My Sennheiser quit working.
- Thread starter Elvis
- Start date
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
Is the battery losing juice?
Is the battery losing juice?
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
I love it! I did some sound tests of...
Well, the sound test were nothing really! LOL
But I love it. Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.
I love it! I did some sound tests of...
Well, the sound test were nothing really! LOL
But I love it. Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
Talking about the ME66!
I am quite a newbie when it comes to sound and i am quite aware of the fact that it is an unforgivable error when you dont record it right.
I will soon be on my first shooting where i will need to record sound (i was a DP before, now im gonna direct). I was wondering what would be the "all-around" XLR microphone i should buy to fit my DVX? Everyone seems to talk about the Sennheiser ME66, it says its a shotgun. I think that this means it can record sound from a more specific area which is great for dialogues, but if i wanna record maybe a more "global" sound from a scene, is it going to work fine also? I would like to have your opinions on this matter.
Maybe you guys could also help me clarify those different terms such as "shotgun" "cardioid"...etc.
Thank you very much. ;D
Talking about the ME66!
I am quite a newbie when it comes to sound and i am quite aware of the fact that it is an unforgivable error when you dont record it right.
I will soon be on my first shooting where i will need to record sound (i was a DP before, now im gonna direct). I was wondering what would be the "all-around" XLR microphone i should buy to fit my DVX? Everyone seems to talk about the Sennheiser ME66, it says its a shotgun. I think that this means it can record sound from a more specific area which is great for dialogues, but if i wanna record maybe a more "global" sound from a scene, is it going to work fine also? I would like to have your opinions on this matter.
Maybe you guys could also help me clarify those different terms such as "shotgun" "cardioid"...etc.
Thank you very much. ;D
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
Elvis: Maybe the battery contacts were dirty and not making a good connection. Of course you could have a mysterious intermittent problem that will pop up again when you need your transmitter most.
Kandinsky: There's no such thing as an all-around microphone--different types have different applications. The ME66/K6 is a good short shotgun mic. A shotgun is a highly directional mic that attenuates the sound coming from the sides. I like to use mine for booming outdoors and on the cam for no-crew run and gun stuff. Indoors, I find the ME66 picks up a bit too much reverb when recording dialogue.
For indoor boom work, I prefer the ME64 cardioid capsule--it picks up fewer room reflections and sounds less reverby. A cardioid mic has a heart-shaped pickup pattern that supresses sound from the rear and some from the sides. If you go to the sennheiser web site you can look at the pick up patterns for various mics.
A lavalier mic is a necessity--there are times when a boom mic is impractical. A lav can be hidden on the talent or planted on the set.
By global do you mean ambient noise? Any mic will pick up ambient noise--it all depends on how you use it. A boomed mic is usually preferred on a set because it will pick up a good blend of dialogue and ambient noise.
Elvis: Maybe the battery contacts were dirty and not making a good connection. Of course you could have a mysterious intermittent problem that will pop up again when you need your transmitter most
.Kandinsky: There's no such thing as an all-around microphone--different types have different applications. The ME66/K6 is a good short shotgun mic. A shotgun is a highly directional mic that attenuates the sound coming from the sides. I like to use mine for booming outdoors and on the cam for no-crew run and gun stuff. Indoors, I find the ME66 picks up a bit too much reverb when recording dialogue.
For indoor boom work, I prefer the ME64 cardioid capsule--it picks up fewer room reflections and sounds less reverby. A cardioid mic has a heart-shaped pickup pattern that supresses sound from the rear and some from the sides. If you go to the sennheiser web site you can look at the pick up patterns for various mics.
A lavalier mic is a necessity--there are times when a boom mic is impractical. A lav can be hidden on the talent or planted on the set.
By global do you mean ambient noise? Any mic will pick up ambient noise--it all depends on how you use it. A boomed mic is usually preferred on a set because it will pick up a good blend of dialogue and ambient noise.
ullanta
Veteran
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
[quote author=Kandinsky link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#5 date=04/03/04 at 16:02:37]Talking about the ME66!
I think that this means it can record sound from a more specific area which is great for dialogues, but if i wanna record maybe a more "global" sound from a scene, is it going to work fine also? I would like to have your opinions on this matter.
