Brian Reynolds
Forum Replies Created
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Firstly where do you intend to show your work, broadcast, youtube, in-house, that will determine the quality level you will need?
The DSLR / separate recorder adds lots more work to your production.
I know many that have gone down the DSLR path to produce programs / Docos etc while ‘in theory’ it ticks all the boxes but in reality it doesn’t. Not one of those people have gone back to produce a second or more program on DSLR they have all changed to ‘Video camera’ shooting.The Rode NTG 1 / 2 is just ok for ‘student’ level films but not much more, (don’t waste your money) the NTG3 is MUCH better.
Remember the gear / shooting style you start with is what you need to end with otherwise it will look quite odd.Just a suggestion is produce a 10 minute preamble Doco on your writings / ideas on the format you have chosen to get the technique right before you start so you get a handle on the production work flow.
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Simple, use radio mics with some of these…. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/448596-REG/Sony_ECM_322BMP_ECM_322BMP_Professional_Headworn_Microphone.html
I do some regular ‘medical’ shoots / operations / demos etc and these are great.
Just hire an audio guy with some radio mics, a small mixing desk and you have everyone mic’d.These will work better than ANY overhead mic as the people are on mic ALL the time rather than facing a bed with a mic over the top of them.
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You need a ‘mind reading input device’ because I don’t know of ANY mic that will suit your needs.
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This might be a good start for you..
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/service-support-frequency-finderKeep in mind that radio micophones use the RF (radio frequency) spectrum and despite there being no listing on a particular frequency it doesn’t mean that it can be used, for example a local news crew might be in that area and using that frequency, or if you are at a sporting venue on ‘Game Day’ the chances the spectrum might be full from other users of radio mics, come back the following day and the RF spectrum you are wanting to use might not have a thing in there. And remember that you turning on your system may cause problems for their systems (which may be going to air)
In the ‘good old days’ you could often set up a system and never have to change / chase frequencies but those days are long gone.
A good knowledge of how to use your gear should deliver the good results.
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What device are you listening to the recording on?
Headphones, laptop computer, home HiFi, TV or surround sound system? -
Go with a camera with XLR’s, its a no brainer……. A camera with just a mini jack as an audio input is just asking for trouble.
Ok here is a suggestion use a hand mic and a piece of cable…… simple and do the Doco ‘news style’.
Most single person news camera people do NOT carry a boom. The standard Cammo kit for news audio is camera top mic (for Fx ONLY) 1 or 2x radio mics and a cable hand mic…..AND a pair of compact folding headphones.It depend what country you are from but the US likes Electrovoice RE50 mics or Shure and in the UK they like Sennheiser or BeyerDynamic.
If I was doing a trip like you intend I would be looking for the smallest lightest omni directional interview hand mic you can find.
A mic that a TV news network i worked for used was Shure SM63 (short version) + foam windshield as standard kit. Sound great for TV, small great in the wind and easily fit in your pocket.
The RE50 is probably a more robust mic but you don’t need a mic that would weigh as much as your camera on a trip.
For a cable suggestion get some 4mm Canare mic cable (not standard 6mm mic cable) about 5m long fitted with amphenol plastic XLR’s. This will give you a very light in weight compact mic cable.https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/176545-REG/Shure_SM63_SM63_Omni_Dynamic.html
https://www.amphenolaudio.com/Amphenol_Plastic_XLR_Cable.htmlCelebrating 40 years of Broadcasting Audio….
Started with Magnetic stripe and Sprocket holes to now Gigabytes and Touch Screen Mixing Consoles…… -
Keep this in mind, for ‘good’ video dialogue a microphone should be no more than 500mm from the person talking.
Watch your local news service and ask yourself how / why do they use the microphones they do?….. If they could get away with a camera top mic they would be.
If you are wanting the same quality then do the same…. If you want to get better sound than that spend $$$$. -
Samantha, I hope you are NOT running your shotgun mic on the top of the camera and expecting to get good sound from that position?
How far is the microphone away from the person talking?
What is the make / model of the microphone, the Rode NTG1 & 2 have VERY low level outputs and don’t work well with digital recorders with poor preamps.A quote from Richard Crowley.
“IMHO, most amateurs seem to think that shotgun microphones have magical properties that exempt them from basic laws of physics and what kind of reasonable working distances and signal-to-noise ratios you are shooting/recording in. No shotgun mic is a “zoom lens” for audio.”
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Here are a few things to get you started….
1. Only record on a device (camera or recorder) you can monitor the output from.
2. If you send a signal to a device for recording and you can’t monitor that output then do a backup recording….ALWAYS
3. Never put audio to a DSLR ‘as a guide track’ they will use it, even tho they say they wont….. Then they will blame you for the poor quality.
4. Even a second hand Shure FP33 mixer and 416 mic will deliver amazing results compared to a cheap hand held recorder (with poor preamps) and cheap mic.
5. A mixer FP33, Sennheiser 416,Boompole, Headphones, 2x radio mics like Sennheiser G3’s or Sony UWP-D, Digital recorder, breakaway cable would be regarded as a basic level for a broadcast level shoot.
YES you can go higher with Sound Devices and Lectrosonics etc but your outlay will be MUCH higher as well.
6. You should be able to put a basic kit together for about $3k (with careful shopping) a top level kit will be 4-5+ times that of a basic kit. -
Why would you want to take a backward step in splitting the audio away from the camera? Film schools use split system to get more people involved in the shooting process rather than having people sitting around with nothing to do.
Why do people that shoot Doco’s, and TV networks prefer to record the audio onto the Video camera?…… The reason it’s easier and eliminates MANY problems in post production.Come on do a Google search for what your after, even a simple ‘H4n vs‘ brings up hundreds of results remember what suits you may not suit another person.
Remember you will learn MUCH more by doing your own research on the subject.