OK, this is a stupid question....

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Rokket

Rokket

Trailing Behind Again
... and you'd think I would know better, but I don't.

A friend of mine has a condensor shotgun mic that he knows nothing about, other than it has a switch to make it short range or long range, and he wants to give it to me. He doesn't know the make or model number, and it's not accessible for now.

What can you do with this, in a recording atmosphere?
 
Shotguns are used in studio a great deal for voiceover work, especially promos and movie trailers. The Sennheiser 416 is a particular favorite in the industry.
If you have no need for such a mic, I can only hope that you might possible make it available to some deserving but underfunded voiceover performer.... :D
 
whyseye said:
Shotguns are used in studio a great deal for voiceover work, especially promos and movie trailers. The Sennheiser 416 is a particular favorite in the industry.
If you have no need for such a mic, I can only hope that you might possible make it available to some deserving but underfunded voiceover performer.... :D
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So it would be worthless for tracking vocals for music? Are they the mics they put on booms for shooting movies too?
I'm sorry if I am asking stupid questions, but my mic knowledge is pretty limited...


EDIT: I just asked him, and it's a Senheiser, but he is not sure which one.
 
Rokket said:
So it would be worthless for tracking vocals for music? Are they the mics they put on booms for shooting movies too?
I'm sorry if I am asking stupid questions, but my mic knowledge is pretty limited...


EDIT: I just asked him, and it's a Senheiser, but he is not sure which one.
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I think that's a pretty standard use. They might be good for a room mic or for guitar cabs. I really don't know. Just inching closer to 1000 posts! :D
 
This is a good bit of info (ranting) about the shotgun's usage in VO:
http://www.coreyburton.com/sennheiser.html

And yes, it's the same kind they put on the long poles for location sound - very narrow pattern. Often have battery power and/or phantom power, long & short capsules for different patterns.

I know it's a standard tool (and sometime lust object) in the VO mic locker - don't know about musical applications, though. Wish I could be more help. (send it ...I'll figure out someting....yeah.....that's the ticket.......)
:D

Have fun playing with it and figuring it out yourself!
 
Rokket said:
OK, this is a stupid question....
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Mr. Garrison said:
There are no stupid questions---only stupid people.
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But seriously, a shotgun mic can have uses. For example, it makes a nice hockey stick if it's long enough. It also can be used to prop up a bass drum with a missing leg. :D

Kidding! They're great if you need to reach out and capture sound from a distance. I'm not sure how practical they would be in a studio (unless it's a movie studio). I would think it would be a little odd to use one for that sort of close miking, since that's not what they were designed to do.

That said, it's worth trying it out. It might be good for some things... like miking a bass drum from a few feet (blocks?) away... or as an overhead mic (waaay overhead...).

Ah, I've got it. Bagpipes.
 
You can use it to listen to people converstations from accross the room.
 
this is kinda curious... maybe like a close mic sound--less room sound, but you can actually give the sound waves their time to develop fully... man, experiment, I'm sure there's some kickin' things you can do with it... dunno what kinda SPL will clip it, but i'd try it out like a condensor in hypercardiod. I bet mic placement will become even more evident since the pattern is so narrow... you can use it to learn exactly where the sweet spot is for whatever you're recording. damn I wish I had one (what can't I say that for, though)
 
Thanks for all the responses. I'll play with it when I get it and let you all know what happens. I bet I can capture an acoustic jam session pretty cool from overhead...
 
Rokket said:
Thanks for all the responses. I'll play with it when I get it and let you all know what happens. I bet I can capture an acoustic jam session pretty cool from overhead...
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Hi bro... do you know what model it is yet?
 
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