Best Budget DSLR Mic

[KirbyTech]

Okay and? You can figure out by how it sounds if it will do music. Not hard just takes a little tiny bit of brain power.

[TheCookieGuru]

Newegg has announced a store-wide sale. 

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/416975-newegg-store-wide-sale/

 

I believe they sell microphones, so if you can find a good deal, go for it. The sale starts in about and hour and 20 mins and will go on for 24 hours.

[halomonster]

i brought a rode videomic of ebay for £35 new

[Gershy13]

i brought a rode videomic of ebay for £35 new

wow awesome! ill keep an eye on ebay!

[ALwin]

Hi Guys,

 

I need a mic for my 650d. I have been using the onboard mic, and honestly, it doesnt sound that bad sometimes! it has decent bass.. And i was shocked at how good it picked up the piano! My brother was playing it, and i was just messing around and recording outside the window.. it was a rainy day, and it looked quite good! he didnt play very low, but it sounded decent..

 

But im going to be recording stuff like that.. just jamming sessions.. and i need a mic that will pic up music nicely... i will be mainly recording music, and like ambient sounds, maybe sometimes a little bit of voice... 

So i need a good mic... instruments will mainly be guitar(acoustic, electric), piano, bass (just a little), and maybe a little bit of drums... it doesnt have to sound amazing, just good enough... but mainly focusing on the guitar and piano.. I will also be shooting stuff like worship services, where everything is mixed up...  

 

It needs to be fairly cheap, im looking at a max of £30ish...

 

I can provide you with some of the samples i got from the internal mic.. its not that bad... just not good enough...

 

Thanks

Gershy13

 

If I'm not too late answering your request, a single mic will not do everything you want.  There are various types of microphones and you need to know how each one of them picks up audio.  And different situations/environments require different microphones.

 

For DSLR's, you have two main options for mics that mount onto the hotshoe: Directional and Stereo

Or you could get a recorder like the Zoom H1 which can be mounted onto the hotshoe of a camera using a mini ballhead.  The audio quality will be much better than the built-in mic of your camera.

[Gershy13]

If I'm not too late answering your request, a single mic will not do everything you want.  There are various types of microphones and you need to know how each one of them picks up audio.  And different situations/environments require different microphones.

 

For DSLR's, you have two main options for mics that mount onto the hotshoe: Directional and Stereo

Or you could get a recorder like the Zoom H1 which can be mounted onto the hotshoe of a camera using a mini ballhead.  The audio quality will be much better than the built-in mic of your camera.

Thanks, no your not too late...

I agree with you that i probably need 2 mics... the zoom h1 is a little too expensive for me... and then the mic on it isnt great...

I cannot find a decent stereo mic... they are all £100+

I think i need a stereo mic first... as i will be recording in a not so loud environment...

[ALwin]

The Zoom H1 may be the cheapest good quality stereo mic you can get.  I use it for field work, the quality is very good.  Of course, audio recording all depends on where you are recording.  Indoors you have few issues, outdoors you have to take into consideration ambiance noise, wind noise, background noise, etc.

The Zoom H1 is also partially directional, it will pick up less of what it is not aimed towards.  If you want a cheaper directional mic for your camera, consider the Nikon ME-1.  Just make sure you can connect it to your camera's audio jack first.

 

Mics also need to be a certain distance away from the audio source to capture good quality audio.  Don't think just because you have a high quality directional shotgun mic that you can pick up audio from 100m away.  Indoors you could perhaps, but outdoors or any environment with lots of background noise it will he hard.

[Gershy13]

The Zoom H1 may be the cheapest good quality stereo mic you can get.  I use it for field work, the quality is very good.  Of course, audio recording all depends on where you are recording.  Indoors you have few issues, outdoors you have to take into consideration ambiance noise, wind noise, background noise, etc.

The Zoom H1 is also partially directional, it will pick up less of what it is not aimed towards.  If you want a cheaper directional mic for your camera, consider the Nikon ME-1.  Just make sure you can connect it to your camera's audio jack first.

