Rode Ntg3

[JustinG]

Hello everyone, hope you had a great Christmas.

Anyhow I am now in the market for a new mic. More like a back up/ addition  to my 416.

My 416 is getting old and it looks like it's time to put her in the shop. Seeing that it is my only shotgun, we've been through many battles to say the least. So she has quite a bit of wear and tare.

I've seen quite of few post mention the ntg3 but not really go in to depth about the mic. At the moment the price sounds right, but how does the mic sound? Not really looking for a comparison to the 416 but just an overall ratting on the mic.

My 416 would remain my primary(until I can get my cmit) but it would be nice to have an alternative at times. Or just even a good sounding beat up mic to throw in the mix when that special situation presents itself.

My first thought is to go rent one and see how it stacks up for myself. Which is something that I just may do. But with my my 416 not being as reliable as I would like, I'd much rather rent something I know will do the job well without having to hope things will turn out ok every scene.

So whatever input  you guys may have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx

[Solid Goldberger]

I did a ENG job recently with someone else's kit that included an NTG3, and I was thoroughly unimpressed. Very thin sound, poor reach, and really bad RF interference. In that price range, I much prefer the sennheiser k6p/me66. But at the same time, why not go for a new 416 (less then $1000 usd), and relegate your old weapon to backup status. Always nice to have a pair of the same mic, I think.

E.

[Nicole Hankerson]

Get another 416 or get it fixed. The NTG-3 let me down when I got it. I was getting RF interference noise and it sounded really thin. Now that I have been using the 416 on location and for post sound(foley/sfx). I freaking love it. Good luck.

Nicole

[Eric Toline]

Sanken CS3e is where I would seriously look.

Eric

[JustinG]

Right on guys. Believe me getting another 416 has crossed my mind more than once. That was this plan until I stumbled across some post where people were talking about how the ntg3 stacked up against the 416.

Should have known.

[TimPitot]

Go 2nd hand if budget is a factor

[Q]

I own a 415, 416, and NTG-3.  I bought the Rode as a backup when it was offered for a short time at $450.

Side-by-side testing of the 415, 416 and the Rode were nearly identical.  The Rode has a slightly wider pickup pattern than the 416 and sounds better off-axis than the 416.

Of the 3, I prefer the sound of the 415 with the Rode a close second and the 416 third, but in reality the 3 mics are so similar that they could easily be interchanged with each other.

I haven't had any RF issues, condensation problems, or temperature related shutdowns with any of these mics.

My preferred shotgun is the MKH60, but the 415, 416 and the Rode all get used equally.

[studiomprd]

" My first thought is to go rent one and see how it stacks up for myself. "

and your second thought, and your third thought...

the Rode mic has been discussed before, so do some more searching, but remember, everyone's opinions are subjective.

" 416 is getting old and it looks like it's time to put her in the shop. "

"old" is not enough reason to have it serviced...neither is "looks", unless it is damaged.  Does it sound like it needs to be fixede??

[JustinG]

Ah yes the mighty 415. Good mic. Only problem is (if you want to call it a problem) is it is a bit warmer than the 416. The warmth of the 416 is good enough for me. At times or should I say in certain situations with certain voices it could be a bit too warm. So having a mic that had a bit less bottom may not be a bad addition to my kit.

With that being said how thin does the ntg3 sound in comparison to say an mkh70. To me that mic is very thin but in some situations it's just what you need.

Thanx

[studiomprd]

" how thin does the ntg3 sound in comparison to say an mkh70 "

about 3.74% thinner.

[Jeff Wexler]

WRONG! The dealer told me it was 3.80.

- JW

[John Blankenship]

C'mon, Guys, it's the holiday season.  Let's just say 3.77%.

JB

[JustinG]

Ok ok calm down. Just talking shop boys. Just asking opinions not % haha

Yes, Studio she has seen better days. Meaning there is damaged. (sorry for not being clear)

[Steve Joachim]

If we are looking for a budget replacement shotgun at around the NTG-3 price point, an often overlooked option is the Audio Technica BP4073. Nice sound, reach and a 2 year warranty for around $600.00. Give one a listen.

