u/survivorandmore

I'm still new to location sound, and the gear I've been using is mostly borrowed, budget gear. Currently, I'm working with a boom pole with no internal XLR – it's been removed somehow. It's this Lyx Pro pole. Is it worth it to simply replace the cable on a budget pole I'm borrowing, or would ya'll say it's best I just invest in a better pole that I can actually own?

My follow-up question is: How are the boom poles ~$100? Should I start with at least a K-tek, or is the cheaper stuff reliable enough for the low-budget, indie film shoots? This Lyx Pro holds the microphone in place, but the noise transfer from my hands to the mic is tricky (though it's motivated me to learn good boom technique), it's heavy, and the exposed cable feels unprofessional.

Any or all advice welcome! Thanks.

Hey y'all. I'm a few years into my audio career, having worked in post-production for animated TV and AV most consistently. I'm just now starting out in LA as a boom op/location sound mixer, so I'm still learning.

Just to get a read of the room: my experience so far has been that indie filmmakers know very little about audio, underinvest in audio, and expect perfect audio. I know it's kinda unnuanced, but still, is this a common experience working in production sound?

For context, my deliverables have ranged from decent (indoors with a silent set) to iffy (outdoors with lots of moving, running, and yelling, causing the lavs to rustle around [skill issue??]) to inaudible (cheap boom mic, oceanside, no lav, super wide shot, very quiet actor [communication issue???]).

Another thing: I was just watching Always Sunny and noticed that, even on the busy streets of Philadelphia, those lavs aren't rustling at all, they're isolating the voices really well, and the S/N is really good, all things considered. How do ya'll get the mic cable not to pick up all that movement, and the mic to isolate the voice so well? It's a broad question, but I'm definitely still learning about the craft and I'm looking to be pointed towards resources that could help me improve as an engineer.

Edit: Redundancy

Boom pole without an internal XLR?

Should I continue to expect this attitude? (also, a general question about location sound)