In today's video I am going to compare three different priced microphones
head to head to see how they stack up when recording dialogue.
You've likely heard this before, when it comes to video, sound is generally more
important than the video itself. It's the glue that binds everything together. It's
the element that when mishandled stands out like the sorest of thumbs. But, audio is mysterious,
misunderstood, and far too often overlooked. Honestly I don't really know shit all about it.
I have a few different mics in the arsenal, and i've never really compared them side by side,
that is until now. All of these are phantom powered condenser microphones.
First up we have the Behringer C-2. These come as a matched stereo pair,
and are primarily meant for recording stuff like instruments. They have a cardioid pickup pattern,
a switchable low frequency roll off, and a -10db pad. They retail for around $70
USD for the pair making them $35 each.
The Audio Technica AT875R. A short shotgun mic with what is referred to as a line + gradient
pickup pattern, which basically means it's a shotgun mic. This model is designed for video
production with the intention of being camera mounted, and retails for around $170 USD.
The Røde NTG-3. Pretty much the cream of Røde's crop.
A professional super cardioid shotgun microphone that definitely looks the part,
and rounds out the pack with a retail price tag of $700 USD.
Each of these mics marks a rung up the ladder from one another,
so it's expected that there's going to be notable differences.
Now let's put that to the test and see... or hear? If you can, put on some headphones for this...
Ok, now we're in my living room. We're gonna test these suckers out. What you're listening
to right now, of course, is the crappy audio from the built-in mic on the camera.
Now we're going to switch over to the microphones... what should I say?
peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers if peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how
many pickled peppers did peter piper pick peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers if peter
piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how many pickled peppers did peter piper pick
peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers if peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
how many pickled peppers did peter piper pick she sells seashells by the seashore
she sells seashells by the seashore she sells seashells by the seashore how much wood would
a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if
a woodchuck could chuck wood how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood
The Behringer and Audio Technica are pretty similar sounding in that they're both kind of
bright, maybe even a bit thin sounding. The Behringer is ever so slightly more noisy,
but for the price I think it manages to hold its own. Since it comes in a stereo
pair it's a great option for recording more environmental sounds as well.
The Røde is a pretty loud and boomy mic, you can hear it in the plosives here – peter piper
picked a peck of pickled peppers – it required the least amount of gain out of the three and
has a much richer tone, although next to the other two, it does actually sound a little bit
muddy. My experience with this mic is that it absolutely needs some EQ'ing to make it shine.
Here's an attempt to getting all three EQ'd to match – peter piper picked a pack
of pickled peppers if peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how many pickled
peppers did peter piper pick – although the Røde is definitely the best mic in
the pack - as it damn well should be! It isn't the perfect tool for all jobs,
in fact I'd say that the cheaper mics, on account of their not being full-blown shotguns,
would be best used in smaller rooms, recording fully, or if you want a bit more of a live sound.
Well that is it for this week, please subscribe if you would like to see more
videos. Don't be afraid to leave a comment below, unless you're going to be like a total
jerk and leave mean comments - don't waste either of our time doing that - y'know it's
like positive energy and stuff, right? Anyway, I will see you next Thursday.