Multimedia: Equipment for Sound & Video

Hey Jenny there have already been some strings on this one,a s everyone is getting into the multimedia storytelling gig.  For several years now I have been using a SONY Minidisc recorder, but mine is now a bit outdated.  The threads have more up to date recommendations as to models.  The key in part to getting good sound is the mike you use.  I have what is called a shotgun mike, whcih helps to focus in on your sound.  The mike is an Azden SGM-X and it does the job nicely.

Here are the threads:

http://www.lightstalkers.org/field-recording-on-a-sony-md-recorder#11574

http://www.lightstalkers.org/digital-voice-recorders#9197

I have a Minidisk and a Shure mike which gives nice sound.

It depends on what you need your sound for – if its for web use only, you can use something like the Olympus WS 200 S  with a mike which should be perfect.

Or you can now get mikes and sound pickups which will plug into an iPod – however, i’ve been told they (like the Olympus) ‘compress’ the sound, and the idea is to try and get ‘raw’ sound first which can then be compressed to specifications depending on the use. Kinda like shooting raw then converting to Jpeg…

The Minidisk gives the ‘raw’ sound’ apparently, at reasonable cost, so I plumped for that.

I could be talking complete rubbish on this of course (no change there then, eh?) as I’m currently dipping my toe into the sound thing myself…

Hi there m’ lovelys! Those links and your mic/sound gear advice is much appreciated. I’d be aiming to capture ‘the ambience of place’ (no pretentiousness intended) plus an unfashionable RP English accent for a little commentary… potentially for alternative public broadcasts as well as the web… in addition to sound, any thoughts on gear for super basic video clips?… i wonder what other photogs are using… cheers bros, jenny

I’ve got one of these on my wish list if you haven’t seen it: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html
It’s relatively small and light a uses a compact flash card. I’ve used Sony Mini-Disc for years but think this will be my next investment. I don’t know much about sound quality but have always heard that a good mic is the crucial element just like good lenses are for our cameras. Look forward to seeing/hearing the work. Best, JLee

Similar to the Microtrack above is the Marantz PMD660 .  I have one of these and it is great for field audio.  What I like about the Marantz over the MicroTrack is that it has some really nice pro features.  Built-in XLR connectors with phantom power, nice audio controls with LED meters, runs on AA batteries (so you don’t get stuck without power if you are away from AC for awhile), and it has simple, lockable controls.  All this and it’s the same price as the MicroTrack.  They also make a portabrace case for the Marantz, which is nice.

Have a look at the Media Storm site there is some good advice in the submission section.

mediastorm.org/submissions/index.htm

You may want to look on ebay for the marantz PMD660, I just ordered mine for 330E instead of 600 in France. I haven’t received it yet, it takes ages to come from the US to France.. :(

Thank you very much! I’m still thinking about this and thanks for pointing out those earlier threads Jon, there’s a lot of what I was looking for on there. The Media Storm spec and related article that Bruce posted makes good reading, and thank you JLee and David for the tips on the Microtrack and the Marantz, and for the Minidisc option, cheers Sion. Fabien, lucky you for getting yours half price!


I’ve still got to pin down the compatibility and software/editing isues for use with Mac which isn’t totally clear to me, so any Mac users out there, if you’d could share any info., I’d be grateful. Thank you, Jenny

David and Fabien, I have my eye on a PMD660 and am considering a mic to go with it.  What mic are you using, or are you using the built-in mics?

I just ordered a sennheiser K6P with a ME66 on it. Few people told me to get that one, to be able to record from 1 meter away. Ask me within few weeks, I’ll say what I think about it.

Fabien, why did you go with a shotgun mic?  Did you consider an omni-directional handheld mic?  I can’t decide.  I’m thinking an omni mic would be more versatile—for interviews, and for picking up ambient sounds.  However, I would have to hold it close to the speaker’s mouth during an interview.

How do you intend to use your shotgun mic?

Jerome,

I got a shotgun mic because I needed to interview someone old which doesn’t want to get interviewed :) I can’t just hold the mic in front of her mouth, and it’ll be much easier to set up the mic 1 meter away on a table, and wait few minutes for her to just forget about it. It’ll be a quiet room so I hope it won’t be a problem.

The K6P can hold different mic too, so I think I’ll be able to get an omni later if I need it.

I was surprised to see how expensive are the quality mic by the way…

On the subjects of mics, the Audio Technica AT804 is a good quality affordable interview mic. Where as most interview  mics are long by design this is a bit shorter, so it is easier to carry with all the rest of my kit. Sound quality is great.

Jenny – You might want to check out the audio software Audacity – its freeware and available for a number of operating systems. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Well, I pulled the trigger and ordered an Azden SGM-1X which has a supercardioid pattern (front sensitivity, and rejects sounds from behind within 150 degrees of center).  I was leaning towards an omni until I learned that not all shotguns are super-directional.  Hopefully this will give me the best of both worlds, including XLR connections from end to end.  I’ll report my findings… after I’ve found them.

Hey Jerome,

Sorry I didn’t see this sooner…I’m using the ME66/K6 shotgun primarily.  Depending on the situation, I also use an Electrovoice RE50 and a good ol’ Electrovoice 635A as a backup.  The 635A is the most rugged microphone on the planet, and excellent sound as well.

I also use wireless from time to time.  I have a Sony wireless rig with a diversity receiver and a lavalier/belt pack microphone.  I also have a "cube" transmitter that sticks onto the end of any microphone.  So a good cord-free setup is to put the receiver and the recorder in the backpack and just have the handheld or the shotgun out front with the cube on the end.  The marantz has a nifty little remote control that you can get which has a simple start/stop button and a record light to let you know you’re rolling.  So you can put the recorder and wireless setup in a backpack/fanny pack, clip the remote to your belt, turn the recorder on and use the wireless out front – all that you have exposed is the microphone.  You can run some headphones out of your bag to check audio.  Very nice, low key / high confidence way to do it. 

That Marantz looks nice……….has anyone found a good price on that? I see around $500. One thing I do remember from my video project is that 1/8th inch jacks suck.

I found mine on ebay for 330E in the US. I received it and it looks like there is a problem with the batteries connector, need to check that out.

Andy, it’s the latest thing out with little competition, so don’t expect anything much less than $500 for a while.  The XLR inputs sealed the deal for me.

Thanks for that link Martin!

Jerome, how good are the onboard mics?

andy: shitty :) You really don’t want to use it. As soon as you even just move the gear, you can hear noise.

So with mic its like $800……oh well, not for awhile, for me.

I’m sure you could find an XLR mic for cheaper, but it’ll be muuuch better than the onboard mics , for sure.

Actually it came out to $688 shipped from B&H.

The gear arrives tomorrow.  I’ll test it very soon and post samples so you can compare.

Got the stuff today and did a little mic comparison test. You can download it here: Marantz PMD660 mic test (1.8 MB)

If you care, here is a spectrum analysis of the two tests in Audacity, merged into one WAV file above.  The upper track shows the internal mic, the lower is the Azden shotgun mic.

Fabien was right, of course: the internal mics picked up every little creak made by the case.  They are also positioned on the broad side of the unit and not on an end, designed for laying flat on a surface and picking up the entire room as opposed to directing them towards an individual speaker.

In fact, the PMD660 manual states that the internal mics are preset for "recording a meeting" and not for vocal performance.