External Mics- PS I'm back

[Alex]

I said "The microphone should be separate from the camera" and you imply that means I am saying using the internal microphone???

If you "boom" the microphone, then having XLR is a BIG advantage because suddenly you need to do mike runs of 15 feet or more and XLR connectors are superior for these types of applications.

[belovedmonster]

It your mike and sound input device don't have an XLR connector, don't bother.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thats the piont im arguing is a load of crp

You can go on about im confused do you mean this, do you mean that, did you think i meant this, did you think i meant that??...

the fact is your initial post says if the mic and sound input arent XLR then dont bother buying any sound equipment... all the other crp you have argued about isnt important. Its the fact you are telling him not to bother with sound equipment which would suit his needs perfectly... ie. none XLR mic and a camera/minidisk input.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 22, 2003 04:26 PM: Message edited by: belovedmonster ]</font>

[Alex]

Ok, I'll ad a word to make it clearer.

If your external mike is not XLR based, don't bother.

[belovedmonster]

still... unhelpful advice seeing as how only the top end camcorders take XLR mics and a coverter would be required.

If you wanted to give a balanced reply which would actually help the guy then you would piont out that for a small price he can get a none XLR shotgun mic such as an audio technica one which will give audio that is clear but nothing special, yet still a vast improvement on the internal mic. But if he wanted to spend more he would have to venture in the world of XLR mics which offer better performance but require either a converter to use them with a standard camcorder mic input or the use of a XLR based input on a seperate unit.

You didnt do that tho, you just got on your snotty high horse and said not to bother unless its XLR. Which could well be out of his price range since its not like everyone can afford ?250+ on audio alone.

[Alex]

Your still missing my point.

If one is to boom their audio, non XLR microphones is the not the way to go.

[belovedmonster]

im not missing your piont im disagreing with it!

I know many people who have used an Audio technica ATR55 on a boom and got perfectly fine results which were alot better than any internal mic could of. I myself are one of these people.

Im not disagreeing that a XLR set up is the best but not everyone has that kind of money to spend and you are dismissing the notion of anything else when in reality they yeild perfectly acceptable results on a very small budget.

[Alex]

Well, lets be specific then.

Definitely would use an XLR microphone set-up in a work for hire situation.

Definitely would use an XLR microphone set-up when paid talent is being used.

Definitely would use an XLR microphone set-up if the cable run was more than 10-15 feet.

The problem with using a non XLR microphone for set-ups different from the three I described above is eventually you will HAVE to switch to XLR, it's basically an inevitably in production.

So any money you spend now on non XLR based gear will end up being eventually trashed. So, paying a bit more up front for the professional gear will probably save one money down the road since XLR audio is about the one constant no matter what digital or film format you shoot in.

[Alex]

???

Did you mean "external" mike?

I didn't understand your post, I'm confused.

[untamed_aggression]

Originally posted by belovedmonster:
Go listen to the audio on any of Untamed Aggressions movies and you will see (or hear) the limitations of an internal mic straight away.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm shocked and offended.

Fair point though.

Angry and Moist will put an end to this problem.

[Vlad the Impaler]

bloody ell.. wots going on ere...

firstly, the guy is making a movie with his mate... its not like he's a pro or anything...

secondly.. telling him not to bother at all unless its XLR is stupid.. as then he'll have internal cam sound which is sh1t.

thirdly.. he said he had the option of recording into a minidisc... which is ultimately portable.. and come like the size of a deck of cards these days.. so why will he need long runs of wire to the recording unit (unless it was to the camera.. which like you said be best using xlr,but you'd would need an xlr to jack convertor for his camera anyway?)


Alex, you obviously know what you're on about, but I don't think the guy is that professional that he will notice the difference between xlr and non.. I apologise if I offend you!

**confusion**.. i've probably confused myself writing this.. but I agree with belovedmonster!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 25, 2003 07:59 PM: Message edited by: Vlad the Impaler ]</font>