Visit the following links to interact with working professionals who can better answer your audio specific questions:

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Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

quote:

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Originally posted by Milad
I'm thinking about going for a NG2 Rde Mic to use as a boom. I can't afford to go lavel, you think this is fine for an outdoor inner city night shoot for a short movie, or is it going to sound like inferior quality?

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The Rode NG2 is a good, inexpensive mic. Great to start with.

quote:

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Originally posted by MiladI also want to get some audio recorder / mixer, but I reckon I only need a 1 channel one since I'm only using a boom mic yes?

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Yes

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Originally posted by MiladI want to get something like the Zoom H4N but it's kind of pricey, can you guys give me an alternative (perhaps a 1 channel one) that's cheaper but still a very good quality output?

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The H4N is quite good. What is your price range?

quote:

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Originally posted by Milad
Last question, do you think I can learn it by myself with some test audio shots, or is it absolutely necessary with a pro sound guy?

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You can learn by yourself. It will take a lot of work, but
it can be done.

quote:

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Originally posted by MiladI'd like to learn the ropes of audio as well, so I'd love to give it a whirl myself but I don't want my short to suffer.

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Then give it a whirl. Nothing is stopping you. If your
short suffers because you do not have the experience
recording good audio, you will need to keep trying and
gain experience.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Røde NTG-2 is a good mic. If all you can spend is about $300 for that mic, but can't afford the $300 H4N for audio, you'll likely have to compromise. It will be difficult to find a single-channel digital audio recorder. Literally all of them are at least stereo (2-channel). Cheapest ones are less than $100, but for that money, you will only get 3.5mm mic input. You won't get a device with XLR inputs for less than $300.

There are some alternative choices. If you have a laptop, and are willing to use it for field audio recording, you could get a cheap USB audio interface for the laptop (such as Alesis iO2 Express, for about $80). That way, you connect your mic to this interface, plug the interface into the laptop, fire up Audacity (free audio recording/editing software) and you get a decent solution without spending too much money.

By far the cheapest way to get a shotgun mic would be the Chinese HTDZ HT-81 ($30 on eBay). Plug it directly into your laptop (it comes 3.5mm adapter, as well as 6.5mm adapter and XLR cable). The sound will certainly be much better than from the on-board camcorder mic.

As for learning how to do it, read whatever you can about it and practice. Record audio as much as you can with that microphone (dialogue, various sounds and noises). You'll soon figure out what works best and get better at it.

Hey again guys

Thanks for all your good input. I will definitely reconsider my strategy. I am never going to consider on camera mic, but I am considering hooking a NG2 mic to my macbook via an external USB mixer and recording in something like Logic. Is there a better software for this, made for my purpose?

Also if anyone has experience with the NG2, I would like to hear some well recorded sound with the NG2 if you have some material online.

I've also decided to try doing some test shots and see if I can manage without a sound guy.

I'll let you know how the process goes.
xx

It's definitely worth looking at getting a separate audio recorder and shotgun mic. The more you can manage to spend, the better will be the results. The Rode mic mentioned is a good start, though the NTG-3 would be even better. The Zoom should work ok. Personally I often use a Marantz PMD661. I find it a very handy recorder. Anyway, if at all possible try to get a recorder with XLR connections rather than mini-jack ( they are much more secure), good easy to read time code, and accurate recording level meters. Getting really good audio is just as important as getting good picture.

Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects
Tony Koretz
http://rocksuresoundz.com

quote:

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Originally posted by Milad

Hey again guys

Thanks for all your good input. I will definitely reconsider my strategy. I am never going to consider on camera mic, but I am considering hooking a NG2 mic to my macbook via an external USB mixer and recording in something like Logic. Is there a better software for this, made for my purpose?

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Logic will work perfectly for this. For that matter, even GarageBand is perfectly adequate. All you need there is the ability to monitor the sound (using headphones), and the ability to control microphone gain levels (to make sure it is as high as it can go, without clipping). What you'll do with the recorded audio later will benefit from the complex features that Logic has and Garage Band, for example, may not have. But for the recording itself, there's no audio processing, effects or filtering. All you need to do is record the natural audio signal, as it comes from the mic, directly into a file.

Logic is my software of choice for music and sound recording. It's a great program, but does have a bit of a steep learning curve. Recording to a Mac Book with an external USB device can work ok. The disadvantage is you can't easily move the computer around while recording without the risk of loosing the connection to the USB or firewire device. I did things this way for a while recording outdoors, before deciding a portable recording device was easier in many cases, and then dumping into Logic later. If you do go straight to Mac Book, try and get an interface with half-decent A/D converters.

Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects
Tony Koretz
http://rocksuresoundz.com