 

Mics also need to be a certain distance away from the audio source to capture good quality audio.  Don't think just because you have a high quality directional shotgun mic that you can pick up audio from 100m away.  Indoors you could perhaps, but outdoors or any environment with lots of background noise it will he hard.

the nikon is a bit expensive, im mainly going to be using it indoors for music... so decent bass will be nice...

I dont need a shotgun as of now... just a stereo...

[ALwin]

the nikon is a bit expensive, im mainly going to be using it indoors for music... so decent bass will be nice...

I dont need a shotgun as of now... just a stereo...

I had to recheck the price, I thought the ME-1 was around $50... my mistake.

 

Are you located in North America?  Check out B&H for various brands and options of mics to choose from.  One thing you can do, if you have a phone like the iPhone or an Android, is get a microphone attachment and use the phone as a recording device.  The audio quality will depend on the mic and is independent of the phone.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/ENG-EFP-Microphones/ci/14931/N/4291081667

 

Ignore the cheap lav mics, they are just the microphone parts without the recording blocks or the wireless transmitters/receivers.

[Gershy13]

I had to recheck the price, I thought the ME-1 was around $50... my mistake.

 

Are you located in North America?  Check out B&H for various brands and options of mics to choose from.  One thing you can do, if you have a phone like the iPhone or an Android, is get a microphone attachment and use the phone as a recording device.  The audio quality will depend on the mic and is independent of the phone.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/ENG-EFP-Microphones/ci/14931/N/4291081667

 

Ignore the cheap lav mics, they are just the microphone parts without the recording blocks or the wireless transmitters/receivers.

Sorry, im from the UK... Can i really use a lav mic for music? also, i dont have a phone sadly... im waiting to get one...

[ALwin]

Sorry, im from the UK... Can i really use a lav mic for music? also, i dont have a phone sadly... im waiting to get one...

 

Yes you can use a lav mic for recording.  One case scenario where I use a lav mic (omnidirectional and not cardioid) is when I have only 1 mic and need to record audio sources, for example people sitting around a table and talking, I place the mic in the center and record the audio.

 

If you are recording a band practice and you only have 1 microphone to use hang it above and slightly in front of the band.  If its an omnidirectional mic you don't need to aim it, if its cardioid or directional, you need to play around with positioning and aiming to see what is the best spot.

Look on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_n_23?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A1330687031%2Ck%3Amicrophone&keywords=microphone&ie=UTF8&qid=1438772829&rnid=1642204031

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=microphone

[Gershy13]

Yes you can use a lav mic for recording.  One case scenario where I use a lav mic (omnidirectional and not cardioid) is when I have only 1 mic and need to record audio sources, for example people sitting around a table and talking, I place the mic in the center and record the audio.

 

If you are recording a band practice and you only have 1 microphone to use hang it above and slightly in front of the band.  If its an omnidirectional mic you don't need to aim it, if its cardioid or directional, you need to play around with positioning and aiming to see what is the best spot.

Look on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_n_23?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A1330687031%2Ck%3Amicrophone&keywords=microphone&ie=UTF8&qid=1438772829&rnid=1642204031

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=microphone

i thought lav mics arent very sensitive... and do they have good bass pickup?

[ALwin]

Sensitivity depends on environment and quality of the mic.  I don't think they have good bass pickup though, not that I ever cared to check.  Do you know anyone who works in the audio industry?  Talk to them and get their advice.  Or go to a forum dedicated on recording video/audio.

 

Your budget is on the very low side of things, so there are limits to what you can get.  Maybe the 2nd hand market will have good quality products for your budget that would normally cost a lot if purchased new.

[Gershy13]

Sensitivity depends on environment and quality of the mic.  I don't think they have good bass pickup though, not that I ever cared to check.  Do you know anyone who works in the audio industry?  Talk to them and get their advice.  Or go to a forum dedicated on recording video/audio.

 

Your budget is on the very low side of things, so there are limits to what you can get.  Maybe the 2nd hand market will have good quality products for your budget that would normally cost a lot if purchased new.

No i dont know anyone... can you suggest some forums?

