Shotgun Mics - Good Enough For Voice Over?
video description
You can also use effects in post to make one microphone sound more like another one. For example, large-diaphragm condensers with tube preamps color and distort the sound in a subtle way a lot of people like. (Notably emphasizing odd harmonics a little bit) If you record the sound accurately with a medium-diameter condenser mic, you can use a mic/amp simulator plugin to make it sound more like the former without buying a thousand-dollar mic and preamp.
A lot of the more noticeable differences between mics just go away with reasonable postprocessing, e. g, rolling off some treble if it's too bright or harsh, rolling off some bass if it's boomy, upping the upper bass for punch or the upper midrange for vocal clarity, etc. Just recording two mikes straight and comparing the result often just shows what simple thing you need to do to fix the sound of the mic you have, so that you don't really need the mic that sounds better raw.
A better way to test mics is to simultaneously record with multiple mics on multiple tracks, spectrum-analyze the results (you can do this in any good audio program, such as Audacity) and then equalize the mics to give the same general volume and tone properties, and only THEN see which sounds better. Just as with video, what you really care about is the audio quality after color grading.
I think doing that with several inexpensive mikes would make a great video.
Date: 2022-09-13
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Comments and reviews: 19
lowstringc
As a sound guy getting into video: sound is super important and oft neglected. A quality mic and skillful placement make a huge difference in your video. This is not to say that 'quality' is the same as, or needs to be, exorbitantly expensive. The price and accessibility of quality microphones has dropped unbelievably in 20 years. Yes, the really expensive mics are 'better', but you have to exponentially increase your budget for what amounts to minimal gain in sound quality and resolution. You can get really good results with a $100 - $200 mic, but you need to learn how to place it, how to use your area and room, and practice finding a good placement (there is no 'put it here every time' rule, you have to see what sounds best. every time. My favorite mic to use is an Octava 219 that I bought in a pair, and then put some cash into upgrading components and modifying it. For around the price of an entry level large diaphragm condenser, this sounds excellent on many things. I also love my Shure KSM 32, though the price is higher on this one. For an entry level mic I have a really high opinion of the AT 2020, and I've actually gotten good results with an MXL 990 in a few situations also.
#1 good mic placement and # 2 a quality mic, will make quite a difference in your videos. If you have a friend with a different mic than you, try it out in your setup. Some mics definitely sound better or worse on different voices, but any will sound WORLDS better than a cheap, poor quality one, and poor sound cheapens excellent video considerably.
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As a sound guy getting into video: sound is super important and oft neglected. A quality mic and skillful placement make a huge difference in your video. This is not to say that 'quality' is the same as, or needs to be, exorbitantly expensive. The price and accessibility of quality microphones has dropped unbelievably in 20 years. Yes, the really expensive mics are 'better', but you have to exponentially increase your budget for what amounts to minimal gain in sound quality and resolution. You can get really good results with a $100 - $200 mic, but you need to learn how to place it, how to use your area and room, and practice finding a good placement (there is no 'put it here every time' rule, you have to see what sounds best. every time. My favorite mic to use is an Octava 219 that I bought in a pair, and then put some cash into upgrading components and modifying it. For around the price of an entry level large diaphragm condenser, this sounds excellent on many things. I also love my Shure KSM 32, though the price is higher on this one. For an entry level mic I have a really high opinion of the AT 2020, and I've actually gotten good results with an MXL 990 in a few situations also.
#1 good mic placement and # 2 a quality mic, will make quite a difference in your videos. If you have a friend with a different mic than you, try it out in your setup. Some mics definitely sound better or worse on different voices, but any will sound WORLDS better than a cheap, poor quality one, and poor sound cheapens excellent video considerably.
