Microphone input for video

As I begin to edit my first videos; I just want to clarify something. If I want to plug a mic into my D7000 for doing interviews etc or add commentary during editing on my desktop; can I just use a straightforward Radio Shack type clip on omnidirectional mike or do I need to plug the mic into some type of amplifier before the camera.

Thanks for any advice

You can get a good mic with phantom power so no amp or preamp is necessary. Radio Shack's mics are really fairly low rent and poor sounding with latency issues and no bottom end.

Steve

You can get a good mic with phantom power so no amp or preamp is necessary. Radio Shack's mics are really fairly low rent and poor sounding with latency issues and no bottom end.

Steve

Any particular brand you recommend Steve; just something from B&H or somewhere?

If you want to keep the price down, let me suggest the Azden shotgun mics. Sennheiser also makes great mics but can be very expensive.

Steve

A snowball rocks for low budget voiceovers, but is not an on camera solution.

http://www.bluemic.com/snowball/

For interviews, the Røde Video Mic is a directional that is cheap and good. It's good for interviews (as on camera mics go). If you do lots of interviews, get a lavalier or pin mic. Wireless is nice so you have a bit of range of movemen but unnecessary if you have subject sitting.

Omni directional mics pick up all noises include the camera focusing, but it's stereo, which is important in a narrative story but useless in an interview environment.

I think the D7000 can adjust sensitivity of the mic input but not manually so test it to see what you like. I'd go to a store, bring your headphones and test the mics. The Røde is a favorite among the ViDSLR crowd as an on-camera low budget mic.

The Snowball mic is strictly a USB mic. The Rode mics are also excellent. This is a good and relatively inexpensive shotgun mic

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/azden...ic_douglas.html I also use lavaliers but they can be problematic as they rub against material or pick up body movement. There are things you can do to reduce such noise however.

Steve

Thanks guys; gives me a place to start.

Rode mics are pro quality and affordable (a relatively new Aussie company) that have become something of an industry standard. The choice depends on how clean/professional you want the sound to be. For greatest convenience you can use an NTG2 self-powered mic and plug it straight into the camera. I'm not familiar with your camera but if it has AGC you can use an external Beachtek DXA to get rid of the AGC, by-pass the mediocre pre-amps that are in most DSLRs, and provide Phantom power to a much better quality mic like the Rode NTG3. This will also allow active audio monitoring via headphones during recording and easy level adjustment as you record. If your camera doesn't have AGC you can use a cheaper model Beachtek or Juicedlink unit...well worth the extra few hundred dollars for the quality of the final result.

Jeff, the Azden SGX1 and NTG2 recommended are XLR mic. You need to get a XLR-3.5mm mini plug or a external XLR like the beachtek. As an on camera mic, balanced or unbalanced doesn't matter as much. Once you have the mic more than 6ft away from the camera, then having balanced mics are essential for good quality sound. Try the Røde Video Mic. It's good quality without the XLR fancy stuff. Can't go wrong for $140.

If you want to work more in post, get a Zoom H4N which you can place much closer to the subject and get stereo sound. The only catch is you have to sync the audio in post, which means learning habits like clapping before action. Or you can use software like Plural Eyes to sync it.

You see, video does require more expertise than stills

If you don't have the time to head to a good store to test the mics, check Vimeo or Youtube. I guarantee you there are silly comparisons of Røde vs Azden vs etc etc.

Drew,

Are you aware of any cam mics of good quality that are not XLRs? I've seen in ads but never used the Beachtec add ons. Do you know whether they are really any good or not and do they introduce any audio noise into the mix?

Steve

Besides the Rode Video Mic, which is mono and highly directional, there's also the Stereo Video Mic. For a general purpose mic, that's what I would probably put on a cam that doesn't have XLR inputs (depending on how good the camera's built-in mic is). I'm saying this on the basis of reviews though. I haven't heard its output myself.

Besides the Rode Video Mic, which is mono and highly directional, there's also the Stereo Video Mic. For a general purpose mic, that's what I would probably put on a cam that doesn't have XLR inputs (depending on how good the camera's built-in mic is). I'm saying this on the basis of reviews though. I haven't heard its output myself.

It's a decent enough mic if you're happy with "average" quality in terms of noise level/sensitivity. Doesn't come close to a phantom powered mic combined with external pre-amps (eg Beachtek).

Also...don't forget with a little diy creativity it's possible to use a Zoom (or similar) instead of a Beacktek/Juicedlink with all the benefits of the latter (even getting rid of AGC) and have a high quality handheld recorder as well.

I forgot to add that the Tascam DR100 is a nice alternative to the zoom. It has separate line and headphone out, AA battery power, dual channel for multiple interviewees and 2 different types of microphones on the unit.

You do lose the 4 channel of the Zoom but for office interviews, 2 channels is usually more than enough... unless you want to host a talk show!

I forgot to add that the Tascam DR100 is a nice alternative to the zoom. It has separate line and headphone out, AA battery power, dual channel for multiple interviewees and 2 different types of microphones on the unit.

You do lose the 4 channel of the Zoom but for office interviews, 2 channels is usually more than enough... unless you want to host a talk show!

Getting too smart for me again. One thing I still not certain from all this is whether one can plug something like a levalier mike directly into the camera, or does one need an inline digital recorder / amplifier?

For doing an interview is a directional mike like the Rode going to be better (I can even place it on a stand) than a levalier?

Oh no... another test from the hive stirrer!

With the unbalanced mic inputs on camera, the mic shouldn't be too far (under 3-4ft) from the camera to prevent noise. Once you need to have a lavalier, you need to get away from the camera inputs because of the AGC and unbalanced wiring noise.

That's why people use wireless into XLR or mic in. I'm not too familiar with the D7000 audio side. But if you are going to be doing informal interviews, a zoom mic like the Video mic would work pretty well indoors without too much ambient noise. For $150, it's the easiest upgrade.

Now if you do want lavalier, check out the pin mic from Røde. It sounds just as good as a lavalier but is less obvious. Record into a Tascam or Zoom digital recorder and you have very nice sound, but the problem is you'll have to sync the track to the video. Wireless lavaliers are a nice addition but to record properly, you need a camera with proper audio capture. There are several tiers of audio you can go through, each with increasing cost and complexity, as all things are.