Recording in a Tent

M

Mitch.Kear

Well-known member
Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum. I come here looking for some opinions on a recording scenario.

There will be two people in a very small tent, and they will be messing around a bit/talking. This space is pretty tight, but it is in the middle of nowhere and there isn't much background sound.

I was thinking of running two wired lavs to the actors and trying to get a cardioid sdc above them in the tent. What do you think?

Also when you can hear them from a shot outside the tent, should I boom outside it for a more natural sound?

This is my first time recording in a tent, not sure what kind of reflection/odd sounds I may get.
 
First, welcome to DVXUser!

As for the tent, reflections shouldn't be a huge issue since tent material is pretty permeable as far as sound is concerned. Even if you have a heavy, canvas cover on it more sound will be absorbed than reflected.

If you can get a small boom in over the camera, with a hypercardioid, you should be good to go. It's close quarters, so you don't really have the option to get a mic too far away for effective pickup (unless it's one of those large, two-room camping tents). A shotgun may be too long to fit in there. Wired lavs will work as a backup, and honestly can work just fine, but a boomed hyper is going to have a better, more open sound.

As for your exterior, that's all done in editing. Get your dialog on the inside, so that it is as clean as possible. Cut the dialog in under an exterior shot, and use EQ and the mix to give the effect you want.

The odd sound to watch out for, especially with lavs, is fabric rub. Tents and sleeping bags are generally made of some very loud fabrics, and every movement in a tent can create lots of noise. This shouldn't be too much of a challenge unless the mics are attached to something in or on the tent.
 
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Being out in the middle of nowhere does not mean not much background sound. Crickets and other insects get really loud out in the boonies. However, your approach is sound....get it, sound?!!!. I've gotten in a habit of puttling lavs on the talent, as well as booming and recording to iso tracks. You never know when you'll want that "up-close" sound of a lav.
 
Alex H. said:
Tents and sleeping bags are generally made of some very loud fabrics, and every movement in a tent can create lots of noise.
Click to expand...

LOL, why is it the first thing I thought of with this line was "Especially if you eat campfire chili".:happy:

Blamin' it on the tent and sleeping bags now, huh? Spiders, frogs and dogs are okay to pass the blame on to, but not the sleeping bag.

A fart joke, in honor of Leslie Nielsen.
 
Doc Bernard said:
LOL, why is it the first thing I thought of with this line was "Especially if you eat campfire chili".:happy:

Blamin' it on the tent and sleeping bags now, huh? Spiders, frogs and dogs are okay to pass the blame on to, but not the sleeping bag.

A fart joke, in honor of Leslie Nielsen.
Click to expand...

Makes me think of the campfire scene from "Blazing Saddles"...
 
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