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What is the Best/Most Versatile Boom Mic for around $1000 dollars?


AdamBoston

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Hey Adam, I'm surprised we haven't met yet. I'd suggest you go check out the sales department at Talamas Broadcast. They are often able to demo mics, and they are happy to compare different options with you. An added bonus, the owner Dave Talamas is an IATSE 481 member, and we are working toward many training seminars that you may be interested in. Get in touch with me via email for more info.

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listen to whats available on the market, and look at the schoeps cmit5u as well. for a bit more money you can buy one used and save yourself the trouble and expense of trading up later. buy once, cry once. my used schoeps very low serial numbr has never let me down and clients tell me i'm so awesome. it's the front end of your kit. so get one you can live with a long time.

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The Sennheiser 416 is arguably the standard for dialog. Howver It may not work so well for many interor spaces with early reflections. If I had to have only one mic for both interior/exteriors, I'd look at the Sanken CS-3.

Music recording is something else all together and normally done with multibIe dynamic and condenser mics. I wouldn't consider either one of the above for music recording . The only time i've ever used 416s on a 'music' gig, was for audience pick-up.

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I tend to agree with Jason, you should stop by here and take a listen. We currently happen to have all the mics mentioned above available for listen in shop.

I also agree with Rick. I'm not sure if a shot gun it the route to go to record a musical performance. Though this would depend a lot on the number of pieces in the band and the type of performance.

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Hi Adam..welcome

" Any opinions? "

I have always believed it is a good idea for newcomers to read the mail for a while, and if they come here with a question, that they try some searching first, to see what has been said on the topic before, and recently. --there is another discussion of almost the same question, and the answers are also the same there.

That said: Music recording is greatly different from what we primarily do, which is production sound recording, primarily dialog, for video-movies; different microphones are just a beginning.

There are lots of mic's to choose from, and the choice is ultimately a subjective and personal one. (and that has been said before, too!)

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Yeah by musical performances I am thinking of mainly acoustic performances with one to four people max... kinda leaning towards the 416 right now...but am a bit worried about interiors with reflection...my friend has one and doesnt really use it for interior interviews, but thats also because he has a schoeps cmit5u

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This site super cool!

mainly location audio recorded with a boompole, not sure about mics and exact setup, but you can see the Sound guy in the videos often!!!

http://www.blogotheque.net/

Here's one recommended video:

maybe skip ahead towards the end of the video...there are a couple different locations where they shoot the last being the best...

Arcade Fire

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Hey well Sr. Senator,

it was with fear of reprisals from you that I have hesitated to post this question and many others. All the while I have been meandering around the internet without the sense that I have full knowledge of the mics available in the price range I am searching in...

How many hours must I research shotgun mics till I have satisfied your quota? Because I can tell you Ive had extensive phone calls with very knowledgeable sound people and researched on my own for hours and hours.

Also, what thread are you speaking of? I just did a couple google searches of jwsoundgroup and didnt see it...

Also, if it pisses you off so much why not just read the other threads and pass over mine, since there have already been many helpful replies to this thread.

If you are going to be the thread police, why not give more detailed feedback than "hey dude, there's a lot good mics out there!"

Many thanks to Nick, Rick, John, and the two Jason's. It's great to see so much quality information being shared, I freaking love jwsoundgroup.net. Just wish I could actually ask the questions that I really need answered without fear of being belittled.

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" I have hesitated to post this question and many others. "

and I am suggesting that your searching and researching may have missed a lot...

You are correct, I'm the guy who won't do your homework for you, and just as an example of a similar discussion:

I need any good suggestions for a set of mics.

Started By filmsalang, Jan 12 2012 03:14 AM

Wherein I ask for your suggestions on building a kit

Started By Jeremy Seith, Jan 16 2012 01:21 PM

based on reading your OP, I don't get the feeling you did any homework, none. More like you found this forum, and figured we'd all do your homework fot you... of course, that is just how I read it! Thus I offered you a helpful suggestion on how to collect some information, and pointed out how subjective the selection of mic's will be.

