What’s the Best Shotgun Microphone for Me? |
|
We’re all familiar with the image of a sound-tech holding a long pole with a big microphone mounted on the end and pointed at the action on a film or TV shoot. Nine times out of ten, this will be a shotgun microphone. But what makes shotgun microphones so good at registering and recording speech, like film dialogue and TV interviews? And what kind of shotgun microphone works best in which situation? In this Buyer’s Guide, we answer your most frequent questions about shotgun microphones. If you have a question and can’t find the answer here, feel free to contact us! What is it? | Length | Power | Connection | Camera | Studio Microphones | Wind | Pole | Stereo | More 1. What is a Shotgun Microphone?Shotgun microphones provide a great solution when shooting film outdoors. In these situations, the microphone usually needs to be kept out of shot, but the further away the microphone is held from the sound source, more ambient noise is registered. Since a shotgun microphone can be accurately aimed and focussed on the sound source, it can be held a couple of metres away and still record clear dialogue. Because shotgun microphones tend to add their own less-than-musical colour to the recording, you’re unlikely to find one in a recording studio. Shotgun microphones belong to the condenser family, have either a supercardioid or hypercardioid pickup pattern, and are already focussed in one direction (or ‘directional’). To enhance the directional focus further, shotgun microphones are always fitted with what’s referred to as an ‘interference tube’. This way, sound sources situated directly in front of the microphone are picked up clearly and uncoloured, while any sound coming from the sides is scattered by the ridges of the interference tube, effectively filtering out ambient noise - especially when it comes to the higher frequencies.
2. Can You Really Aim a Shotgun Microphone within a Centimetre’s Accuracy?No, unfortunately this is a myth. With a shotgun microphone, you can cleanly record dialogue in an airy environment, but the natural sound of that environment will always be picked up, because just like other ‘directional’ microphones, shotgun microphones pick up most sound coming from the front, but also pick up sound coming from the sides.
3. Does the Length of a Shotgun Microphone Affect the Sound?Yes. The longer the interference tube, the duller the sound picked up from the sides. A longer tube also adds more colour to the sound, so it’s not recommended to use a longer tube than necessary. Some more expensive shotgun microphones are modular, so you can adapt the microphone depending on the situation using different interference tubes of varying lengths. Shotgun Microphones/Capsules - Up to 20cm
4. Does a Shotgun Microphone Need Power?Yes. Shotgun microphones are condenser microphones and therefore will need power. The easiest way to power a condenser microphone is using some form of phantom power supply. This is almost always provided by something like an audio interface or mixing desk to which the microphone can be connected, and most of the time, these devices provide standard 48 Volt phantom power. Cameras and recorders aren’t always able to provide phantom power, so some shotgun microphones are also battery powered. Shotgun Microphones with Phantom Power
5. How Do I Connect a Shotgun Microphone to My Smartphone or Tablet?Most smartphones and tablets have a data port, like a USB or Lightning, and a combined headphone/microphone port like a 3.5mm TRRS mini-jack. As such, a shotgun microphone with an XLR connection can’t be plugged into these devices. The best solution is to use a small audio interface (with an XLR microphone input) that’s compatible with iOS and/or Android. Make sure that the interface can also provide phantom power, and if it can’t, then you can use a battery-powered shotgun microphone. Android Interfaces with Microphone Input(s)
6. How Do I Connect a Shotgun Microphone to a Camera?Most cameras have a 3.5mm TRS input - also known as a stereo mini-jack socket. To connect a shotgun microphone, you can use a stereo mini-jack to 3-pin XLR adapter. Also, the camera input is only able to provide a maximum of 5 Volts of plug-in power which isn’t enough to power most shotgun microphones. In that case, it’s best to use a battery-powered shotgun microphone. Tip: it’s also worth looking at specially designed camera microphones. These already come fitted with a mini-jack port or plug and are designed to work on plug-in power or batteries. These microphones can also be mounted directly onto your camera. 3.5mm TRS Mini-Jack to XLR Cables
7. Are there Alternatives to a Shotgun Microphone?The shotgun microphone is a unique bit of kit designed for a specific job, so there’s not really any perfect alternative available. But it’s possible that the microphones listed below will suit your situation better: Camera microphone: see Question 6. Camera Microphones
8. How Do You Prevent Wind Noise?Not even shotgun microphones are immune to wind. Even in a light breeze, a standard foam windshield won’t provide enough protection. In our microphone windshield section, you’ll also find a range of faux-fur windshields (usually named after an animal of a similar size), like the one you can see in the image. These are more effective than foam windshields, but if you want a really professional solution, then you could use a blimp (see image). This is essentially an external shell that’s placed around the microphone and includes an integrated shockmount. You can even reinforce a blimp with a faux-fur cover.
9. How Do You Suspend a Shotgun Microphone Above the Actors/Speakers?You can suspend a shotgun microphone from a boom pole. At one end of this long pole, a standard ⅜ inch or ⅝ inch screw thread is fitted so that a microphone clip can be mounted. Using a boom pole, the sound technician is able to achieve the best possible microphone placement while staying out of the shot.
10. How Does a Stereo Shotgun Microphone Work?A stereo shotgun microphone has an extra figure-of-8 capsule that’s fitted at a right-angle to the supercardioid capsule. This is referred to as a mid-side or M/S setup. The internal routing of stereo shotgun microphones sends a balanced mix of the supercardioid and figure-of-8 capsules out via the left channel. An inverted copy of the sound picked up by the figure-of-8 capsule is then sent out via the right channel, so that the difference between the two capsules is discernible. The resulting stereo image is 100% mono-compatible and the width of the stereo image can usually be adjusted via a fitted switch. Stereo shotgun microphones often come with 5-pin XLR outputs and include a 5-pin XLR to 2 or 3-pin XLR adapter cable.
Links & More InformationProduct Categories Shotgun Microphones Blogs & Buyer’s Guides Camera Microphone Buyer's Guide
|
