Been working with shotgun mics for years, and this is the best and cleanest explanation I've ever heard. Thank you for continuing to make these videos, I'm a massive fan of this channel.
@@AudioUniversity Hi there Audio university, thank you for the insightful info about shotgun microphones, but I do have a question about using them. If I wanted to buy a shotgun microphone for doing commentary while recording gameplays, audio and live stream podcasts. Acting out skits (where I would be moving around or I would be some distance away from the microphone) creating music and/or recording songs. Would this microphone be a good all-around choice for all the activities I want to do?
I've been doing sound for 4+ decades in film, documentary and TV and I really appreciate that you used caution in recommending a shotgun mic as an all purpose magic bullet. They are unbeatable in a controlled situation when you can hit the "Sweet Spot" like the room that can be acoustically controlled as the one in your demo, or a tightly controlled film set, because you can loose control and the sound quality can deteriorate very quickly. Well done.
out of curiosity, what microphone type would you recommend for film sets that aren't tightly controlled, such as low budget outdoor location shoots? especially when you have more actors on screen than microphones available and can't hit the sweet spot like with a shotgun. I've become painfully aware of the advantages of drawbacks of shotguns for films and am wondering if there's an alternative. Thank you
@@Patrick_Roach Still stick with a condenser type but change the style depending on the situation. Low budget shoots are from hell...lol. I've done hair mics with a wireless lav for the big big wide shots. Gotta concentrate on the on camera face that has the dialogue. Also stuck a Countryman B4 behind a shirt button with snot. Otherwise go for a long shotgun so you can back off quite a bit like an MKH 416 and a good Rycote windscreen.
I have a master's degree in music education but they NEVER went through pro audio with us. Your channel has helped me immensely both personally AND in the classroom. Thank you so much!
Don't know if you're just naturally good at speaking and discussing complex technical subjects in an easy to understand manner, or if you have spent years training to get to your level, but either way, I feel compelled to compliment you on your communication and teaching skill level. Your tone is very pleasant to my ears anyway, and your tempo is perfect, not too fast like most RU-vid content providers. You don't over elaborate or get bogged down in the technical details either, which is really hard to avoid when discussing complex topics, you present clear examples when needed to illustrate the technical stuff and then move on. This gives anyone feeling the need to go back and ponder a particular detail, time to do so at their own pace until grasping the concept enough to continue on. You are actually giving two (classes) in each video, one on the topic, and a second on how to make excellent RU-vid content videos. Bravo!
Amen. I love this channel for that very reason. He is such a good teacher, to the point where this channel is almost a de facto How To channel for making educational videos.
I chose a Sennheiser MKE 600. As a filmmaker, I love the characteristics of this microphone. It also allows me to do video meetings without using headphones! Nice twofer!!
Thank you for clarifying this. I've definitely heard plenty of touting of shotgun mics as the secret magic to having good sound in a video. But my experiments with some generic brands didn't seem to do nearly as well as what I could do with just a standard dynamic mic using a super-cardioid pattern and a windscreen.
I’m only really just dipping my toes into audio setups as an interest, but the nature and presentation of this video was absolutely amazing. Thank you!
Great Video, as someone who ready knows what they do, having the added knowledge of how with examples of off axis sound rejection was great. Thank You!
Holy cow, this is a fantastic video - succinct, with clear explanations and tons of demonstrations to make some points very concrete. Dang. Welp, looks like I'm gonna learn some audio
I recently donated some plasma to purchase a Sennheiser shotgun microphone. It is pretty amazing to hear the world through it. There is so much sonic texture all around us that gets buried. I am interested in recording various sound effects and environmental sounds like ocean waves, birds and streams to make ambient music. Can you tell me what type of microphones might be best to capture environmental sounds in a less telescopic manner?
I believe shotgun microphones are a popular choice for capturing sound effects in nature. Maybe a small diaphragm condenser is another popular option. Remember though - no microphone is "telescopic", just more "focused" depending on the directionality of the design.
HI! What mic can you recommend for emergency siren detection (for our thesis) it will be placed in public roads and highways, as we research , a siren has a frequency between 600Hz to 1500Hz. Thank you!!
That's a very interesting question! I would imagine an omnidirectional microphone with good wind protection could be a good option, but I don't have much experience with what you're describing.
I'm a beginner with shotgun mics and I use mine outdoor for recording birds. Using it for the very first time I was surprised about the good focus, but after a while (and after having analized the recordings) I found out, that the sound from the sides is recorded too, but 1) only the lower frequencies and 2) with a different phase. This makes the whole sound a bit like coming out of a toilet, and I have no solution for that problem.
Jolly excellent! It's about time somebody debunked the toy microphones sold to unsuspecting videomakers. There's a good reason why designs like the Sennheiser 416/816 have persisted for decades - they work. Aside: the Sennheiser system, using a radio-frequency tuned circuit to couple to the mic diaphragm, is much lower noise than other systems, so their guns perform better. Interference tubes attenuate sound rather than amplify it, and you need all the clean signal you can get. The gun mic's back lobes can be an issue, especially if using camera-mounted guns at sporting events. We've picked up cameramen talking, and even open production talkback (cans left hanging on the camera, plugged-in). It's usually only an issue where the crowd need to be quiet though, but it's still wise, during the rig, to warn any inexperienced camera people. At the mixer, talkback especially is hard to notice, as you usually have it on yourself from a squawk-box. And out of doors, you need a good Rycote-style windshield, not just a foam sock.
