Mixed Up!

John!@#

John!@#

Member
2 - ecm44s and 1- Rode NTG-2 IN to a mixer. Then mixer out to 3 - DVX100Bs.
Using a lav each for two people talking and Rode for amibient sound.
What's the least expensive mixer (good sound) that will take the 3 inputs and send them all to all 3 cams ?
On both L & R balances?
or just one ecm44 to left and the other ecm44 to right XLR in on each cam AND the Rode to both channels on all cams.
Is this the stuff mixers do how inexpensive of one can I do it with. I don't have much to spend.
Also what should my list of cables look like and how's the plan 'sound' in general?


Thanks.
John
 
I did, before trying here, rent expensive was the reply.
What about mics to a digital recorder of some kind, no sound to cams, add later in editing SW?
The recorder would need to be the master 1394 timecode to my DVX100b(s) so I can synce sound to each camera clip I keep?
 
Man... I'll be honest. I have no idea. I'm not an audio guy...

BUT, a guy I work for is an audio engineer, and I'm going to shoot him an email right now asking your same questions. It sounds like you're struggling and not finding answers anywhere else.

Give me till tonight, and I'll see what he has to say, and what he recommends.

-brown
 
Long story short:

No need to go out to all THREE cams. You need a mixer with 3 inputs, and two outputs. Send both lav's to one camera, single channel right and left. Split them up and stereo them in post.

Send the Rode to camera B.

Record.

That's what I got from a friend on how he'd do it. It's either that or get a DAT and send all your audio to it instead of the cams, and sync timecode. Unless you had gear on hand, that would be more expensive.

He uses a PSC M4 mixer, which has four in and two out. I just looked it up and rental cost are only about $15 day/$25 weekend.

You can pick one up for just upwards of a grand if you're looking to buy.

Let me know if that helps

-brown
 
Thanks very much, it sure does! You're right, felt like a dead end.
I'm just not clear on one thing, How do I get the sound to camera shots done with the soundless cam? Maybe I'm approaching interviews all wrong.
On the special features of the movie Firewall, Harrison Ford and the director sit in chairs and chat. Three cams, switching from one to the other, but sound is constant. ?? How?
I'll be in NYC tomarro and picking brains at J&R. B&H is closed.
I'll pass on anything else I learn. Thanks again
John
 
Maybe the answer is in the software. I have Premiere on the Mac and Avid liquid on PC
Maybe the software can take the sound from TWO of the tapes and keep them as independant time coded trackes that I can marry to the final hodge-podge of camera/tape switching scenes? Even if one of the tapes and the edit I use from it has no sound (before software marriage)
Sounds good to me.
I think I need to RTFMs
Thanks, John
 
Yeah the manuals arent a bad idea :) But in short you can do what you are talking about. I frequently shoot 3 cam stuff with audio going to only 1 or 2 cameras then marry it all in post. Just start all the cameras and stop all the cameras together. Doesnt have to be exactly together but it makes post easier if you can just line it all up once.
 
Yeah... just sync in post. I have to do it 10 times a day for all the crap I work on. Once you get the hang of it, you can get it perfectly synced in seconds.

I do agree that it'd be easier to try and start all cams at roughly the same time. That way it'll limit the amount of times you have to re-sync the footage.

-brown

and Jeff, I just took your advice on the sig:thumbsup:
 
Another option is to use a wireless transmitter from the mixer to all three cameras.

Set all the receivers to the same freq.

Less cable to trip over.

Most field mixers only have two outputs. Not three.

If you are stuck using cable to all the cameras for audio...You could try splitting one of the outputs with a "Y" cable or using the phono cable, used for monitoring the audio, as a third output.

Just some thoughts.
 
So if I have 3 mics and 3 cams, I'm thinking I can plug each mic into a different camera and have 3 descreet audio tracks. Then I can isolate those 3 soundtracks in Adobe Premier, the mix and match them to whatever clip.
In other words I can take a sound track from tape "C" and overlay it on a video clip on tape "A"
Using DVX100Bs I can sync the timecodes on all 3 cams. I only hope in Premier I can separate the Audio from the video and have the same timecode line displayed on the separate audio as video. Ya know?
 
Synching the time code...make that EXACT synching of the time code is not that easy.

If you've got the extra time, go ahead and do the three mics to three differrent cams but, personally, I think you'll be giving yourself a big headache for no reason.

Buit that's just me.

I'm from the KISS mentality of production.

Keep it simple "sir".

Why complicate things when you don't have to?

Even with isolated mics to different cameras you're not going to get pristine audio from each subject that doesn't pic up the audio from the other guests no matter how hard you try...unless they are all in different rooms for the interview.
 
Thanks.
my ecm44s are wired and also is the Rode, so I send them to a mixer and send the mixer L & R outs to a wireless transmitter that sends a frequency to three receivers, each hooked to a cam and set at same receive freq. I like it! Thanks. Now hardware....
I kinda like the look of this mixer, but that doesn't mean much http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/pr...um_14channel_compact_mixer?full_sku=104203872
and those look like XLR out on the back, what's XDR2?
Assuming that mixer is OK, then I need a componant/stand-alone Transmitter that has receivers I can buy piece meal with XLR outs on the receivers for my DVX100b 'ins' Unless there's a mixer that has wireless out built-in, but if there is, I'll bet it costs way more than piecing one together. Maybe not.
I appreciate your patience guys, I know my lack of knowledge is laugable at this point, but as my service manager at ComputerLand said back in 85BC "I think he's trainable!"
 
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