What microphones are people using?

I think the problem i with putting it on
the hot shoe is i will pick up vibrations
from the mirror and shutter—but i cant
think of a better place to put it.

I have a main mic: the AudioTechnica AT822 which is a stereo condenser that is self powered. I use it for all my ambient sound – all my ambient is stereo. I have it recording nearly all the time that I’m on the scene since I don’t want to miss anything. I have it attached to a 5×6 Domke belt bag with velcro so that handing noise is reduced. For field interviews I use an AudioTechnica AT835 shotgun if it’s noisy. However these mics are 11-16 inches long so they are not the kind to just pop in your bag. When I have to move quickly I’ll forgo the 835 and grab my Audix OM2 cardioid as it is much smaller and more rugged than the AT. For quiet interviews it’s a great warm mic. I also have an AT825 condenser lavaliere with a Sony wireless system for remote sound.

Mic’s are like lenses and no single lens/mic does everything. To learn more about them try here: http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/studio/studio-microphones/buying-guide.php

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=158384

the new (much better) stereo model:

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=277661

and this one looks like a beauty:

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/01/ipod-nano-microphone/

and finally, for those adventurous enough… here’s a little ipod hack:
Plug in earphones
Activate Diagnostic Mode – Reset (hold MENU and PLAY) and hold down PREVIOUS, NEXT and CENTER buttons at Apple logo – Release buttons and you’ll hear a chirp and Diagnostic mode will appear
Use Next button to navigate to “J. RECORD”
Speak into Left earphone when “BEGIN…” appears
You’ll get about 6 sec. of record time and then “DONE”
Press center button for playback
Press Play/Pause to return to list of tests This is just the mono record feature… as noted here there is also a stereo line-in but that is in the dock connector and activated by “F. LIN REC”

...I’m sure Apple will release a new Firmware update for the iPod shortly that will provide recording capability in full. Stay tuned.

“Overall, Belkin succeeds in adding a high-quality audio recording feature to the iPod, although processor requirements create a fairly serious battery issue. Video iPod users looking to record high-quality audio will find that it works great for short-format recordings. The TuneTalk is perfect for mobile podcasters, and it’s a solid option for anyone else who needs to record an hour or less of high-quality audio at a time.

On the other hand, if you just need to record simple voice memos, go with an earlier model, such as the Griffin iTalk for iPod Voice Recorder or the Belkin iPod Voice Recorder, which record at a lower quality and don’t require as much processing power. Or, if you want to record high-quality audio for longer than the approximate hour of battery life the TuneTalk/video iPod combination offers, check out the stand-alone Edirol R-1; it records for longer and offers an optional battery pack. “

I’ve had one for about ten years and it’s never let me down. Recently I picked up a second, because I saw it cheap.

I used it with an MD recorder, back in the day and now with an Olympus VoiceTrek.

Edit – they also make a model for camcorder use that has a hot-shoe mounting stand.

Great gear.

Feli

http://www.soundman.de/

These are stereo mics that you wear as ear buds. I love them because they are very discreet and no one can know that you are recording. Also, since you don’t need to hold them, you can continue shooting.

Here’s a sample recorded while wandering around in the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires. If you listen to it with headphones, you will get the three-dimensional sound that these mics render.

http://imago.enriquepardo.com/audio/200601_0045n_ARG.mp3

If you check their website or send them an email, they have distributors worldwide. For the US, I found:

http://www.independentaudio.com/CDCatalog/OKM/okmhome.html

Though they won’t fit everyone’s bill, I can recommend both the binaural omni mics (model SP-TB-2) and the stereo omni mics embedded in collapsible headphones, which have a switch to toggle between headphone and microphone use (model ISI-HMA-1). I’m using these with an Edirol R-09 and no added battery paraphernalia. Being hands-free, they’re very convenient and discreet. Though being mounted in your ears, that rules out eating, sneezing and general head-scratching during recording… I have a couple of sample recordings here.

