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    #31
    What are people's favorite ways of hiding lavs under a shirt? When I OMB, the weak link in my audio chain has always been getting good sound from a hidden lav.

    Today my interview boom sounded great but my lav was really struggling under talent's stretchy fabric shirt. I sandwiched the mic head in moleskin but it seemed very susceptible to shirt friction either when taped to the shirt or taped to her chest
    www.AbeFilms.com

    All men are brothers

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      #32
      Originally posted by Jim Feeley View Post

      I've wanted, and I probably still want, a K-Tek Boom Cradle. $150US, probably won't easily fit the new K-Tek poles (thanks for the pix R&G), but might make me wig out a bit less when I need to REALLY extend a carbon pole for some oddball interview setup.

      https://www.gothamsound.com/product/boom-cradle
      boomcradle.png


      That's why I made my other Aluminum Buddy*, which has the cradles spread out and is designed to go into a grip head. But this one doesn't pack as nice.

      I never understood how people could use the Auray fishing pole cradle. It looks like a disaster waiting to happen to carbon poles.

      Yes, as pointed out previously, it is installed incorrectly in the head.

      *Patent not pending.

      Boom holder.jpg
      Last edited by Paul F; 09-21-2021, 08:00 PM.
      Awarded Best Clear Com Chatter, 2001, PBS Television

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        #33
        Originally posted by Jim Feeley View Post

        Ugly but cool!

        I've wanted, and I probably still want, a K-Tek Boom Cradle. $150US, probably won't easily fit the new K-Tek poles (thanks for the pix R&G), but might make me wig out a bit less when I need to REALLY extend a carbon pole for some oddball interview setup.

        https://www.gothamsound.com/product/boom-cradle

        boomcradle.png



        I’ve eyeballed that K-Tek cradle for over a decade, but could never bring myself to buy it. Not so much because of the cost directly, but my guys would probably have ragged me endlessly for buying a cradle that expensive. Lol.

        Comment


          #34
          Originally posted by ahalpert View Post
          What are people's favorite ways of hiding lavs under a shirt? When I OMB, the weak link in my audio chain has always been getting good sound from a hidden lav.

          Today my interview boom sounded great but my lav was really struggling under talent's stretchy fabric shirt. I sandwiched the mic head in moleskin but it seemed very susceptible to shirt friction either when taped to the shirt or taped to her chest
          Do you think the noise is coming from fabric on the mic head or on the cable?

          On a woman, a Hide-a-mic bra holder can work really well. Often a bit of distance between the shirt and the front bra, the talent can place it themselves, just works. Available at the usual places:
          https://www.hideamic.com

          I also like the Bubblebee lav concealers. They're kind of like the old (and perhaps current) TRAM mounts that have a small wire "cage" to set a bit of distance between the mic head and fabric. Sometimes I'll bend a little cage from a paperclip and use it in a moleskin sandwich/sleeping-bag gag.
          https://www.bubblebeeindustries.com/...tection?page=2

          And heck, I think all these little lav problem solvers are fun, cheap(ish), and sometimes useful. Here's what Trew carries:
          https://www.trewaudio.com/product-ca...sories/page/3/

          But geez, I usually use the standard mounts the mic makers provide (like the Sanken rubber mount, Countryman vampire clip, etc), some sort of moleskin sandwich thing, and perhaps a bit of fur from Rycote or Bubblebee.

          I guess this fits under Alex's original topic question, because that stuff usually is all in my sound bag. :-)
          ----------
          Jim Feeley
          POV Media

          Comment


            #35
            Originally posted by Run&Gun View Post

            I’ve eyeballed that K-Tek cradle for over a decade, but could never bring myself to buy it. Not so much because of the cost directly, but my guys would probably have ragged me endlessly for buying a cradle that expensive. Lol.
            Ya, I haven't bought it yet. But I've done a few sit-downs with a fairly wide shot, outside in kinda windy conditions. So an extend 12-foot 3.5M pole with a short shotgun and a full windscreen with fur. All that weight hanging on an expensive pole... I'm thinking a broader holder that'll spread the forces ain't such a bad idea...

            And dood, I get teased (and tease) over less so I think I can roll with it. ;-)

            Paul, your two holders are cool!
            ----------
            Jim Feeley
            POV Media

            Comment


              #36
              Thanks Jim. I like to make things. I'll spend hours making something I could have easily bought. As Monk said, "It's a blessing ..... and a curse".
              Awarded Best Clear Com Chatter, 2001, PBS Television

              Comment


                #37
                Originally posted by ahalpert View Post
                What are people's favorite ways of hiding lavs under a shirt? When I OMB, the weak link in my audio chain has always been getting good sound from a hidden lav.

