Need microphone recommendations

March 29, 2008 7:05 PM

Need recommendations for a microphone that has a pickup space suitable for a smallish room.

I'm shooting a short video in my apartment with a Canon XL2 camera. The on-board mic sucks and I don't want to boom the project, so I'm going to hide the mic in the dead center of the set (in part of the scenery). My budget for this purchase is $200, maaaybe $250. Anyone know any good cardioid XLR condenser models?

posted by ®@ to Technology (4 answers total)

There's a cardioid condenser for approx. $200, with good reviews though I have no personal experience with it.

You might want to take a look at some omni response mics as well, but the mic above seems to be an OK bet if you're working in a small-ish space.
posted by TheWaves at 7:20 PM on March 29, 2008

i've actually had great results using a small setup that fits well within your budget, although this is for recording a single acoustic guitar+voice (not sure how the setup would work for a smallish room).

here's the key bits: Nadia condenser cardiod mic ($100, although i have an earlier model than the one linked), powered by a small 12AX7 tube pre-amp ($30) with phantom power.

go forth and rock out.
posted by garfy3 at 7:32 PM on March 29, 2008

does it have to be a cardoid? i've produced amazing results with PZM mics from Crown...and they're relatively cheap.

otherwise grab an AudioTechnica 2020. you CAN'T go wrong with that mic.
posted by spish at 8:50 PM on March 30, 2008

I have had a decent experience with the AKG perception mic I own. I use it for film, voice audio, sound effects and to record my band when we just need a reference track. You will need a board with phantom power though and obviously some sort of audio interface for it to record into but I assume you already have this stuff.

AKD Perception
posted by occidental at 9:48 PM on March 30, 2008