microphones

[silve225]

Hi i have a nikon d750 and was asked to do some video. I have all the equipment but one of the main things which is microphones. The guy wants me to have at least two handheld microphones. What would be a good system to get that i can use two wireless microphones with and will be less then 800 dollars? If im able to expand up to 4 microphones or more in the future that would be even better.

 

[seananguswatson]

What exactly is it you'll be shooting?

 

[silve225]

I will be shooting interviews and also recording meetings

 

[TwiceTown]

When it comes to wireless, the Sennheiser G3 or Sony sets are the cheapest you'd want to go for a paying gig. You can also find used G2 but they're not diversity. Even two used sets with the plug-in mics might be a bit out of your range. Depending on your setup, you might want to just run straight wires to your lavs or hand mics to a 2-channel preamp or mixer. That way, you can ride the levels more easily while also operating the camera. You'll also get the best sound with a cable. Or you can go wild with Tascam's plug in recorder (DR-10X) that attaches to the bottom of the mic. I think it records bi-level so one track at normal level and a safety track a few db's below. Easier for a solo operator and considerably cheaper than wireless but a bit risky. You could probably buy four of those for your budget and you wouldn't have to worry about the usual frequency wireless problems. But you'd essentially be recording unmonitored sound that you'd have to sync later.

 

[480sparky]

I use a $25 Movo PM10 plugged into my smart phone and use a simple audio recording app.

I then use the camera-generated audio to match it up with the imported audio file, then mute the camera's audio.

Makes a great, über-cheap lav mic.

 

[TwiceTown]

Smartphones are pretty good in a pinch but some of the problems using them is interference, drift and battery life. Phones are good for dictation or standalone recordings but the sound recording might drift on longer takes which would make sync difficult. A dedicated recorder is more likely to keep decent time. Also, if you accidentally leave a phone on while recording, your camera footage and scratch sound (for sync) could get corrupted by the cell phone signal that's regularly sent out to query towers, especially if the phone defaults to analog networks. Or if a call comes in while you're shooting. Cell phones tend to prioritize calls over other app use. Plus, you're giving up your phone while shooting. Cell phones can't power most external mics so you'd have to hold it up to the speaker which wouldn't look great on video. Holding it out of frame would give you lousy sound.

I use a $25 Movo PM10 plugged into my smart phone and use a simple audio recording app.

I then use the camera-generated audio to match it up with the imported audio file, then mute the camera's audio.

Makes a great, über-cheap lav mic.