Looking to improve sound for interviews . Which mike to buy?

While I agree 32bit is largely unnecessary, the only digital out is usb for a computer. You would use the analog out to connect it to your camera. This isn't a problem because the audio quality is still pristine. 32 bit is most useful for situation like a stage performance where its plugged into a sound board in another location and you can't monitor or set levels properly.
 
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Peter C. said:
While I agree 32bit is largely unnecessary, the only digital out is usb for a computer. You would use the analog out to connect it to your camera. This isn't a problem because the audio quality is still pristine. 32 bit is most useful for situation like a stage performance where its plugged into a sound board in another location and you can't monitor or set levels properly.
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Thanks peter - Just bought the Sound Device Pre Mix3 for starter - will only use the camera audio for a guide check. Will replace it in the edit with SD card. Still deciding on which microphone to buy might rent a few for a weekend.
Larry
 
LDV20 said:
Great interview very creatively done. I will look into several of MICs - for budget reasons I am leaning to AUDIX. I am a Production Company - I do projects from seed to finish - so when I have the budget I will hire sound and camera. On larger projects we used sound blankets so I understand. I also found a U tube video where the reviewer looked at the difference between the audio record quality on the FX6 vs MIX PRE - sure the soundesgin sounded a bit better - but FX 6 was certainly good enough.

Thank you for your help
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FWIW… ;-)

My business is very similar to yours- mostly start to finish projects, and most of the time I work OMB. When budget allows (not too often) I hire sound or a utility grip/assistant. I’ve added more audio capabilities in the past few years. Although severely tempted by a Schoeps and a 416, I restrained myself and my budget and made purchase decisions in line with NOT being a pro sound guy and needing to justify ROI. I purchased a MixPre 3 II, Rode NTG5 and the oft mentioned Audix .Although I haven’t trialed the NTG5 for indoor work as much as I should have in appropriate circumstances, I used it once and got great sound for an interior interview/ boomed situation. I hung it another time and …yuck. I replaced it quickly with the Audix, which is my absolute go to. When appropriate, I’ll try the NTG5 again for on reverberant interior interviews. Outdoors, its solid given its price point.

Long story short, the Audix has been a great decision for my scenario, and possibly yours. As mentioned a good pre-amp behind it is always a good thing. Combined with the Mix Pre 3 II, its in it’s sweet spot. That said, I use it for a monthly shoot that I do with a corporate exec, hung on a boom in an absolutely horrendous audio environment- with no MixPre attached. The room we shoot in is a nightmare. There is a server closet in the back end of the room and possibly some kind of AC exchanger as well. I dunno, sounds like there might be a wind tunnel there too ;-) . Using a blanket under the talent, on two sides and a couple to dampen the sound coming out of the server/ AC/ wind tunnel corner of the room- the audio is pretty darn wonderful after being treated with some Crumplepop (v.1) and some Noise Gate. Remember, I’ve rarely used the Mixpre in this setup. I like this mic , especially at it’s price point. Although still a relative newb when it comes to EQ-ing voices, the Audix does require a bit of a boost in the high frequencies for some voices. Overall, the Audix is a winner.

Ironically, after stating that I’m not a pro audio guy, I’ve been picking up some simple mixing jobs for a friend of mine. The MixPre 3 II and the Audix have played a big role in generating more income working for others as a mixer and as itemized gear in my bids. As a longtime DP/ cameraman this bit of audio kit (among other items) has been some of the best and most useful purchases I’ve made in a long time.
 
hotchkiss said:
FWIW… ;-)

My business is very similar to yours- mostly start to finish projects, and most of the time I work OMB. When budget allows (not too often) I hire sound or a utility grip/assistant. I’ve added more audio capabilities in the past few years. Although severely tempted by a Schoeps and a 416, I restrained myself and my budget and made purchase decisions in line with NOT being a pro sound guy and needing to justify ROI. I purchased a MixPre 3 II, Rode NTG5 and the oft mentioned Audix .Although I haven’t trialed the NTG5 for indoor work as much as I should have in appropriate circumstances, I used it once and got great sound for an interior interview/ boomed situation. I hung it another time and …yuck. I replaced it quickly with the Audix, which is my absolute go to. When appropriate, I’ll try the NTG5 again for on reverberant interior interviews. Outdoors, its solid given its price point.

Long story short, the Audix has been a great decision for my scenario, and possibly yours. As mentioned a good pre-amp behind it is always a good thing. Combined with the Mix Pre 3 II, its in it’s sweet spot. That said, I use it for a monthly shoot that I do with a corporate exec, hung on a boom in an absolutely horrendous audio environment- with no MixPre attached. The room we shoot in is a nightmare. There is a server closet in the back end of the room and possibly some kind of AC exchanger as well. I dunno, sounds like there might be a wind tunnel there too ;-) . Using a blanket under the talent, on two sides and a couple to dampen the sound coming out of the server/ AC/ wind tunnel corner of the room- the audio is pretty darn wonderful after being treated with some Crumplepop (v.1) and some Noise Gate. Remember, I’ve rarely used the Mixpre in this setup. I like this mic , especially at it’s price point. Although still a relative newb when it comes to EQ-ing voices, the Audix does require a bit of a boost in the high frequencies for some voices. Overall, the Audix is a winner.

