If You Had $3,000 to Spend...

W

Why4009

Active member
How would you spend it? Spend most of it on a good recorder? A couple of friends and I are thinking about making an investment in audio equipment so that we can film our projects.

We have been discussing getting quality and not trying to get a lot of things and then want to upgrade later. So we would rather spend on a quality recorder and go with an audio technica shotgun mic, then getting a middle level shotgun mic then wanting a even better one later.

I don't know if the logic makes sense and I didn't want to imply that a middle quality mic is not acceptable, I just don't want to buy things that I want to replace later unless it is so inexpensive like an AT shotgun mic (which some people say does a fair job and I have seen on Amazon for $50).

Any help would be appreciated. I have been reading a lot about recorders and currently in the fostex/marantz debate with friends. But sound devices seems like it would be a great piece of equipment, BUT BUT BUT, obviously the key to good sound is to know what you are doing. I understand it is not always the equipment but the operator.

Thanks for any thoughts you are willing to share.
 
well an SD recorder is going to eat up more than half of your budget. i think a good mixer that provides mic pres, limiters and routing/monitoring options is very important. recorders such as the fr2le and marantz are great. i think the fr2le is better for bag usage. and a good boom pole, shotgun, hyper and wind protection are next. but looking at used stuff is not a bad idea. i've got a used mixer and recorder for sale if you're interested.

edit:
location sound kit #4 is a good start for your boom/shotgun setup with the 9' pole
http://www.dvcreators.net/rode-ntg-3-shotgun-mic/

then an oktava mk012 from the sound room, i'd suggest getting the baby ball gag and using a rycote invison mount

mixer/recorder, thats a tough call. a lot of preference goes into that sort of thing. if you're interested, i could give you a great deal on PSC M4 mkII and fostex fr2le kit. but if not, thats fine. but i wouldn't just go with a recorder, i'd get a mixer too. SD 302 would be a good start or a used 442 and then decide on the recorder you like best.

and at least 1 wireless, minimum sennheiser g3 with a different mic.
 
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I'm thinking 3 cases of 12 year old single malt scotch (each case being from a different producer).

1 month rental of 42' fixed keel sailboat, packed to the gills with steak, fresh vegetables, fishing gear, and good beer.

A GPS and map

Payoff my wife to take time off from work (exactly 1 month)

Some good sunglasses

Hey, wait! Are we talking about sound gear?

I'd start with a good mixer, then split the remainder between recorder and mics. Even though the mics may not be top shelf, they may well fit the bill. The mixer will stay with you quite a while.


Why4009 said:
How would you spend it?
Click to expand...
 
Marantz PMD661 recorder
Audix SCX1-HC hypercardioid mic
Rode NT4 stereo x/y mic
Rode NTG3 shotgun mic
K-Tek boom pole
Sony MDR-7506 headphones
 
^ I was actually going to recommend the same, except to skip the FR2LE and go straight to the DR100/H4n route and/or Audix SCX1-HC instead of the 4053b. Left over sum could be invested on a used 416, NTG3, or a Rycote S-series windscreen.
 
$305 Tascam DR100
250 NTG-2
299 Rode blimp or a good mount with dead cat
300 Rode lav w/ adapters
499 AT-4053b
1295 SD302
230 k-Tek 9' alum pole
100 Sen 280 headphones or sim
100 Misc cables
400 Bag and break away cable

I ran you up to $3678, but a few items could be purchased later. Or you could sub a mixpre for the 302 and come in about dead on. The mics aren't high end, but very serviceable, and any of this gear you replaced later would make great backups or easy sale items on eBay.

Grant
 
1st suggestion... buy the DVX dvd on sound recording. A lot of good stuff there.
2nd suggestion... consider what your goals are. Are you looking for high quality audio? Do you (or at least one of you) want to do sound professionally? How much trial and error is it going to take to have the equipment and techniques needed to make it through a feature?

I would just consider the pros/cons of renting gear and the pros/cons of hiring a sound pro with gear when you shoot.
Yes, God knows I'm a gear whore (and so are the majority of people on this board) but even when you're buying the best gear, always consider that hiring a professional tends to save time, energy, and are usually amazing sources of information if you want to try doing it yourself in the future.

P.S. If you follow the above suggestion on buying cases of scotch, you may be able to hire a sound pro in that currency.
 
Since someone mentioned Petrol bags, I thought I should mention my experience.

I bought a Petrol boom pole case. It's very nice and well made, except for one problem... it wants to eat my boom pole!

I have a K-Tek Avalon Series Aluminum boom pole. The K-Tek boom pole has little pointy pyramid like ends all around the rings that tighten and loosen the different sections. It's a great boom pole, and I would highly recommend it.

The inside of the Petrol boom pole case is kind of like the soft fuzzy side of Velcro, throughout the entirety of the interior.

What happens when you try to put the boom pole from a leading manufacturer into the boom pole case? The interior of the case latches onto the boom pole and won't let go!

I had to cut the first case open (thereby ruining it) to extract the boom pole. Then I had to spend a bunch of time picking little orange fibers out of the rings.

Petrol sent me a new boom pole case, but it was identical to the first one. I'm still using it, but now I make sure I put the boom pole in the plastic bag it came in, and then into the Petrol case.

Overall, it's a really dumb design oversight on an otherwise nice case. For this reason, I can't recommend the Petrol boom pole case at all (although the company in general seems to make good stuff). I just don't think they ever tested these two products together.
 
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