Rode mics. NT 5 pair vs two NT1-A

TorS wrote on 6/29/2004, 1:39 PM
Currently there's a great offer on the NT1-A in Norway, so getting two of them is cheaper than getting the NT 5 matched stereo pair. What I'd like to know from anyone with Rode experience is if the two NT1-A would be preferable to a pair of NT 5. I plan to use them mostly for documentary work, doing anything from recording (videotaping) a choir live to recording voice-over in a make-do studio.
I'll plug them into my BeachTek DXA 8 unit (just arrived, not really tried it yet, but it looks great.)
Tor

Comments

farss wrote on 6/29/2004, 3:00 PM
Cannot speak for the NT 5, I have a NT1-A, great mic!
I think you'll find if you check Rhode's spec sheets they are somewhat different mics. The NT 5 would seem designed to work as a stereo pair in say an XY configuration although for that you could also look at the NT4.
Beyond that cannot help much, you might look at www.sweetwater.com for good prices, nearly cheaper for me to import them from the US than buy them here in Aust.
One thing I'd be a little careful of, all of these kind of mics are studio kit, don't really know how well they hold up on the road. Probably I'm being overly cautious.
MichaelS wrote on 6/29/2004, 3:46 PM
I've had nothing but good experiences with Rode products. I use one in our iso booth for all aour voiceover work. With a little TLC, they should be good on the road.
MichaelS wrote on 6/29/2004, 6:59 PM
One more thing. I often record large choirs with orchestras...100 voices...30 pieces, etc. With a limited budget, I looked around for a pair of mics that were low cost, high quality and would handle the high SPL of the loudest crescendo. I bought a couple of Audio-Technica 3035's. Granted, they are not a "matched" pair of Neumann's, but for video sound, they are outstanding for the price. I use Rode NT1's for solo's and close instruments.

One of the important factors in using studio condensors is a quality mic pre-amp. Be wary of cheap mixers with on-board mic pre's. At a minumum, I would suggest going with Mackie quality or better.
craftech wrote on 6/29/2004, 7:54 PM
I use four Rode NT3 microphones to mike a stage and orchestra. They work very well on either phantom power or 9volt batteries and sound great.

John
TorS wrote on 6/30/2004, 12:11 AM
Thanks for valuable info, folks. Great encouragement on the Rode line. I'm still left with the main question though: Two NT1-A or a matched pair of NT-5? (The NT-4 stereo mic seems to have the same elements as the NT-5 and I'd rather go for two separate mics.)

John, the NT3 seems to have a more pointed cardioid pattern than the others. That should make them better for a setup with several mics. I will not be able to buy another mic for years to come, and I will not be using a mixer (but the DXA 8 has preamps and limiters and phantom power).

MichaelS, the NT1-A can take SPL at max 137 dB, does the Audio Technica 3035 go far beyond that?

People seem to agree that the NT1-A is great for close-up work. Would anyone come forward and say it is not as good for recording at a distance (like a choir+organ in a cathedral)? At present, that seems to be the most critical type of recording setup I might get involved in.

One striking difference in specs is that the NT1-A has elements twice the size of the NT-5, but I don't know if that's something I'll be able to hear. As for resisting wear and tear, I just assume the two mics are equal.
Tor


TorS wrote on 6/30/2004, 1:33 AM
The answer came in from the dealer (in Norway):
Don't use the NT1-A for choirs etc, or anything further away than 30 - 40 cm. Use the NT 4 or 5 instead for large rooms. Unfortunately (they said) you won't get an excellent mic for both purposes.
Well then, that answers my initial question and leaves me with a few more, one of which I might have to ask my bank manager. .
Tor
PeterWright wrote on 6/30/2004, 2:15 AM
Haven't really got any info on NT's above number "1", but it's good to hear from other Vegas/Rodeites!

I have a single NT1 which I have used for many things, including a choir of around 26 kids, arranged in concentric rings around the NT1, which was about a foot above their heads. Came out well, but two would have been even better.

(OT - Talking of "feet" - I was shooting at a school yesterday, and I asked a Mum if she could back her 4WD up about 10 yards so I could video her arriving - she said "How far is ten yards?". I apologised, crash updated my memory and said "Ten Metres will be fine" - [Australia went metric about forty years ago!] )
TorS wrote on 6/30/2004, 2:50 AM
I just checked prices at B&H in New York. A matched pair of NT5 PLUS one single NT1-A will cost less than the matched pair alone, in Norway. I didn't check the shipping though, but still...

I was reading a map of UK once, and was very impressed with the heigth of the mountains. Until I realised they were given in feet.

Tor
PeterWright wrote on 6/30/2004, 4:10 AM
Yes -= I wonder how mountains decide whether they're metric or imperial?
logiquem wrote on 6/30/2004, 5:11 AM
> Don't use the NT1-A for choirs ...

It is a somewhat excessive assumption IMHO. I used a couple of NT1 and NT2 for choirs a couple of times and got excellent results.
TorS wrote on 6/30/2004, 5:35 AM
Is NT1 the same as NT1-A? The man said specifically that the NT!-A was best for close-up and not much more than 40 cm (a foot and a half) distance. He did not say it was lousy or anything, just that the other ones (NT 5) was better for that particular use. As I understand, it is a very good mic anyway, so one should get decent results in most situations.
Tor
farss wrote on 6/30/2004, 5:38 AM
i guess it depends on how 'live' a sound you want, they are cardiod with a fair amount of rear pickup so you may get a fair bit of room acoustics, perhaps with the choir around the mics would be a bit different.
I did have a discussion with one of the audio guys about the NT4 kind of mic which he agreed for capturing a live performance isn't a bad choice without having lots of mics and multitrack / mixer. Trick is getting the mic in the right spot, ideally the mics should be picking up 2/3 from the perfomance and 1/3 of the venue.
But I do love my NT1A for VO, it's about the only peice of gear I own that a pro wouldn't laugh at and damn cheap. I was in a serious studio the other day and all their booths use NT1As so they must be pretty good.
craftech wrote on 6/30/2004, 5:47 AM
I don't use the Rode Mikes unless I am using multiple mikes. For everything else I use my stereo mike. It is the AudioTechnica AT-822. It comes with all sorts of adapters and works on battery power (single AA). It sounds great and can be mounted on or off camera and only requires lengths of standard XLR cable for extensions. With it's XLR to 1/8" adapter it plugs directly into the camera. No need for the Beach box. I have miked large areas with that mike for music performances and the results have been outstanding.
The AT-825 is around $100 more, but will work on either battery or phantom power. Aside from that they sound identical.
Personally I would return the Beach box if you can. The AT-822 will serve most of your needs for around $225 USD. For anything larger, you will need several mikes and a mixer. I have a Beach type box, but I use it more for my Hi8 camera than anything else.

John
TorS wrote on 6/30/2004, 6:31 AM
John,
I think you may be talking about a simpler BeachTek box than the one I've got. Mine is new, and it has pre-amps, phantom and limiters, which are so much better than the automatic level control of even a Sony camcorder (Sonys are pretty decent, soundwise - at least the ones I've used). I daren't use manual on a choir without limiter. There's a tremendous fortissimo even in a children's choir.

I will look at the Audio Technicas you suggest. It's tempting to be able to stick a stereo mic on the camera occasionally. But mostly I will want two separate mics for stereo. One thing is to posistion the mic "between" the choir and the room. That can usually be done with one position, but then the organ is sometimes too close or too far away.
Tor