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The Swiss Army Boom


Zack

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I'm looking to upgrade from my AT-4073a (growing tired of it's mid-range thin sound) which served me well.  Beyond the subjective hearing test of these three mics I'm considering, I'm looking for the most recommended for ENG and Film work: interior, exterior, less handling issues, and isolation from off axis aka: reach.

KMR81i, CMIT5U, CS3e.

Fire away please :)

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ALWAYS test and A/B is best.

I would also include the Rode NTG-3 in your shootout. Nice mic. I sold my Senn and the Rode now lives in my blimp.

And if you want to sell your AT4073s, drop me a line. I love 'em. Nothing about those mics that a little EQ in post can't fix. Lots of detail if they are placed in the right spot.

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ALWAYS test and A/B is best.

I would also include the Rode NTG-3 in your shootout. Nice mic. I sold my Senn and the Rode now lives in my blimp.

And if you want to sell your AT4073s, drop me a line. I love 'em. Nothing about those mics that a little EQ in post can't fix. Lots of detail if they are placed in the right spot.

I have liked the 4073a for some exterior stuff, but have found interior wise not so much.  Rado, thanks... the 416 slipped my mind I'll add it to my list.  Although I have had the chance to listen to most of these mics, I don't have the resources to do a proper A/B test not to mention for specific scenarios.  The best I can do is ask those that have used them, or spend some money in rentals I guess :P

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I am not familiar with the Rode

MKH series mics are the most reliable in extreme weather and RF conditions.

Nothing else is of importance to me.

ALWAYS test and A/B is best.

I would also include the Rode NTG-3 in your shootout. Nice mic. I sold my Senn and the Rode now lives in my blimp.

And if you want to sell your AT4073s, drop me a line. I love 'em. Nothing about those mics that a little EQ in post can't fix. Lots of detail if they are placed in the right spot.

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For your application I would vote for the CS3e. I think it has the best balance of directionality (while not being too unforgiving) and versatility (works well in interiors)

416 is a great mic. Sounds like a million bucks up close, but throw the boom 4+ feet up or a couple degrees off-axis and it loses the magic. It also sounds quite wonky on some interiors.

The CMIT is lovely, but not directional enough for me.

Have heard great things about the NTG-3, but I have yet to handle one personally.

My two cents.

Happy hunting!

Jesse

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416 is a great mic. Sounds like a million bucks up close, but throw the boom 4+ feet up or a couple degrees off-axis and it loses the magic. It also sounds quite wonky on some interiors.

I agree with that. I have yet to use the Sanken shotguns, but I know they're highly regarded.

I'd vote for two mikes: 416 for exteriors, MKH50 (or 40) indoors. Those two together will cost less than a CMIT and are widely available used. Though no question, a CMIT is a great microphone.

Maybe the best advice for Zack is to rent or borrow a couple, use them on a shoot, and buy what works for you. It's a very personal decision, like buying shoes or clothes, and what works well for one guy doesn't necessarily work for everybody.

--Marc W.

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Maybe the best advice for Zack is to rent or borrow a couple, use them on a shoot, and buy what works for you. It's a very personal decision, like buying shoes or clothes, and what works well for one guy doesn't necessarily work for everybody.

--Marc W.

I might just rent a 416 for next weekend and give it a shot.. it's one of the mics I haven't used yet :), appreciate all the input all ty.

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416 is a great mic. Sounds like a million bucks up close, but throw the boom 4+ feet up or a couple degrees off-axis and it loses the magic.

I disagree with this in part.  Up close, the 416 and most other shotguns sound muddy to me.  They are not really designed to be up close.  I have had some very nice scenes recorded from a several feet away with the 416 (although not in noisy environments).  A properly placed 416 sounds great, but it does quickly get a bit wonky when not placed properly.  Inexperienced boom operators tend to point the mic behind the actor.  Better to err in front, especially with the 416.

