External Mic Camcorders
what is a good external mic for camcorders?
specifically for recording live music.
An external mic is only part of the equation… Manual audio control is probably more important.
When the audio is really loud, the auto-mic gain can be overwhelmed resulting in very muddy audio and lots of clipping. Manual audio control will bypass the auto-mic gain and eliminate that problem. I have successfully recorded live screamer/metal bands with both the camcorder’s internal mics and external mics – and was successful only because of the camcorder’s manual audio control. (I use a Sony HDR-HC1 and HDR-FX1.)
The least expensive camcorders with a mic jack are the Canon ZR900, ZR930 and ZR960. As well, the FS series and HF series have mic jacks too… NONE of these has manual audio control… BUT if you use pro-grade XLR mics and use an XLR adapter like those from juicedLink or BeachTek, when you plug the XLR adapter into the camcorder’s 1/8″ (3.5″) stereo, the auto-mic gain circuit is bypassed. Use the audio gain knobs on the XLR adapter to control the audio levels going in to the camcorder – they all have an option to view the audio levels on the LCD screen so you know the audio is not peaking/clipping.
A few Sony consumer camcorders have an single setting in the menu for “Normal” audio or “Low” gain setting for REALLY loud audio – this is in the MicRefLevel menu option. Not enough control for for me – and the camcorders don’t have a mic jack…
The least expensive camcorders currently available with a mic jack AND manual audio control (of which I am aware) are the Canon HV20/HV30/HV40 and the Sony HDR-HC9.
I own/use an Audio Technica AT-825. If your camcorder has manual audio control and a 1/8″ audio jack, you can use the AT-822. For the low-end, their ATR-25 and PRO-24 are decent. The RODE Stereo Video mic is pretty good… I like the Shure VP-88, too.
If the audio is really loud, stay away from hard disc drive camcorders (most don’t have a mic jack, so this does not really matter) – HDD cams have problems with vibration and can stop recording and provide a “buffer overflow” message. The hard drive heads are parking in an effort to protect the hard drive platters from damage due to the vibration. MiniDV tape and flash memory camcorders do not have this vibration problem.
Vado HD – Which External Microphone Should I Choose?
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