Looking to buy audio gear need help plz

A

adamg112

New member
Hey there guys,

I am a second year uni student and i want to specialize in sound recording.

I will slowly be buying all my own equipment and was wondering if anyone could give me advice.
I will be recording sound on features, shorts and ENG recordings so i want equipment that will give good quality audio recording in all three situations.

I was thinking a Fostex FM-3 portable field mixer.
Mic : Rode NTG3 & Rode NT5
and a Edirol/ Roland R -44 Solid State Four Channel Recorder.

Would these suit all my purposes ??


I am a novice at best with sound recording so any help with buying equipment would be much appreciated. Although for mics i will be sticking with Rode as they are Australian owned and made and i'm from Australia so i must support them.

Also if anyone can make recommendations for good reputable online company where i can buy the gear from because so far I have only found the stuff at this website. BHP photo video

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/669376-REG/Fostex_FM_3_FM_3_Portable_Field_Mixer.html

Thank you in advance for your advice and replies !!!
 
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You're on the right track. Here's a few things to consider about your choices:

The FM-3 is a very nice mixer. For the price of a new FM-3, you should be able to find a good condition, used Sound Devices 442 which gives you an additional channel and better metering. Just something to think about.

The NTG3 is a good choice in it's price range. The NT5 are cardioid which can work indoors but has a broader pattern than hyper-cardioid (which is the go-to pattern for indoor work). I would not recommend limiting yourself to only mics made in Australia.

Th R-44 is a good recorder. The Tascam DR-680 is better for the same price. Better preamps and is an "8 track" recorder. I used quotes because the 680 is only 6 analog inputs. Tracks 7 and 8 are mixdown tracks which can be configured to record a 2 channel mix of the 6 inputs.

Additions:

You'll also need:
Boom pole
Wind protection
shock mount
Field bag
headphones
cables

Then there an entire world of laveliers to consider (both wired and wireless) which can be rented when needed but requires practice to use effectively. The sennheiser G3 systems are the least expensive wireless systems worth considering.

You are on the right track, and a quality boom rig is the heart of any location sound mixer/recordists kit. Read the stickies here. Start with essentials and practice by volunteering for shorts and student projects.

While some consider places like Trew Audio and Coffey Sound a bit pricy, they are a great source for quality used sound gear for film. My mixer was bought used from Trew (PSC Alphamix) for about half the price of a new mixer and although built in 2003, was recently sent to PSC for service and cleaning and should continue to make money for several years to come.

Welcome to the most challenging thing you'll ever do with sound.



adamg112 said:
Hey there guys,

I am a second year uni student and i want to specialize in sound recording.

I will slowly be buying all my own equipment and was wondering if anyone could give me advice.
I will be recording sound on features, shorts and ENG recordings so i want equipment that will give good quality audio recording in all three situations.

I was thinking a Fostex FM-3 portable field mixer.
Mic : Rode NTG3 & Rode NT5
and a Edirol/ Roland R -44 Solid State Four Channel Recorder.

Would these suit all my purposes ??


I am a novice at best with sound recording so any help with buying equipment would be much appreciated. Although for mics i will be sticking with Rode as they are Australian owned and made and i'm from Australia so i must support them.

Also if anyone can make recommendations for good reputable online company where i can buy the gear from because so far I have only found the stuff at this website. BHP photo video

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/669376-REG/Fostex_FM_3_FM_3_Portable_Field_Mixer.html

Thank you in advance for your advice and replies !!!
Click to expand...
 
gpforet thank you so much for ur info!!! it is greatly appreciated and yeh the other gear u mentioned i would obviously buy just that i can get them on loan from my university so it isn't a high priority. Mainly i want to get a mixer and a recorder first as my university is using PMD 660 and the sound device premix.

I will be getting LAV mics but later on down the track. I will definitely check out the sound devices 442 field mixer, but i dont like to buy second hand i prefer to buy brand new.

I also live in Australia so it makes sense to me to use Rode but i will consider other mics. Do u have any suggestions?
 
mic wise, the ntg3 is a great shotgun mic for the price, but as far as hyper cardoid, the oktava mk012 is the preferred cheap hyper. just make sure you get a good mount for it(invision 6 is what i use). but take this word of advice, if you're going to be serious with it, buy the best you can afford because you don't want to have to buy gear a 2nd time. and by afford i mean beg and borrow to get the money. a good mixer, boom and mics are very important. but don't be afraid of a used 442, those things are built like tanks and you'll get awesome customer service from sound devices. i busted my ass to get the funds together to buy a 552 and it was worth every penny.
 
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