Need to hear about your experience actually shooting with the Røde Video Wireless Lav

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
Hi all:

I returned yesterday from shooting a series of videos for a sports management company at a beautiful golf resort in Palm Springs. Super low budget project, enough to make it worthwhile but a small crew of three. Unfortunately not enough budget to hire a sound mixer. Shot five sit down interviews, I used my AT875r and a Countryman B6 hard wired, sound was very good. Then we had to go out on the golf course to shoot some interactions with an actor and some of the employees. I intended to use my Audio Technica 1800 dual wireless setup with my Tram TR50s. I tested it at home and it all worked pretty well, sounded usable, a bit too much hiss but what do you expect on a realtively cheap wireless system? Of course, once we got out onto the course, one of the transmitters went nuts with static and interference. Tried to channel scan to no avail. Very tight schedule of running and gunning all day. We had no sound mixer, no boom op, we were, of course, just relying on the two wireless lavs. Thankfully I asked my other camera op to bring one of his wireless lavs as a backup, he did, his Sennheiser G3. Once he turned it on, same issue, tons of static and noise. Don't know if its true but one of the employees told us that the FBI has a nearby training facility that uses a lot of wireless communications, satellite, etc. Thankfully, once we scanned the G3, it worked and we were able to proceed.

Upon returning home, I was reflecting on my wireless needs going forward.

1. This is the first job I have shot in two years where I didn't have budget for a sound mixer. I always want to hire a pro sound mixer. But the reality of the world is, I am occasionally going to have to take on a project without the budget for a sound mixer.

2. I have decided to trash can the AT 1800 setup. It never sounded as good as the old AT-100 series I had, never as good as G3s, there was always varying amounts of high frequency hiss present. Disappointing, considering what the setup sold for.

3. I tested and wrote a review on the Røde Video wireless system a couple of years ago when they introduced them. I know the drawbacks are plastic construction, size, but overall, the sound quality really impressed me, especially in it's budget range. I cannot afford Lectros, or the Sennheiser 2.4GHz system that sells for more than double the cost because I need to buy two or three of them.

Anyone here own and regularly use the Røde system? I am impressesd that their $400.00 system comes with their decent sounding $225.00 lav, I like the idea of 2.4 Ghz, at least these days, I am having more trouble finding a clean UHF frequency. I will only occasionally use these when I cannot hire a sound mixer so I am not concerned about the plastic ocnstruction too much, I know they are fragile and will treat them accordingly. For an occasional walk and talk or low budget doc usage, anyone here have some time under their belt with using these systems long term? Any feedback? Any other wireless system I should be considering in the $400.00 to $600.00 per channel price range? I know I could buy some used G3s that are better built, but as I said, the whole scanning and low availability of UHF bandwidth in certain locations turns me off. When I am producing, interviewing and operating camera, the one touch, turn it on and it just works operating system on the Røde is very appealing.

Thanks.
 
> I am impressesd that [Rode's] $400.00 system comes with their decent sounding $225.00 lav...
Rode says the bundled mic isn't the same as the one they sell solo for $225. But it might still be OK.
http://www.rode.com/wireless/filmmaker
Is the lavalier microphone supplied with the Filmmaker Kit the same as RØDE’s Lavalier microphone?-
No. The lav mic included is a different microphone, and does not have a removable adaptor but rather a fixed 3.5mm connector with locking thread. While both are broadcast-grade in performance, the Lavalier supports the MiCon adaptor system for a wide range of compatibility with popular audio devices.

My understanding is that the Rode system won't "multicast" as in...one transmitter sending audio to two+ receivers...not a big deal in most situations, but looks like these might not let you feed multiple cameras or hack them into a cheap IFB/Comtek system. Confirm this, though.

When I saw them, I thought the transmitter was pretty big and --seemed-- kinda fragile. Not the end of the world, and at their price spares aren't that expensive. But I don't know how they'd hold up in rough-and-tumble doc use. For corporate stuff, they're probably OK.

As for 2.4GHz being more open than UHF...ya, I guess....for now... There's still a lot of crap up there. So that argues for either getting Lectro or Zaxcom systems with wide bandwidth... Or for getting something cheap like the Rode system that can earn back its cost in a year.

But I'm not much help here... I do a fair amount of location-audio work and live in the Lectro/Zaxcom world...
 
