I am looking at buying mics for my edirol 4 pro hard disk recorder to use on location for short films/weddings/documentary work. I'm thinking of getting either a Sennheiser me66 or 67 and a radio mic (lavier/handheld). I am open to suggestions for a omni directional mic for ambient sound recording and any other suggestions that you have. Looking at top end budget/bottom end pro price range.
The more suggestions the better please as I want to get thing right!
Cheers.
Comments
If you've got four tracks as with the Edirol, I'd go with a ster
If you've got four tracks as with the Edirol, I'd go with a stereo mic for ambience as well. Sony makes several afforable flavors for camcorders, so does Audio Technica and others. You can always record some "room tone" or whatever else you need this way, for audio beds in post. It's amazing what a little room tone will do when covering up edits. (Keep your room tone constant, and your quick cuts won't seem as choppy - it will sound like all of your audio tracks are of the same general level, even when you cut from mic to mic.)
As for the other two tracks; one wireless lav or HH for interviewees, and one hand-held for the interviewer/random voice inserts & shots. Telex, Zaccom, AT and others are all in the same pro-sumer/videography game, and it mostly comes down to options per price, as opposed to quality. They all pretty much sound the same; it's the features you want to make sure match up. (Cables, mounting, ruggedness, etc.)
Zoom is now making a four-channel chip-recorder (Z4 or something like that; I can't remember the model name/number.) It's point and shoot for surround work. For the price of this (vs. a new stereo mic), you simply run it at the same time as your other recorders for room tone & ambient audio. Don't discount what you'd get off the camcorder mics, if they're set up properly. (Turn of the auto-level setting, and you can adjust your camcorder volume for a poor-man's ambient capture.)
B&H Photo in NYC should have everything you need online and in their catalogues. Just don't try to order from them on a Friday afternoon! :twisted:
One mic to consider would be the E-V RE-50. It could serve 2 pur
One mic to consider would be the E-V RE-50. It could serve 2 purposes:
1) It is an omni that has become a standard in the ENG business. Very commonly used in those "man-on-the-street" interviews that you see on TV. There are kits from AKG that can convert a wired mic to wireless, and I've seen them used on the RE-50.
2) Being an omni, it is a natural "enviromental noises" mic.
Being a dynamic means that it won't require phantom power, it is much more rugged than a condenser, and it is designed to minimize handling noise.Finally, it's certainly affordable.