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x9x9x9x9x9
Back when I was into recording music I used a lot of things. My favorite had to be an RCA 77-DX but thats a ribbon mic and overkill for voice work. My absolute favorite for voice work was the RE20 or Neumann TLM102, For overheads I got these Naiant X-O mics that were super cheap but handmade awesomeness. But sometimes I just prefer SM57/58. The only shotgun Mic I used was a Rode NTG4 so I don't have much experience with those. I was/am also a fan of making my own mics out of random stuff. I took an old Alarm system speaker The one thats like a traditional squared cone and took the siren out of it and just made a little passive mic. It had this twangy treble sound that made some backing guitar tracks sound amazing. One of my favorite things I did was placed it about 8 feet down this narrow hallway with lots of echo and had a friend play acoustic guitar with a slide. Mmmmm
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Back when I was into recording music I used a lot of things. My favorite had to be an RCA 77-DX but thats a ribbon mic and overkill for voice work. My absolute favorite for voice work was the RE20 or Neumann TLM102, For overheads I got these Naiant X-O mics that were super cheap but handmade awesomeness. But sometimes I just prefer SM57/58. The only shotgun Mic I used was a Rode NTG4 so I don't have much experience with those. I was/am also a fan of making my own mics out of random stuff. I took an old Alarm system speaker The one thats like a traditional squared cone and took the siren out of it and just made a little passive mic. It had this twangy treble sound that made some backing guitar tracks sound amazing. One of my favorite things I did was placed it about 8 feet down this narrow hallway with lots of echo and had a friend play acoustic guitar with a slide. Mmmmm
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hardhitter0421
Azden 1 shotgun and Sm58. with a close runner for the money. Samson, which makes a good sounding mic that has a USB for direct computer connection and as well XLR. Believe it or not, yes good audio counts and should be stressed, but the best mic is the one you have. No need to blow major money on a mic. Knowing how to mic is the key. That includes using the built in camera mic. I have done voice with the camera mic and shot the footage separate in a run and gun situation. It all can and does work if you no the strengths and weaknesses to your gear. Nothing ever goes as planned except in a perfect situation. Batteries die, good takes are not recorded, great shots get bumped, lights fall over, a car drives by at the most important line in a dialogue etc. Otherwise, plan on working with what works, when it works, why it will work. it's all a fight.
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Azden 1 shotgun and Sm58. with a close runner for the money. Samson, which makes a good sounding mic that has a USB for direct computer connection and as well XLR. Believe it or not, yes good audio counts and should be stressed, but the best mic is the one you have. No need to blow major money on a mic. Knowing how to mic is the key. That includes using the built in camera mic. I have done voice with the camera mic and shot the footage separate in a run and gun situation. It all can and does work if you no the strengths and weaknesses to your gear. Nothing ever goes as planned except in a perfect situation. Batteries die, good takes are not recorded, great shots get bumped, lights fall over, a car drives by at the most important line in a dialogue etc. Otherwise, plan on working with what works, when it works, why it will work. it's all a fight.
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Chelfyn
The mic choice between these is very situation dependent. Large Condenser mics are incredible, but they need a treated, quiet space to shine. A shotgun mic helps cut unwanted computer noise, and picks up much less room reverb if you haven't got an dampened space to record in, so in a typical bedroom podcaster setup they do a much better job.
Good-sounding examples of both types of microphone can be purchased for between $100-200, and the investment into a good quality tube pre-amp like an ART Studio V3 will give much better control over the sound of your mic, as well as providing phantom power. I can't reccomend them highly enough. I have a $120 CAD audio Condenser and an ART StudioV3 pre-amp, and the sound is comparable to much more expensive gear.
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The mic choice between these is very situation dependent. Large Condenser mics are incredible, but they need a treated, quiet space to shine. A shotgun mic helps cut unwanted computer noise, and picks up much less room reverb if you haven't got an dampened space to record in, so in a typical bedroom podcaster setup they do a much better job.
Good-sounding examples of both types of microphone can be purchased for between $100-200, and the investment into a good quality tube pre-amp like an ART Studio V3 will give much better control over the sound of your mic, as well as providing phantom power. I can't reccomend them highly enough. I have a $120 CAD audio Condenser and an ART StudioV3 pre-amp, and the sound is comparable to much more expensive gear.
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Zander
Hi Indy, great video you have there: ) Really informative and I have a better idea about these two mics: )
One question tho. As of this moment I am setting up a vlog and all I need is a shotgun as per your recommendation to complete it. However, I am concerned as I'm being told that while shotguns are purely directional, it still will subtlely still pickup some surrounding sounds. In my room I have a ceiling fan and outside my room is a road with mildly noisy traffic. I don't have air conditioning either and I'm not sure if a shotgun is going to be effective for this situation. Do advise?
Thanks: )
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Hi Indy, great video you have there: ) Really informative and I have a better idea about these two mics: )
One question tho. As of this moment I am setting up a vlog and all I need is a shotgun as per your recommendation to complete it. However, I am concerned as I'm being told that while shotguns are purely directional, it still will subtlely still pickup some surrounding sounds. In my room I have a ceiling fan and outside my room is a road with mildly noisy traffic. I don't have air conditioning either and I'm not sure if a shotgun is going to be effective for this situation. Do advise?
