What are some of the best options for setting up an indoor, stationary scene? The project is an instructional video with one human subject speaking. The final end product will be interspersed with screen-capture video from a laptop. Intended viewing format for the end-user will be streaming through the web, if that makes any difference.
From what I know, most "professional" camcorders can take both mic level and line level inputs. So I have a few questions:
- Camcorder: Aside from video-related differences, how do video DSLRs or otherwise consumer-grade camcorders compare to professional (big 3-CCD) camcorders in terms of working with external mics? What considerations should be taken regarding mic level vs. line level, if any?
- Microphone: Any recommendations for microphones at various budgets (~$50-300)? Would a lav/lapel mic or a shotgun mic be better? Background noise reduction is key (firetrucks, sirens, etc. creeping through closed windows).
- Mixer: Would a mixer be appropriate here, considering the answers to the previous questions?
From my preliminary research, I figured I have a few initial options:
- Buy shotgun mic and plug into camcorder (phantom power provided by battery/outlet, I assume?)
- Buy wired lapel mic, plug into mixer/whatever to raise to line level, and plug into camcorder line-in
- Buy wired lapel mic and plug into camcorder mic-in
- Buy wired lapel mic, plug into mixer/audio interface to raise to line level, and plug into computer (and sync during editing)
- Buy wireless USB lapel mic and plug into computer (and sync during editing)
I feel that option 2 is probably the best way to do it in terms of sound quality, convenience, and budget. Option 5 might be suitable as well if mixers are the bottleneck that breaks the budget.
Any thoughts or equipment recommendations appreciated. Thanks in advance!