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Recommendation for a wireless lav kit
Im prepping for a long Documentary project and am refining my equipment list.
I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to sound, can anyone recommend a wireless lav system (kit)? Mic, receiver, transmitter.
Need Help not only with brands but also the content of the kit itself, clips, cables, windscreen. Not sure of what I might need, should the mic be unidirectional or omni?If it helps to know, the kit will be used for sit-down interviews and for moments where im following characters on the field.
It will be mostly shot with DSLRs and the sound will be going into a Zoom H4n.I don’t know enough about sound but its extremely important for me to get reliable equipment, want to improve my odds of capturing good sound in anyway I can.
Its a small budget but Im willing to cut on a lot of other things to make sure I can get decent soundThank you in advance for you time and advice.
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7 Replies
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Most wireless mics truly suck and they will fail you in terms of getting noise free audio. Unless you’re prepared to spend several K for your system I’d stick with wired at all cost. Another option is to simply plant a recorder and a wired mic on the talent and go double-system. I’m doing this with a Zoom H1- which is about the same size as the average wired pack and this works like a charm. Only caveat of course is you have to sync in post but doing this with say Pluraleye for FCP is a piece of cake.
Noah
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About the absolute cheapest mic system I’d recommend is the Sennheiser G3 series: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618739-REG/Sennheiser_EW_112P_G3_A_EW112_p_G3_Camera_Mount.html But even this is still an analog system that’s not perfect.
The Lectrosonics 400 series here https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/495268-REG/Lectrosonics_UCR401UM400A_22_400_Series_Wireless.html and https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/496769-REG/Lectrosonics_UCR411AUM400A_25_400_Series_Wireless.html is over 2K and is considered one of the industry standards. You can try and find one used but I doubt you’ll find anything for under 2K.
Best,
Dave J
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thank you very much its good to know I wasent far off
I have both on my cart, trying to see if I can stretch the budget to get the Lectrosonics.
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Honestly I would think about renting the mics and hiring a sound guy/gal. Having the equipment without the knowhow can lead to a lot of cursing in the editing room. Of course if this has a lot of shot days the budget for this can be huge, but it the doc is really important it is money well spent.
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I would echo what Michael said: if you don’t have production sound experience, hire a sound mixer! There is SO MUCH to recording good sound, it’s why we still have dedicated sound people on shoots. As I’ve said before, you can’t “fix” bad audio in post; you can only make good audio better.
Dave J
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I understand and respect the need for a sound mixer and would love to hire someone, but this time its a personal project out of pocket and i simply cannot afford it.
I appreciate your advice non the less, I will be the one editing as well so trust me Im not looking forward to dealing with my own mistakes, but I feel confident I know enough to at least do a decent job
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what is the difference in the frequency blocks? How does that effect my quality and what should I be considering when purchasing either the 21, 22, 25, or 26 frequncey block?
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