Bruce Watson
Forum Replies Created
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[Alok kumar] “I do most of my recording indoors, no professional acoustic treatment has been done in the recording room. I just added a few thick carpets so that the room is not noisy.
Now I’m looking for a mic that will record better audio. All my previous videos were spoiled just because of poor audio. I have a tight budget however I can afford Shure VP89 or Rode NTG 3. Which one shall I go with?”
I don’t normally recommend any interference tube mics for use inside. You’re a math teacher, you can actually do the math and show how an interference tube mic can comb filter when hit with rapid reflections from close interior walls.
Better to use a hypercardioid for interiors in general. I’m not saying that you can’t use a shotgun mic inside, just that it takes experience and ingenuity. The safer play is the hyper.
You didn’t say how you are going to deploy said mic, so I’ll just add this. Don’t even think about mounting the mic on your camera. If that’s what you’re doing, that’s probably why:
[Alok kumar] “All my previous videos were spoiled just because of poor audio.”
Mic placement is way more important that mic brand. Just sayin’.
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[Steve Marce] “Then after the post processing of the audio, where should I do the mixing of audio..?”
I’m not sure what you mean when you separate “post processing” from “mixing” since to me mixing is a post task. So to me, post is post.
I can only think that most people would want to do audio tasks in the audio program. That is what it’s for, yes? That’s what I do anyway.
But there are many paths to the waterfall. Use the workflow with which you are most comfortable.
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[Sean Kendall] “I’m not sure what a good lapel microphone to go with it would be. I’d like something with similar quality to the Sennheiser ME 2 mic”
You can, and should, do better than that. The ME2 doesn’t set the bar high at all. At least the one that came with my G3 radios does not.
Most people who are spending that much on a set of radios want to get the most out of them. And the Zaxcom and Lectrosonic radios can handle the best lavs available. Hollywood favorites include the Sanken COS-11d and the DPA 4060 (I think it would require their microdot to 3-pin lemo connector accessory but you’d have to ask to be sure). A favorite in my market for news broadcasts is the venerable old Tram TR50. Perhaps the best value in a lav mic is the Oscar Soundtech 801/2, which sounds very much like the TR50 but for less money and with excellent service from OST, but you have to go direct to OST. I don’t believe OST are using dealers, but I could be wrong. OST will terminate it any way you want. I like the OST 802s enough that I’ve got two which I normally use visible on the clothes “newsdesk” style. They work great for what I’m using them for.
All of these will knock the socks off the Sennheiser ME2 IMHO. Just sayin’.
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[Noam Osband] “1 – When i scan a new list, should i always take the first option it gives me? Is there any difference between them or all they all equally good?”
No reason to take the first one. It’s telling you that all of them should be clear-ish. IOW, any of them should work. I usually just pick one at random.
[Noam Osband] “2 – in making sure my levels are good, I usually first check the transmitter, then the receiver. Is that correct?”
Transmitter sets microphone sensitivity, which you want to set first. Receiver sets output level, which you’d want to set after. So yes, I think you are doing it correctly.
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[Jordan Woods] “My mic (a condenser mic) is powered by a AA battery. The recorder also offers “plug in power” so as far as I know the mic is getting power…”
And that “as far as I know” may be your problem. When was the last time you changed that battery? Your recorder’s plug-in power means nothing to that mic. The mic needs either a fresh AA, or it needs +48v phantom power from your recorder.
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I typically use a clapperboard for sync. Doesn’t have to be even this fancy — get the talent to clap their hands. Works as long as camera(s) can see it, and the audio can hear it.
That said, I don’t understand what you mean by “ZOOM skips sound”.
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[Craig Alan] “Are these reasonably safe bandwidth kits for the near future?
G3 516-558 MHz”
You mean the Sennheiser A block? Then yes, they are reasonably safe in the USA.
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[Alexandre Leitão] “When working with 3 point light system vertical angle matters?”
Yes it does. You can try different vertical angles and see. Lights too high and you’ll get intrusive eyebrow and nose shadows for example. Lights right over the camera tends to leave you without much in the way of shadows at all. Often used as a “beauty light” to make faces look super smooth.
[Alexandre Leitão] “is there anyway to reduce the ambient heat with that lamps?”
There are several ways. My favorite is to bounce the light. OK, my favorite is to use non-tungsten lights in the first place.
Sounds like what you actually need is a bank of fluorescent lights. You could build a set of two or four short T8 fixtures (electronic ballasts, not magnetic) and use cinema bulbs to get a decent light quality (K temp and CRI). This would eliminate the need for the diffusion since the light is already soft, and eliminate the heat.
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[Craig Alan] “what do you recommend.”
I like the Shurtape gaffer tapes myself. Nice and strong, but never leaves any residue IME.
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[Tom Prigge] “But has anyone ever seen a “sleeve” to fit over a stick mic that dampens handling noise? I’ve searched, but there seems to be no such thing.”
That’s because what you’re asking for won’t work the way you imagine it. If the “sleeve” fits closely enough that the mic won’t just fall out of it when you turn it over, then the attenuation is just about nil. That’s because a proper “noise break” takes some space — the noise energy has to transit a barrier that converts the energy to heat, thus dissipating it.
You might be able to do something with an external tube that gives you space all around the mic of at least 5mm, and fill this space with an acoustic glue like the ubiquitous “green glue”. Might make a dent in the handling noise, at a cost of increasing the mic handle’s external diameter by 15mm or more. Which will likely make it awkward to handle and uncomfortable in the hand. Not to mention destroying the mic’s resale value 😉
After all the time and money, you’re likely to end up with only a marginal improvement. Better to just buy an EV RE50N/D-B and get a reporter’s mic that was designed well in the first place. Wonderful mics, those are. I’ve never had anyone able to induce any handling noise into my RE50. Just sayin’.