what are the requirements for the best on-location sound recording?

Nightwalker

Nightwalker

Active member
what are the requirements for the best on-location sound recording?

For example, sounddogs. They are recording very nicely.

Do not think about recording with the camera.

Exactly what equipments are necessary and what equipments are optional but recommended?

Which microphone model, which deadcats, which recording devices, etc...

To summarize, what should i need to record a perfectly adorable sound to be used anywhere. What should be the total hardware? ( do not tell me a system that costs 1million $ (: )
 
you need good ear scills and knowleg - after that you will desice what good for you .
ahh, forgot the mental ilmness to be sound person
 
mental illness is very high on the list.

your question is too vague. do some research, read the stickies..
 
Are you referring to sound effects recording?

If so, the equipment really depends on what you're trying to record.

Some effects will benefit from hauling around a Deva V and a knapsack full of mics, while other times I've gotten beautiful results out of a dicatphone and a homemade contact transducer.

The conditions under which you are recording will also make a huge difference. For example, an otherwise beautiful close-up recording of a grumbling horse can be spoiled if you're recording too close to a highway. Simmilarly, AC hum and flourescent light ballasts can severely limit the usefullness of a really great-sounding door.


Give us some examples of the specific effects you're after, and we may be able to be a bit more helpful.
 
I agree this is a pretty broad question. You're basically asking for us to sum up the entire realm of knowledge available in this forum (not to mention the countless books written on the topic) into a message board type response. I'm sorry, and I'm not trying to be an ass but it's just too big of a question. It's like if I'm totally green with cameras and I walk up to a camera operator and say "hey bro, so what do I need to do to make a film, like, buy a camera? Which button do I press?". People dedicate years to school and experience and work just scratching the surface of this trade. We can help you with specifics or technical mumbo jumbo but we can't just lay everything down in a few paragraphs.

That said I'll do my best:

I'm not gonna even try to make suggestions for specific pieces of gear. That all depends on your budget. How you employ the gear you have effects the quality tremendously more than what gear you use. I mean a good guitarist can play a 50 dollar guitar beautifully but a $1000 guitar in the hands of a novice is still going to sound like ****. So, you could buy up 10k$ worth of sound gear very easily (seriously) for a small sound package but you might as well piss on all of it and kick it down a hill if you don't know what you're doing with it.

The basics are a microphone (shotgun or hyper cardioid or both if you can afford it)

A boom pole to swing the mic over the frame line and pickup the dialog.

A recorder, this can be the camera itself if you are shooting video/hd/whatever as these cameras have audio inputs and can record two channels. If shooting film you will need a dedicated machine.

If you need to record more than two channels (though if you're a total novice at recording sound for film more than two channels will probably just go to waste) then you're looking at much more expensive professional recorders purpose built for sound for film. Look into companies like Sound Devices, Zaxcom, and Fostex for starters.

There are many other hidden expenses such as cables, microphone mounting systems, wind protection, expendable items such as tape, recording media, batteries, timecode devices (smart slates) the list goes on and on.

You need to do some reading and ask more specific questions. But I hope this helps.
 
I want to thank all of you who take their time and write me a reply.

I have never wanted to be a person who wants everything to come himself without making anything/just sitting.

I know and understand all of the sentences you typed. I'm a volunteer to learn'em all ( as much as , and as possible as ). By watching people, by asking to people, by reading internet , by reading books.

In this thread, i wanted to know names of small-budget equipments.

For example i have a rode video mic (mono). it's fine for my dvx. But not enough. It's charachteristics good but not enough. When i was purchasing it, i also was knowing that it's not enough. But i didn't want to purchase more sensitive and more narrow-field recordable mic. I mean, i could buy one, which can be mounted on a pole.

Whatever..

I want to record sound effects like "door close", "rolling ball", etc.. i do not need the video of these. I want to be able to record 48khz with a mic that you may tell me. I also want to know how to record these.. I think mono recording is enough for me. Since this sound source is comnig from only one direction, user can use that sound in whichever channel he/she wants. Am i wrong? So besides mic, i'll be glad if you tell me about recording device choices.

I never underestimate your knowledge or experience. Infact, exactly opposite of it, currently i'm trying to get whatever i can get from you (: I'm always hungry to new knowledge. I'm not telling that i can be THE ONE! or i have that "EAR"!. But i'm telling that, i'm volunteer to try it (: I have playing piano and keyboard since i was six years old. I trust my self that i can achieve at least some level (:

I'm currently more interested in video recording, but i always loved sound & music and now, i also want to be part of it, as much as i can.

I do not underestimate people in this area, and i do not mean that i can learn everything in 1 day. I know that it's a long way as always (:

I'll be glad if you help me and let me start on somewhere. I always wanted to record very high quality and usable sound effects ( in films, theatres, multimedia applications,... ). I'm not planning to record ( as i should , for now ) more than 2 channels. In fact, 1 channel=mono.

Thank you very much for your replies, not only for long and calm ones, but also for replies which are slapping me (:

Kind Regards,
 
Okay, now that we all have a better idea what you're after, lets start with the recorder. There are plenty of very reasonably priced portable solid-state digital recorders on the market, so you have plenty of options there: Marantz 671, Tascam HD-P2, Fostex FR-2, Zoom H-4, Sound Devices 702 to name only a few. Prices and specifications vary, but you should be looking for a digital recorder that will at the very least allow you to record 24-bit 48 kHz stereo without any data compression (ie. avoid MP3 recorders or minidisc recorders). More expensive units will typically give you more features, as well as better mic preamps and A-D converters. I usually record effects with my Fostex FR-2, although I'll generally us a 4-channel PSC mixer on the front-end (better preamps, limiters, etc.)

Next up, you're going to need headphones. Look for closed-back circumaural models that form a tight seal around your ears to prevent sound leaking in or out. Sony's MDR-7506 headphones are the industry standard around here, and for good reason. If you're recording extremely loud sounds (rock bands, gunshots, explosions, helicopters, nascar, etc.) you may need high isolation headphones such as Remote Audio's HN-7506.

90% of the effects I record are mic'd using a Sennheiser MKH416t. Its a rugged condensor shotgun with a very low noise floor, and well suited to a wide variety of effects recording situations (everything from extremely delicate foley to large black-powder explosions). As a quick glance through the forum stickies will show you, shotgun mics aren't always the idea choice (especially for reverberant interiors), so you'll eventually want to bring along a variety of mics.

Certain effects will benefit from a mix of a variety of mics. For example, a single gunshot may involve four or more mics: a dynamic "stunt" mic (eg. a Shure SM-57) up close to the gunshot, a stereo pair (eg. an X-Y pair of Schoeps CMC4's) placed well back to record the slap of the gunshot off the surrounding landscape, and even a kick-drum mic (eg. AKG D112) to capture that sub-bass weight.

You're best option would be to intern under a sound editor who's recording location sound effects. You'll learn more hauling their gear and asking questions than you're likely to learn in an online forum (even one as nice as this one).
 
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