5000 budget, field kit

i don't think it would be a bad idea to get a recorder, like a tascam dr100 or zoom h4n, just for dslr shoots. for those types of gigs thats usually sufficient. i started off buying all of my gear used. i had a much smaller budget tho. i scoured the forums and sound house used sections for weeks. i had gotten tired of having to scour up gear for gigs so i invested.

i had $3000 and here's what i started with back in 2007'sh
PSC m4mkII used kit($1500)
-portabrace bag
-3 np1 batteries and charger
-eng snake
the crappy ktek 9' pole kit from b&h($600)
-rode ntg1
-fuzzy
-xlr cables
i already had 2 g2 kits for my video camera kit but i added 2 countryman b6's i got used for $400.
zoom h4 used $225
and petrol harness $100.

and that was able to get me through basic gigs for a good while and i continued to add to it. oktava hyper mic, lectro wireless, better boom, better shotgun, etc...
 
Rippie said:
Nicole, those are all very easy solutions.
If you are cabled, you always monitor off of camera so you know what you are getting via the return feed in any audio snake/harness.
Another is right at the beginning of the day when I'm plugging in, EVERY single audio knob or switch gets taped down.
NO ONE is able to change something by mistake.

Camera hops are obviously a different story concerning monitoring but there are plenty of solutions to that as well.
I agree that most of the time it wouldnt hurt to roll a backup in a camera hop situation, but
when the OP only has $5000 to spend on audio equipment my own advice is buy things you NEED to use everyday first.

Eventually if they stick with it they will buy backup microphones, backup wireless, and a backup recorder.
Click to expand...

I didn't think you meant it was bad to record to camera, and thanks for the answer. Just to make sure, if I monitor all sound, always (which I do), so that I'll know if there's an issue with the sound, do I really need a backup recorder? As someone else has pointed out, it's a pain to deal with on a set if you're undercrewed.
 
StuOS said:
I didn't think you meant it was bad to record to camera, and thanks for the answer. Just to make sure, if I monitor all sound, always (which I do), so that I'll know if there's an issue with the sound, do I really need a backup recorder? As someone else has pointed out, it's a pain to deal with on a set if you're undercrewed.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, for what you mention I don't think you do.
As you said, you monitor off the camera so you can tell if there is a problem immediately.
I would suggest spot checks a few times a day (Playback in camera) to make sure everything is sticking ok.

Once again I can only speak for myself but I rarely roll a backup recording when sending my audio to a quality camera.

If I was on a DSLR shoot, of course I would record separately, but what I would be recording wouldn't be backup. It would be
my primary recording.
 
Just a follow up to my original post...

I am not discouraged but am I wrong in assuming that field kit might be the wrong thing to start accumulating. It seems from a lot of posts if I am working with the HVX's and run audio straight into the camera and maybe use the H4N as a backup. Do I concentrate on acquiring better mics?

Most of the gigs I work on use HVX's or DSLR's. I haven't seen the Panasonic Af100 yet. I did invest in a zoom H4N a while back. It works great but was hard to operate while booming.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. I am new to the audio field and looking for some guidance.
 
Threads often drift, welcome to DVXuser. To answer your question, it all depends. Realistically if you are going to record off cam, you will need more people to do it. If you have skilled audio people, you can improve your quality significantly. If you are primarily a one man band, you will probably need to record to cam, which is fine for simple projects like docs and small corporate. If you can handle it, use a mixer in front of your cam. The new SD MixPre has an under cam mount available, and if it's like other SDproducts, it will be terrific. Good mics and good wind protection would be next, and if you are really going solo, invest in good lavs.

In your op, you indicated two cams and in post 5, you indicated working by yourself for audio. This is going to be pretty impossible to do by yourself. If you can define your workflow in realistic terms, you will likely get better responses. Not trying to be a jerk about that, but saying you intend to do all this alone will get folks in the chortle mode. I work alone mostly and know how busy it can be trying to do too much. The only realistic way to omb both audio and video is to keep it really simple and really organized.

As always, this advice is worth what you are paying for it.
Grant
 
Just audio

Just audio

Grant,

I guess my replies are a bit confusing. I am looking to focus on audio. I am hearing from the crews I work on is that they need a sound guy. I don't plan on running camera as I am more interested in the audio side of production.

Thanks again.
 
MartyMcfly said:
I guess my replies are a bit confusing. I am looking to focus on audio. I am hearing from the crews I work on is that they need a sound guy. I don't plan on running camera as I am more interested in the audio side of production.
Click to expand...

