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Home: Video University Forums: Tech Q & A:
Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic

Pat
New User

Feb 14, 2006, 3:56 PM

Post #1 of 6 (2095 views)
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Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic	Can't Post

I am recording a wedding on a Panasonic C60 3 chip camera.

When using a Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic on my camera during the ceremony is the mic sufficient to pick up all sounds from the PA or is it best if it is only used for the vows?

I would appreciate any relevant advice or help.

Thanks

Pat

videobear
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Feb 14, 2006, 4:17 PM

Post #2 of 6 (2090 views)
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Re: [Pat] Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic [In reply to]	Can't Post

I guess this is one of those things I'm going to have to keep on saying...

NO on-camera mic is good for any audio that comes from a source more than three or four feet away. Most mics do their best job when they are within INCHES of the sound source...including shotgun mics.

Use a wireless, or hook into the PA system, or do anything that gets a microphone element up close to the people who are speaking.

I have a Sennheiser ME-66, and it's a good mic, but I wouldn't use it as the primary audio capture device for a wedding ceremony.

Regards,
Doug Graham
Panda Productions

ppatton
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Feb 14, 2006, 9:09 PM

Post #3 of 6 (2078 views)
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Re: [videobear] Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic [In reply to]	Can't Post

amen

Bob A
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Feb 14, 2006, 10:04 PM

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Re: [videobear] Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

It depends very much on the situation. If your video experience is limited to trying to capture the spoken word then yes, the closer the mike, the better. There are many other areas of video that are much better served by a mike some distance away capturing the 'full Monty' with subtle echo, room ambience, and especially audience reaction - all which would be lost with close in miking. Sorta like what everyone else at the event would normally hear!

ppatton
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Feb 14, 2006, 11:07 PM

Post #5 of 6 (2075 views)
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Re: [Bob A] Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic [In reply to]	Can't Post

and that is not necessarily true. with a close up mic it will also pick up some ambient sound. maybe not as much as a shotgun. but if not setup properly a person can interject audio that is not as it should be. we use a shotgun to pick up ambient audio at some gigs we do. When the sound tech pushes the levels up to a certain point the audio is altered and a tiny sound is spread across the audio track. Which drives me up the wall. and guess what you cant remove all of it in post. so instead of ambient audio it is now ambient noise.

faqvideo
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Apr 1, 2006, 1:48 AM

Post #6 of 6 (1974 views)
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Re: [Pat] Advice on Sennheiser Shot Gun Mic [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sennheiser shotgun s in my opinion are probably the best on the market.

In a quiet church it will pick fairly good audio within 4-5 feet range.
Don't forget, it's directional, so point it on the person speaking at the moment and use a headset to monitor audio.

FAQ Video