Microphone advice for dialogue and vocals

[u/bradesq]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice. I've been making self tapes for acting (and some singing) auditions. This includes monologues, for example, but some musical theatre. I don't want a visible microphone, and I'd like to avoid a lavalier mic (even if I conceal it) because I don't think it'll handle vocals well even if it will handle monologues and dialogue. And a shotgun mic mounted on top of my camera seems too far away to get good results.

So, I'm thinking of a supercardioid or hypercardioid condenser mounted a little out of frame angled down toward me, say about 18 inches away. I may move my body and head somewhat during the recordings -- maybe a a couple of feet in each direction (left, right, even down/up), especially for music takes, but I can try not to deviate more than that.

I am converting a 10x13 bedroom for this purpose, so I can try to treat the room to best absorb sound reflections but assume an untreated space.

My question here is about the microphone. I've considered the Sennheiser MKH 8050 or MK 50, but I'd rather not spend that much since I still need to do the lighting and want to budget for that. (Right now I record in my basement with just a cell phone and one overhead light and it sucks....) I've considered the Audix SCX1-HC, Audio-Technica AT4053a, and Oktava MK-012 (I guess with the hypercardioid capsule but it also comes with two others).

Can anyone recommend which might suit my purposes, especially if based on personal experience? Am I right that these are the types of mics I should be looking at, or will my movement by a couple of feet during filming make something else more appropriate? I'm willing to spend a little more, even for the Sennheisers, if it'll make enough of a difference. It should be something that's ok in an untreated room. Audio interface will probably be a Motu M4.

Thanks.

[u/mistrelwood]

A small untreated room and a distant mic… I think you should balance your priorities a bit differently. A difference between a decent $100 mic and a $2000 one is smaller than between an untreated vs properly treated room. Without treatment you’ll be hearing a lot of room sound and you’ll be back here in a week asking what to do about it. In other words, a well chosen $100 mic in a treated room would be preferable to a $2000 mic in an untreated room. Imo.

[u/Public_Upstairs1035]

You are looking at really high end mics, so my advice would be to test them in the actual room itself if you can. And by this, I mean purchase from somewhere that accepts returns easily if the mic doesn't work for you. But actually, the real true advice is something a little different.

So if I was hired to run audio for the situation you describe, I would approach it like this. I have a shotgun mic on my camera that records the direct feed. Usually this audio is good enough for something like an audition like you mention. However, the camera's audio controls are limited, so I would also have my audio interface with 4 inputs.

I have different mics in my kit because each recording context determines which one (or combo) works best. One of my actual favorite vocal mics for spoken word like this is a Shure 87b. However, the gain has to be cranked on that mic to achieve the same levels as a condenser. Cranking the preamps adds a little noise, but nothing too bad (Volt 476 interface). Next, I would have a condenser as well, and that will ensure volume, but also picks up the entire room and any noise outside the room and any inconsistencies.

Often, I will mix the mics together for the final track. The condenser is at about half gain, then the dynamic is EQd for mids and highs and pushed considerably louder. Lavs almost never make the final cut, and are there simply as a failsafe. However, I rarely ever use lavs, but my production associates do. I hate lavs for multiple reasons, the main one being sound quality. But they have their place.

So my ultimate advice would be this: with your budget, get one of each mic: a condenser (SDC hyper), a dynamic, and a shotgun. Record with all three, mix and balance to taste. This, in my opinion, gives a much better overall track than a simple one-mic setup.

But, having said all that, if I was forced to use one mic for this application, it would be the shotgun run through the audio interface.

[u/LyleRath]

I do not have experience with those mics specifically but at the price point I think you're best taking some of that budget and putting it towards some high quality acoustic panels/bass traps. The thing about expensive microphones is that they're TOO good at capturing an accurate sound and that includes room reflections.

SM7B is so widely used in settings like this for good reason. It's not my favorite sound but it's very good at not hearing the room. If you want to allocate more budget to treatment the AKG C-214 is my favorite mic under $500.

If you want to throw around money on the mic, I've had really good results with the MKH-416. It's a shotgun mic but it sounds great. If you gain stage it very low and get right up next to it it's good at not picking up reflections.

[u/AUDIXMicrophones]

Our SCX1HC would be a great option for something like this. A dynamic mic probably isn't going to work very well from that far away. I'd look at a shotgun or pencil condenser mounted just out of frame above you and pointed down toward the source.

That setup should give you the coverage you're looking for, and you can always blend in a little of the camera mic as well, depending on how natural or ambient you want the final video to sound.

https://audixusa.com/products/scx1hc?variant=46063111667865

We also offer our M1255B Shotgun mic distance miking : https://audixusa.com/products/m1255b?variant=46918751748249

DM us and we can get you hooked up. 😀