Thanks: )
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Anisse
Clean audio, do7. pl/VideoMic with already installed shock mount to attach to the RODE boom pole, (or matching thread) to help armature producers achieve cinematic audio with ease through the ready-to-go one-wire set-up that either plugs into an extension cable or directly into the main body of the camera. Good for the cheaper end of the RODE spectrum, would love to soon upgrade to the Pro model, or the NTG range, but great for getting started in audio production.
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Clean audio, do7. pl/VideoMic with already installed shock mount to attach to the RODE boom pole, (or matching thread) to help armature producers achieve cinematic audio with ease through the ready-to-go one-wire set-up that either plugs into an extension cable or directly into the main body of the camera. Good for the cheaper end of the RODE spectrum, would love to soon upgrade to the Pro model, or the NTG range, but great for getting started in audio production.
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Jeremy
I currently use a CAD Equitek e100s, which I bought online for about $300. It has the lowest self noise (3. 7 dBa) of just about any condenser mic out there and has a very crisp, natural sound to it. I was previously using an old MXL 990 I had laying around, and the e100s was a definite step up. With the 990, I found the low and low-mid ranges to be consistently muddy and the mids and highs lackluster, whereas the e100s is much more consistent across the board.
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I currently use a CAD Equitek e100s, which I bought online for about $300. It has the lowest self noise (3. 7 dBa) of just about any condenser mic out there and has a very crisp, natural sound to it. I was previously using an old MXL 990 I had laying around, and the e100s was a definite step up. With the 990, I found the low and low-mid ranges to be consistently muddy and the mids and highs lackluster, whereas the e100s is much more consistent across the board.
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Double
I use the Audio Technica ART2100 dynamic microphone for my reaction videos (pony reactions vidz I know cancer right lol I jk) but it's a great mic because you can move it from a USB mic to an XLR mic and a headphone jack for zero latency monitoring. If your just going to do voiceovers and commentary I would suggest it it's a great mic I love it a lot and it's a mic I plan on using for a long time coming and I think I now goes for $68 on amazon
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I use the Audio Technica ART2100 dynamic microphone for my reaction videos (pony reactions vidz I know cancer right lol I jk) but it's a great mic because you can move it from a USB mic to an XLR mic and a headphone jack for zero latency monitoring. If your just going to do voiceovers and commentary I would suggest it it's a great mic I love it a lot and it's a mic I plan on using for a long time coming and I think I now goes for $68 on amazon
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Nikolay
Man this has nothing in common with shotgun mics, believe me!
Cheap behringer is extremly bright and harsh. And in the same time Azden is a the worse choice on the planet for shotgun.
Try Sennheiser 416 with same text and you will throw away everytjing else. Dont forgeth to use
original Sennheiser pop shield. I sold maybe 20 mics, but bought 2 sennheiser 416. For spoken words this is the king.
Stop searching.
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Man this has nothing in common with shotgun mics, believe me!
Cheap behringer is extremly bright and harsh. And in the same time Azden is a the worse choice on the planet for shotgun.
Try Sennheiser 416 with same text and you will throw away everytjing else. Dont forgeth to use
original Sennheiser pop shield. I sold maybe 20 mics, but bought 2 sennheiser 416. For spoken words this is the king.
Stop searching.
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VidWorx
I use my trusty AT835a its a great shotgun for the money, and in my opin sounds better then most I have tested, I think it sounds a lot better then the Azden shotguns sound as its got good presence and depth. I use it mainly for dialog and sound F/X recording. I have even recorded close proximity thunder claps and it does not distort easy at all, and can handle pretty high SPL, thunder is proof of that.
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I use my trusty AT835a its a great shotgun for the money, and in my opin sounds better then most I have tested, I think it sounds a lot better then the Azden shotguns sound as its got good presence and depth. I use it mainly for dialog and sound F/X recording. I have even recorded close proximity thunder claps and it does not distort easy at all, and can handle pretty high SPL, thunder is proof of that.
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MushyPlushie
I have a TSM MT103, which is a cheap, open-brand Neumann TLM103 copy. With a little bit of EQ (provided by a Behringer Xenyx Q802 mixer, it sounds great. Almost as good as the real thing. only $700 cheaper. Before that, I used a Blue Yeti, which is a decent mic and all, but it didn't really do much to compliment my own voice.
