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I cant believe this just happened. Entire days work for nothing, Remember kids details.
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Hey, quick question, I didnt mention this before but they didnt order a digital recording system. Do you normally bring that to all gigs? I am only asking because that is the difference between a 302 and a 552. I normally dont bring that type of gear unless its asked for. I have done that gig a couple times and its always just been a basic package.
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Donnell,
a recorder costs extra and is not part of the basic package. I have charged as much as $350/day for my Sound Devices 744T.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide -
Maybe I confused my question.
I was asking because it was said to always have a back up near you just in case everyone else fails. Maybe I assumed by back up they meant a type of recorder like a 744T, but I think that would chance the package you are working with.
So to be more clear, if someone is paying for a basic package what backup solution is there that doesnt change the package itself? I can rent a 744T and have back up for days but wouldnt do that unless a client was paying for it. But maybe that is wrong, maybe I should just throw in safety nets in that way.
Of course the real answer to all of this is to not screw up in the first place!!
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” if someone is paying for a basic package what backup solution is there that doesnt change the package itself?”
Only your agreement to do something extra for no pay.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide -
A small pocket sized recorder like a Zoom or whatever connected to the aux outs of your mixer can be a life saver if your main feed goes down. Roll it on every take as insurance, if there no issue with the cam feed than you just reformat the card. For less than $250 it’s the best investment you can make.
Eric
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If the camera is the main, or in this case only, audio recording device, then it would seem to me the audio tech should be near the camera, not in the way but near, check the cam’s meters as well as the mixer’s and check the cam’s headphone out either directly or through RTN.
It makes no sense to me how the cam and audio mixer could have been calibrated and yet the mixer output did not reach the cam unless something was switched after the fact.
I tell my students before every shoot that audio problems ruin more takes than the visual at all levels of production. I also tell them, and this might have helped in this case, to shoot some test footage and play it back listening to headphones out the cam. If a setting is wrong, you will be sure to catch it there. Levels on both meters can look perfect and the sound could still be awful. I even once had a shoot where the headphone out the cam sounded fine, the meters looked good, but the played back sound was off. I can’t remember exactly what happened in this case but it involved some consumer level mix of mini-plugs and adapters. This won’t apply to a pro set up, but still some test footage can never hurt and sometimes prevents a disaster. Tape based cams sometimes have an overstretched tape or dirty record heads – resulting in poor audio playback.
If I were working as an audio pro, I would have a 744T and always bring it as a back up or main audio recording device. If the production had a decent budget, I would charge for it. If the production did not, I would use it, and only offer the resulting recording if they complained about the cam’s audio quality. At that point, you could step in, save the day, and charge a postproduction fee for your time.
Camera operators or one-man bands often talk about needing a big cam to look more pro – to impress clients. We live in times where a lot of clients expect more for less. The 302 at $1200 is a great piece of gear but also within reach of a lot of prosumers and even serious amateurs or in-house video crews at a variety of companies that shoot bare bones videos. A 744T and the know-how to sync the resulting recording in post is most likely something offered only by a very serious generalist or an audio pro.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz MacPro4,1 2.66GHz 8 core 12gigs of ram. GPU: Nvidia Geoforce GT120 with Vram 512. OS X 10.6.x; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.
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“It makes no sense to me how the cam and audio mixer could have been calibrated and yet the mixer output did not reach the cam unless something was switched after the fact. ”
Camera operators have a nasty habit of breaking off to do B-roll, switching to the camera mic and not switching back when they return.
After proper calibration, camera operators have been known to handle the camera in ways that change the input level settings, throwing the camera out of calibration with the mixer.
If the sound mixer (person) does not monitor the return, it’s easy to forget to reconnect the snake and the resultant air gap, means no audio makes it from the mixer to the camera.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide -
One additional caveat. With more & more audio going to cameras via a wireless feed there is no practical way to get a camera return to check the audio in the camera. That makes a backup recorder almost mandatory.
Eric
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As an XDCam shooter, two things I would throw in here:
The stereo shotgun mic always feeds channels 3 & 4, with inputs going into 1 & 2, so if I need nats as well as mics/mixer feed, I’m covered.
The camera op is responsible for what is being recorded in his camera. That is why you will always find a set of cans perched upon my noggin when the disc is spinning. (But since I’m also my own editor, I’m the one who’s screwed if I “forget” to record something.)
I know you will double-check the feed next time, so no worries there.
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Hmm.. I disagree with you that cam-op is responsible for what gets recorded. In my experience when the “caca” rolls down the hill and it is sound related the audio dept owns audio all the way into the camera.
Reid Fiester
Frederick, MD
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