External microphones for stage

H

Halo1000

Member
Newbie question (again)!!

I'm doing a two camera shoot next month of a live dance dance/play. I wanted to use a 4 channel wireless lav system but it does not look practical at this point due to the number of dancers/actors involved.

I am now thinking of placing 4 mics around the stage, 2 at the front of stage pointing to stage left and right and 2 hanging from the lighting rig about 8 to 10 feet high near the back of the stage. I plan to use the two cameras to record the 4 channels of seperate sound. (so I dont have to get involved with mixers etc)

The problem is that the stage is quite big and I dont know a whole lot about sound or mics other than what I have read so some pro advice would sure help.

What type/make of mic should I be looking at in order to pickup the quiet sounds from the furthest points?

Once again, I appreciate the advice from all you folks out there. Its a steep learning curve.

Cheers
Phil:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
So I am all about doing sound on my own, for most situations this works out fine. Saves me time and money not having to drag around a sound guy and his gear - Saves me headaches not having to hear a sound guy whine that "the bus outside is too loud" or "there is a fan running" even when no-one else on set who puts on the head phones can hear what the sound guy is complaining about.

So for most interviews etc, I don't bother.

But... When a job demands a sound guy (like this one seems to), you need to give in and get a sound guy. If your budget is too small (because you bid it wrong, or it's a favour to friend, or for a non-profit who wants more than they can afford), find a junior sound guy who will do it cut rate for practice. Vancouver should be swimming in guys like this, especially with the current market - Here in Toronto they would line up 20 deep just to get out of the house and keep the gear from rusting right now.

Sound is a huge part of video, and in a performance piece like this even more so.

G.
 
Sorry, I see now that you are on the island and probably no-where near Van-city.
Rest of my rant still holds however.

G.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'll make some calls and see what I can work out. The sound will be the big issue here so better to pay to get it right.

Your right, this is a favour to a friend which I am funding but the potential for future work is pretty big. He got me in the door with the company so I need to make it good to get the contract for future work.

Cheers
Phil
 
If it is a large production, they should have mic'd the actors on stage for use on the PA system. You could tap into the soundboard with little troubles.

That will give you the mics on the lead talent as well as some ambient mics set downstage. That might solve the issue for you.
 
I record stage shows all the time. Plays, concerts, readings, etc... While I often record a separate feed from a sound board, I always mic my stage as a backup. I use Crown PCC-160's. Even Laying 2 of them on either side of a stage is plenty for most situations. I usually use 4 of them. They pickup great. Not much low end, but I usually boost that a little in post to warm it up. I sometimes use a couple of condenser mic for crowd noise as well or for the pit if needed.

You can get these on ebay all the time. I have 2 new and 2 used that I got from ebay just fine.

Here's one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROWN-PCC-160-S...14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318
 
Hanging the mics will be best option. This is what they do at operas and symphonies... I bet if you do a search online on micing the symphony it will give you grat feedback. Also, what kind of concert/performance is it? Live music or is it thru a board? If there is a board, use an xlr output line level and connect to one of the cameras line in xlr. hope some of this helps.
 
Rudy/Jester

Many thanks for your suggestions. I will give that a go. I will get 4 Crown PCC mics and hang two from the lighting rig and two front left and right. A lowcost mixing desk to bring it down to stereo for the camera will give me the locked audio that I require. This is a trial run to see if its feasable for DVD distribution down the line.

Again
Cheers
Phil:beer:
 
Jester:

Could you post a clip of one of your productions with this setup? Doesn't need to be long, just perhaps :30 of an example of these PZMs at work so we can hear the end result?

Thanks,

Dan

JesterJJZ said:
I record stage shows all the time. Plays, concerts, readings, etc... While I often record a separate feed from a sound board, I always mic my stage as a backup. I use Crown PCC-160's. Even Laying 2 of them on either side of a stage is plenty for most situations. I usually use 4 of them. They pickup great. Not much low end, but I usually boost that a little in post to warm it up. I sometimes use a couple of condenser mic for crowd noise as well or for the pit if needed.

You can get these on ebay all the time. I have 2 new and 2 used that I got from ebay just fine.

Here's one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROWN-PCC-160-S...14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top