@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.

@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.

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.

You could buy a two box rig, but you might also consider the one box rig, since it has less boxes. The ISK mic is pretty noisy with a bright top end and no bass extension in case you ever need that. If you only record dialog, the lack of bass is like a built in roll off, but it is usually better to get something that has some bass and also a roll off switch.

Maybe they changed the design. I looked at one that was really bright on top--then rolled off above 17k, with a rolloff in the bass, but maybe they changed the design. 20dB self noise is way too high for a mic, but maybe that also has changed. Anyway, the price is right... specs and polar here http://procanaudio.ca/CM-20C.pdf

@drdave I have no opinion on the Fostex as I've never used it so would defer to the opinion of others, such as yourself, who have.

@DrDave

Thanks for your answer, it's interesting to see someone who tested so much mikes :-)

This mic has bogus specs because the frequency response is not +/- 3dB. If you look at the frequency plot you can see the roll-off. It is a typical trick that budget mics use to try to compete with other designs.

Hmm. I think that you need more than one response at one angle to judge any mike. It can be very complicated, especially inside, and especially if you talk about bass (in fact, anything below 500-800Hz).

Getting back to the ISK, I prefer the omni capsule to both the cardioid and the "super", but they are all relatively noisy compare to other budget designs, as well as to the Oktavas.

Can you tell me about this "other budget designs" ?

Also, the Oktavas (especially since the upgraded their own preamps) have a much more natural treble and better bass extension, especially on sibilance for dialog.

How we can measure "more natural treble" and "better bass extension" ? Or you just mean more flat response? Why do you think it is so important (considering that such mikes won't be used by most people for concert recordings :-) )?

Test from different angles--yes, of course, always do that, easy to do. Not complicated.

Other budget designs: For voice over I like the Studio Projects B1. It is better in all respects than the ISK, and has upgradable circuits. I purchased four of these for $85 or less on eBay, new, the price varies. I kept one, modded one (replaced the circuits and retensioned the capsule) and gave the other two to students. However, unless you replace the housing (which I did) it is heavy to boom. I never use them, I use my other, more expensive mics. But it is excellent for the price.

Other budget designs, for boom--I like the redesigned Naiant. The old one was good but a little noisy, the new one is very quiet at 15dBa. Caveat--this is a cheap mic! But well made. I also like the Zoom recorders, and I always have my students buy the Zooms because you can also learn MS which is very handy for voice interviews if you have the right decoder where you can change the pattern in post.

Other budget, boom. Buy a used Oktava and a $30 mod kit, or pay someone a few bucks to mod it. It's a great mic, quiet, smooth treble and excellent bass extension for the mod. Cheap capsules which are excellent value.

Measure extension, bass and treble: I use acoustic musical instruments, like double bass, pipe organ, handbells, flutes, whistles, and percussion. You can tell in 10 seconds if the mic can handle it, and the cheap ones usually don't. One thing you will find is more often than not, a cheap mic will have a "rumble bump" in the bass--basically, there is a bump in the FR in the range of 50-60Hz that seriously aggravates traffic and ventilator noise, fans and so on. The DPA 4006 is immune to this annoying sound, but it is expensive. Huge difference, audible bass, but no rumble. Music, no noise. Voice, no truck. Here are sweeps where a guy left the fan on to show the rumble BS in the specs for different mics: http://www.audioimprov.com/AudioImprov/Mics/Entries/2012/12/4_Getting_some_distance.html

Concert recording vs spoken voice: I personally think a good mic, whether it is a Coles 4040, the DPA 4006, the MKH 40 or the absolute industry standard, the MK41, is better on voice, whether sung, spoken, whispered or yelled. They also work well on instruments. I don't like the AKG for music, but they are good on voice and very quiet, they are a bit of an exception. They aren't as good as the MKH 40 or the MK41 for either voice or music, however.

Hacking: if you are into hacking, the MXL 603 aka 991 is really cheap and you can hack it to sound better. It's a bit bright unless you mod the capsule, but the preamp design is excellent. You can pay someone to hack it, too http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=119

Noise: very few mics in the sub $100 dollar range are quiet. But there are a few.

