r/LocationSound

Why not just use a boom microphone 100% of the time if our goal is quality? Obviously you use lavs as a backup.

But I guess my question is "How do you get your lavaliers to sound as good as boom mics?"

I watch movies in IMAX and I always wonder how they are capturing audio in that wide moving shot and how they get it to sound so good?

And what microphones are they using to achieve that?

If you could only use boom mics on your own film and you had 100% control... isn't that what you would use?

Hey all! Was wondering if someone had a recommendation for a setup I was looking to achieve.

I recall looking into this a few years ago but maybe there’s been some developments.

Basically I was looking for a setup that can be the following:

* shotgun mic -either on a boom pool or boom pole stand,
* records a 32 bit float track with recorder attached near/with the mic or on the boom pole itself.
* has an audio out to attach something like a rode go (or whatever wireless transmitter) to attach to camera.

The point being is looking for a boom setup that can record a 32 bit float track while also sending a signal to the camera so there’s a line going there and remove any wires going to the camera. Mainly suggesting that I can have audio right on the video clip itself and if I run into rf interference I could have a 32bit float track as a backup.

It looks like deity might have some new products out but as I recall, there were some weird patent issues so that something like this wasn’t able to be made in the US?

The only other idea I have is mounting a zoom f3 right to the shot got mic on the boom, and running a 3.5 wire out to a rode go and connect that to the camera. But would I run into interference issues with the zoom f3/rode go sitting close together?

Any suggestions would be great thanks!

Hey folks! I've officially grown out of my current mixer and will be upgrading to the F8n Pro very soon, along with getting a few new (to me) pieces of wireless and power distro gear. My biggest headache in putting together a list of gear is trying to decide on a bag to put it all in. I'm sure I can't go wrong with any of the choices I've narrowed it down to, but I want to get outside opinions from people who have used these bags and/or have used an F8n Pro in their field kit. Here are my options, but I'm open to other suggestions:

K-Tek Stingray Small-X

Orca OR-30

Orda OR-332

For my kit, I'll have the F8n Pro, a few Lectrosonics receivers (411a and SRc), power distro (Deity SRD-Mini, Smart Battery), and I plan on getting RF distro in the future. This is just to get a sense of space I'll need.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated, even if it's a bag not in my list. Thanks!

It appears that the Rode Wireless Pro is the only one that comes close. It doesn't have an SD card slot which I would much prefer and it can't be jammed.

So I have two pairs of these. One of them generally sounds waaay hotter than the other, even though the settings are seemingly identical. I have, however, noticed something different in the voltage reading on the receiver.

For the mic that’s hotter (for instance, the gain on my mixer is set to +2db) it says “TX 1.41V, RX 8.1V” and for the mic that is less sensitive (gain set to +20db) it says “TX 7.6V, RX 7.6V”

I’m not exactly sure how to change this, and am having trouble finding it in the user manual. Any tips?

Hello everyone!

this is not a rant or bash about 32bit float so don’t worry, I may have a snarky comment or two though.

That being said, for those coming into the sound world, why are you choosing to prioritize a 32bit recorder?

I am genuinely curious about the thought process.

are you choosing to forgo learning and understanding gain staging?

I know it is a becoming a popular approach but I feel people are coming at this with as a gimmick and actual useful too.

Thank you folks, trying to quell my ignorance a bit.

I'll be attaching lavs to talent soon but want to know good practise for keeping them attached down the actor's body, mainly for bathroom breaks so we don't have to detatch/reattach the lav every time.

I have stickies for attaching the lav + fur to their chest, but if they disconnect the lav wire from the transmitter for a bathroom break, the wire would just be dangling from their chest when they go to the bathroom and I imagine it would get in the way and be annoying.

What's a good strategy here? Googling seemed to suggest giving them some medical tape to tape the wire to the side of their waist so it'll be out of the way when they're doing their business. Does this make sense? Thanks!

It ticks a lot of boxes compared to other budget solutions but it doesn't allow for audio monitoring, the companion app only displays level meters. It's 32bit float so there is an argument to be made to support this omission with regard to listening for clipping but monitoring audio is so much more than that; clothing rustle being the one that most readily comes to mind.

On the plus side: it uses removable batteries of one's choice, has a locking lav mic input, records to memory cards, accepts jam sync (LTC only), and... it's made by Tascam.

Nevertheless, the instability to monitor the audio feels like a deal-breaker.

Thought?

Hello! I've been doing location sound for a little under a year now and really want to extend into the industry and hopefully make a living in it, currently in college with some gear and wondering about the best upgrades for growth in the industry and as a mixer. I have the privilege of having all the money I make from gigs go to gear, but I am still in college so I don't have too much availability for them so it's snail's pace right now.

Currently I'm running a Zoom F4, 2 sennheiser g3 tx/rx with diety w.lav pros, mke 600, 3 deity tc-1 boxes (no slate), and some random neewer boom pole. I'm planning on upgrading to an f8n pro after this to also be used as a drop bag mixer once I can upgrade into the sound devices ecosystem, but want to get as much usability out of my F4 as I can. I was thinking of getting some more wireless channels and an indoor boom mic next, but need some assistance as which ones to get (if that's even a good upgrade path)

I was thinking of a lectro sr dual receiver with one transmitter and saving for a second one later and searching around for a super/hyper cardioid for indoor because I know lectro is highly regarded within this industry, but I also worry about me definitely not having the support gear to properly handle a lectro wireless system (I have no bds, no microdot lavs, no cart, no shark fin antennae). I'm trying to not spend money on any gear that'll end up collecting dust once I get further into the industry but I also have to be cognizant of having a college-student budget.

