Don't buy a Shotgun Microphone!

hey everyone welcome back to the channel today i want to talk to you about a very common mistake in regards to audio i see people make when just starting out in filmmaking one of the things that gets neglected the most by aspiring filmmakers is sound that is a huge mistake because sound is literally half the picture according to george lucas at least i can make many episodes about different microphones recorders and recording techniques and i will in the future but today i want to specifically focus on why people should not be using shotgun microphones is their primary mic when filming a movie and what they should be using instead most of the time when you look at photos from a hollywood set or even an indie production you will see a boom operator holding a boom with a huge dead cat or a blimp on it especially when filming an outdoor scene also when you go to google and type in best microphones for filmmaking shotguns will come up almost immediately so naturally most aspiring filmmakers and even myself back in the day go out and purchase a shotgun mic as their first microphone however here is why i believe that that is actually a mistake most of the people who are just starting out will film most of their dialogue indoors be it for short film or a youtube video very few dialogue scenes get filmed outdoors because of weather noise and literal impossibility to control lighting shotgun mic is literally the worst microphone to be doing dialogue scenes indoors because of the comb filtering effect i won't get into details on what comb filtering effect really is but i will link a few sources below so you can check it out for yourself point being it makes you sound worse not better that being said my first microphone was also a shotgun i bought a rode nc g4 plus and was ready to take over the world not so fast i have shot several things with it and they sounded okay frankly because i just didn't know any better and it wasn't until i actually started talking to the professional sound folks that they explained to me why i should never be using a shotgun mic on indoor scenes suddenly i understood why i wasn't too happy with the results that that microphone produced sometimes we just don't know what we don't know in a shotgun microphone you have a long serrated tube that sound travels through before it actually hits the diaphragm of the microphone shotguns were designed that way because the longer tube filters out most of the unwanted noise and allows for greater reach which is important especially when you're filming scenes on a soundstage or outdoors on a really wide lens and you need to keep that microphone out of the shot except keep in mind when you bring that microphone indoors especially into an untreated space all of the sound reflections start to come back into the mic and hit the diaphragm resulting in the comb filtering effect seriously though read the link below you will find it interesting now on a professional studio lot where sets are being built audio treatment comes as one of the main priorities therefore on late night shows and sitcoms and even sound stages people do use shotgun mics because of their long reach however keep in mind again that the space is treated and the ceilings are usually 40 to 50 feet high not so much in an apartment where you're trying to film your next big picture so what should we be using instead what you should be using is an sdc what is an sdc you may ask sdc stands for small diaphragm condenser small diaphragm condenser mics are also known in the industry as pencil microphones because they resemble a pencil although a really thick one small diaphragm condensers come in different pickup patterns but the only ones you should really be focusing on is a hypercardioid or a super cardioid pickup pattern and they are denoted by these symbols on screen or you can also look this up in the owner's manual or on the website the only difference between the two is that hypercardioid has a tighter pickup pattern and therefore must be precisely directed at the sound source it also has a tendency to pick up more sounds from the rare such as mechanical noises foot traffic etc but that is why we stay quiet on set super and hyper cardioid microphones are a lot better for indoor dialogue because they don't suffer from the comb filtering effect found in shotgun microphones and that is due to their design they don't have a long serrated tube leading up to the diaphragm however because of that the pickup pattern is wider than that of a shotgun and they need to be positioned closer to the talon but as a result the microphone sounds a lot more natural and pleasing than using a shotgun mic indoors i will link a few sources below that explain different microphone types and their pickup patterns please check those out so let's get into some of the actual gear that i use on daily basis and that i love keep in mind that this gear was not acquired in one day since i work in the media business and use these microphones on shoots every day i had a legitimate reason to purchase them if you're just starting out you can always rent them if you're considering purchasing a mic then i can wholeheartedly recommend audio technica 4053b this hypercardioid microphone is excellent for indoor dialogue and is a budget friendly option for someone just entering the field of audio production or being a solo dp or even a youtuber it comes with a high pass filter allowing you to get rid of some of the low end rumble and it also comes with a 10 db pad for louder sources this is also a modular mic which lets you change the capsule to a different polar pattern if necessary being the cheapest on this list this microphone will set you back 599 dollars u.s if you have a bit more cash to spare or if you want to rent one for your short film i recommend sennheiser mkh-50 this microphone has been around for decades and is a tried and tested solution for getting really good and clear audio a lot of audio guys that i work with use them on daily basis and have one in their kit some people don't like slightly more pronounced low end on those mics but i will let you be the judge of that this mic is not modular like the audio technica but it does come with a high pass filter and a 10 db pad also keep in mind because of its rectangular design you might want to purchase sennheiser shock mount or get one from rycode keep in mind that one is also included in the box with the mic if you're interested this mic will set you back 1200 u.s now if you want the absolute best creme de la creme microphone then i recommend the shep cmc641 just like audio technica it is a modular mic that allows you to change capsules if you need a different polar pattern however this microphone does not come with a pad or a high-pass filter this is an incredible microphone that's been around for a long time and is considered by many to be the best indoor boom microphone for dialogue it is personally my favorite mic and the funny reason i got it was because mkh-50 was not available at the time and was back-ordered everywhere and so i had to bite the bullet and get the chaps and i'm really really glad that i actually did being a premium mic it will set you back seventeen hundred and thirty nine dollars i literally cried for three days after i bought it because it's so much money one honorable mention that i will include in this list is the neumann km184 cardioid and its brother km185 hyper cardioid microphone they come at 850 and 899 respectively and the reason i mentioned these mics is because if you are a musician and you work in the studio with access to gear these mics can do a really good job at capturing dialogue as well keep in mind that km184 will pick up more ambient noise because it's a cardioid mic as opposed to hyper or super cardioid but if you're not a musician and are looking to buy a mic i would start at audio technica 4053b since you get a high pass filter and a pad for less money okay i understand that these microphones are expensive and people who are just starting out might not have the money for that kind of gear frankly you should not be buying this kind of stuff when you're starting out remember you can always rent this stuff first there are a plethora of online vendors or local rental houses that will be happy not only to rent you stuff but also make sure that you have the right gear for the job second a lot of these mics are available on places like ebay reverb etc so make sure to look there as well i have personally bought a ton of gear used and i highly recommend it third keep in mind that you can always hire an audio professional for your project if you're just starting out and they have the time they will be glad to help you at the lower rate but make sure to treat those people with respect and care because remember at the end of the day they're doing you a favor here finally remember that all of these things are just tools worry about creating a good compelling story first before you dive deep into spending money on gear or if you want to become an audio professional make sure you have enough work and are able to justify these purchases i will also mention that i didn't say anything about lavalier mics in this episode which are also used in conjunction with boom mics to capture dialogue indoors the reason i didn't say anything is because that is a subject for another video so make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss out when this video comes out keep in mind that there is a lot more that goes into audio recording besides a microphone there are recorders wireless systems lavalier mics boom poles audio bags and endless amounts of accessories you can spend your money on all i want to do is help you make the right decision all right y'all that would be it for today thank you so much for watching make sure to hit the like button share this video with aspiring filmmakers and please leave a comment if you have any questions related to audio video or just film business in general and i will see you all next time

Channel: DI Media

Views: 48,850

Keywords: best microphones for filmmaking, best microphones for youtube, best microphones, microphones, best mic, best mic for youtube, best mic for filmmaking, budget microphones, sennheiser microphones

Id: KktR3-5Q2Ac

Length: 9min 53sec (593 seconds)

Published: Fri May 06 2022