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Some pretty basic questions…
I am pretty new to audio/video, but my work is having me start trying to get our video-end more serious, so we are upgrading our audio recording equipment.
We have previously been using some Azden WM Pro Wireless Lapel Mics (BTW what exactly is the difference between Lapel and Lavalier mics?) with the recieving transmitter hot shoed and plugged into our Canon Optura 50’s.
Now we mainly shoot 2 camera interviews in our green screen “studio”, and we have been getting some pretty bad audio from this. We recently bought a MBox 2 and Pro Tools, in addition to two nice stand up wired mics to do audio recording in the office.
Here is my question… Looking at the nicer Lav and Lapel mics, I was told to buy Shure or Audio Technica. Looking at the Shure SM11 Lav mic, it says it includes a XLR cable. Is that the way it would be connecting to the camera? Or will I be sending the signal straight to the Mbox to record it?
I really have no idea what I am doing, this is all pretty brand new to me, so any advice on set up will be extremely helpful!
Thanks, Matt S.
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7 Replies
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[Matt Sepeta] “We have previously been using some Azden WM Pro Wireless Lapel Mics (BTW what exactly is the difference between Lapel and Lavalier mics?) with the recieving transmitter hot shoed and plugged into our Canon Optura 50’s.
>>Hello Matt and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum. Lav, lapel, all the same.
Now we mainly shoot 2 camera interviews in our green screen “studio”, and we have been getting some pretty bad audio from this. We recently bought a MBox 2 and Pro Tools, in addition to two nice stand up wired mics to do audio recording in the office.
>>Can you be more specific than “pretty bad?” How bad? What did it sounds like, what was the situation?
>>The mBox: you got that for voice only, not for video, right? Stand up mics? What make and model?
Here is my question… Looking at the nicer Lav and Lapel mics, I was told to buy Shure or Audio Technica. Looking at the Shure SM11 Lav mic, it says it includes a XLR cable. Is that the way it would be connecting to the camera? Or will I be sending the signal straight to the Mbox to record it? “
>>Does your camera have an XLR connector?
>>The SM11 is a dynamic mic, so it doesn’t require Phantom Power. I don’t see a spec for sensitivity, but normally dynamic mics are not as sensitive as condenser mics. The question would be whether or not your camera’s mic preamps have enough quiet gain to sound good. They may. I don’t know.>>I don’t understand why you would be recording to an mBox for video. In most cases where the camera audio is acceptable, I’d plug the mic into a mixer and then go to the camera or plug the mic right into the camera.
Regards,
Ty Ford
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>>Can you be more specific than “pretty bad?” How bad? What did it sounds like, what was the situation?
-It would be getting a load of feedback, buzz, stuff like that, I’m sorry I can not be much more specific.
>>The mBox: you got that for voice only, not for video, right? Stand up mics? What make and model?
-MBox 2, its a blue thing with a handle piece. We got it primarily to record audio only interviews, and figured we might as well use it to record the audio of our green screen interviews as well. We ordered two Countryman EWM wired lavs, and plan on clap boarding to sync the seperate audio/visual tracks in fcp.
Our cameras do not have xlr jacks, only standard headphone size mic inputs.
Do you think the results will be worth all the extra effort just for some better audio?
24″ Imac | 2.8 ghz duo | 4 gb
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pscs4 | idcs3 | macromedia suite 2004 | fcp5
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So you are plugging thr Azden into your camera?
What kind of cable. Please be specific?
Regards,
Ty Ford
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Correct, we had been putting the wireless recievers for the arxdens on the cold shoe and plugging it into the “Mic” jack on the camera. It looks like a standard headphone size cable, I have no idea what one would call it.
Another question I had forgotten; With our MBox, can we bring it to speaking events, and use it in conjunction with my laptop to plug into the venues Pa system or whatnot, and capture the speakers voice that way?
Thanks!
24″ Imac | 2.8 ghz duo | 4 gb
Mac Book | 2.2 ghz | 2 gb
pscs4 | idcs3 | macromedia suite 2004 | fcp5
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“It looks like a standard headphone size cable, I have no idea what one would call it.”
Yes, well, that very well may the problem. Plugging a mono source into a stereo input jack requires a special cable.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Watch Ty play guitar -
I’ve got a related, but not exactly-so question.
I’ve got access to a couple of Shure lav mics with TA4f connections. Do I need the bodypack to use the mics, if I were to get say, a Shure WA310 to convert the mic to XLR female, then a male-to-male XLR coupler, to connect that to my mixer (yes, it has XLR inputs)?
The underlying question here is whether lav mics can be used like any other mic, as far as a wired sense, or is there something other than broadcasting going on in the transmitter body pack.
(Can the mics be used without the bodypack, if the connections are addressed?)
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[Larry Eisner] “I’ve got a related, but not exactly-so question.
I’ve got access to a couple of Shure lav mics with TA4f connections. Do I need the bodypack to use the mics, if I were to get say, a Shure WA310 to convert the mic to XLR female, then a male-to-male XLR coupler, to connect that to my mixer (yes, it has XLR inputs)?
The underlying question here is whether lav mics can be used like any other mic, as far as a wired sense, or is there something other than broadcasting going on in the transmitter body pack.
(Can the mics be used without the bodypack, if the connections are addressed?)”
Hello Larry,
I have Countryman mics that I use with wireless and hardwired. I have them rigged with an extra set of connectors so I can plug them right into my bodypack transmitters or into a connector that goes into the standard hardwired power supply (which has a male XLR on the other end).
Some of the Sony Lavs I’ve seen use the same connector on the transmitter as they do on the XLR power supply, so you don’t need an extra connector.
That’s how you have to address the connection.
Regards,
Ty Ford
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Watch Ty play guitar
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