Field Mixer - worth it for one man band ?

T

thabo

Well-known member
Ok, so I appear to be hung up on sound lately and am wondering if it's worth buying an expensive field mixer like the Sound Devices 302 for my future projects - I plan to record separate sound. (GH2 / DSLR and perhaps a BMCC in future)

As a one person show most of the time I have heard that it's preferred to use just an external recorder, easier as just one device compared to two. But it seems that a field mixer it set up better to be adjusted quickly and set levels compared to the fiddly buttons found on a digital recording devices such as those by Roland and Zoom. (I fully aware of the pre-amp, noise level issue) So in theory I'd just have to mess with the Field Mixer and then just hit record on the Zoom. Ok, so on the negative, two devices to mess around with, two on switches etc AND just me to do it all.......I've asked this question to a pro was told that it's a stupid idea --


"because this is one man band kit…i had help here but still…why on earth would you bring a mixer unless you had a sound man?"


but I still don't see why so please if you're an audio professional and have actually used a field mixer digital recorder combo get back to me. I'm sure I'm missing something here but as I've not actually done any work with an external sound recorder, I'm sure what I'm saying is pure conjecture There is a difference I think too compared to what the other guy was doing, filming a personal interview in a somewhat controlled environment compared to something like storm chasing and trying to get audio from people in a very challenging and chaotic environment.So sound pro's your feedback please!
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A mixer gives you everything you already said. Plus flexibility to add other devices/mics.

If you are using a lower end recorder a mixer or decent pre amp is crucial to getting anywhere near decent sound.

I've asked this question to a pro was told that it's a stupid idea --
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Then he wasn't as "pro" as he let you believe. Because he wasn't at a pro level himself, OR he was trying to protect his own job.

As to the multiple devices issue: No one said sound was easy. I fly a boom, mix lavs and the boom, monitor..... and record onto a Zoom......all by myself. It's not the easiest job on set, matter of fact it is one of the most physical jobs. The kitchen is hot.
 
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Even though you could plug microphones directly into your recorder or camcorder and fiddle with the levels to make a decent sound recording in many cases, there are a lot of reasons why an external mixer like the SD302 makes a lot of sense:

- The preamps are of top quality and guarantee a minimum of noise and distortion in the recording, even with low-output mics
- The mixer has real, analog knobs on it that are easy to see, grasp and manipulate, and excellent, bright LED meters that are easy to read even from a distance or under difficult lighting conditions
- The outstanding "soft" limiters in the SD302 can be set up to pretty much guarantee you will never overmodulate on unexpected sound peaks
- When working into a camcorder, you can physically separate the mixer from the recorder to make it easier to work with an audio assistant
- The mixer has a high quality, loud and robust headphone output that makes it easier to monitor your recordings
- You can easily connect to a variety of microphone and line level, high and low impedance, balanced and unbalanced, self-powered or phantom sources using the many options on the mixer
- You'll have the capability to hook up an extra microphone or two if needed and mix the sources together -- although it's ironic that "mixing" may actually the least significant thing the mixer does!

I tend to think of my SD302 as an upgraded replacement for the front-end audio electronics of my camcorders and audio recorders. It adds quality and, especially, good manual controls and monitoring to what the manufacturer provided as low-end stock equipment. All my camcorder rigs have a bracket or arm to hold the audio mixer where I can easily see the meters and adjust the knobs while shooting one-man-band style with the camera; it's much easier to achieve quality recordings than depending on the stiff little knobs on the side of the camera and the little dancing lines in the viewfinder.

Is it essential? Certainly not, at least much of the time. But it makes things better and easier, and you need to decide if that is worth the price. I'd also advise that there are a lot of lower-end field mixers out there that definitely do not improve things that much, because their electronic quality, versatility, ergonomics, controls and metering are nowhere near the SD's standards. I've never found much benefit to these beyond simple mixing of multiple microphones when necessary.

- Greg
 
If you are using something like a high end field recorder, like something from Sound Devices or Zaxcom, then i would ALWAYS put a mixer in front of whatever my recorder is. Better mic pres. Better control. More output options. More input options. I always run a scratch track to the camera and record on a separate recorder, all using my Sound Devices MixPreD.
 
Ok, great response guys. So what's a good recorder to compliment the SD 302, sure you can get a combined unit for $3k from SD but on a budget an SD302 connected to a small, not complex recorder would be cheaper.

So what do you recommend hooking up to the SD302 that's easy to use and small and cheapish (I was looking at Fostex FR-2LE CF Field Recorder, big though)?
 
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A professional recorder from companies like zaxcom, sound devices, sonosax etc have just as good audio fidelity as a mixer from the same, and in some cases share the same functionality (zaxcom nomad is a good example). Having both a mixer and a recorder is often the most flexible, but if you want to choose one then it depends on the type of work you do. If it's primarily to present a mix for camera, then a mixer and a cheaper recorder just for backup is a good choice. If you do double system, then a good multichannel recorder might be advisable.

If you want a bit of both, but can't afford something like a zaxcom nomad, zaxcom maxx (not in the market yet), SD552 or maybe SD788 (the SD744 has limited mixing capabilities), then I would probably invest in a mixer first and a good recorder later down the road.
 
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If you want a small recorder, check the sticky. If you want XLR-inputs then I would say the DR-40 or DR100mkII. If you're going 1/8 tape out (if for instance the xlr-outputs are reserved for feeding a camera), then I would recommend a Sony M10 or Olympus LS-5 or LS-11 (the sony D50 is among the best handhelds though if you're interested in one for other applications, but a bit more expensive).
 
Putting a high-quality preamp/mixer as front end for one of the (budget) field recorders, for the most part will make be a 'day and night' improvement. However if your dealing with low-talkers and other low SPL sources, the cheap pre amps in the budget recorders are rather noisy when pushed. So is it worth it for a OMB? it depends.. can you shoot AND wrangle the audio gear, you also need more audio skills to benefit from a more sophisticated rig.
 
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