Mic for podcast 18" out of frame?

Hello All,

First post here at IAIB. I am planning do an running series of 5-12 minute video podcasts for my business. I have a C920 Pro webcam that works fine (with access to a better camera if needed), a homemade teleprompter, some softboxes, Shure 57 and 58 mics and an assortment boom stands and cords leftover from my fading musical ambitions.

I also got an ATR2100 mic to be compatible with the USB-based C920 webcam. It worked -- but the native Windows 7 drivers couldn't get the volume up to a useable level unless the mic was in my mouth. I'd like it to be out of frame. What I have on order to finish the mini-studio is an ATR-3350 lav mic and a Scarlett 2i2 interface so I can have a little more control over the input level.

I'm still thinking about an intermediate-grade hypercardioid or shotgun mic that can be boomed over me while I'm sitting at a desk. Pretty quiet indoor environment. The AT875r or one of the Rode on-camera mini shotguns kept coming up but I'm open. $100 to $200 is the budget. I've scoured the web but haven't really found a conversation where someone says if you want to keep the mic out of a medium-shot, get one of "these".

Any thoughts would be appreciated. The lav will get here next week. I'll see how that goes and get back to this thread with results.

Thanks, sh

I am not sure if this thread will help you or not; http://forum.ibroadcastnetwork.org/s...hlight=shotgun

This mic seems interesting;
Vidpro XM-88: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...l/prm/alsVwDtl

You could contact Mike Phillips (IAIB) or Curtis Judd on YouTube. I am sure Mike will see this thread and reply (Great guy).

What soft boxes are you using?
Can you give some tips or show your homemade teleprompter?

Thanks MovieBuff,

I did look at those. There are maybe half a dozen choices ranging from $30 to $200 that will work. I'll see how the lav goes and make a decision.

I got the softboxes here: http://www.amazon.com/PBL-PHOTOGRAPH...+24%22+SOFTBOX

The teleprompter was cobbled together with a 2X4' piece of 3/4" plywood along these lines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5_B8yksQmo but there are lots of vids and articles about similar ideas. The C920 webcam is bolted to a piece of 1/4" ply and can be mounted on one of several slots dadoed into the box. One slot was for this camera and my assistant has a nice DLSR we can use in a different slot -- although the picture on this looks fine.

I bit the bullet and got a piece of beamsplitter glass here:

http://www.telepromptermirror.com/te...ptersglass.htm

It is supposed to be better than glass out of a picture frame. There is still a bit of a double-image but I can read it from far enough away that it is hard to follow my eyes across the screen. I got the software from these guys:

http://www.movieclip.biz/prompt.html

You are supposed to be able to do this with Word but you have to black out the background with the letters in white and then reverse the text because you are reading it off a mirror. Scroll speed is adjustable but we will have to practice. Other teleprompter versions use two panes of glass so you don't have to do that.

Good luck with your own projects, sh

Thanks for the info. :-)
Keep us updated on the LAV mics.

If you have a look at Tom Sinclair's videos you will see he does what you are trying to achieve. www.easternshorebroadcasting.com or his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ThatVidBlasterGuy/videos

I'm thinking of a mic for a shot like this in terms of space over people's heads. It seems like you would need a foot and a half (38 cm) of clearance. With two people, maybe two mics? A pair of Samson C02's is intriguing. sh

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That looks great! Thanks for sharing the mic details. Great price point too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...crophones.html

Oh, that's not me. I subscribe to their weekly market podcast. I just put in the picture to give you an idea what kind of overhead room there was in the frame. I'm not even sure what you call something like this. Most podcasts have a tighter shot. This is mini-studio of some kind. I'd just like to know what kind of mic you would use. I did send them an email to ask as well. sh

There's a way you can mask the microphones out and have them closer to the hosts by using Wirecast and by a still or video of the background.