MLiebergot
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Jun 15, 2009, 6:38 AM
Post #18 of 59
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Re: [Brackish] Mic to complement h4n
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Mostly with mics, you do get what you pay for. Well said.
The great thing about mics is that, unlike video equiptment, they hold their price.
You can still find great tube mics on Ebay for a good penny. This is because, unlike video, the basic concept of audio recording hasn't changed in general over the years.
While the recording devices have gotten smaller, and additional recording formats have come along, compressed mp3 and such. The basic principles on how audio is captured have stayed true. Use the right pickup pattern for your recording situation, cardioid, omni, hyper-cardiod etc. and you are good.
This is why many good audio techs will ahve several different types of mics at their disposal, as not every mic is best suited for every situation.
Just as Brack mentioned, the NT5's are good for studio environment, but they are very sensative so they don't perform the best outside. While the Rode NT3 or Rode M3, when miced closely to the subject, do perform well outside and in loud environments. Outside, I would probably opt for a shotgun mic anyway, Rode NTG2, AT897, or Sennheiser ME66, overmics such as the NT5, M3 mics etc.
A good audio engineer in my area has 2 sets of mics in his arsenal and that's it. Two matched pairs ofm Scheops CMC6's with super hyper and omni caps, and a AT835ST stereo shotgun mic. Of course the Scheops mics are industry standards and $3500, and the shotgun mic is $700, which is beyond the price range of many here, present company included. But he is an audio tech first and video guy second. So this is where his money is invested. But this shows tat you don't need a whole assortment of mics at your disposal, but a few good to gerat mics for use in different situations.
BTW, the Octava mics are good, sorry about not mentioning them earlier.
But like was mentioned earlier, you are going to be hard pressed to find a decent mic in the $100 range. Like everything else, you do get what you pay for.
My recommendation is to think about what your needs are for recording audio and purchase some mics that best fit these needs.
If you find that you will be using these mics in more of a studio environment and indoors then the NT5's, Octava, Studio Projects C4 etc. are good choices.
If you are recording very loud evnironments then the M3 or even the Sennheiser E604 or E614 are good choices, as they can handle the loud SPL levels.
For outdoor recording, stick to shotgun mics for distance recordings of no more than 10 feet, or a stereo mic such as the AT822, is good for close in micing.
Keep in mind that these are only recommendations and not top of the line mics, but more middle of the road mics.
Practice with your mics and figure out which micing configuration you prefer, and when all is said and done your overall results will put you above many other videographers in your area.
For the price, the H4n does have some remarkable internal mics in it.
Take this and add additional good quality mics for 4-channel recording and the overall experience is stunning.
Michael
Cameras: (3) Sony FX1, Canon HV20
Audio: Marantz PMD620, Edirol R44, ZoomH4N, ZoomH2, Sennhesier G2
Mics: Rode NT5, Rode NT3, Rode M3, Rode NTG2, Shure SM57, AT822
Software: Sony Vegas, Final Cut Studio
Computer: MAC BABY! MacPro, MacBook Pro
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, does have some good onboard mics...surprisingly good. 
Assuming you were recording while driving over it. 
Assuming you were recording while driving over it. 
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