                Today my interview boom sounded great but my lav was really struggling under talent's stretchy fabric shirt. I sandwiched the mic head in moleskin but it seemed very susceptible to shirt friction either when taped to the shirt or taped to her chest
                There’s very much an art to burying lavs in wardrobe, and there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution.

                I carry a whole bunch of stuff in my expendables kit. Moleskin can be useful (the classic moleskin sandwich), and Dr. Scholl’s bunion cushions can also be used to make effective mic mounts. My go-tos are the Ursa Mini Mount and the Bubbebee Lav Concealer.

                Sometimes, the noise you hear is actually coming up the cable rather than from the capsule. Some lav cables are a little more microphonic than others, but the best solution for this is to tape a relief loop a few inches below the lav. I keep rolls of Transpore on hand for things like this.
                Knoxville-based location sound mixer.

                Instagram @sonolocus

                Comment


                  #38
                  Further thoughts on expendables for hiding lavs:

                  I’m currently back in for Season 3 of “Moonshiners: Master Distiller”. The three judges all wear overalls, which are about the easiest things to mic. I typically go for an Ursa Mini Mount or, more recently, a Bubblebee Lav Concealer, and mount the lav (COS11) top and center of the bib, right below the top edge.

                  Many of our contestants also wear overalls, but we have quite a few who don’t. The biggest challenge here is that we shoot in a warehouse that’s part of a distillery property. Two full sets with grids of hot lights, plus three copper stills on propane burners on each set... it gets hot in here. Even now that fall has hit East TN and temperatures are in the 60s and 70s, it still gets hot in here, and a lot of these folks sweat profusely. Adhesives don’t hold at all when the sweat starts to drip. We’ll occasionally grab vampire clips, but those can be finicky. I’d say the most challenging for hiding the lav and avoiding noise, while keeping everything in place, is with plain tee shirts. The only good place for a vampire is in the placket of the collar, and that puts the capsule in the pit of the throat (a terrible place for a lav, sonically). This is where I’ve really come to love, and rely on, Ursa chest straps. I put the COS11 in an Ursa Mini Mount and tuck that into the little pouch on the strap, and it’s good to go.

                  Yesterday, I rigged one of the contestants with the Mini Mount and chest strap and was still getting a bit of scratch, so I added two Ursa Fur Circles, one on front and and one on back back of the lav compartment, on the outside of the strap material, and that solved the issue. He was perfectly clean the rest of the day.
                  Last edited by Alex H.; 09-27-2021, 07:01 AM.
                  Knoxville-based location sound mixer.

                  Instagram @sonolocus

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by Alex H. View Post
                    Yesterday, I rigged one of the contestants with the Mini Mount and chest strap and was still getting a bit of scratch, so I added two Ursa Fur Circles, one on front and and one on back back of the lav compartment, on the outside of the strap material, and that solved the issue. He was perfectly clean the rest of the day.
                    So there's definitely a bit of trial and error involved when you encounter tricky situations? And you have an array of tools for each specific purpose - for mounting in place, for securing to adjacent fabric, for insulating vibrations - and you swap out or add a tool when the current configuration isn't working perfectly? But then you can repeat a previous set-up that worked for you when you encounter the same scenario again?

                    And from now on, if someone asks in advance what they should wear to the interview, I'll them to wear overalls
                    Last edited by ahalpert; 09-27-2021, 09:41 AM.
                    www.AbeFilms.com

                    All men are brothers

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Originally posted by ahalpert View Post
                      So there's definitely a bit of trial and error involved when you encounter tricky situations? And you have an array of tools for each specific purpose - for mounting in place, for securing to adjacent fabric, for insulating vibrations - and you swap out or add a tool when the current configuration isn't working perfectly? But then you can repeat a previous set-up that worked for you when you encounter the same scenario again?
                      100%. There are resources out there - books and tutorials - on burying lavs, but they cover basics and contain no solves-all options (because there’s no such thing). I have a pretty extensive box full of solutions I’ve collected over the years, and I’ve probably tossed out as many as I’ve kept. The biggest thing for me has been trial and error, whether it’s trying a new product on the market or trying an older solution is (or new idea) learned from another mixer... or something I’ve figured out on my own when trying to problem-solve on the spot.

