3k Audio Budget Suggestions?

arroway

arroway

Well-known member
3k needs to cover...everything.

The set up is for short films to be run by a single Op. Mostly dialogue, some environmental. Half indoors, half outside.

I've got my eyes on the SD 302, the Rode NTG3 (for exteriors) and the Oktava 012 hyper (for interiors). Right there that's already about 2k...

Can another 1k possibly fill out the rest of this list?

Recorder:
Boom:
Shockmount:
Deadcat:
Blimp:
Bag:
MISC Cables:



Any help appreciated.
 
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arroway said:
Can another 1k possibly fill out the rest of this list?

Recorder:
Boom:
Shockmount:
Deadcat:
Blimp:
Bag:
MISC Cables:
Click to expand...

No, it can't.

Based on your budget, you might want to drop from the NTG-3 to the NTG-2, in which case you could get a kit (like THIS) that includes the pole, shock mount, cables and windscreen. You can get by without a blimp for now with the windscreening in the kit, but you'll eventually want something more durable. Anyway, that opens up your budget a little to look at some other gear.

That really just leaves the recorder, bag, and miscellaneous cables. Yes, the location sound package includes cables, but more cables are a good idea. A couple of 25' XLR cables, a couple of 50' cables, and a couple of shorties (3' or less). Always buy cables in twos; if one goes bad in the field, you'll have a backup.

So, for a recorder you could look at the Fostex FR-2LE. It's affordable, versatile, and compact, yet with a form factor that is very baggable and well above the current crop of hand-held digital recorders.

As far as a bag, I still use a Porta Brace Audio Organizer, though there are plenty of fans of Petrol and Kata. Prices are comparable, and you're looking at $200-300 for a good audio bag.

Also, I noticed that headphones are not on your list. How are you going to monitor your sound with all this fancy equipment? Add $100 for something like the Sony MDR7506 headphones.

And you'll want to get a baby ball gag for the Oktava. Yeah, it's a mic for interiors, but boom swings can create wind noise. A good BBG is almost always better than foam. I think that the shock mount in the NTG-2 kit can be adjusted for the Oktava, but you might want to look into a shock mount for the Oktava.

Peace,
Alex
 
It will shoot a $200 hole in your budget, but you might consider a AT-4053b instead of the Oktava. Mo betta.

Grant
 
C2V said:
Based on your budget, you might want to drop from the NTG-3 to the NTG-2, in which case you could get a kit (like THIS) that includes the pole, shock mount, cables and windscreen. You can get by without a blimp for now with the windscreening in the kit, but you'll eventually want something more durable. Anyway, that opens up your budget a little to look at some other gear.

Peace,
Alex
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.

Instead of downgrading to the NTG-2 what do you think about downgrading to the Mixpre?

Mixpre/Foxtex FR-2LE/NTG3/$200 boom/$200 bag/ with another ~1k left over for peripherals? Seems possible.

ggrantly said:
It will shoot a $200 hole in your budget, but you might consider a AT-4053b instead of the Oktava. Mo betta.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I don't want to get the Oktava if I'm just going to replace it with something only a little bit more expensive later. I might get the NTG-? first and wait on the hyper since the prevailing wisdom seems to be that shotguns are better with interiors than hypers are with exteriors and thus make a better general purpose mic.

unclebob6958 said:
Why not rent?
Click to expand...

I searched and did not find any good audio rental houses around me in Michigan. Most of them only had DJ equipment...

I'm not sure how efficient it would be anyway renting fifteen different pieces of audio equipment for every project I want to do; the projects BTW being short form and numerous.

manglerBMX said:
or buy used
Click to expand...

Definitely plan on buying used whenever possible. The problem is a lot of this stuff doesn't depreciate very much. A three years old, visibly battered 302 just sold on Ebay for $975. Rental houses seem to be selling their old units for $200 off new. In this case and others like it, I think I'd rather buy new than buy some old rental house beater for a marginal discount...
 
$3000 is a much better starting budget for indie/short-film audio than most who pop up on these boards (average of $500). So you're definitely in a decent place, even knowing that a good audio budget can be at least 3x more than the camera budget.

About the MixPre, it's a fantastic little box. I have one, and I love it. It is a bit limiting with only two inputs, but if you are only using one or two mics at a time you're golden. The 302 gives you that third input, which can be handy. It also has much better meters on it and a more flexible I/O. Remember with the MixPre you have only mic-level input and line-level output With the 302, inputs and outputs are both mic/line switchable. If that doesn't matter, and again you're only using two mics at most, then the MixPre is a great place to start. In addition, if you do eventually need to expand and decide to get a 302, you can patch the MixPre to the 302 for a total of 5 inputs.

The NTG-2 is a very nice mic. It's not a quick-fix, and it's not a mic that you'll eventually replace. I got the NTG-3 because I had the budget for it, but I'm actually still interested in adding an NTG-2 to my kit.

About the Oktava, it's a great mic. No doubt about it. Yeah, the AT is a great hyper as well, but there are lots of folks who started with an Oktava and never "upgraded" after all. Just something to keep in mind. And even if you do eventually decide to go for the 4053b, why get rid of the MK012? You'll have a backup, which is always a good idea. Honestly, I never get rid of mics... I just get new ones, and expand my mic locker.

Having the NTG-2 and the Oktava now will give you the flexibility to cover interiors and exteriors.

As far as renting, it can be more economical depending on frequency of projects. It also depends on how much equipment you need vs. how much you can afford. You might want to take a look at trewaudio.com in their rental section. Trew is Nashville-based with shops in Toronto and Vancouver as well, and they will ship rentals anywhere. Prices are reasonable, and their customer service is fantastic.

There's no one right way to do this. You really need to figure out what it is you're going to be doing, and if buying a smaller starter kit now is better than being able to rent more complex audio systems, or vice versa. And something else to consider with that is whether you'll be covering your investment at all. In other words, if you plan to be working on paid gigs, the client will cover rental costs.
 
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arroway said:
Good advice. I don't want to get the Oktava if I'm just going to replace it with something only a little bit more expensive later...
Click to expand...

I love my Oktava and keep adding to it (more accessories, more capsules, etc.) Great for not only dialogue, but plant mics too. And it's a great learning tool. Because it does have a bit of handling noise, it teaches you to really work the boom in order to get a quiet result. I've only been doing location sound for less than a year and I'm noticing big results already. Good luck dude!
 
Arroway,

Having used both the 4053b and the Oktava, both are good mics, with the 4053b being IMHO a nice step up. If you were to step up from the Oktava later, it would be a great backup mic, which is a great idea.

Grant
 
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