Mixer, shotgun with kit (pole, shockmount/zepplin/fur cover, cables), hypercardioid with kit (shockmount, foam windscreen, baby ball gag and fur cover), good headphones, mic cables (a couple of 25', a couple of 50', and some shorties), audio bag. ENG snake with breakaway for mixer>camera with monitor return. There's your starting place. Wireless is handy, but can be rented at low cost on a per-project basis. For work with DSLR shoots, an external recorder is a must. I'd also recommend a harness for the audio bag if you'll be working any run-and-gun at all. The shoulder strap is a killer for long shoot days.

To do this within $5k?

Sound Devices 302 ($1300)
RØDE NTG-3 kit ($1000)
Hypercardioid (Oktava MK012 - $300... add another $300 for shockmount, BBG, and furry)
Sony MDR-7506 headphones ($90)
Mic cables ($200)
ENG Snake ($275)
Audio bag ($200-ish)

That's $3700. With the remaining $1300, you could get one good wireless system (Sennheiser G3 at the minimum) with a better lav, or you could find a basic model of Lectrosonics wireless system with a lav. Either way, it's not enough for two systems. You could also invest in a Pelican 1650 to carry everything, and a decent recorder (Fostex FR2-LE, Tascam HD-P2 or DR680) plus additional media cards.

Or, you could save $500 by getting the NTG-2 kit instead, and that would bump the remaining budget for two wireless systems. However, the NTG-3 is going to serve you better.
 
Last edited:
Time to start searching for gear.

Time to start searching for gear.

Alex,

Thanks for the information. It was a solid and straight to the point answer. I will report back after I do some more research.





Alex H. said:
Mixer, shotgun with kit (pole, shockmount/zepplin/fur cover, cables), hypercardioid with kit (shockmount, foam windscreen, baby ball gag and fur cover), good headphones, mic cables (a couple of 25', a couple of 50', and some shorties), audio bag. ENG snake with breakaway for mixer>camera with monitor return. There's your starting place. Wireless is handy, but can be rented at low cost on a per-project basis. For work with DSLR shoots, an external recorder is a must. I'd also recommend a harness for the audio bag if you'll be working any run-and-gun at all. The shoulder strap is a killer for long shoot days.

To do this within $5k?

Sound Devices 302 ($1300)
RØDE NTG-3 kit ($1000)
Hypercardioid (Oktava MK012 - $300... add another $300 for shockmount, BBG, and furry)
Sony MDR-7506 headphones ($90)
Mic cables ($200)
ENG Snake ($275)
Audio bag ($200-ish)

That's $3700. With the remaining $1300, you could get one good wireless system (Sennheiser G3 at the minimum) with a better lav, or you could find a basic model of Lectrosonics wireless system with a lav. Either way, it's not enough for two systems. You could also invest in a Pelican 1650 to carry everything, and a decent recorder (Fostex FR2-LE, Tascam HD-P2 or DR680) plus additional media cards.

Or, you could save $500 by getting the NTG-2 kit instead, and that would bump the remaining budget for two wireless systems. However, the NTG-3 is going to serve you better.
Click to expand...
 
Video good, audio always good?

Video good, audio always good?

Oh boy, that is not the case! My GL-2 was shooting great footage, but suddenly the audio went out almost completely. Luckily I had a back-up camera. But I learned that the video can be going great while the audio is totally kaput.
Chadfish said:
Yes I've never used a recorder too while going into the camera. If the video works, the audio will too.
Click to expand...
 
I would certainly give the new Sennheiser MKH 8060 a close look.

It's very much better than the old 416 and even better than the 60 - I was surprised at how inexpensive it is considering the quality.

I have seen it in the UK for £649.
 
John the MKH 8060 is going for 1,249.00US here at B&H. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/762305-REG/Sennheiser_MKH_8060_MKH_8060_Short.html

And the 416 is going for an all time low now of 1,000.00. I think the NTG-3 caused them to bring that price down. Though 1,200.00 is pretty reasonable in the graqnd scheme of things, it's too rich for my blood at the moment, especially because I don't need shotguns too often. Still I have my eye on it. 'd love someone to do a shootout between that, a 416 and an NTG-3.

"My GL-2 was shooting great footage, but suddenly the audio went out almost completely. "

That's too bad, but to be expected with old tech. My EX1 has no moving parts, so I can rely on it's quality to last and last. If against all odds it goes down I just unsheathe EX1 #2, or pull out the trusty D-50/MixPre. I don't use these things when I am one-man-banding it, but I do keep them in my giant bag. I monitor w/ cans at all times too, so any audio issues that come up are caught the second they happen. Thankfully there have been no issues.
 
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