Moving Image Education

Microphone

Types described variously as:

directional, zoom, uni-directional, hyper-cardiod, shotgun

See a range of suggestions

The Warehouse Canford Audio Specialist Shops

£190 - £400

Maplins have a mic at around £25 which you could use indoors.

[Clip](/create/xtra/glossary#clip) and mounting for microphone ' you will need one designed to fit your mic

The mic can't be hand-held, it needs a suitable clip to grip it and allow it to be attached to the BOOM POLE or a mic stand. Tip: If the thread on the clip will attach it to a normal mic stand it will also fit on the boom pole)

To suit the mic you have chosen.

Should be included with most mics. Ask the supplier or take the mic to a music shop.

Should be included

Very sticky tape

Windshield for mic

Essential to keep the wind off outdoors

Rycote kit: windshield, softie windjammer, mount and handle for Sennheiser K6 +ME66.

Ask if one is available to suit your existing mic.

The Warehouse Canford Audio Specialist Shops

£150

ex VAT

A fluffy sock or loosely knitted woollen mitten

Mic Cable

When you buy your microphone, say you want extension cables for it so you will be given the right connectors.

It is possible that your microphone output will be an XLR connector. You will have to get an adaptor lead to change this to mini-jack for your camcorder.

Try to get the best quality you can and if possible the cable should be SCREENED. This stops a lot of hums and buzzes which can ruin the sound.

If your mic does have an XLR output you should make all your extension cables XLR. These are screened, robust and connect well. Use only the XLR to minijack adapter for the last 2 metres or so.

£25

Any cable you can get to work

Boom Pole

Universal Fishpole

FP1 (Suit small children)

OR

FP2 for teens

The Warehouse Canford Audio Specialist Shops

£25

Any light weight pole.

Headphones

You need headphones with big 'closed cup' earpieces. This is to keep out as much background noise as possible. The lightweight ones with foam pads will not do.

Headphones get treated very badly and good quality ones fall apart just as quickly as cheap ones. Invest in several sets of cheap ones so you have back-ups

Any Stereo headphones with closed cups. A long curly cable is good. All headphones will list an impedance. The lower the better ' around from 60 ' 100 ohms. Any higher and the camcorder headphone output may not be able to make the headphones loud enough.

Maplins or any Hi-Fi or record store

£8-£10 (But get 2 sets)

Any headphones

Headphone Extension

There's never enough cable on the headphones for the recordist to be a comfortable distance from the camera.

Your headphone cable will have a mini-jack plug on the end (it may be covered by a large plug adaptor which you pull or unscrew). The headphone socket on the camera is also mini-jack. It's worth having a cable to extend this which will have a socket (female) at one end and a plug (male) at the other. 2 or 3 metres is enough.

Any cable described as 'mini-jack extension', 'male to female' or 'plug to socket'.

It may even be called a headphone extension cable!

These are available from any audio equipment supplier, Maplins, Canford Audio or maybe also a computer supply shop.

£5

Box or Case

For all the sound bits and pieces

Aluminium or tough plastic. Get some foam to pad the contents and hold them in place.

Sound equipment is delicate and since it is small it's the kit most likely to be lost, stood on or dropped!

A photography shop should have a selection. Also DIY suppliers have tool boxes which may do.

Audio supply companies will offer a selection.

£40