Mics - Yes they matter - demonstration

Mark W · #1 (**permalink**) 01-14-2007, 10:08 PM

In my humble opinion many filmmakers overlook the importance of good sound equipment.

Many years ago when all I had was a single camcorder, no other kit, an old hand told me I should get a tripod next and then a decent microphone. To be honest I never appreciated his advice untill I finally got a decent mike.

In this demonstration I show how huge the differences between mics really are, and that you really do get what you pay for.

http://www.zaskarfilms.com/Films/micsounds.wmv

Mark W · #2 (**permalink**) 01-15-2007, 01:15 AM

A few of my own observations...

I thought the expensive sony the best.
I was suprised at how poor the Rode sounded, very muffled with some hum.
The PC4 mic was truly awfull and the voice was ruined by it's autolevel function.
The on camera VX9000 mic sounded worse than I expected, I think the first 2 words may have been clipped slightly.
The lapel mic remdered my voice very well but is clearly totally omnidirectional as it got most room noise.

BTW the expert I read was from a book called 'the five c's of cinematography' by joseph V. Mascelli - isbn 1-879505-41-x I highly reccomend this book.

Andy Lockwood · #3 (**permalink**) 01-15-2007, 06:36 AM

Very interesting Mark and thanks for taking the time. A valuable post me thinks.

Tony A · #4 (**permalink**) 01-15-2007, 09:41 AM

Great stuff, Mark. At first viewing, the shotgun wins by a mile, with the little PC4e surprisingly good, (that small amount of hiss being easily removed). And the shure is clean, but seems to lack treble. As for the others, well, not so good.

Some time back I mentioned video helpfiles & tutorials as being likely to have great appeal to forum visitors. A section with such content would add a special something to this already top-drawer website.

I’ve wanted a decent mic for ages, but won’t jump until I know what to go for. You’ve helped already. I’m learning Adobe Audition 2.0, which is brilliant for removing stubborn sound anomalies. It can be done visually, using tools similar to Photoshop.

Thanks for posting.

Skodster · #5 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 08:51 AM

A very interesting comparison - thanks!

To my ears the Sony shotgun was the best, followed by the SM58. I was surprised the Rode was so poor!

I have an Audio Tecnica shotgun (AT897?) and have been a little disappointed but I haven't fiddled with it properly so perhaps my comment is a bit unfair. Surprisingly, the favourite mic from my own collection is a little cheapie £25 mic from my local electronic store. It seems to suit my voice better!

noa · #6 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 10:45 AM

Interesting test, I'm not really surprised about the Rode quality, bought that one last year and tried in combination with a Sony minidisk. I placed in on a table during a ceremony and the sound I got from it was really crap. It almost picked up every sound in the neighbourhood and sounded very "hollow". Even a very small Sony handycam I have performs better if you place it in the exact same position (If you plan on using it for sound recordings).

Mark W · #7 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 12:28 PM

Yes TBH I couldnt really reccomend the rode, anyone after a good value mic the sennheiser 300 may be worth looking at instead, I have never used one but i might sell my rode and get one.

The small lapel mic didnt really show it's best performance - it really does pick up all the sound in a room and the sound of my pc a few feet away got in the way. Used in a quiet room this mic is great for voices.

The shure was suprisingly rolled off in the treble, muffled even. I thought this might be some weird fault but I checked everything several times and I am sure all was well. This mic has a reputation for being cheap and sturdy for band use rahter than hifi.

Most mics are NOT sturdy and need to be handled with as much respect as your camera or they can be damaged - they have tiny delicate moving parts.

noa · #8 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 01:44 PM

not in the test but wondering if there are any experiences with this sound recorder (Don't know if I have to start a new topic because it's not directly related to the initial topic)
It is a replacer of the minidisk and has 2 electret condenser microphones which allow stereorecording. See here http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...fm?prodID=1901
Cost is approx 350euro and from what I have read untill now it has amazing sound quality but I'm not sure whether to believe it (That's what was said about the rode as well

)

Andy Lockwood · #9 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 01:50 PM

I know I'm a dissenting voice here regarding the Rode, but I've found it (with the rider of 'for the money') surprisingly good. Whilst I'm not disputing Marks results, the muffled sound he experienced hasn't been my experience at all.

Mark W · #10 (**permalink**) 01-20-2007, 04:00 PM

TBH I was suprised at the poor showing of the Rode - I think I will investigate further, I dont want to mislead.