[Robert Kennedy]

Hi Justin,

The idea of putting a lavalier mic directly into a recorder on each talent is a very good one. I wouldn’t recommend using the H2 however as it does not supply any power via the microphone port. You would therefore need to use a dynamic lavalier microphone and I don’t anticipate you will be happy with the sound produced by such a mic.

Additionally, you will be compensating for inevitable drift between the 4 individual units and camera since those devices do not have accurate enough clocks to prevent drift over the course of only a few minutes.

Most lavalier microphones have 2-wires, thus are not balanced. They can usually be ordered with “bare leads” or “stripped and tinned.” You may (or have a professional) solder any connector you want, in your instance, 1/8″. Some lavalier microphones have 3 wires but it is common practice to wire them more simply as two-wire mics. The lack of a balancing circuit (my interpretation of your term “grounded”) is not a major detriment. If you literally meant “grounded” as “connected to 6 feet below the earth,” I don’t anticipate this would reduce interference. Choose a lavalier mic with good shielding and keep cell phones (especially GSM) and walkies away.

Audio Technica is a reliable option in the price range you mentioned. If you can choose a recorder that provides electret power at a level compatible with a mic you like, you may find success.

The audio professionals solution of what you are attempting is the Zaxcom ZFR100 for $995 which is a bodypack style recorder with a professional lavalier microphone input. It records timecode stamped audio to a miniSD card and is a great choice for extreme sports situation or other situations where talent is too far from the sound mixer to reliably receive the a transmitted signal. They also built this recording function into their 900 series wireless systems which are truly revolutionary.

If you need this for a specific project you can rent the ZFR from a place like Coffey Sound. Otherwise, if you’re intent on purchasing I would suggest you consider the Zoom H4N and a hard-wired lavalier that accepts 48V phantom power via XLR. Otherwise you could opt for a Marantz PMD620 (which claims to provide mic power of some kind) and an electret lavalier mic.

[Robert Kennedy]

Hi Bouke,

FCP’s handling of BWF has been slow and rudimentary. I have a long wish list of timecode funcitonality I would love to see in FCP. The basic function of syncing TC-stamped video to BWF files works for me but often is more tedious than syncing them manually in a sequence.

I fully expect the SMPTE Timecode duration of a file to be different when interpreted as non-drop-frame versus drop-frame. I expect it to differ at a rate of 18 frames every ~10 minutes which is exactly why drop-frame timecode was invented. The purpose of shooting in drop-frame is to compensate so the video timecode and playback rate would match “real-time” i.e. the clock on the wall.

As for 48048k or 48048kF (the False-stamp), I suggest this option only be used by professionals in limited circumstances. The notion of stamping the sample rate of a BWF file a different value than the value at which is was actually recorded can result in nightmares down the line (from telecine to decades later in archive revival). Thankfully, Sound Devices indicates the true sample rate that the file was actually recorded at in it’s metadata.

Thanks,
Robert

[Robert Kennedy]

If you would like you can split the shock-mount to allow it to hold both your light and microphone.
Here is a photo: https://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/00/41/cool-lux-md-3000-light-sound-bracket_875681_raw.jpg
Paired with a Rode SM-3 and a decent shortie XLR and you have a mic mounted on camera. The profile is rather high so don’t plan on running through the jungle with it or staying inconspicuous.
If you want to mount the microphone with a lower profile, we have had some success on JVC cameras replacing the noisy, inferior included shockmount with the top part of a rycote pistol grip setup. A little hardware skills and ingenuity will help you mount it with the rubber down.
Here is a photo:
https://coffeysound.com/product.php?productid=422&cat=0&page=2

Of course I agree that this is no replacement for a skilled audio professional controlling mic placement.

Thanks,
Robert
CoffeySound.com

[Robert Kennedy]

bump

Anyone at BMD able to acknowledge this?