I needed a handheld mic for interviews in an acoustically untreated room and this mic performed outstandingly. The length made it easy for the interviewer to get the mic up close to the talker, and the directional pattern did a great job of rejecting the liveness of the room. A little EQ was used to make the highs a little crisper and the lows more solid (this mic does not have a great deal of proximity effect). The rejection of room reverberation far outweighed the added step of adding EQ after the fact; as a result my recordings have very good intelligibility. Transient response and signal-to-noise ratio were good. Handling noise and plosives ("p" popping) were not a problem. The price was right, and I love the fact that it comes with a windscreen. All in all this is one of my better mic purchases. MXL FR300 10 Inch Shotgun Microphone
Like most filmmakers who are just starting out, I'm on a tight budget. I purchased the MXL FR300 after a long examination of the alternatives. I would have loved to purchase a Rode NT-3 ($700), or a Sennheiser ME-66 ($450), but I don't have that kind of money. After a lot of research into the very few good choices available for less than $200, I honed in on the MXL FR300 series. MXL has four models: FR300 (10 inches); the FR301 (16.5 inches); the FR303 (6 inches); and the FR304 (14.5 inches). I chose the FR300 because it had the best S/N ration at 75dB.
I purchased this to capture speech, but I have noticed that it does a very good job of recording ambient sound without much noise. The microphone build quality is good. It's made of metal and seems reasonably robust.
I used the money I saved on the microphone to purchase a Rode blimp (an absolute essential for outdoor shooting) and pole. I power the microphone with an ART Dual Pre, and feed the signal to a Zoom H1. The sound is crisp, clear, and best of all, low-noise.
Compare the S/N ratios on budget shotgun microphones and you'll see what a great bargain the MXL FR300 really is.
I think I will be pleased with the microphone once I get it to work. I didn't realize it requires an external power source between the mic and camcorder. I am still searching for such a device that will mount on or under the camera on or off a tripod. I like Amazon.com as a source, but it lacks any way to contact an authority who can advise one on what is needed. Maybe I was too smart for my own good, who knows.'
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