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I have a TSM MT103, which is a cheap, open-brand Neumann TLM103 copy. With a little bit of EQ (provided by a Behringer Xenyx Q802 mixer, it sounds great. Almost as good as the real thing. only $700 cheaper. Before that, I used a Blue Yeti, which is a decent mic and all, but it didn't really do much to compliment my own voice.
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Invert
$400 is pretty cheap for a good vocal mic. You can get decent sound out of a cheaper mic, but you lose a lot of quality with the noise floor. Your buddy's $150 LDC isn't really the professional' standard for VO. We'd be talking the Neumann TLM 103, ($1200) A sennheiser 416, ($1000) or a comparable LDC or shotgun.
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$400 is pretty cheap for a good vocal mic. You can get decent sound out of a cheaper mic, but you lose a lot of quality with the noise floor. Your buddy's $150 LDC isn't really the professional' standard for VO. We'd be talking the Neumann TLM 103, ($1200) A sennheiser 416, ($1000) or a comparable LDC or shotgun.
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Iggy
Professional voice talent here! I use a CAD E100S condenser mic (around $600, I got mine for about $300 on a sale) in a closet treated with a lot of corning fibreglass insulation. However, I got my career started on an MXL 990 condenser mic(under $100) in the same closet treated with random foam and mattress pads.
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Professional voice talent here! I use a CAD E100S condenser mic (around $600, I got mine for about $300 on a sale) in a closet treated with a lot of corning fibreglass insulation. However, I got my career started on an MXL 990 condenser mic(under $100) in the same closet treated with random foam and mattress pads.
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Antoine
Can you say here very honestly, that the azden is not a noisy mic. I've had my. mind on purchasing this mic for some time now, but negative reviews were aplenty.
What can you honestly and seriously tell. me about your experience with the Arden shot gun. What does the raw audio of the mic sound like. thanks
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Can you say here very honestly, that the azden is not a noisy mic. I've had my. mind on purchasing this mic for some time now, but negative reviews were aplenty.
What can you honestly and seriously tell. me about your experience with the Arden shot gun. What does the raw audio of the mic sound like. thanks
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Gio
I use the Rode VideoMic, I got it for less than 80 dollars at the Time. And paired it with the Zoom H1n for all of our short films )
It's quite the versatile old fella, and it was cheaper and much Better than anything else at the Time!
Thanks for this video guys! : ]
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I use the Rode VideoMic, I got it for less than 80 dollars at the Time. And paired it with the Zoom H1n for all of our short films )
It's quite the versatile old fella, and it was cheaper and much Better than anything else at the Time!
Thanks for this video guys! : ]
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CmdrSpaceDog
I use a Rode NTG-3 shotgun mic for boom work and an AKG C3000 for voiceover. I used both mics in a recent 3 day film challenge and they both did their jobs very nicely. Since the voiceover is so front and centre, I'm glad I used mt AKG for it.
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I use a Rode NTG-3 shotgun mic for boom work and an AKG C3000 for voiceover. I used both mics in a recent 3 day film challenge and they both did their jobs very nicely. Since the voiceover is so front and centre, I'm glad I used mt AKG for it.
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EthosAtheos
The sure SM57 and SM58a beta are really good quality mics. I've used them for recording music and the spoken word. They are indestructible. I also really like the rode k2 tube mic but thats a whole order of magnitude more expensive.
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The sure SM57 and SM58a beta are really good quality mics. I've used them for recording music and the spoken word. They are indestructible. I also really like the rode k2 tube mic but thats a whole order of magnitude more expensive.
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5ickD0g
im use a logitec USB mic, its actually really good for anything. some how, I will never get reverb on this thing and the only issue I have is Background noise. also, this is a 40 dollar mic
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im use a logitec USB mic, its actually really good for anything. some how, I will never get reverb on this thing and the only issue I have is Background noise. also, this is a 40 dollar mic
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RayLin
AT-2035 by Audio Technica, I love this mic, and I use it for vocal work, any of it. Singing, voice overs, most anything with voice in a studio environment. Fantastic mic.
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AT-2035 by Audio Technica, I love this mic, and I use it for vocal work, any of it. Singing, voice overs, most anything with voice in a studio environment. Fantastic mic.
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