Ed, I’m in Australia as well, and had no problems ordering from them.

The recorder is a Sound Devices 744T (4 channel digital) which has never, ever failed to give me a good recording. For video, we front-end this with a Sound Devices 442 mixer. The mix is fed back to one of our two Panasonic HVX-200 cameras and we record to the 744 for backup of the raw mics. The 442 has good high pass filters that cut down the vent and refrig noise in the kitchens.

We use Sanken COS-11 lavs with Lectrosonic SM and UCR401 wireless equipment. All my mics are selected for a matching warm sound so I tend to stick to Neumann shotguns, Sanken lavaliers, and a Sanken CMS-10 MS stereo mic which is my general purpose live performance mic. I also use a Sanken CUB-01 boundary mic which is great for picking up all the folks around a table. I have a few Countryman B6 lavs in various colors for hiding in scant clothing. They don’t sound quite as good as the COS-11s but they sure are small.

We’ve got a bunch of other mics that we use if we need plants. Some Sennheisers, Oktavas etc. but the Neumanns and Sankens are always my choice for the best sound (IMHO).

If I’m wandering around with my Leica and just want to grab some sound with the stills, I would take just the 744T with a couple lavs.

What matters most in audio, like photos and video, is technique.

The more pro the gear, the more the engineers expect you know how to use the equipment properly, and it is less forgiving. Mic placement, audio levels, etc are as key to audio as f-stops and focal lengths are to cameras.

Why spend $1000+ if you’re setting it on “auto” anyway.

Unless you’re filing for radio or TV you don’t need edirols or marantz or m-audio units.

Flash and web compression will wipe out the quality, and benefits, of most of that top gear anyway.

Frankly all you really need for multimedia slideshow is a simple digital “dictaphone” - built in mic - that will probably run $100. An ipod mic is a great, if you already pack an ipod. Just make sure your can download the audio easily to your computer (directly or through flash card).

also audio can be cleaned up, boosted, isolated, in the free audio editor Audacity, using free VST plug-ins, just like photoshop cleans up a snap.

So don’t waste your money.

Taping a mic to your still camera doesn’t make sense. It will pick up the camera shutter, and probably your scapes and movement on the camera, and ruin the audio. I know shutters are the sound of music to snappers, but after about a dozen clicks it drives listeners mad.

If you do need just one, good, all-around, xlr mic, you cannot do better than the ElectroVoice 635A. its about $100, the industry standard, forgiving, and will last a lifetime. (nicknames “the hammer” because salesman used to drive mails through the mic, and it would still work. I know people who bought their’s 30 years ago ).

If you are shooting high quality video (pd-150 type camera or better) you already know you need a better shotgun mic, like a AT or a Senn ME-66, which requires external (phantom) power. But otherwise you probably don’t need it.

Why? Better, expensive, equipment never means better content.

Good,clean, clear, captivating, audio is about getting close to the subject you’re trying to capture.

sound familiar?

And if its an interview, it is about asking the right questions,

But that is a different thread.

I love SoundSlides and was wondering what the latest Plus version was like

Here is a place to start:

RECORDER

Edirol R-09 (takes SD cards, AA batteries, flimsy battery/card cover but otherwise great) http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=757

OR M-Audio (takes CF cards, chargeable battery like an iPod – downside, no rechargeables or AAs in an emergency)
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html

MICS (You’ll need atleast 2 mics – a ‘close-up’/’telephoto’ mic and a more general sound-gatherer)

Azden Super-Cardioid (comes with a tripod mount for the mic, this is for distance ‘telephoto’ recordings and interviews) http://www.electronicsoutfitter.com/store/87183/ecz990.html

Sony Stereo Condenser Mic (for general ambient, background noise, music, stage, very loud, etc) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/150434-REG/Sony_ECMMS907_ECM_MS907_Stereo_Mic.html

