Caline,

I've been following this thread with great interest as I have also recently bought an XM2 and have been looking for an decent shotgun mic. When your AT 897 eventually arrives I would be interested to learn how it performs.

As far as a wireless lavalier mic is concerned I bought one from a company called Proactive UK ltd, found them on the internet - www.proav.co.uk ). It is a Sennheiser EW112-P. I found them extremely helpful on he phone, they know their stuff ( I think they deal mainly with professionals ). They have (or at least did have) lots of second hand equipment for sale, cameras, mics etc, ( the mic I bought was s/h). They supplied an XLR to mini jack adaptor and the total package, including p & p was just over £200. ( Can't currently find the invoice hence the vague figure ). It works well with the camera.

Hope your mic arrives soon!

Thanks also to The Guru for his reply to my earlier post and another question of him/her. What if I had between £400 & £500 to spend ?

alanc

Hi alanc,

I will definately let you know how i get on with the AT897, if I ever recieve it! I was not aware of dolphin musics poor reputation or else I wouldn't have gone to them. They have told me I should have it by the end of the week so. we'll see.

Thanks for the advice re the wireless mic, I'll take note and refer back when I have another few £'s to spare. I am going to have to go with the minidisc in pocket option at the jan wedding, along with the shotgun mic, and see how I go. I have ordered a sony tie pin mic and new rechargeable battery for my minidisc player, which I haven't used for ages.

I am, however, going to get a manfrotto 501 fluid head for my manfrotto legs. Thats where I have decided to spend my current ££'s.

What will you be using the XM2 for? Are you pleased with it? Where did you get yours from? I went to warehouse express as they were the best price and I have bought from them many times before.

Is you xlr to mini jack a long cable? I will need one of these for the AT897 but am going to wait til I get the mic then see exactly what lengths etc. and I think the right angle mini jack is vital to avoid damage to the input on the camera.

Cheers

C

I use the XM2 solely for pleasure, with one or two small projects on the go. Bought it from, would you believe, Warehouse Express. First time I've used them and very satisfied with the service - the price was good and what's more they had the camera in stock ! They checked before they took the order, unlike your experience with the mic ! Very pleased with it although the mic does tend to pick up anything and everything and is not much good for picking up the speech of anybody who is talking to camera and standing about two metres away particularly if you're outdoors.

The XLR to mini jack cable is about 18 ins long

Regards

alanc

Alanc, you're now starting to get into a price range which has quite a few choices. For £500 you can get a Sennheiser K6/M66 combination, the Rode NTG3 (which I haven't used but, apparently, Rode has finally made a decent video mic) or a secondhand Sennheiser 416 with change left over to get a Rycote support.

It really is a question of personal preference. Good choice with the G2, BTW, nice bit of kit.

Adaptors suck - a common source of noise. I suggest getting an XLR on the mic's lead.

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I have now, finally received my AT897 mic.
alan, is the cable you got from proav.co.uk a right angle mini jack? I had a look at the website and couldn't see it anywhere.

Thanks

C

Hi caline - glad to hear you've received your purchase. Hope it works well.

The mini jack isn't a right angled one, it's just a standard straight one. My dealings with this company are limited but from what I've seen they seem not to have everything they sell on their website. You could give them a ring! I don't know but they might even been prepared to make one up for you. Incidentally, I have now found the invoice and the XLR to mini jack cable which they supplied cost £4.75 which doesn't seem a bad price to me to me - others may disagree!

I've no idea where you are in the world, but if you are anywhere near Kent in the UK I'm more than happy for you to have a look and even a try the cable.
If you want you can email me ; alancroft9@aol .com

Thats very kind alan, however I am not near Kent.
I have been in to my local music store this afternoon and they couldn't help me. I have found one online at

Rode Accessories

Its at the bottom of the page and says its 50cm long, but may come in different lengths. Think I need about 30cm length for the XM2.

The mic is mono so does it matter if the jack is stereo? Just noticed this one says 3.5mm stereo input jack.

Sorry, I am just not technical at all!

Thanks

I've just read this on another forum:-


Make sure your XLR to 1/8 mini adapter is wired specifically for DV camcorder use, including the requisite DC blocking capacitor. A number of adapter cables you find off the shelf at the music store aren't wired properly for that application. You want something like the Remote Audio CAMCX3F1/8

So I can't just buy one from a music store?!?! I am getting increasingly fustrated!!!!

Ok, would this be the thing?:-

http://www.audiospares.com/product.p...802&cat=0&page=


C

I'm afraid I'm not much help with the technical stuff. For me either it works or it doesn't. I just consult with the professionals.

I don't have have much faith in my local music stores. They struggle selling sheet music and guitar strings !!!

Sorry

alanc

Caline yes.

That's the sort of thing you want, no frills just a cable with good quality (Neutrik are the best) connecters at each end.

I think what the other forum is getting a bit confused about is that some mini-disc recorders supply a low voltage DC current from a 3.5mm socket to power small lavalier mics etc. Some camcorders also supply this but it shouldn't interfere with your Audio Technica.

The capacitor isn't necessary for your use and, if it turns out that your camera does have this power supply and it causes problems (which it shouldn't), then all you have to do is unscrew the xlr connecter, snip one cable (I'll tell you which one) and away you go.