Any recommendations for a small hotshoe mic?

[Kisaha]

9 hours ago, kye said:

Even their product page indicates that the 30 stickies only gives it 30 uses, rather than them being a robust solution.  If I bought these for my in-camera mics I don't want to have to re-install them every time I pick up the camera.

https://www.rycote.com.au/products/micro-windjammer-30-uses

I'd be happy to be proven wrong though.

I'm wondering if multiple layers of a thinner material might be a better bet, if I alternated laters of fabric and adhesive tape.  I bought a roll of 3M double-sided tape so I could custom-cut the shape so it could have a large sticky area and hopefully keep things in place for more than one or two uses.

Rycote is a very well know and innovative company from U.K, known for delivering great and cost effective solutions for decades. If I had to started from somewhere, I would definitely start from Rycote.

I split one of those in 2 pieces, put them on my NX500 years and years ago, I do not even remember, maybe 4. They are still there. Experiences may vary greatly of course.

I strongly recommend a dedicated microphone, instead the camera built in mics if/when possible.

[kye]

6 hours ago, Kisaha said:

Rycote is a very well know and innovative company from U.K, known for delivering great and cost effective solutions for decades. If I had to started from somewhere, I would definitely start from Rycote.

I split one of those in 2 pieces, put them on my NX500 years and years ago, I do not even remember, maybe 4. They are still there. Experiences may vary greatly of course.

I strongly recommend a dedicated microphone, instead the camera built in mics if/when possible.

Thanks, that's good to know.  My main focus for this is the GX85, which doesn't have a mic input, so the internals will have to do.  I also shoot a lot with my phone now, but I'm not sure how I would integrate windcovers there.  I looked at external mics for it but they're not super pocketable, so I'm still pondering that one.

[hyalinejim]

I bought the Tascam today as a local shop had it in stock. 

This is now my family/holiday setup. You'll have to imagine my belly there, hanging over the belt of my trousers.

I was tempted by alternatives. To go all out on quality with the Sennheiser - too much money! To stay minimal with the internal mic and a little windjammer - the mics on this cam are at the back: too much me! To buy nothing and stick with the stereo Rode - too top heavy!

I found that the foam from my Rode fits snugly on the Tascam and this coupled with an old Rode windjammer does a much better job than the included windscreen.

[newfoundmass]

It really is a decent little mic. I think it'll serve you well, and you can tweak it to make it sound better.

[IronFilm]

On 4/24/2023 at 8:58 PM, kye said:

People should be recording in whatever is the highest quality they can, absolutely.

Rarely does it make sense to record beyond 24bit 48KHz 

(in my line of work you can for all practical purposes read "rarely" as "never")

[IronFilm]

 

On 4/25/2023 at 7:09 AM, Kisaha said:

Rycote is a very well know and innovative company from U.K, known for delivering great and cost effective solutions for decades. If I had to started from somewhere, I would definitely start from Rycote.

 

Except in recent years they've been brought out and gone downhill. 

("As many will know, Rycote Microphone Windshields — previously a small family-run but world-renowned business on the outskirts of Stroud in the UK Cotswolds — was sold to the Vitec Group Plc back in 2018. The management team stayed on for a few years before leaving in 2021.")

If you dig into it, is kinda crazy just how many of the brands we know and use in the film industry are all owned by Vitec Group (now called Videndum)

Rycote is still a good brand, just don't expect that past history will necessarily predict accurately future performance now. 

2018 was an interesting year, also the same time  Chris Woolf joined Røde:

https://audioxpress.com/news/rycote-lyre-inventor-chris-woolf-joins-rode-microphones-to-work-on-the-development-of-new-shockmounts-and-windshields 

Many of the former people of Rycote have gone off and formed their own new company. 

[hyalinejim]

@IronFilm is there any reason why I shouldn't use the in-camera audio limiter to prevent distortion?

I've never had to use it previously as the vast majority of what I do is with a wireless lav and I just set my in-camera audio levels to clip at the same point that the transmitter clips at.

But for this casual and random run and gun situation going from one environment into another, loud and quiet, it seems to make sense to set the hotshoe mic to high sensitity, set the camera to 0db and use the limiter rather than trying to manualy ride the audio levels to suit the changing environments. What do you reckon?

[kye]

3 hours ago, hyalinejim said:

@IronFilm is there any reason why I shouldn't use the in-camera audio limiter to prevent distortion?

I've never had to use it previously as the vast majority of what I do is with a wireless lav and I just set my in-camera audio levels to clip at the same point that the transmitter clips at.

But for this casual and random run and gun situation going from one environment into another, loud and quiet, it seems to make sense to set the hotshoe mic to high sensitity, set the camera to 0db and use the limiter rather than trying to manualy ride the audio levels to suit the changing environments. What do you reckon?

Test it and see.  It's free and you'll know how it sounds.

[IronFilm]

I'd presume the limiter in the camera is baaaaaaaad.

Don't do that is my presumption.

But like @kye said, give it a try and see how it sounds. 

[hyalinejim]

From my brief tests it sounds to me like there's no difference in quality. I had always assumed that a limiter worked by globally "underexposing" by, say, 6db to give 6db of "highlight headroom". But if it's dynamically applied only when it's needed then it makes sense to use it.

[Kisaha]

12 hours ago, IronFilm said:

 

 

Except in recent years they've been brought out and gone downhill. 

("As many will know, Rycote Microphone Windshields — previously a small family-run but world-renowned business on the outskirts of Stroud in the UK Cotswolds — was sold to the Vitec Group Plc back in 2018. The management team stayed on for a few years before leaving in 2021.")

If you dig into it, is kinda crazy just how many of the brands we know and use in the film industry are all owned by Vitec Group (now called Videndum)

Rycote is still a good brand, just don't expect that past history will necessarily predict accurately future performance now. 

2018 was an interesting year, also the same time  Chris Woolf joined Røde:

https://audioxpress.com/news/rycote-lyre-inventor-chris-woolf-joins-rode-microphones-to-work-on-the-development-of-new-shockmounts-and-windshields 

Many of the former people of Rycote have gone off and formed their own new company. 

I know about the buying out. What new company?

the aforementioned product is with the old regime!

[IronFilm]

6 hours ago, Kisaha said:

I know about the buying out. What new company?

Forgot their name, they haven't launched any products yet which you can buy right now today. But they've been around at the tradeshows though, showing what they've got in development coming soon.