Resale value: I sold a pair of Schoeps for more than double what I paid for them. Budget mics are hard to sell, and you sell them at a loss. I usually just give them away to recording students. Oktavas are right in the sweet spot: they are cheap, lightweight, moddable, sound good, you can put all kinds of capsules from other mics on them, and they hold their value. Do they sound like an MK41? No.

Overall value: if you add up the maybe fifty mics mics I bought in the $50-$100 range, none of which I ever use unless I run out of mics (like in a big orchestra with double redundant systems) I could have bought a matched pair of MK41s instead. Ooops. My bad.

For voice over I like the Studio Projects B1. It is better in all respects than the ISK, and has upgradable circuits. I purchased four of these for $85 or less on eBay, new, the price varies. I kept one, modded one (replaced the circuits and retensioned the capsule) and gave the other two to students.

I am confused. It is different mikes for different tasks.

I like the redesigned Naiant. The old one was good but a little noisy, the new one is very quiet at 15dBa. Caveat--this is a cheap mic!

What mike exactly do you mean from http://www.naiant.com/naiant/microphones.html ?

This is hyper capsule FR:

We are also talking about cheap mikes only here.

But well made. I also like the Zoom recorders, and I always have my students buy the Zooms because you can also learn MS which is very handy for voice interviews if you have the right decoder where you can change the pattern in post.

You mean here only build in mikes? As all small Zoom recorders usually have worst preamps compared to competition.

Other budget, boom. Buy a used Oktava and a $30 mod kit, or pay someone a few bucks to mod it. It's a great mic, quiet, smooth treble and excellent bass extension for the mod. Cheap capsules which are excellent value.

Hmm, Oktava is most suggested mike usually :-), with most amount of fake copies (including capsules) available.

Measure extension, bass and treble: I use acoustic musical instruments, like double bass, pipe organ, handbells, flutes, whistles, and percussion. You can tell in 10 seconds if the mic can handle it, and the cheap ones usually don't. One thing you will find is more often than not, a cheap mic will have a "rumble bump" in the bass--basically, there is a bump in the FR in the range of 50-60Hz that seriously aggravates traffic and ventilator noise, fans and so on. The DPA 4006 is immune to this annoying sound, but it is expensive.

Under measurement I mean measurement, not just personal opinion. Also, can you show me good condenser mike FR with big bump in 50-60Hz? From me measurement experience if you are doing it in real room FR of mike below about 500Hz is not super important as reflections will add much more inconsistency, especially in bass department (and it all change with place).

Resale value: I sold a pair of Schoeps for more than double what I paid for them. Budget mics are hard to sell, and you sell them at a loss.

And this make very little sense, as 99% of people won't be selling /buying mikes constantly.

Overall value: if you add up the maybe fifty mics mics I bought in the $50-$100 range, none of which I ever use unless I run out of mics (like in a big orchestra with double redundant systems) I could have bought a matched pair of MK41s instead.

Same here,

I use zoom h4n + rode ntg1, all connected and set up on a shoulder rig for docu-style work. When I do paid gigs alone I find that I frequently use GH2 on-board mic for most important interviews and shit. If I had even more buttons to press in my recording chain, I'd probably use GH2 audio even more!

I kick my sound gear a lot when I come to edit, so I can say that it is quite sturdy, and yes, it delivers decent audio (when rolling).

There's wired and wireless, and it's a big topic that is covered elsewhere on this site, but basically I like the Sennheiser system for wireless. Lots of people on this site have made their own comparisons as well.

For wired, look at this page for starters http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/lavs_brockett.html I don't agree with him on studio type mics, but I pretty much do on wired lavs, except as noted below.

I personally don't like the "TV" sound, like you hear on broadcast networks, for me it is dry and artificially harsh, like fluorescent light. So for wired I lean towards the DPA lineup, as well as the Sonotrim, and away from Sanken. But that is taste, and Sanken is used a lot in some productions. DPA makes great miniature mics, and you can use them for music videos as well as dialog. For a bit less money, there is the Voice Technologies VT-400.

In the SD-302 to Zoom H4N he is running two limiters. Much better to have one limiter.

Just in case :-)