What's a good, cheap outdoor mic?

June 15, 2006 12:55 PM

What's a good microphone for recording audio of outdoor TV interviews?

I'm working with a local alt. weekly on a video podcast covering the local music scene, which we plan to produce on the cheap (for both pragmatic and aesthetic reasons). I'll be shooting it on a Sony Cybershot and a Sony analog camcorder, both of which record decent-enough audio when there's no significant interference, but they're not going to cut it for any interview or intro segments that take place outside, and won't be ideal for indoor segments.

I don't have much money to spend, but I'd like to get some kind of boom or shotgun mic that I can easily attach to a) the camcorder, or b) digital storage. My current laptop doesn't have audio-in, but the one I plan to buy in the next couple months will, and I think it would be fine to just record to the laptop if necessary. It doesn't need to be too fancy, but it should be relatively easy to operate since I probably will have just one production assistant intern.

posted by aaronetc to technology (4 comments total)

I don't know about a specific mic, but I would look into local rental places and explain the situation - there is a fair chance someone may have something spare that would fit your needs they would be willing to lend at a discounted rate.
posted by MetaMonkey at 1:37 PM on June 15, 2006

You can use pretty much any cheapo microphone if you want to go low budget - just add a windsock. If you can't find anything that fits your current style of microphone, just take a cheap thin sponge and elastic band it.

Our band does outdoor gigs with some recording all the time, and we do fine with our usual beatup performing mics and windsocks.
posted by Sallysings at 2:50 PM on June 15, 2006

If you can spend up to $300 (new) or $150 (used), go with either the EZB EasyFlex Boundary microphone or the KSM 27 from Shure. If you need cheaper, look in your phone book for a small-time audio dealer. In Rochester, for example, we have 5 or 6 folks that sell new and used pro audio equipment. Sound quality is VERY important, and the microphone is the one place you don't want to skimp, especially when you're covering the local music scene.
posted by fvox13 at 3:16 PM on June 15, 2006

Electro Voice RE50 DB: Dynamic (not powered) Its about $180.
posted by photoslob at 5:15 PM on June 15, 2006