You may want to give the Lectrosonics L series a good look. I know it's more expensive, but It's Lectro. It should perform well for you and serve you much longer than some other systems, and would serve as a good transition product into their higher end wireless.
 
davefisk said:
You may want to give the Lectrosonics L series a good look. I know it's more expensive, but It's Lectro. It should perform well for you and serve you much longer than some other systems, and would serve as a good transition product into their higher end wireless.
Click to expand...

Ha, ha. $2,329.00 vs. $400.00? I think that's the definition of a whole other ballpark. I love Lectros, I used to own a couple of 400 series but then decided owning $4k wireless mics when I had no aspirations of becoming a pro sound mixer made no financial sense. Lectros and Zaxcom are the best, almost every sound mxier I hire uses them but If I had those kinds of budgets to buy, I would much rather spend money on hiring a pro. After having written about and still writing about and researching FCC bandwidth allocation plans for 2018 and beyond, I am also convinced that many UHF owners today will regret their investment. The FCC is going to keep auctioning off bandwidth and the wireless providers and HD broadcasters are going to keep buying it up. Less UHF bandwidth = more crowding no matter where you are shooting.

I don't think 2.4 Ghz is the ultimate solution but the channel agility feature on the Røde is impressive for the money. Eventually, wireless sound manufacturers will have to come up with a better solution. The personal digital recorders will work, but tracking the sound, which media it is on, when the recorder is rolling and having to sync it up in post just sucks time and time is money. Same with scanning for frequencies in the middle of a shoot, which we had to do yesterday twice. WIth the client, clients client, actors and crew standing around, waiting for us to get the sound working. The automation on the Røde and Sennheiser AVX make it simple. It either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't, nothing you can do. I like that better than the current system which is, you scan, the unit finds a supposedly clean channel, you begin shooting, and then at times, you pick up more interference and have to do the drill again. I will also have to buy a few of the little Tascam DR-10Ls as backups as well in case the wireless just isn't happening at all.
 
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This is the system that I chose to get at work for my little OMB operation there that I've mentioned. I'm still very much a novice when it comes to anything audio, but I'll definitely report back to this thread once I've done a few shoots with it. My office should be a good test case for this system as there's wireless access points everywhere in the building, hundreds of people on cellphones, etc. I do plan on getting the Rodelink as well for my own kit in a few days here as well.
 
I have them, like them, but I don't like the size of the transmitter. I think it's actually very rugged despite the plastic. Battery lasts forever!

The mic is ok, not amazing. No big complaints though. The 0, +10, +20 gain adjustments are a bit rough for my taste. Would prefer to have more control.

In terms of dropouts, interference, etc, they've been impressively reliable in a variety of environments.

I'd try them and then sell them for very little loss if they aren't up to your standards/needs.
 
ozmorphasis said:
I have them, like them, but I don't like the size of the transmitter. I think it's actually very rugged despite the plastic. Battery lasts forever!

The mic is ok, not amazing. No big complaints though. The 0, +10, +20 gain adjustments are a bit rough for my taste. Would prefer to have more control.

In terms of dropouts, interference, etc, they've been impressively reliable in a variety of environments.

I'd try them and then sell them for very little loss if they aren't up to your standards/needs.
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Thanks for the feedback Ozmorphasis and Crafty. I ordered a couple, they arrive tomorrow, I will be running some tests with them and will report back what I find. I have some Trams, Countryman, AT-899 lavs laying around, I want to re-wire a few of them if I keep these but not sure of the mic input specs (impedance, power situation), I will have to speak with Røde. Fortunately these will only be used on occasional "beer budget" clients and projects where they just have to work and not have a lot of noise and hiss. For even semi-decent budget projects, I'll be continuing to hire pros with the good stuff. As much as I like messing with, writing about and learning about audio and sound mixing, when the cameras roll, I much prefer to delegate it out to a pro with all of the right gear and their purpose is to just worry about the sound. I often have cameras, G&L, talent and clients to deal with, audio is sometimes just too much on my plate.
 
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You can get a used lectro 211 receiver and transmitter for under $1200, I know cause I did. Has a built in scanner that WORKS. shows you on a graphical display where the interference and you can set your frequency between those chunks of interference. Still way more than $400 but way less than $2400.
 
