£400 budget on a lav setup

junct

junct

Active member
I am currently using a Tascam 40d with At875r on top of the camera and a pistol grip to capture sound on videography and interview jobs.

I'd like to add a lav system.

The Rodelink, Sennheiser g3 and g4 seem the most common recommendations.

Wireless makes most sense for a one man band set up i think?

I'm not an audio pro at all, but I have a reasonable understanding and commitment to capturing decent sound when I can't work with a dedicated location soundy.

What are my best options for simple workflow, ease of use, portability and sound quality around the £400 pricepoint?

I'm more than happy to go second hand.

PS I do plan to upgrade the Tascam, but it does ok-enough for now.
 
I have a spare sony uwp transmitter receiver with lavalier for sale, including hot-shoe for sony camera's. 300 euro.
 
Out of curiosity what recorder are you using. There is no Tascam 40d, there is the DR-40 and the 60d.

In your shoes I would probably go for one of the WiFi lav systems because of ease of use, and it doesn't sound like you are going to be using it in a challenging way. The UHF systems have better range and are generally a bit better with obstacles and such but are a lot more complicated to set up.
 
Go with wireless. You can't go wrong with either the Rode or the Sennheiser wireless. It's a matter of preference. The Rode is more bulky. The G3 is more compact.

The used G3's are selling pretty cheap now, in the $300 range in the States. With that you will need to add a lavaliere as the stock mic is poor. You'll need an OST-801 or OST 802 mic to go with it; another $100.

The used Rode is selling in the same range, maybe a little less.

There is some technique to wiring up people with a lav. There are plenty of videos showing how to do it. If you don't mind the mic showing, it's not so hard. If you want to hide the mic, then there is some things you need to know, so watch the videos.

Like all audio, you need to figure out what your gain plan is. The transmitter has a sensitivity setting to set the gain based upon the mic sensitivity. The receiver has a gain setting for the output to your recorder. You'll need to optimize those, but once you figure that out, you won't have to deal with it again.
 
Noiz2 said:
Out of curiosity what recorder are you using. There is no Tascam 40d, there is the DR-40 and the 60d.

In your shoes I would probably go for one of the WiFi lav systems because of ease of use, and it doesn't sound like you are going to be using it in a challenging way. The UHF systems have better range and are generally a bit better with obstacles and such but are a lot more complicated to set up.
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Simplicity is a big goal really, as anything where I want serious sound I'll be budgeting a dedicated soundie (I don't like working without one, but that's the way the "videography" market has pushed things). In any case, as a one man band, complicated isn't possible to manage.

And it's a dr-40 - sorry, was half awake when I posted.
 
Paul F said:
Go with wireless. You can't go wrong with either the Rode or the Sennheiser wireless. It's a matter of preference. The Rode is more bulky. The G3 is more compact.

The used G3's are selling pretty cheap now, in the $300 range in the States. With that you will need to add a lavaliere as the stock mic is poor. You'll need an OST-801 or OST 802 mic to go with it; another $100.

The used Rode is selling in the same range, maybe a little less.

There is some technique to wiring up people with a lav. There are plenty of videos showing how to do it. If you don't mind the mic showing, it's not so hard. If you want to hide the mic, then there is some things you need to know, so watch the videos.

Like all audio, you need to figure out what your gain plan is. The transmitter has a sensitivity setting to set the gain based upon the mic sensitivity. The receiver has a gain setting for the output to your recorder. You'll need to optimize those, but once you figure that out, you won't have to deal with it again.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Sounds like both would work well enough in either case. Assuming equal-enough quality for my use-case, what are the pros/cons of the two systems? Maybe it's just a case of grabbing whatever I can steal a deal on..
 
A bit of left field suggestion but have a look at audio technica system 10 systems. I got one for peanuts and it works great. I have seen them go as low as 160 pounds in the UK, which is just below 209 dollar with the current exchange rate.
I would definitely not buy an azden pro XD. I also own one, and that one gets interference very easily.
 