                      I usually start in the same place depending on the garment, be it a tee shirt, a button-down or golf shirt, a blouse, etc. I’ve learned over the years what usually works in these situations, and then I have extra supplies on hand for when “the usual” meets “the unusual”. The key is being able to troubleshoot and to adapt.

                      But the reason I usually reach for the Ursa Mini Mount or the Bubblebee Lav Concealer before anything else is because I have found that I can get them placed effectively, quickly, more often than not.

                      Originally posted by ahalpert View Post
                      And from now on, if someone asks in advance what they should wear to the interview, I'll them to wear overalls
                      Ha! If only it was that simple.
                      Knoxville-based location sound mixer.

                      Instagram @sonolocus

                      Comment


                        #41
                        Originally posted by ahalpert View Post
                        But then you can repeat a previous set-up that worked for you when you encounter the same scenario again?
                        To reiterate this point (and please see my earlier post)... we have a guest judge on set today wearing a synthetic blend (read: difficult, noisy fabrics). Normally, on a button-down shirt, my first solution is an Ursa Mini Mount behind the placket and just above a button. This doesn’t work very well with synthetic fabrics, and even worse with synthetics plus chest hair.

                        So again, I went with the Ursa Chest Strap and the COS11 in an Ursa Mini Mount. Not so bad when he walks around, but when he sits down with the other judges, the fabric is still problematic. So again, an Ursa Fur Circle on the chest strap... problem solved. I’ll be stocking up on the fur circles,
                        Knoxville-based location sound mixer.

                        Instagram @sonolocus

                        Comment


                          #42
                          I don't have anything like the expertise of Alex but I'd just like to add that Bubbebee Lav Concealers are the best audio purchases I've made in the last few years.

                          In the past, when hiding a lav between layers of clothing I've tended to go for some kind of moleskin or gaffer tape sandwich with the lav immobile in the middle (ie. stuck to both layers). This is great when it works but the failure mode is often catastophic with gobs of tape being dragged around under a shirt and me stopping the interview. Perhaps I was just doing it wrong?

                          With the lav concealers, one side is for sticking and the other is smooth and relatively frictionless. This means that even if the layer above the lav is sliding around it's still quiet (as long as the material is fairly light and soft). My sense is that this is 90% as good as an immobile lav but far, far less likely to fail.



                          Comment


                            #43
                            Originally posted by Run&Gun View Post

                            I run the CS-M1 as the nat mic on my F55 and it's great.
                            What mount are you (and others) using when a CS-M1 is on a camera?

                            In general, Rycote suggests the InVision INV-6 heavy for this mic with a slip-on softie. In general, I like InVision mounts, but less of a Softie fan (I have a couple Rycote Windshields and a Cyclone; haven't bought into Cinela...yet).



                            But what's working for you, Run&Gun, and you, everyone else?

                            Thx,

                            Jim
                            Attached Files
                            ----------
                            Jim Feeley
                            POV Media

                            Comment


                              #44
                              Hey Jim. I do run the Rycote softie, but as far as the mount goes, I use the Sony CAC12, that was designed to hold shotguns on ENG and triax handheld bodies(mounted on the body instead of the VF). When you take the mounting plate off, the stud is actually 1/4-20.

                              https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/49117-REG/Sony_CAC12_CAC_12_Camera_Microphone_Holder.html

                              CAC 12.jpg
                              CAC 12 2.jpg

                              1244118718_49117.jpg
                              Last edited by Run&Gun; 10-22-2021, 10:55 AM.

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                                #45
                                This week, I’m adding RF distro to my B-kit, which is the MixPre-10 II and 4 channels of Lectro wireless (two SRc receivers) in a Stingray JuniorX.

                                If there’s one thing I have done for my sound package that has made the biggest world of difference, it’s antenna distro: a PSC RF Multi and a pair of Betso Bowties. Signal range and stability improve quite noticeably. I’ve even run SMA-modded Senneheiser receivers through this system and gotten amazing range. The other benefit is RF isolation. Some mixer/recorders can put off RF spray, and having receiver antennae right by the device can cause some interference. Detaching the antennae and moving them to the outside of the bag - just that few inches of distance - can avoid the RF spray.

                                So I’m waiting on the bowties and all the extra cables to be delivered today and tomorrow. While the bowties do come with BNC>BNC cables, they’re only good for running directly outside the bag, so I order custom (longer) cables to be able to wire then into the bag the way I want.

                                But all that’s to say: if you have a bagged sound package, this is an addition that’s worth the investment.
                                Last edited by Alex H.; 10-27-2021, 08:13 AM.
                                Knoxville-based location sound mixer.

                                Instagram @sonolocus

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