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Author
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Topic: best off camera mic for the money?
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deaf to reason
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posted 07-20-2000 01:36 AM
I don't know much about mics or sound so I have a question to ask some of you who do know... I am looking at buying an off camera mic. I am looking at spending around $100. I want a good all around mic for recording everything. If you know of some good mics in that price range would you please let me know what they are and where I can find them. Thanks for any help. |
Paul D
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posted 07-23-2000 08:11 PM
The Audio Technica atr 55 is a pretty good shotgun mike for the price £55,should be less than $100.Try here for that and other mics.
http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/
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Barking Mad Productions |
Elurew
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posted 08-07-2000 10:52 PM
well...isn't the atr 55 kinda high impedence...i think it was 1000 ohm or something. Though...i don't know if that is necessarily high but isn't industry standard on cams 250 ohm?
Note- If anyone would like to explain to me what this impedence stuff is...it'd be greatly appreciated.
Has the ATR worked out well for you?and, is it me....or does absolutely no company sell the atr55?? if you guys know of one...please inform me. [This message has been edited by Elurew (edited 08-07-2000).] |
Prism
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posted 08-08-2000 12:04 AM
Anything that doesn't use a 3-pin cannon socket (otherwise known as XLR) is essentially high impedance. There are different meanings when the term "impedance" is used. Impedance is resistance and is measured in Ohms. Generally a high impedance mic is prone to damage, noise and other unwanted pains in the neck. (due to cheap construction)
That's not to say that all low impedance mics are made well, but since they use balanced cables, they are not subject to the noise as is common with unbalanced lines.
A balanced line is a line where the positive, negative and ground are all seperate, thus giving us three wires to deal with. The ground wire in a balanced cable is usually braided around the insulated + and - wires. In an unbalanced line, the ground travels with the negative wire, thus giving us two wires, and often yielding a rather noisy signal.
(I hope I got all that stuff right... Gotta go read some more books about audio engineering.)Isaiah ------------------
"I'm a failure!"
"Kid, you're not failure...it's just that your ideas are silly and dumb." |
Elurew
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posted 01-06-2001 08:35 PM
well, if we have an adapter from 1/4 to xlr, will that eliminate the noise? or does that just make it possible to plug into something else... |
Prism
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posted 01-06-2001 08:44 PM
Well, it's not necessarily the connector you use, it's the cable. XLR cables are made to work with shielded cables because they have 3 pins (3 pin cannon socket, as they're called).
I wouldn't expect to experience much impedence at all if you're using a relatively short length of cable. When you go beyond 20 or 30 feet, impedence becomes a little more of a problem. But I think you'll do just fine.Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah, "I'm too young to be cool" Eyre
http://www.iEyre.com |
Elurew
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posted 01-06-2001 10:47 PM
you mean i'll be fine with an adapter or without...
using atr55, its got a 3 foot long mini and i get this infernal buzzing noise. if i connected it to an xlr adapter and shoved it in my mixer, would the buzz die out?Note, this buzzing noise comes when inputted directly to my camera. i haven't tried with my mixer cause a friends got it. |
Prism
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posted 01-06-2001 11:32 PM
There are three possibilities:1. Your microphone has a ground problem.
2. Your camera has a ground problem in the mic jack.
3. Your mic cable or connector is damaged. I don't know what to tell you until I'm positive where the problem is at.  Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah, "I'm too young to be cool" Eyre
http://www.iEyre.com |
Elurew
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posted 01-07-2001 10:35 AM
well, lets say its the first option. would the xlr adapter fix that considering it'll have a seperate socket for grounding?i'm guessing their wouldn't be much that i could do if it were any of the other problems. In any case, if you want to actually hear the noise, i have it uploaded to http://members.aol.com/elurew/atrnoise.mp3
Thanks for your help |
Movieman21
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posted 01-07-2001 04:54 PM
If you are looking for a shotgun mic, then Audio Technica is one of your best bets. I myself use a AT9300. It works wonders. I got mine for $100 US. It can be converted from omnidirectional (studio mic), to superdirectional (shotgun) easily. I has a wind screem, and with its pistol grip, there is no disturbance causes by the movements of the operator. It runs on phantom power (1 AA batery) and has about 99% NO WHITE NOISE OR STATIC. THe sound is very clear, and it works from even 4 yards away. It is a great mic. I highly recomend it.------------------
"May the Force be with you." Be sure to check out JRMorgen Productions Online, at
http://hometown.aol.com/jrmorgenfilms While you're there, be sure to sign our guestbook. We love hearing from you. Be sure to look for JRMorgen Productions 2001: COMING SOON. |
Elurew
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posted 01-07-2001 05:22 PM
now where was this when i was looking for a mic? anyway, i already got the 55...
but i can't seem to find anything on an at9300. how long ago did you get it? i don't see anything on at website or search engines. |
Prism
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posted 01-07-2001 05:54 PM
Having the XLR adapter would not affect the microphone if it had an internal grounding problem. Buzzing can mean a lot of different things, so it's often difficult to precisely diagnose that kind of problem. If you have the money for a new mic, check out the line of AT shotgun mics. Other good brands that make them are Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic. It's all good.Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah Eyre, Sound Guy "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes." - The Beatles <Begin Shameless Self-Plug>
Visit iEyre.com!
