Does this exist? Self-powered mic that records to internal memory...

B

bobbylon

New member
Hey all,

As a run and gun documentary shooter who I've oftentimes wished I could just clip a lightweight mic to someone that could run off it's own power for a few hours and record to an SD card or just dumpable internal memory--it could have a damn USB stick popping out for all I care. Sound syncing has become so easy I really just want something for those gotcha moments so my poor sound guy hang a microphone over the subject's heads 24/7. There's also a lot of times I have to be out there pretty much solo with a camera due to space requirements where wireless microphones just aren't practical.

I have all sorts of ideas on how this thing could function ideally but as I have a shoot coming up I'm wondering if anyone has found anything that could approximate this. Doesn't have to be the best sound quality as I said it's mainly just a backup to make sure we don't miss something crucial. My subjects are difficult to deal with, re-staging moments just isn't gonna happen, so I just want something I can clip to them that's unobtrusive enough that hopefully they will forget about it. I was thinking of maybe throwing GoPros on their chest and hoping the audio off them is good enough but probably wouldn't work due to the waterproof case.

Any wisdom?

Cheers.

Bobby
 
Just plug a lav mic into one of the small portable recorders, job done.
Rode have just announced a new Videomic with built in recorder, but this is for placing on boom/camera.
 
+1 for the new Rode mic with internal recorder

http://www.rodemic.com/news/announc...orlds-first-digital-recorder-video-microphone

vmhd.jpg
 
HHB in the UK used to make one that was a cardioid stick mic with a recorder built in, it was designed for radio use and was very expensive.

As said a lav plugged into a low cost recorder is the way to go or a radio mic.
 
As mentioned, HHB used to make the FlashMic hand-held with a built-in recorder (discontinued). The new RODE likely won't help, especially for camera-mounted work (since the camera is the last place for a mic). On a boom, maybe. What you're asking about sounds a lot like a wireless system made by Zaxcom, which has internal recording memory in the belt-pack transmitter.

However, the problem with any of these solutions, except the Zaxcom, is that there's no way to monitor audio during recording. Same goes for using a lav/recorder combo planted on the subject... No monitoring. That means you have no idea what you've recorded - or IF you've recorded - until you dump the media.

But if you're considering going to the trouble of strapping a GoPro onto some one... why would a wireless system not be practical?
 
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In what way would the new rode be worse than an on camera mic ENG setup?
It has headphone jack
 
J Davis said:
In what way would the new rode be worse than an on camera mic ENG setup?
It has headphone jack
Click to expand...

That's not what I said. On-camera mics are generally useless, whether they record internally or to the camera... or both. It's about placement. Pole-mounting the RØDE may be passable (though having the controls out of reach is impractical), but the OP was asking about something to clip onto the subject.
 
J Davis said:
In what way would the new rode be worse than an on camera mic ENG setup?
It has headphone jack
Click to expand...

My understanding was the OP wanted to cache the equipment on the talent somewhere. That negates the use of headphones with his proposed set up and not having wires between talent and camera.

The Lav/recorder rig might work. But as mentioned before, if you cannot monitor, it is a complete gamble if you get anything usable. And since retakes are not feasible, I would be loathe to go that route for that reason.

The audio off Go-Pro's is not a good option, IMO, they do well with action sports ambience, but dialog leaves them wanting significantly.
 
Zaxcom does have the transmitter with a built in recorder. You can transmit to a wireless receiver while recording on the transmitter at the same time. You can monitor the audio from the receiver, and you can remotely control the transmitter functions such as starting and stopping recording and adjusting the levels. It's expensive, but it's the only thing out there that does what the OP is asking without strapping a huge portable recorder to the talent and just hoping for the best. I know rental houses have them, if you are not looking to purchase them.
 
The Zoom H1 with a good lav mic works, but it has no limiter, so you have to be very careful about recording levels.

My Olympus LS-11 has a great limiter, but it`s about twice the size and might be too heavy / bulky. ( it records for 17 hours with one set of batteries though )
 
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