I need to buy audio!

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
professional subject line huh?

Anyway, I'm located in LA and my questions are many.

I have a solid, relatively speaking, sony consumer miniDV camera (sony trv-17) and would like to shoot a few shorts (probably indoors). I would like my audio to be better than what's recorded with the on-camera mic.
a) what equipment do I need?
b) how much will it cost?
c) I don't want it to cost as much as your answer to 'b' so where can I go/what can I do, to get it cheaper?

some notes:

-I already have a seinheiser shotgun mic that's pretty good. I guess I just need one of those furry things (I know that description just killed some of you audio guys -- sorry) to cover it.
-I shot a scene once already with a rented boom, a furry thing to cover the boom, and plugged the mic straight into the camera (with some sort of adapter to fit the mic port). It sounded better than the on-camera mic, but there was a noticeable *hiss* when you turned up the volume on the final project. I'm looking to avoid that.
-Oh, sometimes I will not have someone to hold the boom. So it will need to go on a stand. What stand and clamp do I need to buy for this? A simple 'C' stand? Will any stand work?

help me audio masters! I'm audio illiterate!

c.g. eads
 
Re: I need to buy audio!

If you already have your mic, then you'll need a shock mount, rycote softie, foam windscreen, boom pole, a short xlr cable, single, or two channel mic pre, headphones, portabrace bag (if 2 channel mic pre), and cable to the camera. Price is really going to vary depending on what exactly you get, and where you go, but expect to pay at least $1000 for a descent rig with descent support. If you are in L.A., then go to Coffey Sound (that's where I work, to be honest with you). We sell, rent, and service production sound equipment. I spend most of my time putting these kind of setups together for people. Give us a call at 323.876.7525, and we can help you out.

-Dave
 
Re: I need to buy audio!

Or for the uber-cheap method:

Lean the mic pole against a chair with a bag of sand (or your dusty old encyclopedias) at the end opposite the mic. Extend the pole for standing shots, lower it for sitting shots.

Your audio hiss may be from the automatic gain being too low. Try turning it up if that can be done. It's kind of hard to get really good audio with a microphone jack (as opposed to XLRs) but this method may help. If possible, monitor the audio with some good headphones.

Good luck!
 
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