Ironically, after stating that I’m not a pro audio guy, I’ve been picking up some simple mixing jobs for a friend of mine. The MixPre 3 II and the Audix have played a big role in generating more income working for others as a mixer and as itemized gear in my bids. As a longtime DP/ cameraman this bit of audio kit (among other items) has been some of the best and most useful purchases I’ve made in a long time.
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Good info Hotchkiss - nice review for AUDIX . I ordered the pre mix - I am leaning towards the AUDIX - I flip flop between Sanken CSM1 or the AUDIX but pretty sure going for the AUDIX. I feel if I need anything higher end then I will hire sound. Just lost a job because I had a sound mixer in the budget with boom OP. Client went for the less expensive budget. That is what I am dealing with in this market. I do plan to move into a different market once the holidays are over.

This is the first big investment in sound for me. so it was due. I am looking forward to using the new gear on several upcoming projects.
 
Alex H. said:
Again, I don’t think recording in 32-bit float is necessarily going to do anything spectacular for you. But yes, 32-bit recording is short for “32-bit float point”, so AVID seems to support that now.

As far as feeding the camera, you need to understand that your output from the MixPre (not “premix”) will be analog, so bit rate is irrelevant. You can record in 32-bit float in the MixPre and 24-bit in the camera. It won’t be a problem.

But instead of recording in 32-bit at this point, you’ll be better served learning how to record proper audio without it.
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I hesitate to disagree with you, since you clearly know audio, and I'm just a dilettante. However, 32-bit float recording on the MixPre II is pretty amazing in what it can help you recover. I've used it once with a completely inexperienced boom operator who had no idea how to set the gain, and again with mics that were just planted because we had nobody to operate the mixer. In both cases the audio was usable, which I think it wouldn't have been with 24-bit tracks. I wouldn't say that the audio was actually good, but I think the poor mic placement had far more to do with that than the lack of a sound person operating the mixer.

So for a OMB operation, where the operator may not be able to pay attention to gain, I think 32-bit float is very useful.

Oh, and FCPX and Resolve also are able to handle it these days.
 
LDV20 said:
Good info Hotchkiss - nice review for AUDIX . I ordered the pre mix - I am leaning towards the AUDIX - I flip flop between Sanken CSM1 or the AUDIX but pretty sure going for the AUDIX. I feel if I need anything higher end then I will hire sound. Just lost a job because I had a sound mixer in the budget with boom OP. Client went for the less expensive budget. That is what I am dealing with in this market. I do plan to move into a different market once the holidays are over.

This is the first big investment in sound for me. so it was due. I am looking forward to using the new gear on several upcoming projects.
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Even if you purchase an Audix now and upgrade to a higher ticket mic down the road, it will retain its value and utility. It’s just a solid bit of kit. Unlike some camera, support and sound gear I’ve purchased over the years ;-0.
 
ahalpert said:
so, limiters > safety track?

how about in a situation where you're connecting a recorder to a wedding DJ board and then running around to your cameras? and you won't be there to adjust gain if the next speaker actually holds the mic close to their mouth rather than at their waist. how much impact can the limiter have in terms of dB?
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The problem with most digital recorders they don't have proper limiters meaning if its more than a few decibels over it will get clipped or sound bad. So in those situations it's more useful to use more headroom. But it's easy to get burned because these events can have huge swings in volume. You have to step up to +$500 mixer with builtin recorder to get proper limiters. But even then they're not designed for unattended use where the gain way off. 32bit really shines for unattended scenario.
 
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One thing that has improved my sound over the last couple of years is putting levels lower. Without really thinking about it I had come to believe that recording audio 12dB lower to then raise it in post was analogous to underexposing the image a stop. So... probably ok but there is a cost to pay in increased noise.

This might well be true for analogue levels (I'm not a soundie) but for digital levels at the recorder stage, it is not the case. 24-bit audio is FAR more luxurious in terms of headroom and data allocation than a 10-bit log image. So for interviews I now set levels to peak at around -18dB with a -6dB limiter to catch laughs or sudden explosions. If an interviewee is peaking as low as -24dB I usually leave it.

https://www.massivemastering.com/blog/index_files/Proper_Audio_Recording_Levels.php
 
hotchkiss said:
Even if you purchase an Audix now and upgrade to a higher ticket mic down the road, it will retain its value and utility. It’s just a solid bit of kit. Unlike some camera, support and sound gear I’ve purchased over the years ;-0.
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Yes - Mixer and AUDIX ordered - they are not in stock from my supplier - should be in a few weeks.
 
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