[JustinG]

Thanx, will do Steve.

[Philip Perkins]

As location soundies, backup and consistency is important--that's one reason why we get kind of addicted to one particular mic for fishpole use, esp in verite/bag type work.  You just kind of "learn" it--you know what it will do in various situations.  If what you "know" is the 416 and you like the sound I'd vote for looking for a 2nd 416 used instead of a different mic, unless that mic does something for you that the first one doesn't (like be a wider pattern, perhaps for ensemble scenes etc).

phil p

[JDirckze]

Hi JustinG,

I've only had a good experience using my NTG-3. I don't find it thin sounding at all, and have never had a problem with RFI. I'm using it with a SD552 and find it rich in the bottom end, with plenty of depth, and reach is fine in most situations. I especially love using it when I have multiple talent as it's sweet spot seems wider than my 416 or CS3e, thus making it easier to use with bigger or more spread out groups of people. Also love using it for indoor sit down interviews...

My only complaint is that it seems to suffer more from boom handling noise than my 416 or CS3e. I have to dial in the HPF more aggressively than with my other shotgun mics when I am in run n gun mode.

I'd have no problems recommending the mic to you, but ultimately your own ears will have to judge if it is something you would use and enjoy.

Good luck!

Jase

[JustinG]

Cool thanx guys.

I finally got a chance to hear the

Ntg-3. Must say not too bad. Kind of missing some bottom but by no means enough for me to call it thin.

 

[Chadfish]

Here's a comparison vid I made showing, in part, the NTG-3 being used in an environment it is not designed for. I was originally trying to illustrate why one shouldn't use a shotgun indoors, but the NTG-3 didn't do to bad.

Hyper & Shotgun Indoor Shootout: AT4053b Vs. Rode NT3 AND NTG-2 Vs. NTG-3

[Jeff Wexler]

loved the pilot episode...  think it will go to series?

- all kidding aside, ALL the microphones sounded pretty decent (and I think the biggest liability for shotgun mics indoors would not be revealed by your test --- as the subject walks around and moves closer or further away from hard reflective surfaces, this is where the more directional pickup suffers).

Thanks for the nice, personal demo.

-  Jeff Wexler

[Chadfish]

Yes, a shotgun on a boom moving about (not stationary like I was) will eventually reveal why a hyper is the best choice for indoor dialogue for film.

[Jeff Wexler]

Thank you, Chad, for posting all these great videos here (I imagine you must have them up on your own site as well, so thanks for sharing here). I just watched the 3 others HERE  and I really enjoyed them --- good production!

-  Jeff Wexler

[Chadfish]

Thanks for the complement Jeff!

I usually put up my gear related videos up on my Vimeo site (for the sound quality) and on my ChadWork1 YouTube site (to reach more people). I've been getting into doing reviews/demos more-so lately, and I noticed I was sticking to the same old forums, so I thought I'd branch out a bit. I just really love mics and when I'm buying one I want to hear it tested a certain way, but nobody does it the way I want, so I figured I'd do it in hopes of helping others. The way I like to do it is to A-B a mic (or whatever) as the audio plays, rather than show a sample then stop & play the same sample back with the different mic. I prefer to do it as I would when mixing music. I cut back & forth while the track plays so you get the switch mid sentence. I find I can hear the differences with more ease that way.

Anyway, glad to be of assistance to whomever these videos may help!

- Chad Johnson

[Jeff Wexler]

I completely agree with your methodology and that's why I like the video demos you have been doing. I test and evaluate any new microphone in much the same manner, often on the set and just cross fade between the two or hard switch inputs after matching levels. Keep up the good work.

-  Jeff Wexler

[Peter Deutscher]

...On an unrelated note, great to see you back on the forum Chad! I know you occupy DVXuser a lot but it's great to see you chiming in here