[Beau Brotherton]

Thanks Eric for your reply…any idea of why there would be a hissing sound in this mic alone, or why this mic would need a much higher REC Level on the Zoom then other mics? 90 compared to 55-60 REC Levels on my other mics.

[Beau Brotherton]

Well, I’ve tried both. It hasn’t seemed to make much of a difference in the hissing sound with phantom power on or off. I also took out the battery to see if phantom power would work (no go). Plus its a brand new battery in the mic.

I did however update the software, then was able to adjust input 1 & 2 separately, I turned input 2 down all the way…that helped a little bit. But I still need to turn input 1 up to 90 for the REC Level.

Thanks for any help!!! 🙂

[Beau Brotherton]

Thanks for the reply Noah.

Huge bummer if I need to get a mixer just to use this mic. I might just get another wired lav in that case…or in that case just bring my HVX to record audio and have it as a backup 2nd camera.

**One thing I forgot to put in the original post is that the ECM-44B is battery powered, reason for the “B”. And two of the other mics need Phantom power, but the G2 wireless of course are battery powered also.

It just seems like there has to be something that I’m missing, all I hear is great results with the Zoom.

[Beau Brotherton]

Wow, this is awesome! Thanks a ton Bill and Walter. 🙂

Bill, you really did spell it out for me so that I could understand the “basics” of production. I’m really trying to start fresh in 2010 and we have been in business since 2007. So by the beginning of 2010 we own (fully paid for) an HVX200 with accessories, Tripod, 17in MBP for downloading footage in the field, 1-Wireless Sennheiser system, FCP6, CS4 Production Suite, office equipment, and a really cool IKEA desk!! ha ha, over dramatizing the desk. 🙂

So our gear was mostly purchased in 2007 and 2008, then we paid off our loan in 2009. So for 2010 we have been able to upgrade our editing system, purchased the Digital Juice Motion Designers Tool Kit (which as allowed us to have a Motion Graphics add on to our packages and our clients are loving it), and purchase a computer for my wife to do some admin stuff. All paid for, so no debt.

Then this hit me in regards to purchasing gear and how much % is too much. But I love that thinking of …. “purchase equipment that you can use now and a need for future jobs, but for me to stay maybe within the 10%-25% range until the basics established. Which for me the only thing that I would say that I could use is certainly a lighting kit. Which we use on about 60% of our jobs and we always have to rent an Arri Kit for $90.

But thanks for your help and thoughts. Budgeting and cash flow is an interesting topic for me (I know there is a lot of room for improvement)! 🙂

-Beau Brotherton-
Helkuo Films

[Beau Brotherton]

Thanks Dave and Todd,

Yeah, that’s really what I’m looking for. I love that Digital Juice gives you the AE project, QT Renders, AND the Vector files. This would allow me to create a video project, then if the client would want to have any printing graphics, I’d have those files as well.

Again, I’m not at all trying to cheat, but yes, I am looking for something that just works. I have gone through the AE Apprentice book, so I do know the basics. But I do certainly know that I need to continue my education. And yes Todd, thank you very much, I will certainly check out that link.

I hate to say it, I might even sometimes just layer in the QT Renders in FCP and use blend modes for them. Then if I need any adjustments, I can go to the AE file and learn from a pro who created it in the first place.

But I’m I over looking any other plug ins? These are just the ones that I have found.