Just a few things to think about in sound: first, most movies and videos don't have very good sound. Second, most people buy the wrong gear. And third, the way you use the gear is more important than the gear. So for example if someone recommends the DR 680, and has tested it hundreds of times, and it is cheap and sounds good, statistics show that many people will read about it, do careful research, and then buy something worse. That's just the way the world works.

So the question is, how do you know if you are one of the people who buys the right gear or the wrong gear, and also if you know how to use it?

Well, as it turns out, as compared to ten years ago, it is really easy to test this stuff. Learning how to use it is a more difficult matter. One thing for sure is that there is no point in reading online advice unless the person has actually recorded something and put it online. But it still is a good idea to just learn the basics. Or just buy the FR2LE or the 680 and stop worrying. Stress is bad.

One thing to remember is that shotgun mics don't sound very good. That's why the mic with the best reputation, the Schoeps MK41, is a supercardioid, not a shotgun mic. So when recording dialog, or anything else, remember that the shotgun mic is very, very useful, and you have to have one, but don't use it if you don't need to, because they don't sound very good.

@Spacewig Many ppl, myself included, have extensively tested have tested the noise in the Fostex FR2LE and the preamps are super quiet and very high quality, and they are more than good enough for dialog. There is absolutely no need to add an extra box and cables and use line in.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev Yes I read this thread and I am also considering the mic you talked about. I'll check Shipito but i dont like custom surprises! :-) The DR-680 seems to be one of the cheapest external recorders with good preamps.

@spacewig @Peter123456 thanks, i am also considering this route (cheap recorder and preamp). It adds complexity but also versatility as I can record in different ways: camera+preamp+mic (avoiding audio sync.) , recorder+preamp+mic (max. quality) and recorder+lavalier (small and portable kit easy to hide). If the USBpre needs a computer i'll research other options...trying to find a "cheap" and good quality preamp.

@pedro_es

The following are only opinions:

I am in the process of dialogue editing a short where an ntg-2 and a Sennheiser mkh416 (both shotgun mics) were used. I find the NTG-2 sounds aggressive in the upper-mids; quite an unflattering timbre compared to the 416 which is much smoother. This mic can sometimes be found under $400.

Also, forget about the quality of the preamps found in digital portable recorders as they are almost always shit unless you are paying mucho dinero$. These recoders are aimed at the musician market which buy these almost exclusively to record instruments/vocals/rehearsals which are much, much louder than dialogue thereby masking internal noise and rendering the issue moot. Use only the recorder line-in and invest in a decent pre-amp. There are many suggestions floating around. I found a used sound devices mixpre for $350 which is a great unit. Another very affordable alternative (but that requires modification) is to buy an older sound devices usb-pre (they can often be had for a steal) and power it via the USB connection with a portable battery.

What about the mics?, i am trying to find the cheapest mic...with good audio quality :-)

Check one for recent discussions. I refereed to cheap hyper mike. Ask @Rambo about it.

I understand the DR 680 is great but the price is high here in Europe i thought is was overkill. I dont want to spend twice, so maybe I should rise my budget.

You can buy it in US, ship to Shipito or other intermediary, make your own customs declaration :-) And hope for the best.

I stumbled across this forum, and note that my name is being taken in vain here :-)

My assertion that 37 is the optimum gain on the Zoom H1 for all typical recording is based on the use of the Internal microphones. When you plug in an external mic, that is an entirely different ballgame.

To check the level at which overload occurs with the H1 at a gain setting of 37, I mounted my Sound Level Meter alongside the H1 and found that clipping starts at almost exactly 100dbA. Which is an (uncomfortably loud) sound level you are unlikely to exceed in normal video scenarios :) Obviously, if you are in a Disco you will need to lower the gain somewhat :-)

I am planing to buy some hardware to improve and learn about audio recording. I dont want to spend a lot of money but I would like to be able to provide a good audio quality.

After some researching I am still not sure about some hardware choices and I would appreciate your advice! I am planning to do some narrative work and interviews.

This is the kit i am considering:

External recorder:

I was considering the Tascam Dr-40. The price is ok and it has more features than I need, but it seems that the preamps are bad, and, if it is possible, I don't want to compromise audio quality.

I also like the Rolad R-05 but it doesn't have XLR inputs and I think this can be a big limitation. Is it?

Using Rolad R-05 or the Zoom H1 with and external preamp seem to be other options but it increases complexity and i don't know much about preamps.

The Roland R-26 seems the way to go but it is a bit expensive.

¿Any other option with reasonable price and good preamps?

Indoor mic:

Superlux S241

Outdoor mic:

At the moment i don't have a clear candidate. The NTG-2 seems to be ok but not very good. The MXL FR 300 is unavailable, and i don't know other options for this price range.

Lavalier:

Some cheap one like this: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/6152/ultradisk-lavalier-microphone

¿Any advice about this? ¿Any pice of hardware i am missing? Thanks a lot!

If the 3.5 mm input is a stereo input, you can attach two mono mics with a Y-cable wired a certain way, and they'll be recorded to separate tracks. I wouldn't try to record two mics on one track without some kind of mixer to adjust the levels.

To clarify: I wouldn't always use it handheld, as surround wouldn't be of much use then (except for recording my breathing and moving sounds perhaps...). I would also put it in the middle of the space for getting immersive/ambient sound, for example.

For a multi-cam shoot, I've found nothing more convenient than using an AF100 as a tripod-mounted, video-synced, 2-channel audio recorder. The built-in XLR's, manual level controls, and flexible signal padding and routing make it a pleasure to work with for an audio engineer. In addition, I find the AF100's video waveform monitor very useful for analyzing exposure issues that are often difficult to spot on the GH2, which I've calibrated the AF100's exposure and color balance to match.

For a live event, I typically want a fixed, wide-angle view of the whole stage for use as a master timeline, and the AF100 handles this reliably with more than adequate video quality. The GH2, OTOH, is ideal for close-ups and dynamic handheld shots. Most importantly, leaving the audio to the AF100 makes it a much saner proposition to shoot live video with the GH2. I also have a Zoom H4N, and it's great for portable 4-channel recordings, but the preamps are noisy and the digital controls are annoying to fuss with on a shoot.

After squeezing out every bit of information on this forum about sound equipment ;-) I got myselfe a Marantz PMD 661 recorder (used) and a MXL FR-300 microphone (new) - thanks @Vitaliy_Kiselev for the tip.

I have hardly any experience with audio equipment, but as far as I can tell this combo sounds really good. Very clean, low selfe noise, good signal even from a distance and very good built quality. I even ordered a second MXL FR-300 for stereo recordings (MXL stopped producing the FR-300, so I had to order it from Australia - very strange, because the follow up microphone is not ready for mass production yet.)

Guys, whoever needs big dynamic range and needs to use ceirtain input gain like @trevmar or @balazer debated (value 37 on the H1) there is good solution to avoid clipping if your sound source is loud: Schoeps MDZ 10 or 20:

http://www.schoeps.de/en/products/mdz

@MattRobertson7 +1

I double that. Great little thing, besides the missing XLR outputs. Kinda flimsy when you want to feed the signal into a camera using the 3.5mm plugs...