GET A RECHARGEABLE 4-BATTERY PACK JUST FOR THE AUDIO GEAR

GET MEMORY CARDS JUST FOR THE AUDIO GEAR (1 GB = 1-1.5 hours)

I bought the Soundslides software online and started experimenting. www.soundslides.com. At this point, you should buy the $60 version instead of the $30. I took a workshop at NSC to learn how to transfer Soundslides files into Flash for more control over the final product. Also check out www.multimediashooter.com and www.digitalartwork.net to see what people are doing. Soundslides is pretty self-explanatory and their online-wiki is great. I have gotten better at capturing audio by trial and error.

As for equipment, I use the Marantz PD660. It’s the smaller version than the one radio reporters use, but no loss in quality. Records on Compact Flash, costs about $500 and there’s a Porta Brace case made for it. It’s also solid state, so no moving parts that will break. Lightweight, and accepts external mics (even XLR).

For purposes of comparison, I’ve used the M-Audio and think it’s a piece of junk. Can’t replace the battery, so when it dies, so does your story. Really small, compact and lightweight, but that still doesn’t make it worth it. And for the price, its worth spending a bit more for the Marantz.

As for mics, I was using a Sennheiser ME66/K6 shotgun, but just sold it because it’s really more for video and too big to carry with my camera gear. I’m looking for a smaller mic that will work with both the Marantz and a future HDD camcorder I’m going to buy (maybe a lav for interviews).

If you want, check out the 660’s sound: www.allbillnobull.net. Click the audio slideshows link.

take a look:

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=5491

http://tinyurl.com/29xmhc

http://www.core-sound.com/mics/1.php

http://www.core-sound.com/lcmics/1.php

A friend of mine is a musician / mixer and swears by these.

feli

As for mics, I use a lapel for interviews and either the R-09 on-board mics for ambience or a cardioid. I don’t own a shotgun because I would only see them as useful as a boom mic, and I don’t usually shoot or record with a crew.

Bill, I reckon the ME64 is a great buy in a mic, much smaller and broader pick-up pattern than the 66, also would make a good on-camera mic for doco work if coupled with a decent attachment. ‘Tis a bit pricy though…

The main thing is that the interviews are good though, if you don’t have a lapel, stick the mic as close to the interviewee as possible.

Next, listen to these and then read this.

In short, there are a lot of good mics out there, and much of your buying decision turns on the recording situations you will be facing. In some senses, mics are like lenses – to optimize results you need different ones for different scenarios.

The classic workhorses are the Electrovoice RE50 for omnidiretional and the Sennheiser ME66 for shotgun. I’ve used both, and they’re of great quality and build. And don’t skimp on the windscreen for the ME66—it makes a big difference.

Here is a good range of audio gear from a list compiled by Regina McCombs of the Star Tribune, “Planning for Multimedia Budgets.” The list is geared toward newsroom folks to present to their eds, with high- and low-end options for software and gear. If anyone wants it, PM me.

Audio Field Gear

Omnidirectional microphone:
Electrovoice 635A $110
Electrovoice RE50 $150
Shure SM-48LC $49

Directional (cardiod) microphone:
Beyerdynamic M58 $177
Sennheiser MD 46 $170

Short shotgun (directional) microphone:
Sennheiser ME66 $450
Beyerdynamic MCE 86 S.1 $400

Wireless microphone:
There are a huge range of systems, but expect to start at about $500 for a microphone and transmitter, going up to about $2500 for the quality you’d typically find at a large broadcast news outlet. These are optional for an audio only system, but incredibly useful if you’re shooting video or keeping your hands free while shooting stills. I wouldn’t work without one.

Good ones for under $1,000:
Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 $500
Sennheiser Evolution G2 500 $850
Sony UWP-C1 Microphone $500
Lectrosonics 100 series $1200

Lavaliere (lapel) microphone:
Sony, Shure, Electrosonic: $100-300