Microphone with Zoom H4n

Hi everyone - I know that no setup will ever replace the mastery of a proper sound recordist, but I am looking to record some good sound for a couple of very small projects, I have a zoom H4n but am looking for a "budget" mic to use with it that will give me a decent signal/quality... anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

I have successfully used the AKG c1000s mikes with the H4n. They can use either internal battery or phantom power.

The Rode NTG-2 is a pretty decent budget shotgun mic. You could add that to the list.

I use Zoom H1 with also has level metering and an input. Since it has an output you can go directly to cam or record internally at 192Khz or do both.

Sure it has no XLR but when you keep the cables short there is no difference with balanced and unbalanced. So you can still use an adaptor.

I have bigmembrane mics AKGs. This is way better AND cheaper then going for an XLR solution together with Rode only because you believe in unbalanced.

Unbalanced plus rather cheap mic is NOT the solution anyways.

The Rode NTG-2 is a pretty decent budget shotgun mic. You could add that to the list.

I had the NTG-2 and the H4n and I sold both. I tried to work with a boom to capture sound for a testimonial statement with this combination and I was really dissapointed. In one meter distance (max 1.5) and I had to push recording levels nearly up to max and the result was still low. I could save this take by pushing the levels in Audition and cover the upcoming noise with overlay of atmosphere sound.

After some reasearch I found out I was not alone. Forums in the past 18 months only are full of complaints about this combination. H4n seems to have a cheap PreAmp and NTG-2 low recording level (15mV/Pa) too. For the price NTG-2 is a good-sounding mic but it is not sensitive and it needs to be very very close to the subject. H4n has good-sounding on-board mics but pre-amps are miserable for external mics.

I went for the Roland R-26 and a Sennheiser ME66/K6 (50 mV/Pa) and I am very happy with this combo and each of them too. Sennheiser costs more than twice but its way better than the RødeNTG-2 and worth the money. If you have phantom power and don't need battery power you could also go for the MXL FR-300 Price is quite the same or even cheaper as NTG-2 but I sound and sensitivity (45mV/Pa) is much better.

hope that helps

I partly agree with Slong.

DO NOT pair the Rode NTG-2 with the H4n. You are wasting your time, I promise you.

The NTG-2 is a low output mic so doesn't work well with the H4n, I used to own an NTG-2 before selling it for the Sennheiser ME66/k6 which I now use with the H4n.

Nice crisp sound.

I take it back, never use the NTG-2 with the Zoom, nothing to see here, now move along. I won't make that mistake again. This is what forums's are for I guess ... (Good job I do pictures not sound).

Try audio technica there mics seem to have a great pick-up

Ho guys, how does the pair Azden sgm-1x microphone with the Zoom H4n work? Is it any better than the Rode mike in terms of sound level?
Thanks

If you have the fund, get a dedicated sound person. I see some people recommending shotgun mic. However, the problem is that shotgun mic are terrible inside and you should use a hyper-cardioid instead.

If you have the fund, get a dedicated sound person. I see some people recommending shotgun mic. However, the problem is that shotgun mic are terrible inside and you should use a hyper-cardioid instead.

Get a Sanken CS3e and you will be happy

My question has more to do with the setup.

I own a Zoom H4N recorder and a Rode VideoMic Pro. I've never setup my Zoom to record from an external mic, including my Pro mic. So I'm more of wonder what's the best setup in the Zoom's menu? What should be on? What should be off? What the best file names for organization? etc. I've tried to find tutorials to tell me how, but so far, but still haven't found any beyond the hookup, reviews, and overview of features. Does anyone know a good settings setup for it? Or anything else I might need to know?

It is common to record audio at 96/24. Similar to video, this increased resolution gives you more freedom when "grading" before the final mix. Also, I find it easier to manage internal filenames with pencil and paper than by messing with the Zoom's menu.

And while the NTG-2 does not work well with the H4N, the NTG-3 works great. The VideoMic Pro is good for if you want a cleaner reference audio track or a low profile on location.

I can add to the chorus of anti NTG2 & H4n combo. Terrible.
I just got a riggymicro though, and even though I haven't used it on set yet, from my at-home tests, its doing a much better job with the NTG2 than the Zoom, and this is recording into a 5D (as I'm bmcc-less).

My NTG-2 going in to my C100 using phantom power from the C100 sounds gr8. It also sounded okay battery powered in to my Edirol. What is it with the H4n/NTG-2 combo?

I have a RODE NTG-3 with a ZOOM H4N and it's a really nice set-up.

I've been successfully using the H4n with the Sennhieser ME-66 for a couple years now. I've often read that the H4n with the Rhode NTG2 was a bad fit. Never really understood why. I do use the Rhode Video as well as the Video Pro mic's on the camera for reference tracks. They usually sound pretty good. Of course none of these solutions beats having a dedicated sound person with quality gear.