[ALwin]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_36_0?rnid=405443031&rh=n%3A340837031%2Cn%3A!340838031%2Cn%3A407786031%2Cn%3A407788031%2Cp_36%3A405445031&qid=1438773845&bbn=407788031&low-price=20&high-price=100&x=0&y=0

 

Here are some nice looking condenser microphones on Amazon UK.  Price range between 20-100 (some may list much lower prices for used products).  Read the reviews, check to see how they connect, and how they are powered.  Avoid anything that may require phantom power, your DSLR will definitely not be able to provide enough, and obviously anything that requires an XLR connection.

 

I don't know any forums, Google is your friend.

[Gershy13]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_36_0?rnid=405443031&rh=n%3A340837031%2Cn%3A!340838031%2Cn%3A407786031%2Cn%3A407788031%2Cp_36%3A405445031&qid=1438773845&bbn=407788031&low-price=20&high-price=100&x=0&y=0

 

Here are some nice looking condenser microphones on Amazon UK.  Price range between 20-100 (some may list much lower prices for used products).  Read the reviews, check to see how they connect, and how they are powered.  Avoid anything that may require phantom power, your DSLR will definitely not be able to provide enough, and obviously anything that requires an XLR connection.

 

I don't know any forums, Google is your friend.

ok thanks... 

[moderategamer]

its a little more than i want..  also, because its directional, it wouldnt do very well with worship service thing?

I wont be able to pick all the instruements up even at home, because they will all be playing out of seperate amps

I can't help you with the MIC but as for electric guitar and anything that you will be using an amp with it would be better to just get the line out and record it directly.  

[Gershy13]

I can't help you with the MIC but as for electric guitar and anything that you will be using an amp with it would be better to just get the line out and record it directly.  

but record it with what... thats the problem... i can get a line out for most of the stuff.. also its not only at home with amps... at instrumental concerts where there is not mics... so i have to pick it up myself... like a grand piano, or saxophone...

[moderategamer]

but record it with what... thats the problem... i can get a line out for most of the stuff.. also its not only at home with amps... at instrumental concerts where there is not mics... so i have to pick it up myself... like a grand piano, or saxophone...

Well when you're at home just run it through your MIC/Line in input on your PC/Laptop and download some free recording software job done but for concerts you're stuck with the MIC which is never ideal as so much is lost.

[Gershy13]

Well when you're at home just run it through your MIC/Line in input on your PC/Laptop and download some free recording software job done but for concerts you're stuck with the MIC which is never ideal as so much is lost.

Don't have a laptop.... Only a pc... And that's too big and bulky to carry around... For the concert what mic would be best in my budget??

[ALwin]

Don't have a laptop.... Only a pc... And that's too big and bulky to carry around... For the concert what mic would be best in my budget??

 

No mic you can buy for under 30GBP will ever be good for recording a concert.  30GBP is a kid's allowance budget, it's very far from an enthusiast's budget, you will have a very hard time to get any product of decent quality to get the sort of audio quality you want.

[Gershy13]

No mic you can buy for under 30GBP will ever be good for recording a concert. 30GBP is a kid's allowance budget, it's very far from an enthusiast's budget, you will have a very hard time to get any product of decent quality to get the sort of audio quality you want.

Ok what price would you recommend? Max 100

[ALwin]

Yes definitely 100GBP will get you a decent product, perhaps 2 products if you know where to look.

 

But unless you are able to talk to the stage manager at a concert and get access to their line-outs to install your recording device, hardly any mic will ever get you good audio recording from the audience seats.  Unless you don't mind having all the background and ambiance sounds recorded too.

[Gershy13]

Yes definitely 100GBP will get you a decent product, perhaps 2 products if you know where to look.

Ok, which mic for a concert like that? Stereo preferably... There won't be any background noise...

[ALwin]

Ok, which mic for a concert like that? Stereo preferably... There won't be any background noise...

 

Where are you going to be recording from? 

 

If you're trying to record clean audio, get a recording device connected to the line-outs or soundboard being used.  Otherwise a directional mic will have to do, but even a directional shotgun mic will still pick up background noise if it is loud enough.