Hi ! I hope this has not been covered but I have searched the forum and was wondering if anybody has a suggestion. I am co-producing and directing a low budget T.V. feature next Summer to be recorded in the Dublin mountains here in Ireland, with a lot of movement and action. I was wondering if the HVX 200's onboard audio can hold up to recording on the run. The idea of being tethered to the camera is a little concerning. Is the HVX audio good enough for this type of recording ? I have a 416 kit and was thinking of using the Matantz 670 for sound recording. I am on a learning curve when it comes to audio so please feel free to suggest alternatives. Any suggestions on additional equipment I might need would be appreciated.
Any suggestions please ?
- Thread starter RayFrisby
- Start date
Are you planning on hiring a sound man? If you can afford a decent sound man (and hopefully a boom op) that will be your first step to good sound with any system. I am sure you realize this but it astounds me how many times a sound man is not hired. A good sound guy will most likely will be able to roll dual system without costing you an arm and a leg. Its a good idea, even if just for the piece of mind as well as for picking up wild lines and nat. stuff. If you are planning on producing/directing and managing sound, then the HVX's audio quality will be the least of your concerns and it will most definately "work" for the type of budget.
Yea Sound is not my area of experience so I will have a sound person/ boom op on board; they will probably be a final year audio student who has worked on a good few projects. I am trying to get a heads up as to what my sound budget will be. I was just wondering if I really need the Marantz and extra boom op. If I go with the HVX audio do I need a mixer or anything else. I was thinking of using a MK66 as a backup mic. Like I said sound is not my area of experience so any help is appreciated.
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No disrespect, but your lack of audio knowledge is exactly why you need a sound person. If you have somebody lined up you should not be asking us if you need to use a mixer or if you need the Marantz. You should be discussing this with your sound person. If I was tapped to do the job I would fight like hell to have a decent boom op, maybe even over the marantz. Although a back up is a great idea, plenty of projects have come through that had no back up.
It all depends on your acceptable level of quality. Having mics stabbed straight into the camera for narrative work is not acceptable to me. For low budget ENG, maybe. Idealy you would have a mixer with a decent kit, something to roll back up to and a boom op. The mixer to handle all things audio, making it sound good and good levels. A back up device for the event that something terrible or unseen happens to the HVX as well as wild lines and FX kind of stuff. The boom op to assist the mixer as well as ensure the mic is at an optimal place. Lets say you loose the boom op, ok now your mixer has to do double duty and both aspects will suffer. The booming won't be as good and the mixing won't be as good, not to mention that person will be under more stress and getting around a set with your porta brace and booming is kind of cumbersome to say the least. Ok, so you lose the back up recorder. Now if you need any kind of wild sound you have to roll the camera, which slows down setup for the next shot. Also the HVX is a compressed audio format, purists shun that of course. Also, who knows? Maybe the levels get bumped before a take, maybe the mixer is disconected, accendents happen and a back up is there ecactly for that reason. So, now you lose the mixer, the back up and the boom op. Well, good luck. Stab those mics straight in and pray because your camera op is not going to make sure you are getting proper levels, hopefully somebody will have headphones on. You see what I am getting at. It all depends on what you can afford and what is acceptable. I am almost inclined to say that if you can't do the sound right you may as well shoot on a DVX and use the saved money to get good sound. Ultimately your HD footage is not the only aspect of a good product.
Have fun.
It all depends on your acceptable level of quality. Having mics stabbed straight into the camera for narrative work is not acceptable to me. For low budget ENG, maybe. Idealy you would have a mixer with a decent kit, something to roll back up to and a boom op. The mixer to handle all things audio, making it sound good and good levels. A back up device for the event that something terrible or unseen happens to the HVX as well as wild lines and FX kind of stuff. The boom op to assist the mixer as well as ensure the mic is at an optimal place. Lets say you loose the boom op, ok now your mixer has to do double duty and both aspects will suffer. The booming won't be as good and the mixing won't be as good, not to mention that person will be under more stress and getting around a set with your porta brace and booming is kind of cumbersome to say the least. Ok, so you lose the back up recorder. Now if you need any kind of wild sound you have to roll the camera, which slows down setup for the next shot. Also the HVX is a compressed audio format, purists shun that of course. Also, who knows? Maybe the levels get bumped before a take, maybe the mixer is disconected, accendents happen and a back up is there ecactly for that reason. So, now you lose the mixer, the back up and the boom op. Well, good luck. Stab those mics straight in and pray because your camera op is not going to make sure you are getting proper levels, hopefully somebody will have headphones on. You see what I am getting at. It all depends on what you can afford and what is acceptable. I am almost inclined to say that if you can't do the sound right you may as well shoot on a DVX and use the saved money to get good sound. Ultimately your HD footage is not the only aspect of a good product.
