Work has really picked up in the last month and has afforded me the opportunity to buy a few new toys.
First off, over the last month I've had a chance to really put the Oscar Soundtech 801 lav thru it's paces. This is a Tram TR-50 clone available at a very reasonable price. After having used the Trams and loved them, I can say that this mic really holds it's own. Typically, I'm using the OST under at least one layer of clothing, using several techniques to reduce clothing noise (moleskin and wig tape). This mic is is less prone to clothing noise than the stock me-2 (although with all applications used under clothing, technique is everything). The slight boost in the upper frequencies allow this mic to pick up dialog without sounding muffled. The result has been that OST 901s have become by default lav and I now have one for each of my G3s.
After using the Tascam DR-100 for about 6 months, and been very pleased with it's performance, I'm finding that being able to record iso tracks is a big plus for post audio, as so, my new Tascam 680 arrives today (unfortunately, I'll be out on a job for the next two days and won't be able to configure it into my bag until the weekend). Being able to send my mixer direct channel outputs as well as recording a 2 channel mix-down should provide much more flexibility, and being able to power the unit from my Alphamix's NP-1 battery simplifies power. The downside is cabling between the alphamix and tascam for signals and power will add another $150 to the cost. Another cost will be adding the add-on bag to my portabrace bag to hold the 680 as well as my wireless.
Lastly, having searched for quite some time for an inexpensive hyper, I've decided to give the Avantone CK-1 a try. This is a stop-gap approach to getting better dialog in tight, reverberant indoor spaces until I can afford the AT 4053b.
Like I said, business has been very good this month, and I'd encourage those of you out there who are really passionate about location sound mixing and recording to work your craft and be very critical about your product. Most of these jobs have been callbacks from previous clients, and one four day job was to re-shoot stuff that was recorded by another sound person on days when I was booked elsewhere, and the producer was so dissapointed with the other person's work compared to what I had delivered on previous scenes, she decided to re-shoot at significant cost to get the audio captured properly.
Thanks to everyone here who unselfishly share their experiences to help newbies like me get my game up.
First off, over the last month I've had a chance to really put the Oscar Soundtech 801 lav thru it's paces. This is a Tram TR-50 clone available at a very reasonable price. After having used the Trams and loved them, I can say that this mic really holds it's own. Typically, I'm using the OST under at least one layer of clothing, using several techniques to reduce clothing noise (moleskin and wig tape). This mic is is less prone to clothing noise than the stock me-2 (although with all applications used under clothing, technique is everything). The slight boost in the upper frequencies allow this mic to pick up dialog without sounding muffled. The result has been that OST 901s have become by default lav and I now have one for each of my G3s.
After using the Tascam DR-100 for about 6 months, and been very pleased with it's performance, I'm finding that being able to record iso tracks is a big plus for post audio, as so, my new Tascam 680 arrives today (unfortunately, I'll be out on a job for the next two days and won't be able to configure it into my bag until the weekend). Being able to send my mixer direct channel outputs as well as recording a 2 channel mix-down should provide much more flexibility, and being able to power the unit from my Alphamix's NP-1 battery simplifies power. The downside is cabling between the alphamix and tascam for signals and power will add another $150 to the cost. Another cost will be adding the add-on bag to my portabrace bag to hold the 680 as well as my wireless.
Lastly, having searched for quite some time for an inexpensive hyper, I've decided to give the Avantone CK-1 a try. This is a stop-gap approach to getting better dialog in tight, reverberant indoor spaces until I can afford the AT 4053b.
Like I said, business has been very good this month, and I'd encourage those of you out there who are really passionate about location sound mixing and recording to work your craft and be very critical about your product. Most of these jobs have been callbacks from previous clients, and one four day job was to re-shoot stuff that was recorded by another sound person on days when I was booked elsewhere, and the producer was so dissapointed with the other person's work compared to what I had delivered on previous scenes, she decided to re-shoot at significant cost to get the audio captured properly.
Thanks to everyone here who unselfishly share their experiences to help newbies like me get my game up.