Maybe you guys could also help me clarify those different terms such as "shotgun" "cardioid"...etc.
[/quote]
Shotgun, cardioid, bidirectional (figure-8), omni - these are all "pickup patterns" and basically determine the mic's directionality - that is, how "aimable" it is:
Omnidirectional mics (theoretically) pick up sound evenly in all directions; they are not aimable. If what you really want is natural ambiance, an omni is often best. But keep in mind that "natural ambience" includes you, the camera, the freeway 1/4 mile away...
Bidirectional mics pick up sound equally well from directly in front of AND directly behind the capsule, but reject (don't pick up) sound from the sides. In fact, oddly enough, bidirectional mics tend to have better off-axis rejection than any other type of mic, and when there's one thing you DON'T want to record, these can be best.
Cardioid mics are named for their heart-shaped pickup pattern - the valentine's day heart, not the real meaty thing. A valentine's day heart where the point on the bottom is smoothed out. And upside down. And... anyway, what's important is that they reject sound from directly behind the capsule, and pick up sound best from directly in front, though at a fairly wide angle. Hypercardioid picks up a narrower range in front, and a little from directly behind, with maximum rejection at the two 3/4 rear angles. Supercardioid is tighter in front than hypercardioid.
Shotgun mics are basically super-duper cardioids, that is, the most directional.
Look up "microphone directional response" or "pickup pattern" on google, and you'll surely see the pictures that would make this much clearer.
For best "ambience", you probably want to record stereo. This is a far more complicated topic, but I'd briefly recommend two cardioid mics as the most flexible setup... you can use them for X-Y techniques of varying widths, ORTF techniques, or ad-hoc techniques. Or, best yet, get a matched stereo pair of Oktava MC-12s with interchangeable cardioid, omni, and hypercardiod capsules for a really wide range of possibilities...
In any case, you don't want a shotgun for ambience... they're what we audio folks would call "spot mics", used to grab important sounds that are added to the ambience. Mind you, ambience is often "created" rather than recorded - but I'm a purist...
-Barry
[quote author=Kandinsky link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#5 date=04/03/04 at 16:02:37]Talking about the ME66!
I think that this means it can record sound from a more specific area which is great for dialogues, but if i wanna record maybe a more "global" sound from a scene, is it going to work fine also? I would like to have your opinions on this matter.
Maybe you guys could also help me clarify those different terms such as "shotgun" "cardioid"...etc.
[/quote]
Shotgun, cardioid, bidirectional (figure-8), omni - these are all "pickup patterns" and basically determine the mic's directionality - that is, how "aimable" it is:
Omnidirectional mics (theoretically) pick up sound evenly in all directions; they are not aimable. If what you really want is natural ambiance, an omni is often best. But keep in mind that "natural ambience" includes you, the camera, the freeway 1/4 mile away...
Bidirectional mics pick up sound equally well from directly in front of AND directly behind the capsule, but reject (don't pick up) sound from the sides. In fact, oddly enough, bidirectional mics tend to have better off-axis rejection than any other type of mic, and when there's one thing you DON'T want to record, these can be best.
Cardioid mics are named for their heart-shaped pickup pattern - the valentine's day heart, not the real meaty thing. A valentine's day heart where the point on the bottom is smoothed out. And upside down. And... anyway, what's important is that they reject sound from directly behind the capsule, and pick up sound best from directly in front, though at a fairly wide angle. Hypercardioid picks up a narrower range in front, and a little from directly behind, with maximum rejection at the two 3/4 rear angles. Supercardioid is tighter in front than hypercardioid.
Shotgun mics are basically super-duper cardioids, that is, the most directional.
Look up "microphone directional response" or "pickup pattern" on google, and you'll surely see the pictures that would make this much clearer.
For best "ambience", you probably want to record stereo. This is a far more complicated topic, but I'd briefly recommend two cardioid mics as the most flexible setup... you can use them for X-Y techniques of varying widths, ORTF techniques, or ad-hoc techniques. Or, best yet, get a matched stereo pair of Oktava MC-12s with interchangeable cardioid, omni, and hypercardiod capsules for a really wide range of possibilities...