If you do the editing, I would also consider buying one or two of the Tascam DR-10Ls instead of wireless. They are smaller, simpler, set and forget. The downside is you cannot monitor the sound so you need to know how to properly rig a lavaliere. The upside is, they record everything, even when your camera is off, which for certain types of filmmaking can be immesely helpful.
Super simple to sync these days with the auto sync functions built into FCP X and Premiere CC. You don't need slates, handclaps, clapper boards anymore. We bought two of the Tascams and have actually been using them far more than our wireless. Plus wireless eat batteries in comparison, are larger and heavier, a PITA to try to get clean sound with at times from UHF or WiFi interference.
The more I use the Tascams, the less I am liking wireless in general for the type of OMB run & gun documentary shooting where we cannot have a sound mixer. I always prefer having a good sound mixer to do the job but when you can't, I am digging the Tascams. The limiter is pretty good and they also record a safety track at -6dB or -12dB under your main track.

Of course, if you hand off footage unedited to clients, you are probably stuck with wireless.
 
BTW, and this may not apply to NZ so take that in mind. And way OT. But at least in the US sound people as a rule will take offense at being referred to as "soundies". I thin I mentioned this before and was told that it isn't the case in NZ so... I don't take offense because I know none was intended but the term does make me cringe a bit. I mean how would your DP react if you called him a picturie.
 
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Noiz2 said:
BTW, and this may not apply to NZ so take that in mind. And way OT. But at least in the US sound people as a rule will take offense at being referred to as "soundies". I thin I mentioned this before and was told that it isn't the case in NZ so... I don't take offense because I know none was intended but the term does make me cringe a bit. I mean how would your DP react if you called him a picturie.
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I'm the opposite, when people ask me what my job title is, I often say, "Camera Monkey" "Camera Setter Upper and Pointer" and not DP. DP sounds so pretentious unless you are actually being a cinematographer with a crew and actors.
 
junct said:
I am currently using a Tascam 40d with At875r on top of the camera and a pistol grip to capture sound on videography and interview jobs.
Click to expand...

Get the mic off the camera! And onto a boom pole

junct said:
I'd like to add a lav system.

The Rodelink, Sennheiser g3 and g4 seem the most common recommendations.
Click to expand...

Sony UWP-D11 is better than all of those, and is the best choice sub US$1K at the moment. At least until the new Deity Connect gets released?
 
Noiz2 said:
BTW, and this may not apply to NZ so take that in mind. And way OT. But at least in the US sound people as a rule will take offense at being referred to as "soundies". I thin I mentioned this before and was told that it isn't the case in NZ so... I don't take offense because I know none was intended but the term does make me cringe a bit. I mean how would your DP react if you called him a picturie.
Click to expand...

This, I hear it all the time in NZ. And I hear it often in enough in various international forums as well, with no complaints except for this one here..... Noiz2 at dvxuser
 
IronFilm said:
This, I hear it all the time in NZ. And I hear it often in enough in various international forums as well, with no complaints except for this one here..... Noiz2 at dvxuser
Click to expand...

And yet I suspect you are not hearing it from sound professionals.
 
IronFilm said:
Get the mic off the camera! And onto a boom pole



Sony UWP-D11 is better than all of those, and is the best choice sub US$1K at the moment. At least until the new Deity Connect gets released?
Click to expand...

I don't disagree, but not typically an option on quick one-man-band shoots. For sit down interviews i'd like to add a stand I can swing a boom on so I can feasibly be behind camera and mic, be able to move both without needing to worry about one going completely awry while I operate the other.

Can you expand on the Sony option?
 
Thanks for the suggestions folks. The Tascam option seems nice, but I am pretty hesitant about anything I can't monitor.. But the benefits of weight/price/size/battery consumption are all nice. It also seems perhaps a more realistic option for set and forget when I can't have a dedicate audio pro with me..





PS I have heard the term soundie on multiple NZ film sets. Didn't know it was considered offensive in the states. I can see why it might seem patronising.
 
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