How to calibrate my MixPre and HPX170 for recording dialog?

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Filmkid2003

Well-known member
Hey everyone. I will start shooting an hour long narrative this Saturday and I need to know how to calibrate and set up my MixPre field mixer and HPX170 for recording dialog from a Rode NTG-3 shotgun microphone. I am a total noob when it comes to all this and I know nothing about the 1 Kilohertz tone and slate tone and all that stuff. The only thing I know is that the low cut filter decreases floor noise. I will be recording the sound straight into the camera from the mixer. Can someone take me through the steps of what I need to do once I have the mixer hooked up to the mic and camera so I will be all ready to record the dialog? Thanks.

By the way, I will have an inexperienced boom operator (local film student) operating the boom and having the mixer hung from their neck and monitoring through headphones. I will have headphones plugged into the camera itself so I can also hear how the dialog sounds while I work the camera.
 
So, when I set the 1 Kilohertz tone switch to "on" I will be able to hear a tone in the camera if I have headphones hooked up to the camera? And also, the camera's meter should read -20BFS during the tone? Thanks.
 
I didn't read the other thread but I will tell you what I do. I crank up the inputs on the MixPre (with the limiters ON) and yell loud enough to get the limiters to kick in and I set the recorder so that it's not clipping. That is generally pretty low. if it's too low you can trim back the limiters and do it again. At that point I can ride gain all I want and I know I will not clip the recorder. When I'm FX recording I may play around with this because I can blow it and do another take but when blow out is an issue I like the safety net. On my recorder I know where the meter should read with the tone going so that I'm clip proof and I set it each time with the tone.

The MixPre has a great limiter (IMHO) and I can really push the dialog since I know I can't clip.
I do limited production work but that is what has worked well for me.
 
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