Jordan Wolf
Forum Replies Created
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Okay, first off, before anyone can give you any good advice, we need to know more information.
You never told us what mixer you are using – is it a field mixer or a rackmount/desktop mixer/console? What are you attempting to do with your gear? All that you have said is that there is a lack of metering and you would like more. We need any pertinent information about your problem and the gear involved.
Typically, most rackmount mixers only have a “signal present” LED and an “OL” or “CLIP” LED on the channels. You can usually PFL the signal to ensure enough headroom and then AFL the signal to hear what the EQ has done to it. Large-format consoles usually meter each input and output or just the outputs until you PFL/AFL a particular channel or set of channels.
Here is my recommendation based on the information already given: buy a Radio Designs Labs Peak/Program Meter. It ain’t no Dorrough Meter, but it’ll do you fine. You can adjust and calibrate it for program/average levels and/or peak level metering.
Wolf
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Try it and see what happens.
Step 1: Copy desired audio to another track
Step 2: Select the copied audio
Step 3: Go to Audiosuite–>Other–>InvertPlay them back together and see what happens… 🙂 The only thing audible will be any difference between the audio in the two tracks. But since you copied the original audio, everything is the same (albeit phase-reversed), and will cancel out completely.
If the original audio had no echo, you could experiment for fun, but if there’s environmental echo in there, it’s there for good. Sorry :-/
One thing you COULD try, is gating the audio – though it might make it choppy and sound unnatural.
Wolf
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The ground is meant to conduct electricity away from the devices we use so that, if there is a fault in the wiring (internally or externally), the parts of the gear that we touch will not become electrically charged and electrocute us. Eliminating that safety is, at best unsafe and at worst fatal.
Just say this to yourself if you think about snipping that ground prong: “What if this kills someone?”
I think that there needs to be more of a distinction between Pin-1 Lifts and Ground Lifts. One applies to audio signal, the other to potentially fatal electrical distribution.
Pin-1 Lifts can work fine – I prefer an isolation transformer myself. ProCo has some, as does Whirldwind and Jensen.
Stay safe!
Wolf
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You have many questions…I’ll try and answer a few before my brain decides to quit for the night (please excuse any poor/improper grammar and spelling).
You sound like you are going to be doing mostly run-and-gun audio and a few sit-down interviews. My advice, if you are going to do this, is to buy a wired lapel/lavalier microphone and one 50ft. microphone cable. You’ll have to find one that can run off of AA batteries since your camera does not provide (enough) power to the microphones.
You’ll also need a way to interface it with your camera’s particular inputs. Looking at the user manuals for both of your cameras, I would recommend the Tecnec XLF-H8-10. Go for the 10-foot-long model with the right-angle minijack (it puts less strain on the mic input on you camera and is less-likely to get snapped off). It might not be the EXACT one I linked to, but look for one that is made for use with DV cameras. They can inject noise into the audio if not interfaced properly.
Use of wireless microphones is not something to be undertaken without the knowledge, expertise, and experience that allows them to be set up and used properly. This applies especially in and around big cities; frequencies would have to be adjusted almost daily, if not multiple times a day.
A wired lapel/lavalier microphone will also give you better fidelity and reliability than wireless. There is less to troubleshoot and you should be able to find spare parts at most music stores. Make sure to get one with windscreen/pop guard accessories – they are lifesavers in the field.
As for recording to a separate, I don’t think this is a situation with that is a wise choice. You kind of want the audio to sound “in-the-field”, don’t you?
The above setup will let you clip the mic onto the interviewee (think of them as wearing a polo shit – try to clip the mic around the 2nd button from the top), check/set your levels, get the footage, unclip the mic, and move on. Oh, and gaff tape the connector to your camera so it doesn’t get yanked and break something.
Best of luck and keep us informed! 🙂
Wolf
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You may, as others suggested, want to add some low end (guys like that – makes us feel more masculine, I guess), but it sounds fine to me. You could always overdub his part with another person, but I don’t think he would like that very much, if you know what I mean.
Seriously, though…I say lave it alone. It’s his voice – and that’s how others know and recognize him. If he was chosen as a semi-famous/recognizable person to endorse something, then people need to be able to say, “Hey, I know who that voice belongs to!”.
Take John Lennon’s advice on this one:
Let it be…let it be…
Wolf
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One other thing I should add (albeit a little late):
See if you can tag along with the person you hire. I bet they’d teach you some tricks/tips and could inform you of why they are doing the things they are, etc.
Always be looking or new ways to implement the knowledge you already have. Learning is a life-long process that should never end – see what you can get out of this.
Wolf
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I have to agree with Edward on this one – you need to get outside help.
You are about to get WAY over your head – your nondescript explanations of the audio gear you have proves it to me further. You may get to the point of providing for a client in a similar manner down the road, but for now the best course of action is to get someone who knows what they are doing.Saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you but I know someone who can,” is never easy, but it shows maturity and good business ethic.
On the plus side, see if you can take more of a supervisory role in this matter, rather than the hands-on/gear provider and operator. Then you can add that to your list of skills.
*side note* – For me, I don’t care who you are – if you come to me asking for help and I can’t help you but know someone who can, I’ll refer you to them. Maybe that doesn’t make business “sense”, but I think it’s the right way to go since it gets the client the best service possible.
Wolf
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Well, the first part of your question is answered; onto the second part:
Unless you are planning to use the Mac’s built-in mic, you will need a microphone that will work with either USB or your soundcard. Typically, an audio interface (via USB or Firewire) is used so that the usually-low-quality sound card can be bypassed. I recommend going that route – you could even hook up your speakers to it and use it for playback at a higher quality that your built-in soundcard.
Check out some of these:
Sweetwater’s selection of USB mics.
You could also look around for audio interfaces – nothing fancy, a couple of mic inputs will do ya. Don’t forget to buy the microphone, stand (desktop?), and cable for it.
Let us know how you fare and what you decide to do.
Wolf
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As Ty said, that adapter most likely won’t work – and if it does, it may not work properly – for the purpose you have in mind.
Shure does indeed make an adapter of sorts…we use them with the Beta98D/S microphones that we use on drum kits.
Take a look – it says that the preamp works with the WBH53, Beta 53, Beta 91, Beta 98, MC50, and MC51.
There is also this one, which can be used with many other microphones (as long as they have a TA4F connector on them).
It should be noted that I’ll take a wired connection over a wireless one ANY day. 🙂
Wolf
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