Many thanks 👍. How about the amount of gain used on the preamp, does it affect the pollar pattern or the frequency response of a shotgun mic at all? In other words, is the directionality of a shotgun mic gain dependent? Is this true for any mic?
The directionality of the mic is not gain dependent. Of course, more gain is needed for a quieter signal and a quieter signal means a smaller signal to noise ratio.
Love your videos. It would be awesome if you made one detailing setting up amp racks for speakers and calibrating system with proper gain staging at all steps including amps.
@@AudioUniversity Yes it would be for live sound. I have experience in setting up systems and general knowledge with gain staging but no formal training with calibrating amps and setting attenuation for your system.
I thought shotgun microphones were unusable in interior spaces as the room reverb would ruin the take, i guess it must depend on the acoustics of the room
That's exactly right! These are often used on a boom with a windscreen, blimp, or windjammer. You can learn more about those here: audiouniversityonline.com/windscreens/ Thanks for watching!
im a pc gamer and one of the things i loved the most from switching form console is the overall mic quality upgrade which has also lead me down my own little rabbit hole, i have had a rode nt-usb which sounds great but picks up everything and is huge with a shockmount and then if i lean back or forward audio ruined then i moved onto a cheap little egg shaped mic meant for drums and i felt like i found the holy grail of gaming mics being a dynamic mic it picked up nothing but my voice and was so tiny that i felt a lot less cramped at my desk but then i got a cheap shotgun mic, and my god i love it, someone needs to start making a usb shotgun mic for gamers its, an excellent compromise of sound, noise canceling and convenience, almost sounds as good as a condenser but doesn't pick up most of any off axis noise and is completely out of the way no more arm dangling in my way, it just sits a few feet away from me and does its damm job and i love it
If you want to focus your audio on what is in front of the camcorder, a shotgun mic is a good option. If you want to capture the ambiance of the space, you could use an omnidirectional mic or a stereo mic. The most common option would probably be a shotgun mic.
Why is it a problem if the sound from the side is similiar to the sound from the front? Like in a room with strong early reflections. Because the sound from the side is colored by the interference and this colors the sound from the front (because it also comes so early)? If there are strong early reflections this will color the sound also with a normal cardioid since this would cause comb filtering.
I'm wanting to record a steam whistle on axis from about 1/8 mile away. It is loud enough to hear with my car windows up, so I'm sure a directional / shotgun mic can / will. One source recommended the Azden SMX-30 and Audio-Technica AT8024. I would be using wind sock along with the foam cover. Which one of these two mics, or other mic would you recommend?
Unless there is a specific noise source you’re trying to reject, I don’t know if the shotgun style mic will help. The noise is probably very diffuse and coming from every direction. You may get similar results with any mic. The closer, the better.
Hello, togheather with my friends we decided to record our RPG session and upload it on youtube. We're group of 5 persons playing togheather around one table. We got almost everything ready but sound. Im wondering how we can record 5 of us with good sound quality. I have blue yeti and focusrite scarlett audio interface for my guittar). One of my friends told me to look for shotgun microphone but we can buy just one to place it above our heads. On the other hand we can buy 5 lavalier microphone for us and plug in into that interface Could you give me some advice will that microphone be optimal for our demand? Thank you in advance
For a hypercardioid/supercardioid mic, does the gain level affect the polar pattern distance and proximity effect? What I am asking is, if I turn down the gain, can I get closer to the mic without making the sound more bassy (too close to the mic)? And if I turn down the gain, will the sound seem more hollow from the same distance (too far from the mic)? Basically, reducing the area of the polar pattern?
My Shotgun Mic came with my Cam, They were a Christmas Present And I find that the Shotgun Mic pics up sound better than my Laptop Mic ever did, I don't need to yell into it. I was always yelling at My Laptop up to Christmas (2020).
I understand the principal of how shot gun mics work but how would it sound if i blocked all the slits? Then there would be no sound pressure from the side!
The tube would then be highly resonant at a specific frequency. The importance of the slits is to defeat resonance and preserve a fairly flat response curve.
@@AudioUniversity If you want to recreate the full sound of a lightsaber, m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wzYO66HQAgw.html this link will be helpful!
I've gotta get a shotgun style mic, I have basically most styles of mics, but not a shotgun style ! Seems like it would be a workhorse mic that comes in handy for very random needs a lot too. Any recommendations for a decent cheaper one to start out with?
Most start at around $250 to $300. The Rode NTG-2, Audio-Technica AT8035, Sennheiser MKE 600, and Deity S-Mic2 are popular options that are "relatively" inexpensive. Thanks for watching, Musician With Child!
i have a revox m3500(600ohms) and my focusrite 2i2 can barely capture it, it just sound good when loud sounds are played thru it, i want to use this mic as a voice mic, for discord, if i add a pré amp, will it help?? or i need a proper mic for this?
my phone mic does this whenever someone calls me and then i use the mic on my pc using a program to use phone mic on pc, i ltierally have to point the mic at my mouth for it to pick up anything im saying and it doesnt pick me up if i dont do that
That's a good question. I've never used a parabolic reflector microphone, but I know they have much greater "range" than a shotgun mic while still maintaining acceptably clean audio. A shotgun microphone still needs to be relatively close to the source, while a parabolic reflector mic can be much further.
A parabolic mic has poor low frequency response, plus, they are very cumbersome to use. This is why they find a lot of use in bird songs on the sides of football fields and not much else. Not usable for dialog.
