If I had to decide on one desert island microphone for video manufacturing, it could be a shotgun microphone. Is it the perfect at all the pieces? No. However in comparison with a lavaliere, a pencil condenser, or a handheld microphone, it wins in lots of extra conditions. On this tutorial, you may discover out why.
What Is a Shotgun Microphone?
Shotgun microphones are simply identifiable as a result of they’re lengthy and thin and have little slits lower into the aspect. A shotgun microphone is a really directional microphone. It accepts sounds from a really slim angle from the entrance of the microphone, and it does a implausible job at rejecting sounds coming from the aspect. Some can have a small acceptance angle on the rear of the microphone, however once more, this will depend on the actual microphone.
A shotgun microphone works due to the slits within the aspect. Sounds which are arriving from what you’d name off-axis, which means not coming immediately in entrance of the microphone, are available like this, and since there are slits on each side, they have an inclination to cancel one another out. So that you get a lot of the sound that will get picked up coming from immediately in entrance of the microphone.
In the event you go searching on the web, you may see shotgun microphones in all kinds of lengths. The factor that makes shotgun microphones work is in reality their size. The longer the microphone is, the extra of those aspect ports you’ll get and the extra directional it is going to change into.Â
My Really useful Shotgun Microphone
I take advantage of a Sennheiser K6/ME66, which might be the shortest size that I’d take into account within the shotgun microphone household. Technically, I believe that Sennheiser calls this a brilliant cardioid, and in my expertise it acts way more like a shotgun microphone than different tremendous cardioid microphones that I’ve used.
As these microphones get longer, the acceptance angle within the entrance the place they’re most delicate to sound narrows fairly a bit. This one is about 12 inches lengthy and yow will discover shotgun microphones so long as 21, even 23 inches. You will get a few of these longer shotgun microphones 4, 5, six ft away from their meant goal and nonetheless get actually good pickup. However identical to all microphones, it’s a must to choose the suitable one that can be just right for you.
The Sennheiser K6/ME66 is a microphone system the place the K6 is the ability module. This microphone has a extremely excessive output in comparison with a variety of different shotgun microphones. That signifies that for those who had two microphones and one had a better output and the opposite had a decrease output, given the identical sound supply on the identical distance, this microphone will output extra voltage. So it’s a must to flip up the preamp much less, and on the time after I purchased this microphone I used to be utilizing an exterior recorder to report my audio and the preamps weren’t nice, so I wished a microphone with a a lot juicier output.
The way to Use a Shotgun Microphone
A shotgun microphone is mostly used off-camera. So that you’d place this proper out of body and level it immediately on the topic’s mouth for those who’re recording only one particular person. It is often positioned above the topic and pointing down as a result of the issues that you simply need to cancel typically emanate from a horizontal aircraft and those who you need to seize are coming from beneath, so it is smart to level it like this.
Due to how these shotgun microphones are used, they have to be positioned up and out of body, and so they usually want further gear to make them be just right for you. Often, you may want some type of stand. Typically you may get away with utilizing an everyday microphone growth stand, however most of the time you want a growth pole. One thing that has severe attain: possibly six, ten, twelve ft or extra. Now that growth pole will be operated by human, a growth pole operator who can stand there and maintain that in a discipline manufacturing when issues are transferring round. Or in case you are in a extra static scenario, you possibly can put that growth pole on a C-stand with a growth pole hanger or another machine to carry it securely.
The rationale I name this my desert island microphone is as a result of it really works in a variety of completely different conditions very well. A single microphone works nice for a single particular person, however when you have two folks you need to use this microphone as properly. In case you have a growth pole operator who can Hollywood the microphone and level it backwards and forwards between the 2 folks talking, it might work nice for that. Or for those who’re in an interview scenario and the persons are fairly shut collectively, you may get the shotgun microphone positioned in order that it is selecting up each folks within the interview pretty evenly. That is one thing you can’t do with a lavaliere microphone.
The opposite factor that’s not as well-known is that shotguns make implausible voiceover microphones. Keep in mind what I mentioned earlier than in regards to the proximity impact? Now that proximity impact will not flip my voice into the voice of a radio announcer. However it does beef up my voice a good quantity, and since it does an ideal job at noise discount, any little additional noises that could be occurring in my studio are drastically decreased. It is not the everyday voiceover microphone you usually see once you look on the boards, however having examined many, many microphones over time, I discover these work very well for that. There is not any different microphone you possibly can say the identical factor for, which is why I like the shotgun microphone.
How A lot Do Shotgun Microphones Price?
Now shotgun microphones can get tremendous expensive. However respectable shotgun microphones, the XLR selection, are most likely going to start out across the $200 vary and go up from there. This microphone was $460, and I’d say that the regulation of diminishing returns is true round that space. Round $500 to $600, you are not going to discover a higher microphone.
I believe this is without doubt one of the higher microphones on the market for sound high quality, construct high quality, and sound output. However once more, in case your digicam has respectable preamps, you may get away with a microphone with a lesser output.
In the event you’re taking a look at XLR microphones, you need to be taking a look at corporations like Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, Rode, or Shure. My favourites are most likely Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, and Rode. You are going to have to seek out the microphone that works for you. However bear in mind, longer is extra directional, and you’re going to want an XLR enter for these kind of microphones.Â
Small Shotgun Microphones
What in regards to the tiny shotgun microphones? The Rode VideoMic, the Rode VideoMic Professional, and the Sennheiser MKE400. They’re extra directional than a cardioid or tremendous cardioid, however they do not have the identical directionality as a microphone that is a foot lengthy or 16 inches lengthy, and even 27 inches lengthy. It is simply not possible.
Are you able to get good outcomes with them? Sure. Are they as directional as a microphone like this? No, they don’t seem to be. However in case you are utilizing a digicam with a 3.5mm enter, that could be one thing you need to discover. Plenty of the images that you will see of these varieties of microphones are on-camera, and on-camera microphones do not work nice for mic placement. However with slightly growth pole and slightly extension cable, these microphones can work very well for getting nice sound.Â
Conclusion
So now that you simply perceive why the shotgun microphone is so nice, look out for the following tutorial on this collection, wherein you are going to be taught in regards to the important gear that you could be want on your shotgun.Â