Also open to renting for the time being (on properly paid/supported gigs), but have no idea which systems to look for; I only know of lectro because I read the name here a lot, but I know nothing of wisycom or any other professional level brands. These are upgrade plans, so no immediate purchases are being made, but I do want to stretch out all the gear I buy until I grow out of them and can repurpose them for something like a camera hop or drop bag ect. Not against renting out old gear too, but that's not preferable or too profitable either from what I've heard.

TL;DR: Have Zoom F4, 2 sennheiser g3 tx/rx with diety w.lav pros, mke 600, 3 deity tc-1 boxes (no slate), and a neewer boom pole and am looking for guidance for long-term future gear upgrades.

hi!

i'm building my bag and planning to customize my cables. because i'm using sony/sennheiser/rode/deity receivers with unbalanced audio out i'm thinking about using some kind of unbalanced mono angled patch cord like the ones used for guitar pedals. my plan is to buy 50cm patch cables, cut in half and add a 3,5mm angled jacks so to have eventually 2 cables. but i'm not sure about the cable specs on these patches. cause i have the sony original jack stereo 3,5 to xlr and they have 2 wires connected to xlr pins(and sleeve connected to the 3rd and bridgetd to 4th). but i know sony single receiver clones audio out on the 2 wires so one is non really necessary. am i missing something?

thanks!

So I’m working on a short and need someone to fill in for me for a couple of days. I’ve been recording 32bit but my replacement’s mixer doesn’t have that option (Zoom F8n).

Would it potentially cause issues in post if different some days are recorded in 32bit and others in 24bit?

... and yes, a handful can be "judgy"; they might not say anything, but they notice.

With this in mind...

What brands might you choose over others when all other things are equal except cost.

I've recorded footage in 32-bit float. A boom mic is going to channel 1 and has come out as expected, but it's the DJI wireless mic I have going into channel 3/4. I know I was checking the levels on the mic receiver and they were not clipping, and I had had headphones in so would've been able to hear clipping. But when I import the footage into Davinci Resolve the audio is boosted and bringing the audio down doesn't change anything. I've checked the footage from my camera using the same headphones that I use on my PC and the audio is definitely different.

SOLVED

Hi everyone, I’m new to this community.

I’m a solo filmmaker currently working mostly on corporate shoots. Recently, I suggested to my agency that we invest in a proper sound recording setup. Since the gear will mostly stay with me during shoots, I’ll also get the chance to practice and learn sound recording more seriously.

The main reason I want a versatile setup is because, in the future, I also want to make short films. So I’m looking for something that works well for corporate interviews/dialogue recording as well as capturing ambience and atmospheric sounds for films.

Right now, I’m confused between the Zoom F3 and the Zoom H5 Studio, but I’m open to other recommendations too. My budget is a little tight, so I’m trying to choose something that gives good long-term value.

Also looking for microphone suggestions that are good for both ambience recording and dialogue/interview work.

Budget around :- $ 1000 for both can extend 200 more

Would really appreciate your advice and experiences. Thanks!

If you had to work with just one of them for indoor interviews, which one will give me the best possible quality?

DPA6060 wired lavalier

or

Sennheiser MKH 50?

As one-man-band, the lavalier is much easier to deploy.

I’ve had Gotham Sound muck up making cables and fixing mics one too many times over the years, and sadly I think I'm past wasting my time, money, and potential jobs with them.

I don't know what's going on over there, but the quality control seems to be way down. A few years ago, they sold me a "custom-made XLR" with copper wiring literally sticking out of the ends. More recently, I just paid $124 for them to assess and repair a lavalier microphone (supposedly fixing the solder/terminal connector on a DPA 6060), only to get it back and find it is still very much broken.

Right now, they’re the main place I know of for these kinds of repairs and have been using in the city, but I can't keep sending out my gear to them and waiting for it only to find out it's still broken.

Where can I go in NYC to get a lavalier fixed by someone who will actually, consistently assess and repair mics/cables? Thanks all.

Update: Gotham sound owner dm'd me and is offering to help to work towards a fix for the issue so hopefully there will be a resolution!

Hey guys,

I'm just looking to hear what the best in-depth courses are for sound mixing and boom operating is. I don't really know what is out there but I'm willing to invest in some good education so that I can quickly learn.

Something that covers a lead sound mixer and boom operator and sound utility roles in-depth.

Something like:

1. What do sound mixers do for certain situations and how do they capture the best audio
2. How do you lav up people
3. How do you properly boom and what is the best movement and placement, cueing, all the nuances here
4. Maybe some post production tips but not as crucial

I am a big proponent of just using my boom mic but I know on most sets that is just not the case. I want to have the best audio and I am wondering how mixers get such good audio when the camera is wide and moving so much and you can blend lav and booms, etc.

Just looking for some good educational recommendations