What's new
What's new

OT- Recommend wireless voice microphone for machine tool videos ?

Milacron

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 15, 2000
Location
SC, USA
In other words, a small mic that clips on the shirt (or ?) so that voice narration is clear even when moderately loud background machine noise is present. To be used with mid range "pro" camcorder like Canon XA40

How about this one for example?

https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-A...less+microphone+system&qid=1576685375&sr=8-14

Would gladly pay a bit more (up to 150 bucks ?) for a system with significantly better sound quality.... if another 100 bucks would make any difference in that regard, which it might not...but you tell me...:gossip:
 
In other words, a small mic that clips on the shirt (or ?) so that voice narration is clear even when moderately loud background machine noise is present. To be used with mid range "pro" camcorder like Canon XA40

How about this one for example?

https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-A...less+microphone+system&qid=1576685375&sr=8-14

Would gladly pay a bit more (up to 150 bucks ?) for a system with significantly better sound quality.... if another 100 bucks would make any difference in that regard, which it might not...but you tell me...:gossip:

Machine shops tend to be noisy, so a noise-cancelling mic is essential. Noise-cancelling mics also largely eliminate the room echo in smaller hard-walled rooms. The headset mics are likely to work better in a noisey environment, because the mic is closer to the speaker's mouth than for a lapel mic.

The Amazon one above does claim to be noise cancelling, but be careful, as many noise cancelling mics are not very effective at that. Scan the reviews from one star up, and look for patterns. Also, if the one-star bar is much longer than the pattern of the other bars would suggest, the unit in question probably has a high failure rate. Don't believe ratings unless there are at least 30 raters -- too easily manipulated.
 
Are you looking for something to connect directly to the camera or are you planning to use some kind of recorder and mix the audio when post processing the video?
 
I have spent some time looking into mics for a dslr, but not much experience with using one. (so take my input with that consideration)

It seemed to me like $150-200 can get you a fairly nice mic, and then $350-550 you can get something really nice. I think that I would consider finding something standalone if looking at cheap budget models. More dependable if it just records to the device on your person (than if it also has to transmit back to the camera), and then just sync the audio in post. Not sure what your intended use is, but people are more likely to put up with poor vid quality than they are poor audio quality when watching things.
 
"Rode" brand mics, any product in the line. They are a stand-by in the online video community. If you want to "up your game" a bit, then ZOOM brand is more professional-grade for audio.
 
Hoping not to spend 300 bucks but this FM signal wireless he uses looks like a quality setup...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...X0DER&linkId=5c830ae1610256eda7e51d31f26977ff

Although both the (UHF) mic I noted my original post and this (FM) one have mostly good reviews, both have some worrisome negative reviews as well. Maybe I'll buy both and return whichever works best. :smoking:
 
I don´t know what to recommend.

But used to work long ago with many industrial broadcast-video companies and post-production shops.
Per oscilloscope readings, price may have low or zero correlation with quality.

The suggested mic may be great, ok, or crap, and price has nothing to do with it.

S:
google for pro audio/video sites and mic reviews, then pic one from a brand that has generally good reviews.

E:
In the uk and other countries, in tests like consumer report and tekniikan maailma and others, samsung washers tended to get 3 models in the best 5 tested.
Conclusion: Obviously samsung (big) washers were excellent, generally, overall.
I just picked the right model, about 700€ (w. 5 year extended service warranty at 60€), vs a miele or something at 1400€.

The brand name mics are not necessarily better than cheap china mics for 1/3 the cost.
But a lot of cheap china anything is weak-to-poor, as well.

Lately, china tends to have chinese brands with excellent value for money in midrange products, metrology and ac brushless servos for one, linear guides for another (getting better).
 
If background noise is the primary problem, get a noise cancelling microphone to wear on your head, either by headset or over one ear. If price is also a consideration, get a $35 gamers headset, as professional gear (studio or stage) is about 10X that price, not counting any necessary wireless remotes, phantom power, or adapters to non-pro connectors. If discreet appearance (narration while on camera) is a major issue, the ear-mounted mics are the best solution.

The classic alternative to a noise cancelling microphone is a cardioid pattern lavalier microphone, clipped to your collar or shirt front. However, these are subject to more background noise than a true noise cancelling mic. You might expect a hyper-cardioid pattern mic to be more selective than a cardioid pattern, but this is not the case as hyper-cardioid mics pick up from behind as well as in front.

hanermo is correct that price is not well correlated with performance. Pro brands demand a premium price, regardless of functionality. But some cheap crap is just cheap crap, too.
 
Head-worn noise cancelling will be best for noise rejection. It may not be as hi-fi as a standard mic, but intelligibility will be better.

That said, when it comes time to edit your videos, there are editor plug-ins that can sample and digitally minimize constant background noise. This can be done on a scene-by-scene basis for differing noise signatures.

And finally, any time you're showing close-ups of machine details, shooting over an operator's shoulder, or the on-camera speaker is way far away from the camera, you can get by with voice-over recorded in a more quiet atmosphere. Remember, people will be looking at the machine more than you.
 
Are you looking for something to connect directly to the camera or are you planning to use some kind of recorder and mix the audio when post processing the video?

Whatever you are using on your channel (watch wes work) certainly delivers excellent sound quality.
 








 
Back
Top