In any case, you don't want a shotgun for ambience... they're what we audio folks would call "spot mics", used to grab important sounds that are added to the ambience. Mind you, ambience is often "created" rather than recorded - but I'm a purist...
-Barry
ullanta
Veteran
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#4 date=04/03/04 at 15:56:25]
But I love it. Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.[/quote]
Hey! We should start a club for people who want to make films! Maybe even a bulletin board!
[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#4 date=04/03/04 at 15:56:25]
But I love it. Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.
[/quote]Hey! We should start a club for people who want to make films! Maybe even a bulletin board!
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
Again i've had the best answers i could possibly get. Thank you very much guys for taking your precious time to answer my questions, it is deeply appreciated.
Barry_S :
Yes barry, thanks for the clarification. My english vocabulary may be quite limited because my primary language is french ;D
Ullanta :
Thank you for helping me get rid of my naive understanding of sound recording hehe ;D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last question. Considering the fact that the budget of the film is my own pocket and that i can only afford one XLR sennheiser microphone and a pole, i guess the ME64 cardioid capsule would be the way to go?
What i need mostly in my film is good quality ambiant sound, dialogues (mostly indoors and voice over). Plus, an atmosphere that i will create recording sounds by myself a bit here and there.
I don't really need specific recordings such as omni, shotgun or bi-directionnal, etc. Sure it would be useful in certain occasions, but i can probably do ok without em until i can afford it.
As you said there is no "all-around" microphone, but as far as i know the ME64 looks like a pretty good choice for me ?
Again i've had the best answers i could possibly get. Thank you very much guys for taking your precious time to answer my questions, it is deeply appreciated.
Barry_S :
Yes barry, thanks for the clarification. My english vocabulary may be quite limited because my primary language is french ;D
Ullanta :
Thank you for helping me get rid of my naive understanding of sound recording hehe ;D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last question. Considering the fact that the budget of the film is my own pocket and that i can only afford one XLR sennheiser microphone and a pole, i guess the ME64 cardioid capsule would be the way to go?
What i need mostly in my film is good quality ambiant sound, dialogues (mostly indoors and voice over). Plus, an atmosphere that i will create recording sounds by myself a bit here and there.
I don't really need specific recordings such as omni, shotgun or bi-directionnal, etc. Sure it would be useful in certain occasions, but i can probably do ok without em until i can afford it.
As you said there is no "all-around" microphone, but as far as i know the ME64 looks like a pretty good choice for me ?
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#4 date=04/03/04 at 15:56:25] Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.[/quote]
You don't know how many times I have wanted to post this very same statement!!!! I AM SO FREAKING SICK OF DOING WEDDINGS AND EVENTS!
Reminds me of years ago in a very odd way...I used to be a musician that always wanted to record, shoot live shows, etc. Had tons of people around me with tons of talent and willingness, NO MONEY, and hardly any equipment. Fast forward 12yrs....Plenty of equipment, enough money, and no one around with the time or desire to commit to anything..
Sigh.
Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Events;num=1081034659;start=0#4 date=04/03/04 at 15:56:25] Its hard wanting to make films when there is no one around that wants to make films.
[/quote]You don't know how many times I have wanted to post this very same statement!!!! I AM SO FREAKING SICK OF DOING WEDDINGS AND EVENTS!
Reminds me of years ago in a very odd way...I used to be a musician that always wanted to record, shoot live shows, etc. Had tons of people around me with tons of talent and willingness, NO MONEY, and hardly any equipment. Fast forward 12yrs....Plenty of equipment, enough money, and no one around with the time or desire to commit to anything..
Sigh.
Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
Re: My Sennheiser quit working.
Andrew--I think you might be surprised at the number of people that would love to help you on your next project. You just need to look a little harder. My experience is that it's much easier finding enthusiastic strangers than trying to convince people you know to work on something. Have any of you tried www.mandy.com?
Andrew--I think you might be surprised at the number of people that would love to help you on your next project. You just need to look a little harder. My experience is that it's much easier finding enthusiastic strangers than trying to convince people you know to work on something. Have any of you tried www.mandy.com?