I am a photojournalist that is interested in recording audio to go along with photos on web slideshows.
I have purchased an M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 for the recording. That was the easy part.
Now I am very confused on what microphone/s to purchase.
Most of the sound I will need to record will be ambient sound of activities and events. But I do plan to also conduct an occasional interview with subjects as well.
Some of the events will tend to be large gatherings with many people talking and such.
What I think I would like are two microphones - An omni for ambient sounds, and a uni/hypercardoid for interviews to block out background noise. I would also like to be able use the uni / hypercardoid mic for ambient sound but be selective. For example, in a large crowd be able to point the uni / hypercardoid mic in the direction of something that I would like to record, blocking out as much of the other ambient sound as possible.
The only sugggestion I have gotten so far for the omni is ElectroVoice 635AB and RE50.
For the uni / hypercardoid mic a Beyer M59 has been suggested. (Hard to find in the US?)
I would like to try to stay away from shotgun mics just because I would like to carry the whole package in a small bag or waistpack while on assignment. Unless there is an extremley short shotgun mic out there.
I would like to stay away from condenser mics because of the battery issues with the 24/96.
And of course, being a photojournalist, and not making a lot of money, I would like to purchase the best mics for the least amount of money. $100 - $300 range for each?
Any suggestions would be appreciated as I am fairly clueless about all this and have just started looking into it. I apologize for the broad questions.
Thanks in advance for your help.
gg