If you are serious about radio mic work get a scanner, the scan function in virtually EVERY radio mic system is incredibly basic.
With knowledge of whats happening in the RF world (in your area) is critical in good operations.

For less than half the price a a decent pair of headphones you can get a 'RF Explorer' that will make radio mic work SO MUCH easier.

http://rfexplorer.com/models/
 
I have heard that advice many times. Let me tell you, one of the top sound guys (if not THE top guy) in town prefers the built in scanner over any standalone rf scanner, calling them overly complicated and not worth the effort. I have asked him this several times and always gotten the same answer.

Doesnt get much easier than the Lectro scanner--turn it on without the transmitter on, hold 3 buttons simultaneously to enter scan mode, wait for it to finish the scan. The parts of the frequency spectrum with interference show up like bars on a bar graph. You have a cursor that you move between the bars where there's a clean spot, and that's how you select a good frequency.
 
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Good in theory, but it wont take into the intermods that are created when you turn on the TX unit.
Anyway every one has there own ways of doing things.
 
...Or you can just buy the Rødes or Sennheiser AVX systems, turn them on and start shooting. That's my point, when I cannot budget for a sound mixer, I generally am doing lots of other things besides worrying about sound and generally don't have time to scan, even if it only takes :30 That's what is appealing about these two non-UHF systems. No scanning, no frequencies or frequency allocation to worry about, they either work or they dont and from what I am hearing, they almost always work. If they don't, I also ordered a couple of Tascam DR-10L recorders and they'll serve as backups to the Rødes. All of this stuff is low end, but that's what is intriguing. In the past, low end meant, "often doesn't work". Newer technology like these have now turned that into, "low end, but almost always works and has really pretty decent sound". That is a new thing. Sure, both the Rødes and Sennheiser AVX have their drawbacks and limitations but I can deal with those in exchange for good sound and no brainer usage while running and gunning. We shot ten skits in ten locations in one day with 16 actors. No sound mixer and three cameras, me on two of them. I didn't even budget this project, it was underbid by someone else. They let me raise it up a bit but it still needed a few grand more to hire a sound mixer. But it was January and January is often a very slow month and this was work. So there you go.
 
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For my typical needs, I don't need a wireless handheld dynamic or shotgun, just two lavs but it's great that they have given us choices. Perfect for news people, run one with the stick mic and one with a lav on the talent.
 
I'm going to be shooting an interview as well as a speaker giving a presentation for some sort of conference talk proposal this week and I'll be using the Rodelink for both of those in a rather RF-saturated environment, although I'll probably switch to a Senal phantom XLR adapter for the sit-down part of the interview. I'll report back some results on that as soon as I get a chance!

Also, I'm still figuring out how to set up the gain properly with the Rodelink and the C100, any advice there?
 
I already have two Sennheiser G3 kits, and they work great. I need to purchase 4 more kits, and got a lead on brand new ones from an authorized dealer for $450 each. However, all this talk about issues with UHF bandwidth has me thinking if I shouldn't instead go for the Rodelink Filmmaker's kit instead. At $400 each, they're about the same cost as the G3 kits. This is mostly for corporate interviews and panel discussions. What do you all think would be the better investment?
 
Jaime Valles said:
I already have two Sennheiser G3 kits, and they work great. I need to purchase 4 more kits, and got a lead on brand new ones from an authorized dealer for $450 each. However, all this talk about issues with UHF bandwidth has me thinking if I shouldn't instead go for the Rodelink Filmmaker's kit instead. At $400 each, they're about the same cost as the G3 kits. This is mostly for corporate interviews and panel discussions. What do you all think would be the better investment?
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You are shooting in probably the most RF polluted environment in the world in NYC. Buy one Røde system. Take it out and use the snot out of it. Then you'll have your answer. Sennheiser is better built, smaller and lighter. But as I stated, if you do a few days of research as I have when I have repeatedly written about the FCC mandates and bandwidth allocation, UHF is quickly going away as a viable working space for sound pros. The government doesn't give a crap either. But that said, I would still side by side test the G3s with the Rødes before committing either way. I just went through the same dilemma and two of the Rødes were on my doorstep this morning. But I only shoot in NYC once or twice a year and I usually have a sound mixer if we are doing anything beyond sit downs and I don't use wireless, ever, unless I have to because wireless sucks. All wireless is 100 times worse sounding than a $20.00 XLR cable, always remember that.
 
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