[Craig Alan]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/577161-REG/Beachtek_MIX_2_Mix_2_Passive_2_Channel.html

lets you use xlr cable out and in. it’s designed for what you asked. but I’d go with a real mixer. i think the xlr adapters are best for starter kits when you don’t want to strain the mini-plug port.

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

I would still get a 302 mixer and mount the cam on one of these:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/502679-REG/Matthews_M25_M25_Tripod_System.html#includesda

Get an xlr to mini plug cable. Velcro the cable to the tripod to take the weight/strain off the mini plug. Get MDR7506 SONY Headphones. Monitor out the camcorder not the mixer.

You can plug either a hand held mike or lav into the mixer. Or up to three of them. Lav placement takes set up time, some practice, and experimentation. A good handheld is pretty intuitive and the interviewer can share it with the interviewee(s). more run and gun. Has a live feel rather than a rehearsed feel IMO.

Either way you are under $2000 at BHphoto and you’ll have some solid gear for the future.

If you have a rental house near you, I would write up a budget for your client based on his needs and see if he is willing to spring for the rental including a better camcorder, travel bag, etc.

[Craig Alan]

Some thoughts:
Since you can’t find or afford an audio tech:
Since 2K is your budget:
Since you will be shooting outdoors:
First make it clear to your client that excellent at least sound doesn’t happen with a one-man crew and a tiny budget.
For any of the pros on these forums to help you, you need to define your needs much more specifically.
What camera will these interviews be shot with?
If the cam itself has decent audio with xlr connections, then I would not use some of the budget to record audio independently.
It makes a huge difference if there will be more than one speaker at a time.
The best sound quality for the buck is wired hand held mikes … if they meet your needs.
I see no reason that the mike can’t appear in an interview shot.
Outdoors is a challenge. Will there be wind noise?

What are you shooting exactly? Can it be done with video on location and a voice over or interview shot under studio controlled conditions?

I would start with a sound devices mixer. Great long-term investment.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292980-REG/Sound_Devices_302_302_Portable_3_Channel.html
Get the case with it or a portabrace case. Look at the other accessories. Get a ton of batteries. Mixers eat them.

Sennheiser MD46 – Cardioid Handheld Dynamic ENG Microphones https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=Sennheiser+MD46+-+Cardioid+Handheld+Dynamic+ENG+Microphone&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit
Are good interview mikes. I’m sure at different price points the pros here can make other recommendations. Look at the accessories at this link for windscreens.
Get some good quality xlr cables of different lengths.
We are about at the $2k budget and all these things will last for years and be a good investment. Later you can invest in cordless and lavs and ask here about specific needs.
I’m not an audio guy but make do on low budget do it yourself stuff. One thing you might consider is checking out college level programs that might have some great students into audio who might come along for the experience and be happy for free food and a small salary.
It is very hard to concentrate on sound and shooting at the same time even if you know both. Tell your client that.

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

try using the vtr play button to start rolling TC then quickly click capture now.

[Craig Alan]

what external drive to buy? depends on your needs. what type of media/format. how much of it. what mac. what budget. for me i have a macbook pro at the moment. i got a firmtek esata card and an OWC quad interface mercury elite 2TB raid 0. SD or HDV. I put my capture and render folders/files in a final cut pro documents folder on the external drive. my project files are on my system drive–again in a fcp documents folder in my documents folder. After moving stuff around, when you boot FC you’ll get a dialog box asking you where your media is at. navigate to it and you should be good to go. FC manual built in as a pdf under help menu is a great way to get quick answers since you can do a search. try “reconnect.” try “render files.”

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Glove-Wrist-Support-Medium/dp/B000H3F28A

comes in three sizes. been a big help to me. I would also do a search about ergonomics. is your mouse table the right height for your chair?

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Thanks. Let me make sure I understand the steps. Create a new empty sequence. Nest this sequence into it. I thought rendered sequences do no need to be re-rendered when nested. But ok render all. Then find the latest modified file in the render folder and change the suffix to .mov? Then I can import it into other programs?

Is it possible that this one clip even though it is rendered in a sequence got corrupted somehow? Or might it be referencing a previous edit for some reason? Maybe I can just overwrite it with a fresh edit of the clip? Maybe even go back to the original master clip and trash the subclip.

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Hi Ty,

“confidence monitoring” does that mean the snake allows you to plug your phones into the mixer rather than the camera and still be monitoring what the camera is recording?

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Hi Tom,

Actually apple says:

Final Cut Studio 2 System Requirements
Minimum Requirements to Install All Final Cut Studio Applications

A Macintosh computer with a 1.25GHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, or Intel Xeon processor

1GB of RAM

I’m sure that you are right and only 1 gig will be inadequate for many tasks. However, I do have a question about this. I have a FCP system at home and need to capture some footage at work that I can later edit. The only Mac available is an IMac with 1 gig of ram. I would use my own external drive so I can take it home with me. The footage is standard DV. Though I imagine in the future it will be HDV which I hope to capture apple prores. Doubt that would work. But what do you think of standard DV? Any advice?

Thanks.

[Craig Alan]

If you mean mini-dv tape, yes. you can still buy vhs tapes. flash storage needs to get cheaper to fully replace mini-dv tape. and tape, I think, is still a more secure way of archiving than hard drives. plus all the big companies are still selling cameras that use tape. hv30 is selling for $600. A great deal.

OSX 10.5.3; MAC PRO 2 X 2.8 GHZ (EARLY 2008); FCP Suite; Sony camcorder vx2000/pd170;Canon xl2; Pana consumer cams; write professionally for a variety of media;teach video production in L.A.