Good set of Lavs

D

David Evans

Well-known member
Hi guys,

I need to get a set of 2 or three Lavs to be able to record interviews, weddings, etc. I have good mics for my filmmaking rig but it's all boomed stuff, so no good for other kind of video productions. So I have two questions:

1 - I have a Sound Devices MM1 that I use as preamp for every audio I record. What could I do to use the MM1 with all three lavs?

2 - Which set or sets of 3 lavs should I be looking for in the $400 range (for all three!). I wouldn't want to spend more than that.

Thanks for helping!
 
David Evans said:
Hi guys,

I need to get a set of 2 or three Lavs to be able to record interviews, weddings, etc. I have good mics for my filmmaking rig but it's all boomed stuff, so no good for other kind of video productions. So I have two questions:

1 - I have a Sound Devices MM1 that I use as preamp for every audio I record. What could I do to use the MM1 with all three lavs?

You will need a pre-amp for each mic, so you will want to consider a recorder that has a minimum of 3 pre-amps or possibly a mixer like a SD302. This will blow your budget.

2 - Which set or sets of 3 lavs should I be looking for in the $400 range (for all three!). I wouldn't want to spend more than that.

A lot of people like the Oscar Sound Tech lavs and would fit your original budget which has been exploded by the pre-amp issue. I haven't personally used the OT lavs, but do own the somewhat more expensive Countryman EMW which for my use have been excellent. Depending on how you intend to power them (wireless or phantom), you will need to order them for that application. The only one I am aware of that can switch back and forth (with an adapter) is the Rode lav or pin-mic.

Thanks for helping!
Click to expand...

Grant
 
David Evans said:
Hi guys,

I need to get a set of 2 or three Lavs to be able to record interviews, weddings, etc. I have good mics for my filmmaking rig but it's all boomed stuff, so no good for other kind of video productions. So I have two questions:

1 - I have a Sound Devices MM1 that I use as preamp for every audio I record. What could I do to use the MM1 with all three lavs?

2 - Which set or sets of 3 lavs should I be looking for in the $400 range (for all three!). I wouldn't want to spend more than that.

Thanks for helping!
Click to expand...



No need for the MM1 here really, is only a single channel pre amp.

Your budget is extremely *EXTREMELY* low.
No chance whatsoever of getting wireless.
As you'd just be throwing money down the drain.
The minimum I'd recommend is the Sony UWP-D11 for wireless, but that blows your budget even just buying one! (although you could get one for secondhand with your budget)

Sooooo......... now we've ruled out wireless, what is left?

Running lavs into little mini recorders.

Zoom H1 was the popular zero budget choice here for many years.

But now we have the Tascam DR10L for a very similar price, which is much much MUCH better for this purpose! As is it is specifically designed for this niche (and is massively cheaper than say a Lectrosonics PDR!).

You can only get two for your budget, but maybe get lucky secondhand? Or if there is a sale (just recently there was a sale on the DR10L and you could have got three for only very slightly more than your budget)
 
Tascam DR-10L. Pretty much the best and only ok-ish option if you aren't going wireless. They come with lavs that are fine for wedding use as well. It's no Sanken or DPA, but it is capable enough, and you can always upgrade the lavs later.

You missed out on the $139 deal last week on B&H, but deals pop up
 
Thanks guys. I'm not a sound tech, but as a filmmaker with experience in sound, one of the things that I've always found to make a huge difference is mic placement and preamp. When I'm shooting a narrative piece, I always boom my Audix SCX1 hc and plug it into my MM1. From there on, it will just go directly into my camera, because I know the feed will be great and very clean. That's why I was talking about using the MM1. Maybe there would some way of connecting all the lavs into a single mixing table, but then again, they would have to be wireless to accomplish this...

Can anyone tell me the advantages of going wireless instead of using individual recorders?

Thanks!
 
The question of individual recorders vs a mixer-recorder really boils down to monitoring. Does someone have the time to monitor and ride levels on the audio as it is being recorded? I like the little Tascam DR10 units, and now own a couple, but when you hang one on the talent and turn it on, you always say a little prayer as you walk away. You have no idea how successful the audio will be until after the fact. I would have reservations about using one for an event with no chance of a do-over. Wireless has its own issues with interference depending on where you are, and it is much more expensive per channel. Three channels of decent quality Senn G3 wireless units will set you back at minimum $2k and more could-should be spent. And you would probably also want a 3 channel field mixer like a SD302 to feed your cam into two channels at line level. I will use a setup like this with two channels of wireless and boom a third mic as possible.

Regards,
Grant
 
David Evans said:
Can anyone tell me the advantages of going wireless instead of using individual recorders?
Click to expand...

You get to monitor the sound. The disadvantage is that to get the same sound quality, you're increasing the cost significantly.

As a long time event shooter, I found that added cost wasn't worth it.
 
Last edited:
For clarification, do you need three wireless mic transmitters and receivers, or just three lavalier mics? You could throw caution to the wind and get cheap Chinese wireless mics, but I wouldn't recommend it. I have an AudioTechnica Pro88W wireless mic set, and it's pretty bad; poor range, very susceptible to interference, and it has a very high noise floor, I'm glad I only paid $50 for it, it's certainly not worth any more.
 
Imamacuser said:
For clarification, do you need three wireless mic transmitters and receivers, or just three lavalier mics? You could throw caution to the wind and get cheap Chinese wireless mics, but I wouldn't recommend it. I have an AudioTechnica Pro88W wireless mic set, and it's pretty bad; poor range, very susceptible to interference, and it has a very high noise floor, I'm glad I only paid $50 for it, it's certainly not worth any more.
Click to expand...

That is just chucking money down the drain.

I would not settle for anything less than Sony UWP-D11 / Sennheiser G3 / RodeLink

Sony is my clear favorite of those three.

Jim Simon said:
You get to monitor the sound. The disadvantage is that to get the same sound quality, you're increasing the cost significantly.

As a long time event shooter, that added cost wasn't worth it.
Click to expand...



Yeah, if you're a solo event shooter on a tight budget, who barely has times to frantically run around and get all the camera shots he needs (let alone worry about monitoring sound!!), then a few Tascam DR10L is a great choice for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top