shooting LOUD bands with the HVX200

[Noah Kadner]

Forget it- that’s not what it’s for. In fact consider the internal mics your absolutely last resort always and you’ll get much better sound. The way to get good sound in a concert is to take a feed from the show’s mixing board, or if they record it- get that recording and post sync.

Noah

My FCP Blog. Unlock the secrets of the DVX100, HVX200 and Apple Color and Win a Free Letus Extreme.
Now featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook.
https://www.callboxlive.com

[Chris Clephane]

We gave up on using the on-camera mics on our HVX’s quite a while ago.

For documentation type shoots:
We run a 2 track recording (stereo pair) from the back of the room. 48khz DAT/ADAT/DA-88 works great. Run 2 or 3 cameras and re-sync everything in post. Use freerun TC or pop a camera flash at a few points in the evening for a down and dirty quick sync point for the video tracks. 48khz audio is key. The HVX records at 48…if you “uprez” a 2 track recording from 44.1 you will have problems. REcord it always in 48 and it keeps the issues to a minimum.

LIVE SHOOT (When the band is better funded:)
We run a second audio console—using a transformer based splitter–to split all of the mic signals from onstage into two consoles. One console runs the FOH (front of house) sound and the second console is used to create a decent 2 track mix/feed. The FOH signal (what is sent to the PA) is not a good signal to use. That mix is set up to balance the onstage sound to the room. Most PA mixes contain mostly vocals and and minimal levels of the other instruments. (A 1500+ seat venue would most likely have a “fuller” mix). We often ALSO run a multitrack recording of the show (one track for every mic onstage) which allows us to create a final mix in the studio later. Not everyone can afford a rental rack of ADAT’s or DA-88’s for an evening, but they are usually much more reliable than using a PC/laptop with a multi-channel audio interface.

From my past experience with these types of events….Most sound guys in their desire to please will tell you that they can create a separate feed for you off of their console. As a professional musican and a TV producer I can tell you the reality is even the best sound guys only have one set of ears……. A bands sound can be very dynamic and can change over the course of an evening…unless that mix is monitored constantly…it may fall apart quickly.
POINT BEING: FOH is that guy’s primary job for the evening. Its why he is there…its what he is being paid to be there for. Your video shoot (and audio quality) is secondary to him….SO when the audio quality REALLY matters for the client…hire a second sound guy and run a second board. You will get much, much better results.

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Benjamin Cameron]

thanks for the replies! recording from the board is almost never an option for me, the bands i shoot play a lot of house parties, etc where that is not an option. while i can potentially do the back of the room stereo recording, i am often working alone and would not be able to run a recorder and the camera. my question would be this, is there an external mic that i could use on the HVX that would capture good (my projects don’t need perfect sound, just no clipping) sound? i shoot standing right in front, but not always right in front of the monitors. thanks!

[Dana Lavoie]

you should buy or rent a stereo mic and mont it on your camera with a shock mont.

try the SHURE VP88 heres a link

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/68506-REG/Shure_VP88_VP88_Mic_with.html

and here’s a link to a show i shot using it

https://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=494918804