[David C jones]

My two cents:

I use Lectrosonics 411A’s w/400 transmitters and love ’em! They sound hard-wired! I like the fact that they are a digital-hybrid (meaning they use an analog carrier to transmit the signal) instead of being all digital. The reason is that with digital, the signal is ether there or it isn’t; with analog at least you’ll have some kind of siginal. Of course, in a studio, this might not be as much of a problem as in the field :o)

In any case, never cut corners on wireless; remember, your system is only as good as your weakest link.

[David C jones]

Hi Buck

I own a MKH-60 and did use it, once, as an on-camera mic (on a sony betacam sp camera). It’s much lighter then the 416, but one thing to keep in mind with both these mics: they’re extremely sensitive and hard to control if you’re trying to “do it all” so to speak. They really need a seperate (audio) operator to use them correctly, and they need to be used from above the subject. I would recommemd something like one of the Sony ECM shotgun mics; they’re less expensive, and made to be used as a mounted camera mic.

Regards, Dave

[David C jones]

Hi Ty-

Another great tutorial! Nothing is more perplexing to me than inconsistent metering. It just seems like ether meters are marked as “0db” when it really is -20, or there’s a dot, or no markings at all, so it’s anyone’s guess. (when you were with Apple, did you tell them to put some meter markings on their Soundtrack Pro meters? lol)

[David C jones]

Hi Luke

I’m not Ty, but I just used the 302 for a PBS documentary shot in HD with the Sony HDW-900, and I can tell you it’s probably the best 3 channel mixer out there! The biggest thing you’ll notice between the 33 and the 302, is the meters; the 33 has very small VU meters where as the 302 has the ability to display PPM, VU or both! The meters are big and bright LED’s that can have the brightness adjusted. The 302 has sooooooooooooooo many options AND has the ability to have more than two outputs!

I have owned a FP-32A and FP-33 and always hated the metering on them. They are so hard to read, and in my experence, don’t hold their calibration. I currently own a Wendt 4X but, MY next mixer will be a Sound Devices.

Best Wishes

Dave

[David C jones]

Thanks Peter-

Yeah, the singer will be stationary but probably not near the piano, and I don’t think sightlines are an issue. I WISH I had a couple of 414’s! I guess I was wondering, in using a mic like the AT 4050 (or some other condenser), how far away from the singer it should be; and if I have to use that for the singer, what type of mic I could get away with for the piano. This is not a paying (or critical) “gig” but something I was more-or-less doing as an experiment. The only wireless units I have are the HM 400’s w/411a’s and the dress she’s waring provides no place to hid it. But, if I went that way, what type of lav mic would you recommend?

[David C jones]

Great article. When’s the book going to be out???

[David C jones]

Greetings

Are you doing everything yourself, or will you have help? Do you know anyone with experence in production sound mixing? If you do, you would be better off hiring them to help you. You said you have an ME-66, but do you have a boom pole (to mic your actors from overhead), or anyone to operate it?

If you are shooting and handling the sound yourself, you might be better off using lav mics (one for each actor), hidden under clothing, and run directly into the camera.

In any case, remember this: your production will only be as good as your weakest link; if your audio is bad, the whole program will suffer.

Dave

[David C jones]

Greetings

I have not seen the program, but I know what you’re talking about: the sound is so perfect, it sounds like ADR. I know of a couple of other shows like that including, “New Scandanavian Cooking, with Tina Nordstrom”, and…I can’t remember the other. It might be “Globe Trekker”, but I’m not sure. Anyway, my guess as to why this is, is the last statement you made…”it’s a combination of good mic placement, professional monitoring, cleaver editing, and good audio post”. I also believe they are using lav mics (instead of a shotgun mic), well mounted and hidden. It really comes down to this: some production companies care about getting perfect audio, and some do not.

[David C jones]

These mics can’t be more than about a foot away from the talent to be effective; they don’t have any reach like a shotgun or lav mic would, but they will pick up a lot of ambient background noise. Unless you don’t care if they appear on camera, they’re really only designed to be used as a vo/radio announcer mic. I would recommend looking at the mics Ty had listed.

[David C jones]

This is a question that could take all the space in the forum to answer :o)

Mics like the re-20 or sm-7 are designed to be used in a quite enviroment like a studio so, they probably aren’t the mics for you. A good voiceover (only) mic to use in any environment is the Coles Lip Mic (at $600). It’s the mic the networks use for voiceover work because it will cut out all background noise, making it sound like you’re recording in a studio, even if you’re in the middle of traffic! In terms of a field mic, I’m afraid you’re going to need to spend more than $300-$500 to “stand out”. In other words, different situations require different mics. Sometimes a lav will work better then a shotgun. Sometimes you will need a shotgun with a tight pattern to reject all the background noise. Most good lavs start at around $300 and most “true” condensers start at more than $500.

As you have said, you’re bound to get a lot of answers on here so, weigh your options carefully :o)