Holding Field Monitor

[scottfs]

I'm going to be helping with the sound on my fourth short this summer. I will be using a Marantz pmd660 or 661 (not mine). I've used a Zoom h4n and an Edirol cheapie. I'm holding the boom and running the recorder.

My question is, how can I do this and give justice to both? What I'd like, is a holder that I could wear that would hold the monitor on my chest, and an angle, so I could just look down and check the sound from time-to-time. That way, I wouldn't have to hold the recorder in the same hand as the boom, which is terribly awkward and potentially disastrous. (I almost dropped the Zoom into Folsom lake when we were doing a water scene for one of the films...not good...)

I know Porta brace offers a case for the pmd661, but it's expensive and I don't see how it would hold the recorder at the angle I want.

Any ideas? How do the pros manage this on a small crew when they are the only sound guy?

Thanks.

 

[davefisk]

Many of the high end guys don't use that recorder. You'll typically see them use a sound devices mixer into a sound devices recorder, or sometimes you might see a Cantar. You'll want to have a harness for the job. You can probably rent what you need for pretty cheap.

 

[sludge_roach]

Portabrace works great. As you can see the recorder will be sitting sideways in the front pouch with your mixer in the main slot.

 

[scottfs]

I know the high end guys would probably use a Sound Design as a minimum for their jobs. But (1) I'm not supplying the field recorder (not monitor...my fault), and (2) I'm not going to buy one for this one job, since one is available already! (love to get the sound design, though, along with a Schoeps mic or two...).

I did see that there is a Marantz case with a strap to hang around one's neck. Would that work? It's not going to be as nice as the Porta Brace, but...

Also, what model is the Porta Brace that slude_roach shows a photo of? I know Porta Brace makes one specifically for the pmd661, but somehow I think this is a different one.

And, I'm not going to have to rent. First of all, this is the backwaters of Sacramento, California, which has a very limited rental supplier, and secondly, someone else has the recorder anyway!

(I did find out the Zoom H4n does have a strap, but the guy lost that. Man, I would have hated to buy him a new Zoom because it slipped out of my hands into the water...)