Advice

D

dholland

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New here...
...I am looking for advice on making a lav mic kit purchase. I have around 600 for a budget (I know I am not going to get highest quality at this amount) I am looking for the best option I have for getting 2 wireless mics. I am using a dvx100b for the camera.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Damon
 
The general consensus is that you can not get TWO decent wireless microphone kits (mic, transmitter, receiver) for $600
You can get ONE decent wireless kit for that budget, but trying to get two takes you well below the ~$500 threshold per decent kit.
NOT recommended to try to use $300 wireless mic kits. You will find them fiddly, unreliable, disposable plastic toys.
 
Thanks. Question, if i were to spend 500 or so on a mic kit that included 1 mic, how much would it cost me to "add" another mic and transmitter?
(sharing the receiver)
and do you have a specific brand you would recommend?
Thanks again
 
You can not share the receiver. You need to have two kits.
The lowest budget kit that still offers professional results is the Sennheiser Evolution 100 G3 series.
Replace the mic that comes with the kit with a Countryman series and you have a great sounding budget kit.

All the Best!

Dave
 
You're looking at $500 minimum per channel, $600/channel is more realistic. That's 1 transmitter, 1 receiver, and a basic mic. The only way you can use a reciever with more than one mic is if it's actually multiple recievers in one, like the ATW1821 kit from Audio-Technica, but again, $600/channel.

Please don't throw money at anything less, it's a major waste.

If you need two channels of wireless for a project, rent it. The major shops ship anywhere you like.
 
Lensrentals.com does a G3 (or G2? Both are good.) for $80 including shipping both ways, 4 days of use. They're my standard choice.
 
yeah but with lens rentals you get the crappy included mic. with any of the audio shops they'll give you a cos11, countryman or a tram.
 
Richard Crowley said:
The general consensus is that you can not get TWO decent wireless microphone kits (mic, transmitter, receiver) for $600
You can get ONE decent wireless kit for that budget, but trying to get two takes you well below the ~$500 threshold per decent kit.
NOT recommended to try to use $300 wireless mic kits. You will find them fiddly, unreliable, disposable plastic toys.
Click to expand...

He said that he knew that at $600 he wouldn't get the best quality microphone, so why does everyone have to chime in and tell him what he already claims to know. No one can just recommend the best lavalier microphone setup for $600?
 
In most departments, you can spend less and get by - DSLRs for a cinematic image and modified lights from a hardware store.

Wireless audio is not an aspect of production you can fake for less.

The Sennheiser EVO G3 is a solid recommendation for someone starting out. A Tram TR50 or Countryman B6 or COS11-XPT are logical upgrades over the standard ME4 that comes packaged with many kits. For every wireless kit I've worked with below this level, I've suffered. I purchased two EK/SK G3 kits with additional Tram TR50 mics and have never had an issue. In fact, the G3s have soldiered-on without complaint even as the venerable Lectrosonic gear in the same kit goes back in for what is a seemingly continuous need for service.
 
I truly appreciate everyone's assistance. Thank you. If I doubled my budget to 1200, what would the recommendation be for an audio set up that included two wireless lav mics? And will I have any trouble mounting two receivers onto my camcorder? Thanks again for all of your assistance. Damon
 
dholland said:
I truly appreciate everyone's assistance. Thank you. If I doubled my budget to 1200, what would the recommendation be for an audio set up that included two wireless lav mics? And will I have any trouble mounting two receivers onto my camcorder? Thanks again for all of your assistance. Damon
Click to expand...

Increase your budget another couple of hundred. Two Sennheiser EW122P-G3 kits or the Audio Technica ATW 1821 dual channel kit with 1 dual-channel receiver and two transmitters.
 
If $$ are tight, look around for a used G2 system. Many of those come with the hand-held mic transmitter attachment, but those for for $100-$200 on eBay if you get stuck with one.

the G2's pretty robust, steel construction, etc. With a wireless kit at that level, usually the only thing that wears out is the mic/ mic cable/ output cable.
 
The main drawback on the Sennheiser G3 is their front-facing LCD interface. Most audio operators want to look down at their SD mixer and see a row of receivers with their displays facing up. The same complaint (from pros) expands on this drawback - most of the adjustment on the G3s is accomplished through menus.

The answer to this would be to have a bag that orients them facing horizontally instead of perpindicular to the ground as you would a Lectro. Otherwise, these diversity sets sound as good as a Lectro when you fit them with one of the better-quality mics referenced above. The casing and construction is great. The compander they use is top-notch and I've not taken hits even when transmitting through sheetrock and metal stud structures. They run a full production day on a set of AA batteries. Ours have never gone down.

In fact, the only upgrade you really need to consider once you get past the initial ~$1200 investment is better microphones wired for use with your G3s.
 
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