Robert

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  Inexperienced boom operators tend to point the mic behind the actor.  Better to err in front, especially with the 416.

Robert

Better not to err at all.. ;-)

I use a CS3e for exteriors, don't particularly like it's sound, but it pulls the dialog out of noisy locations most of the times.

I'm wondering if there are any SuperCMIT-users on the board..

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Being a short tubed shotgun, the 4073a is better for indoors rather than outdoors, though in a quiet environ it will be more forgiving of position.

What I never liked about the MKH 416 is that it gets fairly omnidirectional from the low-mids and down, causing it to pick up lots of muddying rumble like traffic, air handlers, etc. The Sankens (CS1, 2 & 3e) are more directional in the low freq range, giving them a smoother off-axis response without the need to hi-pass them.

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I love the CMIT 5U, after years of Senn use. It has much more side rejection than the 416 and sounds really great even if you can't get in really close. I also love it for ENG shoots because it is light, so I can easily move around with it quickly and with accuracy... Still, I would recommend you do a side by side test if you can. It is what sold me. I think it is well worth the cost because it will go far with you. I'm not worried about when I will need to upgrade... But about when I can buy a second one.  :))

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I love the CMIT 5U, after years of Senn use. It has much more side rejection than the 416 and sounds really great even if you can't get in really close. I also love it for ENG shoots because it is light, so I can easily move around with it quickly and with accuracy... Still, I would recommend you do a side by side test if you can. It is what sold me. I think it is well worth the cost because it will go far with you. I'm not worried about when I will need to upgrade... But about when I can buy a second one.  :))

I'll second that.

When I went to the CMIT, I felt like someone just pulled the cotton out of my ears.

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I think if we look at the thread topic "Swiss Army Boom", we might all agree the 416 could be the tool of choice.

It'd be a guess, but I would imagine that those on this forum with the luxury of owning multiple microphones for various scenarios have at least one 416 in the kit.  Why?  Because it will ALWAYS work.  Hot/cold/humid/dusty.  You might even use it to hammer in your tent spikes before recording sound on some frozen tundra.

While there are lots of folks who have lots of opinions about the sound of the mics, etc., I bet that all would agree that while the 416 isn't always the best tool for the job, it's unlikely it'll ever be the wrong tool for the job.

Robert

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I think if we look at the thread topic "Swiss Army Boom", we might all agree the 416 could be the tool of choice.

It'd be a guess, but I would imagine that those on this forum with the luxury of owning multiple microphones for various scenarios have at least one 416 in the kit.  Why?  Because it will ALWAYS work.  Hot/cold/humid/dusty.  You might even use it to hammer in your tent spikes before recording sound on some frozen tundra.

While there are lots of folks who have lots of opinions about the sound of the mics, etc., I bet that all would agree that while the 416 isn't always the best tool for the job, it's unlikely it'll ever be the wrong tool for the job.

Robert

I agree.

The ever reliable 416 may sound a bit weird indoors in some situations but will always give a useable result anyway.

I've been in situations where I go from outdoor to indoor without any opportunity to change the 416 and although there has been a few times where I've thought, "this sounds rather ordinary" its still okay and listening back off tape, you'd be hard pressed to notice any problems, especially to the untrained ear.

The 416 could very well be the "Swiss Army Boom" mic

Cheers

Peter Mega

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I'm looking to upgrade from my AT-4073a (growing tired of it's mid-range thin sound) which served me well.  Beyond the subjective hearing test of these three mics I'm considering, I'm looking for the most recommended for ENG and Film work: interior, exterior, less handling issues, and isolation from off axis aka: reach.

KMR81i, CMIT5U, CS3e.

Fire away please :)

If there were to be several microphone models in the kit, the CS3e may not be in my top three. But since it is implied that just one microphone will be used for all types of production, I believe the advantage goes to the Sanken CS3e. Price was not mentioned in the criteria, but if it had been, that would also favor the CS3e.

Glen Trew

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