</End Shamless Self-Plug> |
Elurew
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posted 01-07-2001 09:23 PM
excuse my ignorance but...what's the difference between an internal and external grounding problem then?Thanks Prism and all others...even though i don't quite get answers to my questions, i always seem to learn plenty :-) |
Movieman21
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posted 01-07-2001 09:51 PM
Elurew - Actually, I cant find anything online about it either. I am going to write the comapny and find out. Anyway, as to where i got it, it was on Ebay. They were selling dozens of em. I just searched fro shotgun mics, and this came up.I honestly think though, that the reason its not online, is because they might not make it anymore (which would explain why on ebay) I do not know this, but perhaps the at55 IS better. I dont know. I was also ask them about THAT issue. If anyone has any information about either of these mics, please, feel free to post it. We are curious.
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"May the Force be with you." Be sure to check out JRMorgen Productions Online, at
http://hometown.aol.com/jrmorgenfilms While you're there, be sure to sign our guestbook. We love hearing from you. Be sure to look for JRMorgen Productions 2001: COMING SOON. |
Prism
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posted 01-07-2001 10:08 PM
I think of an internal grounding problem as, for example...perhaps the ground wire is loose or disconnected inside the microphone. I would call it an external problem is it had to do with the connector or the chassis or something more on the outside of the mic. The latter is more probable. If it's the cable, you can probably cut it off (if you're not afraid to) and wire up a newer, more heavy-duty cable (two conductor, shielded) and put the braided ground on the chassis (if there is a metal chassis-like element inside the microphone body) or something metal inside the microphone that has no relation to the signal. Otherwise, you can wire it to the white (-) wire and basically get what you had before, with a little more durability. If you don't wanna take apart your mic (and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't) then you might wanna have somebody look at it who knows about electronics. Before you do anything, though... try the mic with different things. Try it on your PC and other electronic items with mic inputs. If you only experience the buzzing problem with your camera, then it would most likely be something caused by the camera itself. If not, the second most likely cause is the cable. I've noticed that most 1/8" phono plugs are cheaply made and often begin to deteriorate internally. Sometimes wires get completely disconnected inside the insulation and you have the bend the cable around like crazy to make it work. (Which I why I finally gave up on cheap mics and went all-XLR)I hope that was of some help...  Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah Eyre, Sound Guy "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes." - The Beatles <Begin Shameless Self-Plug>
Visit iEyre.com!
</End Shamless Self-Plug> |
Paul D
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posted 01-08-2001 10:26 AM
My atr 55 works great for me and my two cannon Gl1 cameras, no sound problems at all.Either yours must be faulty or somehow your camera is interfering with it. I have also tried it in both my pc`s and the sound is also clear with no interference.
[This message has been edited by Paul D (edited 01-08-2001).] |
Elurew
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posted 01-08-2001 10:29 AM
the camera could very well be it...i was testing on a really old sony 8mm. I tried the computer but it was really quiet. I'll try the mixer...and a new battery too.Thank you all of you for the information |
Elurew
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posted 01-09-2001 02:05 PM
alright, playing with my microphone, i found that when i hold the microphone around the battery compartment, the buzzing noise is louder and when i hold it past the battery closer to the microphone head, it's softer....any ideas? |
Prism
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posted 01-09-2001 06:16 PM
If the viewfinder is near the battery, I would tend to think that it is the viewfinder causing the interference, and not the battery. If you were to mount the mic on something that would put a substantial distance between the mic and the camera, that would be good for two reasons:1. Less interference
2. Less mechanical camera noise getting to the mic. Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah Eyre, Sound Guy "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes." - The Beatles <Begin Shameless Self-Plug>
Visit iEyre.com!
</End Shamless Self-Plug> |
Elurew
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posted 01-09-2001 07:01 PM
actually i was referring to the battery of the microphone...it runs off of a double a |
Prism
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posted 01-09-2001 07:25 PM
Doh! I feel dumb!
That is really odd. What's it made out of? Plastic?Grounding problems can be so weird. Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah Eyre, Sound Guy "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes." - The Beatles <Begin Shameless Self-Plug>
Visit iEyre.com!
</End Shamless Self-Plug> |
Elurew
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posted 01-09-2001 08:25 PM
uh....metal. black metal |
Prism
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posted 01-09-2001 09:42 PM
Odd... very odd.
The mic probably wasn't made to be held by hand, although there's no reason you shouldn't be able to. But if you want some kind of quick fixer-upper, get a camera mount for it, if you can, and avoid touching it altogether. Am I correct in understanding that you have been holding the mic by hand?Isaiah ------------------
Isaiah Eyre, Sound Guy "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes." - The Beatles <Begin Shameless Self-Plug>
Visit iEyre.com!
</End Shamless Self-Plug> |
Paul D
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posted 01-10-2001 10:26 AM
The atr 55 comes with a camera mount and can also be used in the hand.Why dont you try using the mic in someone elses camera just to see if its still doing the same thing. [This message has been edited by Paul D (edited 01-10-2001).] |
multimedia light & magic
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posted 01-10-2001 10:30 PM
audio technica have some nice mics for good prices.
but, i think i'll stick with shure.
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