Which of our professional production sound suppliers (aka "usual suspects" have you spoken with about possible choices, pricing, etc. (remember our usual suspects are not on commission!)

You should ask questions, of course, but as this is a professional forum, perhaps you should introduce yourself (Who I am" thread, and do some studying so your questions will be answerable. OK, I'm in lecture mode here...

how about if you had asked like this:

I am looking at the 416 which seems to be pretty popular, but in use, will its pattern, or older electronics be an issue when recording a string quartet in a concert hall with no PA system un use..? does anyone believe a DPA be worth the difference ?? Would a hyper be a better choice,??

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Hey well Sr. Senator,

it was with fear of reprisals from you that I have hesitated...

Try not to get offended too easily - these guys have been working in this industry a long time, with a long list of impressive credits. Any response is valuable if you view it from a perspective of choosing in advance to not be offended. :)

I don't have near the experience that allot of the others here have, but...

I have a Neumann KMR 81i that I like very much. It's not as tight as the 416, but it picks up dialog very clearly and with a high level of intelligibility. As it rolls off-axis it does so very evenly across the frequency spectrum. It doesn't reject quite as well as the 416, so in a room with allot of directional background noise it might not be the best choice. Still, while it may not be the "perfect" choice in some situations, it's a high-quality solution that will get you through just about any situation, so thus it was my choice of purchase.

For times when I know it just won't cut it, I rent what I need. You can rent some very nice mics for a day for very reasonable rates and try them out in the specific environment where you'll be using it most.

Now, personally, if it were me, I'd buy the mic that works the best for the majority of your work and rent mics for those occasional gigs that move outside your main genre. Just as a business decision, I'd never spend capital on any gear like that unless I'm getting paid enough for using it over the course of a full year that the rental costs would be more than half the cost of the item. Make sense? I mean, definitely put together a basic kit for your primary work, but for work that you're not doing every week if a mic costs $25/day to rent or $2,300 to purchase new, I'd need to be at a place where I'm spending more than $1,150 over the course of a year in rental fees before I'd go out and buy it. This also lets you get pretty familiar with the gear before you lay down the cash and gives you opportunities to try different products in similar situations in order to truly know what works best for you, so you'll know that you're ending up with the exact piece of gear that will work the best in your situation.

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As a dialog mixer who has a lot of friends (and a spouse) who record music.

I do not feel there is a consistent swiss army knife mic for both a live performance and a dialog track.

That said, and I know I am going to start a crazy tangent here, I have a two mic suggestion.

A pair of Oktava MK-012s with multiple capsules. I suggest Sound Room, and that you will enjoy having the option of doing an x-y stereo set up for your music, and a hypercardioid for your dialog recording.

I do also love the sennheiser 416, and use it a lot, but the only music group use I have done with it was fromthe back of a large room aimed at the PA. It got the job done, but the recording was not one I think was that great.

Basically, I just don't think shotguns are that great for an acoustic group or single music artist, in most situations.

Other options would be an audio technica 4051 and 4053 (again, I am suggesting a cardioid and hyper cardioid set of mics, with a couple power supplies. One for voice, one for instrument

and I highly suggest going in to a shop and listening to what is on offer...

Welcome

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Hey AdamBoston, if I may suggest, take a deep breath and relax. The Senator gave you solid advise to your OP. We get this and similar questions all the time. These are subjective questions w arbitrary price points that have no real answer. If you have done your homework you know the 5 or 6 mics that are considered production sound mics and you should test them at your local dealer and then make a decision based on your ears weighed against the standards of the recording community. Everyone has a favorite mic wether it's a senn 50 or a schoeps 41 for some or a 416 for others, but no mic will do it all. I think BrianW advice is a good path forward. Good luck w your choice.

CrewC

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" don't think shotguns are that great for an acoustic group or single music artist, "

the interference tube (aka shotgun) mic's work on a different acoustical princupal to get their directionality; they have never been popular for quality professional recording of music, though Sennheiser tried with a special version, the 416TF (f for flat response curve).and that did not catch on...

