Jump to content

Best Reporters Microphone


Rawturnip

Recommended Posts

I like the e835 mic a lot, and have two of them. But most ppl use an RE50 or MD46. I honestly think that the e835 works very well because it is cardioid and can reject a lot of background noise, but your reporter also needs to know how to hold the mic peoperly. An omni mic like the RE50, which I also have, is standard because reporters don't often know how to hold a mic, and when interviewing ppl, they often forget to hold the mic to that person properly as well. Hence the omni pattern. I switched from using the e835 to the RE50 because of this, and because when I look at my clients videos (that are often shot all over the country), the videos that I participated in have a different mic than everyone else. Even though the audio quality was not perceptively different, aesthetically the continuity was off on my end. 

 

So I recommend the RE50 simply based on those principles alone. I wouldn't bother with the Rode, no one uses it unless they are too cheap to pony up and buy a standard mic. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think of the Sennheiser e835 as a budget mic live vocals rather than something for spoken word/reporting.

 

I like the RE50L.... same as basic RE50, but with a longer handle... About 2 inches / 50mm longer, but that's just an estimate. GTS for specifics.

 

I've also used a Sennheiser MD46 cardioid which is nice in noisier environments so long and whomever holds the mic takes just a bit of care with positioning the mic. Never seen the Rode in the wild, so no opinion.

 

So if you're just buying one mic and don't know the person with the mic will know what they're doing, I'd go for the RE50L.

 

But that's just one opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I rarely have to use a handheld in my work.

I own a remarkable Beyer TG X-80 cardioid that sounds wonderful

I recently bought am RE50B because of an isolated experience with a newbie interviewer.

An omni would have offered a better result and the B version is the better sounding.

Although I had her on a radio mike she insisted on waving my Beyer around between her

and the subjects plus the subjects wanted to almost swallow the Beyer rendering level

management quite tricky!

If only interviewers listened to the sound guy and got out of their bad habits!

 

mike

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I carry an RE50 - as much for a provisional VO as anything.

NB. You'll often see a BBC reporter using a MKH60/416 as a reporter's mic - generally they hold it quite low and it is less conspicuous in frame (than RE50) especially when interviewing someone as the mic is re-angled instead of moved from mouth to mouth. I find the results quite good, even when used close to mouth (in a noisy environment, with HPF). MKH60 with HPF has virtually no handling noise btw. Of course, there are advantages to having a something like an RE50 ie. cheap, tough, doesn't need phantom and if the environment is really, really noisy then it will better under the nose than the shotgun. But a 416 handheld with HPF is quite workable in a lot of reporting situations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, mikewest said:

If only interviewers listened to the sound guy and got out of their bad habits!

 

 

I like that a few plug in transmitters have the option for headphones output, then the reporter can have a listen in to what s/he is doing with their earphones while they're shooting, and hopefully fix it themselves! (if their ears are not painted on....)

 

On 3/14/2018 at 11:20 AM, JonG said:

But most ppl use an RE50 or MD46.


Handy to have both (but only if you do this kind of work a lot), then you can pick one or the other depending on the interviewer's skill and/or the shooting location.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like that a few plug in transmitters have the option for headphones output, then the reporter can have a listen in to what s/he is doing with their earphones while they're shooting, and hopefully fix it themselves! (if their ears are not painted on....)

 

I can only think of 1 (Røde), what the others?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...