Jordan Wolf
Forum Replies Created
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I want to buy some mics for students to use while learning to shoot video with cameras. They will conduct interviews, do commentating like a newscaster, and shoot scripted video.”
That’s awesome – your students should be happy to have someone willing to invest in them.
I’m thinking of getting a couple of each of the following:
A.) Handheld mic – Beyer Dynamic M58 n(c)
Beyerdynamic has some good handhelds; Electrovoice, Shure, and Sennheiser have some, too. The longer handles not only allow for closer mic-to-mouth proximity, but they also make it easier to put a mic flag on and stioll have something to hold onto.
B.) Countryman E6 Omnidirectional Earset Microphone (Not sure if I will get this)
Unless you’re doing theatre, corporate audio, or surgeries, I don’t think an e6 will be necessary. It’s a great mic, but I personally would pass over it for ENG/EFP use. You should invest in a lavalier mic or two, probably ones that can convert between wired and wireless operation for maximum flexibility. Sennheiser, Shure, Tram, Countryman are all viable options.
C.) Countryman Lavalier (I haven’t found a model yet)
The B6 is quite small and sounds good. The B2 is good, too, as is the Isomax line. Omni can be a nice choice for run n’ gun field audio as you’re almost guaranteed to pickup something…BUT that “something” may not be the sound source you anticipated. I’d stick with cardioid for lavs in the field. Handhelds can be omni because they are usually much closer to the sound source and will pick up more direct sound and less ambient noise that way.
d.) A boom pole and boom mic (I haven’t found one yet)
Go with something good from the start – pay the money NOW to have a lifetime of solid performance from your investment. The Sennheiser MKK416 and Schoepps C-MIT5U are industry standards for a reason. You should also look into one or two hypercardioid patterned mics for indoor use (shotguns don’t usually fare well inside…they get kind of “boomy”, no pun intended).
Wolf
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When you apply gain to the noisy dialog, the noise comes up with the dialog. I think that the problem could also be a lack of post-production headroom (the mixer/DAW is being run near dBFS for best S/N ratio and to take advantage of every bit available to it). Perhaps if the dialog is raised, clipping will occur. There’s not enough info to go on, but it’s an assumption I’m willing to make.
I think that applying a High-Pass Filter around 150Hz-200Hz may be very helpful in rolling off the room rumble.
I also think that posting an audio clip would be very helpful…
Wolf
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Ross,
Can you post a sample of each microphone for us to listen to? That may be helpful.
Wolf
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“I guess my question is can one tell other than an experienced audio professional that an external mic wasn’t used?”
Why don’t you have 3-5 random people view a clip and then comment on the things they liked and disliked and one thing they noticed that seemed out of place?
If what you talk about is an issue, you’ll find out very quickly.
Wolf
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“[What] I am having a probelm with is mixing the audio so everyone sounds Blended together with Soloist I try to Blend them so they are just above the rest of the group. What need help with are they any Techniques or mixing procedures that are available that can help me with mixing them!!”
Okay, well let’s see…
My first question is: what is the purpose behind you mixing this group? Do they want an accurate representation of their sound to the audience, or are they wanting a “CD quality” type of performance?
I have always felt that sound reinforcement was just that – a way to reproduce what is coming in and getting that same experience to every seat.
My recommendation is to have the group do a run through of one of their songs while you sit back in the audience. Listen for what is lacking…probably the basses and tenors and maybe even some low altos, if there are any. Those are what you need to reinforce simply because they do not carry well.
I enjoy using compression, but in small amounts. What you may want to look into is using buss compression. If you are able to, route each voice section (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) to it own subgroup. Compress each subgroup separately so that the relation of the voices is maintained. I wouldn’t go for more than a 3:1 ratio and would keep the attack fairly fast and the release slower, to prevent pumping on fast movements.
When there’s a solo, you can do a quick switch on their channel by taking it out of the subgroup and putting it into the main buss so it isn’t affected by the compression.
One other thing to try is to boost the high mids (i.e. intelligibility) on the solo channel. That could make them “pop” a bit more from the background.
I hope these ideas get you thinking. Don’t be afraid to try stuff, but do your best to make it during rehearsals and not soundcheck.
Keep us posted!
Wolf
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If there is any way to record each instrument individually, that would be best for maintaining control over the mix; if you can’t do that, try recording the 3 groups of mics (that is, submixes of each of the 3 groups).
My main question to the OP is: how are the antennas for all those systems being combined? You might be okay, but if the transmitters get too far from the receivers, there may be more hash and interference because of the interaction of the RF between receiver units.
Wolf
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“In the past I noticed the sound was muddy – could I adjust the high frequency without affecting the on-air quality and whatever the radio station might ‘add’ to the overall sound?”
Could you post a clip of this “muddy” audio? A lot of times, muddiness can come from the proximity effect exhibited by cardioid microphones (or any mic with a pattern, for that matter). How far away are you from the microphone when you use it? Have you tried speaking off-axis to see if that changes it in a way you like?
Let us know!
Wolf
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Daniel,
Can you please tell us what manufacturer and model your microphone and computer are? That will help us greatly!
Wolf
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Jeff,
Were you monitoring the audio directly from the camera or did you have another device hooked up to it that you tapped off of?
Also, did you check the input levels to see what they were set to? There are separate controls for each input, front and rear. Whichever one you used, you’d want it set to “Man” so that you have control over the gain.
Apparently the user can choose between 18dB and 20dB of headroom, so the top of the scale (0dBFS) for this camera probably equates to +22dBu or +24dBu. The middle bar is -18dBFS or -20dBFS depending on your settings.
Wolf
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Richard,
One of the best things you can do is listen to the room using the microphone you’re going to use. I think you may be surprised at how much noise there (usually) is. Air conditioning, fluorescent lights, appliances (computers, too) all generate some form of noise – it could be from an onboard fan or it could be EMI (electro-magnetic interference) from a power supply.
Once you determine how the room sounds “normally”, you can adjust certain things to taste. I wouldn’t make the room too dead, either. Use the ambience to start with and make little changes from there.
Wolf
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