There are, of course variation in all the mic's, and as I keep reminding folks, it is a subjective choice. All sorts of awards have been won using Schoeps mic's... but all sorts of awards have also been won using Sennheiser mic's, Neumann mic's, AT mic's, Sanken mic's, even DPA's...

Without rekindling an old, sometimes heated discussion, it is safe to say that if you -or even me --are watching, and of course listening, to a show, and have no knowledge of what equipment, including mic's, was used, you or I would not be able to determine: 'that was done with a Schoeps MK-41' or 'that would have sounded better with a Neumann 81i'.

There are a lot of consideration you have to make, and make for yourself. If price point is a major one, it certainly limits your options, but does not condem you to inadequate equipment.

...and, Adam, you'll have to do some searchin' for this, too: <Tiger> (search "Forums": tiger woods golf ).

Edited by studiomprd
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Adam, you haven't been belittled, you've been given very very good advice by a range of professionals, that's what usually happens here......

FWIW you can get pretty good, if not excellent results with most of the mics mentioned, in most situations, if you have the skill and experience to use them properly. It makes me smile when I hear about the 416's early reflections, I've used one for years as my first choice mic on docco shoots, where I rarely have the opportunity to recce a location, or change mics when I get there, we turn up rolling and don't stop until we leave. I've learnt to use it properly, and get first class results every time. I've since switched to the CS3e as my first choice on docs, but the 416 lurks in the Peli as a back up.

The short answer is, you'll learn to get good results from whatever you buy, but listen to the good people here, they know what they're talking about.

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I've always wondered why the 416 was the mic of choice for studio-audience style sitcoms. I'm curious about this because (for those who haven't seen these sets) sitcoms are shot on a stage, but in front of the set before the audience there is a lot of open space. I would assume there would be reflections a-plenty in these spaces, and the 416s wouldn't sound as good as they seem to on these shows. Having talked to a few people who mixed sitcoms, they say production HATES wiring people and they almost never do it. So, the 416 is really able to sound pretty darn good, even at a good height while inside. Of course, it helps to have a Fisher...

I guess the natural dampening, including cast, crew and audience, plus being able to get as close as possible with a fisher helps. Also the fact that when production on these things started that was probably really THE mic, with a lot less options, and now it's a standard for these shows. Still an interesting mic choice...

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The 50 is a great mic I have 2 of them and use them all the time but I think that if I was starting out and wanted a good allrounder the 416 would still be my first choice .There are better mic choices to be made in certain circumstances but I bet that a very large percentage of the sound recorded by us sound professionals from all over the world would have been done using the 416. Indoors outdoors jungle desert documentary drama feature film the 416 has done it all ,if there was a hall of fame for mics the 416 would most likely be the star attraction .I am not sure £1000 would buy a new 416 and all the bits but you could get a second hand one on ebay, it is testament to their quality that they get such a high resale price.

Best John

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" . . . If you have done your homework you know the 5 or 6 mics that are considered production sound mics and you should test them at your local dealer and then make a decision based on your ears weighed against the standards of the recording community. Everyone has a favorite mic wether it's a senn 50 or a schoeps 41 for some or a 416 for others, but no mic will do it all . . . CrewC"

+1 on Crew's counsel. As far as everyone else's input the 416 is indeed a solid choice. You just can't go wrong with it. The Rode NTG-3 is also an option if you like the sound and build quality of the 416. The NTG-3 is not the equal of the 416, but it is similar and has a slightly more relaxed pick up pattern which may be helpful as a newcomer. The NTG-3 is virtually impervious to moisture and humidity which is a plus on some locations. If I were starting out though, and were concerned with versatility--primarily recording interviews both indoors and outdoors--I would lean towards locating a used Sanken CS-3e and then rent or borrow a more suitable mic for the musical situations. That would be a good starting point in my book.

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