Have fun.
Excellent Droog ! Thanks for that. Although I have some people in mind I would not approach them until I have some idea of my requirements and budget. Thats why I love this forum you get straight answers and solutions from people who have experience. I will definitely invest in a good sound man and boom op for the job and use a mixer and more than likely a back up device. I am a believer in getting it right and finding the money somewhere rather than taking a chance and hoping things work out.
Once again thanks for the posts.
Once again thanks for the posts.
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Thanks timapter !
I am always trying to learn more in order to produce the best I can. Just wondering what you think of the following audio setup ? Any additional suggestions as to equipment needs would be appreciated.
Experienced Sound Op
Experienced Boom Op
Sennheiser 416 Kit including Rycote Cradle and Wind Jammer. (already have)
Sennheisser 25 HD-1 Headphones (have) but if not suitable for critical sound monitoring please let me know.
2 x 16ft Audio technical balanced XLR's (have) will need additional cables;
please feel free to let me know.
Oktava MK 12 (for internal sound/dialogue recording, I have access to a MK 66 but again please feel free to let me know if I need another type.
ktek 152ccr Boom
Sound Devices 302 Mixer.
Tascam HDP2 ( I think I should record main audio to this and sync with the HVX. Is this possible ? I would like to have the ability to record a separate wildtrack not sure how the best way of doing this.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I am always trying to learn more in order to produce the best I can. Just wondering what you think of the following audio setup ? Any additional suggestions as to equipment needs would be appreciated.
Experienced Sound Op
Experienced Boom Op
Sennheiser 416 Kit including Rycote Cradle and Wind Jammer. (already have)
Sennheisser 25 HD-1 Headphones (have) but if not suitable for critical sound monitoring please let me know.
2 x 16ft Audio technical balanced XLR's (have) will need additional cables;
please feel free to let me know.
Oktava MK 12 (for internal sound/dialogue recording, I have access to a MK 66 but again please feel free to let me know if I need another type.
ktek 152ccr Boom
Sound Devices 302 Mixer.
Tascam HDP2 ( I think I should record main audio to this and sync with the HVX. Is this possible ? I would like to have the ability to record a separate wildtrack not sure how the best way of doing this.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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ScoobySounds
Well-known member
i'll do it! .. for a fee, of course 
RayFrisby said:
That is looking pretty good. Might I make a few suggestions and comments?
First thing, make sure you have a pile of XLR cables. Your Sound Mixer should have some with him, including a duplex cable and a break-away for the camera. If not get a handful of 50' and a couple 100' XLR's and of course some 25's. Now that I am thinking about it, drop the cash on a break-away cable to go from mixer to camera if the mixer does not have one. Also, make sure you have a good suspension for the Oktava and well as a windscreen, a zepplin would be over kill but a foam windscreen would be good. Running dual system with this camera might be kind of tricky but at the very least slate and clap each take. Also, if you can I would get at least 1 decent wireless mic set up. Not that you should rely on it, but it could be huge under the right condition. Oh yeah, scrounge up some kind of cart your mixer can use! And some comfy chairs and a sun shade and somebody to get coffee whenever it is needed
rogar-BigGrin(DBG) Seriously though, if you can manage to get a monitor setup so the mixer can see the shot that is veryhelpful as is giving the boom op time to see where his shadows are and figure out the best place for him to be and make his moves. Now I am just starting down the wish list. Take care.