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How to record sound/audio at panel with multiple people
Hello!
I have a gig coming up where I would be filming speakers at a podium. In the past, I have just used my Sony wireless lav mic to record each person individually, but for this event there will be some sessions with up to 3 people speaking at the same time.Does anyone have a good mic setup for this kind of shoot that does not involve buying two additional wireless mic sets and an audio mixer? I’m hoping to have each person with their own mic as opposed to using a boom mic, which I find gets too much background noise. I didn’t know if it was possible to hook up multiple mics into one wireless transmitter, but that seemed like a good solution.
Thanks,
Melina -
5 Replies
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You can hook up multiple mics into one transmittter by running them into a small mixer and feeding the mixer output to the wireless transmitter (do you have the right cables?). If you don’t have a mixer and don’t want to buy one consider renting. This is especially easy if you have a plug-on transmitter but I’ve done it plenty of times with beltpacks. Make sure the transmitter input is set correctly to mic or line per the mixer’s output. Make sure you have a full set of adapters on hand (direct box, inline pads, ground lifters, etc.) to deal with any issues. Also, take plenty of time to do a thorough sound check. And make sure you monitor continuously. Do you have an assistant who can separately monitor the mixer while you monitor the camcorder? This is an easy job but you have to be very thorough.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com -
Yes, Joel’s solution is ideal.
But, you still need 3 lav mic’s. I think your best bet if you don’t have the gear, is to rent. You probably have other videographer’s in your area that would rent you gear too.
If they are sitting at a table, you can also use two medium shotgun mic’s on a table stand in a Y pattern.
3 Lav’s would be ideal if you know you’ll only have 3 speakers at a time. Just be prepared for a surprise guest appearance. That’s where a table shotgun can save the day.
YOU can also run the 3 lav’s into a field recorder. There are many inexpensive field recorders in the $500 – $1,000 range.
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut StudioHP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite -
Funny thing guys, right after I wrote this I got booked for a vodeo shoot where I wound up doing exactly as I described above. I did the sound check today and it’s perfect. Final sound check and shoot tomorrow. And as Brent says, each speaker has a lav.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com -
You can mic the individuals, or mic the space they speak in. Individual labs are great, but what’s your plan if one of the lavs goes bad/runs out of battery/ is disabled somehow by the speaker? You will want to also mic the podium independently from the individuals. For panel discussions, I like using boundary mics, which have a good enough pickup to each cover two people. These, I sub-mix, and at the camera, I further insure against losing all the sound by reserving one channel for a shotgun mic.
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Mark’s right, always have a backup plan and today that was a shotgun, which I employed when one of the presenters walked away from the table with her mic turned off and decided to walk among the audience while talking. I always have a small field mixer at my position to manage levels as needed. Boundary layer mics are also in my toolkit. You just can’t have enough toys.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com
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