[David Peterson]

Interesting scenario! Seemed you had a good go in troubleshooting and thinking through it, I would have likely done similar ish in your shoes.

Definitely seems kinda like a gained up mic situated close to yourself is being feed in, and the guess it is your recorder’s internal mic is a solid assumption! Except the DR680 lacks this feature, and from memory I think you’re right as I started out with a Tascam DR680mk1 myself (paired with a Sound Devices 552 in front of it. Still got both of them somewhere here in my office).

Something else I would try, is see if any of your spare unused transmitters are accidentally on the same frequency as the receiver you’re using? As that seems very likely to me, even though it requires a few unlikely things to happen: the freq change, and for the spare transmitter to be sitting still turned on while in your bag (as obviously simply turning it off would immediately fix this). Does sound like you’re on some casual amateur indie film set too where people might be mucking with your equipment (a BIG NO NO NO!), which increases the odds this might have happened…. (although, later on when you used all six wireless I’m surprised this problem didn’t pop up again? Unless you did another rescan, which would have moved off from being on the conflicting frequency it was before)

[David Peterson]

Some recorders have better RF shielding than others.

Naturally with the Zoom H1 being the cheapest of the cheapest cheap recorders there is, you can’t have too high expectations.

BTW, was this recording from the built H1 mics or from an external mic hooked up to the H1?

[David Peterson]

They’re not as comfy as the MDR-7056 they’re based on, as they do seal quite firmly around your head. (or maybe I just have a big head!) But yes, people do use these all day long. You’ll see a pair of these being used on many pro sound mixers’ carts.

If you ever get a chance to try out the Cedar DNS2 then do give it a go, the results will simply astonish you. Cedar has taken their very expensive high end big rack mount units and squeezed it all into a super small portable unit. I’ve used it often in my bag, as it is just that small.

And our replies were focused on the generator as that is initially your biggest concern. One of your top priorities in the sound department is dealing with and getting rid of (or at least reducing) any competing noise sources.

[David Peterson]

Active Noise Cancelling headphones are a HORRIBLE idea.

I feel your pain though when it comes to generators:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjk_oZo4pU

Did they do the absolute MAXIMUM they could to deal with the generator? First of all, hire it from a proper film rental house (as they’ll stock quieter generators), not from a building/construction/etc rental house. Second, position the generator as FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN (see my video, it was waaay up a hill and down the other side by the road, and even though I wish was much further away). Third, what angle is the generator pointing? Often one side of it will be louder, and spinning the generator around 180 degrees makes a noticeable difference. Fourth, can you position anything between you & the generator? Putting a generator on the other side of a low stone wall might only be moving it by a few feet further away, but can make a bigger difference to the sound than the distance might suggest!

What you need (well, other than first you need to be dealt a better hand! These are not so much sound problems, as a location or electrical problem) is Remote Audio HN-7506

https://remoteaudio.com/products/hearing/high-noise-headset/

They’re much much cheaper than a Cedar DNS2 (although I love this too! I own a DNS2 myself, but you could just leave it to be handled during sound post. Which is where it is meant to be), and HN-7056 addresses directly the problem of being able to monitor what’s being recorded vs the DNS2 which just tries to hide/”fix” the problem. (although, get a DNS2 as well if you can, it truly is magical! But this is very much a luxury purchase)

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