastic new Zeppelin/harry combo at a killer price. I'm testing it out right now. If you get a chance watch the video Sennheiser location sound package at http://dvgeartalk.com and see that set-up, the K-TEK should come in at less than half the price.

I'd say get the RODE NTG-2 and put the money you save towards wind protection, a boom pole and a book or DVD on how to capture great audio. Then just test, test, test and practice like hell with a pair of good cans on.

Good luck,

Guy, what problem did you see outdoors with the
NT3?

The RODE NT3 ships with a very light foam windscreen which is fine indoors with the typical low "draft" air movement of HVAC. Take it outside and all of the sudden the 3/4" pickups really are susceptible to wind noise. Rycote has the Baby Ballgag that might fit it, I haven't tried. If anyone has, please chime in. A high pass filter on the NT3 would be a nice addition to kill low end bass rumble. Still at $199 the NT3 has got to be the best bang for buck mic out there IMO.

Condenser mics such as these with larger diaphrams can also be easily damaged by outdoor elements such as high humidity and dust particles. They are meant for the studio. Shotguns are more rugged for outdoor use and can handle a bit of a beating. Heck some shotguns will even change sound characteristics depending on the temperature and humidity of the environment leading to inconsistent sound.

Because the NT3 is only $199 don't think of it as a disposible mic, use it where is was meant to be used, take care of it and it will last your lifetime - well at least 10 years - in fact RODE now has a 10 year guarantee http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Home&newsid=2&PHPSESSID=e20b062080d4af925b202547bdfe4fbb

They're also coming out with some exciting new stuff that I wish I could talk about :)