Sam Mallery
Forum Replies Created
-
“the new Mac Pros have no FW 400 ports downloaded the motu drivers for intel but nothing shows up for the interface”
Hi Ross. My first basic lenscap question:
Have you tried using a FW400 to FW800 cable? Plugging the 400 end into the 828 and the 800 end into one of the 800 ports on the Mac Pro?
-
If the power light stayed on, it sounds like you were experiencing “drop outs.” What happens is when the G2 detects that you are going to have static interference, instead of sending static noise to the camera, it disables the audio so there is no sound at all.
What you should do next time is scan the frequencies whenever you arrive at a new location. The G2 receiver will find an available frequency, and you can tune in the new frequency on the transmitter.
It sounds like the frequency that your system is currently set on works well at your studio, but the same frequency had some traffic at the location you worked in. This is why familiarizing yourself with scanning and making it a habit is important.
Does this sound like a possible solution, or did you scan at the location?
-
The loud speakers of the PA system in the reception area were overloading the physical microphone elements on your camera. I believe this has to do with the SPL (sound pressure level) rating of the built-in microphones on the camera.
When microphone elements get overpowered it doesn’t always mean that the actual level of the signal being recorded into the camera is going to appear to be too hot. This is why just looking at audio meters does not suffice. Next time I would use a pair of Sony MDR7506 headphones, and if possible, use a decent quality external microphone mounted on the camera.
-
Yikes. I hadn’t heard about any issues with the StudioLive yet. Live theater is no place for beta testing a new digital mixer. You’re right. Go with a Yamaha. See if you can get your buddy to give you a hand testing out the used one once it arrives. Sitting in front of a 01v96 totally green with the manual is a bit of a daunting experience.
-
For around the price of a used 01v96 on ebay you can get a new Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2 digital mixer. It comes with an 18 channel firewire interface built in. Presonus made it as easy as possible to get it up and running and recording:
https://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=52
Recording wise, it comes with a basic DAW called Capture that allows you to arm all of the tracks and begin recording with two mouse clicks. The idea with the included DAW was to make things happen fast. You can then easily export the recorded tracks to Logic for post work.
I’ve used the 01v96 for live theater, and it’s kind of fun to jump around the different modes and have the motorized faders whipping around. The Studiolive doesn’t have motorized faders, but, the overall layout seems a lot more intuitive to my brain than the Yamaha offerings. The Studiolive is worth a look. It’s rack mountable too.
-
To throughly go through a used mixer and test every channel to make sure it’s working properly takes time, experience, and familiarity with the model. Sometimes the person who is selling it may not be completely up to speed with the device, and may not be aware that it has a problem.
Sometimes buying used is a great way to go. It all depends. I bought a used pair of Technics 1200 vinyl turntables a few years ago. A few years after buying them I realized that the Anti-Skate feature on both turntables were broken. If I ever buy these again I will know how to test this out before I buy.
Sometimes mixers like these get treated like gold and not used very often. Other times they’re treated well, but used constantly and toured around a lot. Sometimes, like in some theaters I’ve worked in, they get abused. It all depends.
-
As far as Blue is concerned, the one I think you should try out for VO work would be the Mouse:
https://www.bluemic.com/mouse/
Much of the description of the Mouse is about “thundering lows,” but don’t let that taint your perception of it. I believe the Mouse was originally designed for VO & radio work. Microphones are very subjective, and I happen to think the Blue Dragonfly, Kiwi, Mouse, Cactus, and Bottle are all outstanding microphones.
The current U87 that is available today is a very nice microphone. Is it worth spending over $2800 on? That depends. For myself, personally, it isn’t worth spending that much money on. I’ve heard my voice through a U87 and a nice preamp. It sounded good, but, every voice is different, and it turns out that my particular voice sounded better through an $800 microphone.
I don’t have a list of my top 3 VO mics, because I haven’t done that much VO.
-
I think the Sanken is worth it if you really want to try to achieve the best sound possible. A lot of people who aren’t terribly concerned with audio quality are happy with the sound they get with the ME2. But, if you want to go the extra mile, I think the COS11 is a great tool to have and worth the investment. Plus, the COS11 comes with a little rubber mount that allows you to hide the mic, and it also allows you to use it as a boundary microphone.
I wouldn’t get the attenuated version for just regular interview work, the regular D version would be better. Also, the COS11 is sold pre-made with Sennheiser’s locking mini-plug connector, so you don’t need to solder it yourself.
-
You’re welcome
-
It’s likely not a good shotgun, or, it’s not set-up properly.
I had a friend with the same problem recently. I recommended he get a Blue Snowflake microphone:
https://www.bluemic.com/snowflake/
It’s a $69 USB mic. It worked out really well for the voiceovers in my friend’s documentary. He was using Final Cut. As long as Avid allows you to use external USB devices like this, you should be fine.