Choosing right mikes for stereo rec.

[petsematary]

I'm out of ideas and need help. Here's the problem:

I need to buy something that enables me to record in stereo.
This is microphones we're talking about...

What I do mostly is radio, ambience recording and indie film.
But I would like it if the mic(s) I buy could be used in
music recording as well. Since I record out on the town a lot,
I like my equipment to be portable and easy to use. This is
the main reason I'm hesitant to buy a dual mic solution like,
say, two Oktava MK102's. Those would require windproofing
and/or some kind of blimp thing or special suspension if I
am to use them out and about. Dual lavaliers or a single
stereo mic would be better in that respect. But then again...
maybe it would be smarter to buy two mics...maybe that
would sound better and/or be a more flexible solution in the
long run. A single stereo mic might be less useful for music
recording...then again, I don't do a lot of that...
lavaliers might be more fragile but also very portable...
Aaah! Lots of variables to consider as you can see...

The budget here is around 500 bucks. No more, preferably less.
I usually record on my field recorder but in the "studio" I
use a mackie soundcard and an external preamp. As of now,
I have an SM7B and a Sennheiser K6 system with a body, an omni
and a shotgun capsule. That is my entire mic collection
right now. The SM7 is for voiceovers and studio stuff, the
omni Senn is for interview and stuff and the shotgun is for
interviews in noisy areas or film work.

What should I buy? If you can, please specify model numbers
and brands so I can check them out.

To sum up, the way I see it, I have basically three choices:

Dual lavalier mics (think DPA 4060's but cheaper)
One stereo mic (a more "studio oriented" one or one that's
aimed more at the field recording market?)
Dual mono mics (KM184-style)

Help a slut in need!

[David Spearritt]

Have a look at the Rode NT4.
http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Products&product=NT4

[petsematary]

Yeah? I'll check it out. If I was to buy one of those - could I hold it in my hand...or would that cause too much rumble and noise?

[pkautzsch]

For film use, I'd definitely STAY AWAY FROM CARDIOIDS. You need a shotgun mic there, and, especially in indie film, you need it simple and mountable on just one boom. This automatically leads us to MS with your Sennheiser K6 shotgun as M and a fig-8 as S, mounted on the shotgun (Sennheiser has a special holder for their MKH series at least). Best would be to decode in post, but un-decoded MS is not very nice to listen to on location. SDC fig-8s: Schoeps CCM-8 is very compact and lightweight (but expensive), the cheapest SDC fig-8 I've found so far ist the AKG SE300 with CK 94 (?) capsule.

For music, OTOH, I'd definitely STAY AWAY FROM SHOTGUNS (except for military music ). Oktava MK012 are universally usable for their interchangeable capsules. Depends strongly on where you record what kind of music.

Maybe you can fit the AKG fig-8 AND a pair of Oktavas into your budget.

[MichaelPatrick]

For $450 bucks on the internet you can get a Rode NT4.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com

I use one for music, ambient sounds, etc. I like it alot. It comes with a foam windscreen and a shockmount that works great on a pole or a stand. Single stereo cable with 2 XLRs, about 10 feet long.

For windy outdoor use I put a Rycote Mini Windjammer (#055320) over the foam.

It runs on a 9v battery and 48v phantom power.

I wouldn't handle it without the shock mount. With the shock mount the rumble isolation is good.

[petsematary]

Hi,
Does it come with a shockmount or did you buy one separately? (Like a pistol grip or something). I saw a Rycote pistol grip with mic fur somewhere but that was about the same price as the Rode mic itself (!!!).
Thanks again, the Rode looks very interesting indeed.

[MichaelPatrick]

Sorry, the shockmount is NOT included, it is $50 bucks by itself. I bought a shockmount when I got my NT4 about a year ago and I forgot it wasn't included.

The shockmount and the windjammer together add $110 to the mic's $450 tag. I still think this package is worth its price.

The shockmount is necessary and great on a pole. I also use it for stand mounting, and even to hold a Schoeps 41 at location music recordings.

The Rode is a lot of microphone for this money. It picks up spacial information while being directional (cardiod capsules). I like the portability too - the Rycote windjammer and the shockmount fit right in the case along with the mic, cable, and a 9v battery.

[petsematary]

Oh, so the shockmount is Röde's own? OK. Can you hold it in your hand or do you need a boom pole or something? 110 dollars sounds reasonable. I might be able to find a pistol grip or something for it if I look around.

[MichaelPatrick]

Yes, the shockmount is Rode's own. It's small and effective. You'd need a pistol grip or a short pole because handling the mic itself (any directional condenser) is going to make noise.

On the internet in USD the shockmount costs $50 and the Rycote windjammer $59.

[petsematary]

Ah, thanks again. I guess it's this one? Seems as though it can be screwed onto a boom pole or a pistol grip so that shouldn't be a problem.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--RODSM4

[MichaelPatrick]

Originally Posted by petsematary

http://www.zzounds.com/item--RODSM4

That's the one. In USD it's available for $50 online.

[Bill Wilson]

I do live video shoots, I was considering the Rode NT4 untill I found the audiotechnica 2022. The advantage it has over the NT4 is that the body is only 23 mm diameter & the street price in the states is $249.99. This is a new product so there is only one review & the weight is only 9.3 oz.

The sound clips on AT's site are pretty clean sounding. A dead cat blast filter is included.

[Rolo 46]

There is no cheap answer to this
Hire where appropriate
Music is different from film
They do not overlap
Film needs an RF capsule shotgun in a Rycote basket and hairy with a sensible boom
2 radios with electrets.

Music needs omnis ,cards and 8s.

[rcrowley]

The term "music recording" is so broad that without further definition, it isn't really possible to offer any useful suggestions there.

I agree that the Rode NT4 is convenient for recording ambient sounds. It comes with a foam ball gag and I am pretty sure that you can get (or make) a furry cover for it. But I wouldn't think it useful outdoors in any significant wind without a proper blimp.

The NT4 is also useful for some kinds of "music recording". But it would be unsuitable for many other kinds of "music recording".

The NT4 is quite heavy compared to most microphones. Usually, this isn't a problem on a stand, but hand-held (or on a boom) could be problematic. It apparently also looks sufficiently like a high-tech weapon that the airport security people like to take a second look at it.

I have never used my NT4 hand-held, but I would not expect it to be particularly immune from handling noise. It wasn't designed for that kind of application.

The NT4 is quite convenient in that it can be powered from an internal common 9V battery. So you don't need to limit yourself to equipment that provides P48 phantom power.