Seeking waterproof wireless mic or small recorders

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
Hi all:

Wondering if any sound mixers here know of any waterproof lavaliere systems of pro quality that don't cost a fortune? Rental or purchase, depending on cost. I may just take a stab at waterproofing a Tascam DR-10L recorder but I don't know how water resistant the cheap lav is that comes with the DR-10L? Will be placing Go Pros on boats that will be out of wireless range and as you know, Go Pros in housings sound like garbage, so something like the Tascam DR-10L in a waterproof version is what I am seeking, if it exists? Talent in not constantly in the water like a surfer/diver would be but in our scenario, talent occasionally is immersed.
 
I think the B6 is supposed to be waterproof with the cap. Of course, it has not have any water immersing the cap for it to work.

I've got nothing for you on a cheap water proof option. I have a Lectro WM and they have special gaskets and grease on all of the ports including the mic port. Maybe putting the recorder/transmitter in a small Pelican case with a small hole drilled through for the mic.
 
I have a couple little modified Pelican cases that are along the lines of what cpreston suggests...these have nice gaskets around the lav and antenna holes... Maybe you could DIY something, but might be tricky to get right.

Now I more regularly use Aquapac bags. They make all sorts of bags and have three that can work with radio mics and cables from lav mics:
https://aquapacusa.com/product-category/waterproof-radio-mic/
The all look something like this, though they don't all have belts:
Waterproof-Radio-Mic-Case-158B.jpg

So that takes care of the recorder (or recorder/transmitter).

For lavs in wet/water conditions, I use Countryman EMWs. Fine in water... I think the B6 also works in water, though I'd think the small mic screen could get clogged by a drop; not an issue with EMWs.
http://www.countryman.com/emw-omnidirectional-lavalier

Voice Technologies also makes a waterproof lav...it's probably fine, but I haven't used it.

Might be worth a swing by Trew Audio, Location Sound, or a similar location-audio dealer...they probably have some other good suggestions...
 
I think of the Countryman B3 and B6 as water resistant, or sweat proof...Good when hair mic'ing broadway actors (ie- facing down), in rainy-ish conditions, etc. Well here's what Countryman says:

B3: "extreme water-resistance... a water-resistant mic for water sports or hurricane reporting"
http://www.countryman.com/b3-omnidirectional-lavalier-microphone

B6: "changeable protective caps provide moisture resistance"
http://www.countryman.com/b6-omnidirectional-lavalier-microphone

EMW: "Perfect underwater... in watersports, or anywhere the going gets tough."
http://www.countryman.com/emw-omnidirectional-lavalier

I think the bigger face of the EMW is a benefit in/around/under water. And IIRC, the Voice Tech water lav has a similarly sized face which also probably helps... But while I've used B3 and B6 lavs plenty, I haven't tried them in situations where they might or for sure would be submerged...
 
You can use a Lectro WM with a Countryman EMW for wireless transmission. If you want a waterproof recorder...I'm not sure if one really exists. You'd have to come up with waterproof housing solution. I mean...the Cantar is weatherproof, but I wouldn't go throwing that thing in the ocean. I bet you could hot-rod one of those small pelican cases to be a waterproof housing.
 
Not for everyone, but the Instamic Pro is a waterproof, very compact recorder. I received my two units and they are working fine. There have been some issues with the remote Bluetooth monitoring (loss of connection) but the recorders keep recording...and firmware updates are being released....
 
Thanks guys, all great suggestions, I will check them out. I dstinctly recall the Countryman booth at NAB, they had a B6 lav sitting in a glass of Coke, all day and would take it out, they had it ran into a headphone pre-amp and you could listen to it after taking it out of the glass of Coke and of course, it would function fine. I bought one shortly after so I can verify that the Countrymans are definitely waterproof. Yes, it is the recorder i am more concerned about than the mic at this point. It's a challenge because I couldn't leave the recorder in the boat with the mic on the people because then when they went overboard or the boat overturned, the mic would rip off of them if it was attached to the recorder. But they people might bristle at having to wear a bodypack as they are doing a lot of very physical actions in the boats. The simplest solution would probably be to affix the mic to the boat near them, they sit in designated spots so I could rig a lavaliere that would end up less than 18 inches from their mouth. That way if the boat overturns or they get tossed out, the mic would stay in place and not get tangled or impede them in any way. And when they climb back into the boat, the mic would still be in place. Hmm...this is going to take some experimentation to get it right.
 
> people might bristle at having to wear a bodypack as they are doing a lot of very physical actions in the boats.

Sorry to repeat myself, but do check out the Aquapacs (or similar solutions)...have worked well with people doing physical stuff...surfers, kayakers, sailors... Not sure it'd work for everything/everyone, but could be a good solution...

Well let us know what you end up doing Dan!
 
Jim Feeley said:
> people might bristle at having to wear a bodypack as they are doing a lot of very physical actions in the boats.

Sorry to repeat myself, but do check out the Aquapacs (or similar solutions)...have worked well with people doing physical stuff...surfers, kayakers, sailors... Not sure it'd work for everything/everyone, but could be a good solution...

Well let us know what you end up doing Dan!
Click to expand...

Will do. We are slowly getting to know these boaters and building trust. They let me put Go Pros on their boats last week, building toward getting permission to shoot them with drones, and I need to get some clean audio of some races. This is all for a documentary sizzle reel to get funding so it's been a slow, touchy process getting established with the sanctioning organization and all of the people. Always challenging to try to photograph and document racing as you don't want to be perceived as a negative variable for any of the racers and sticking cameras, drones and mics on boats and people could be a negative so I have to have patience to make it happen.
 
puredrifting said:
Will do. We are slowly getting to know these boaters and building trust.
Click to expand...

Oh, the Trust Gambit. Then maybe just have your soundie wear a green wetsuit, Andrew Norton Style. Problem solved:

greenwetsuit?.jpg


I've done a lot of work with athletes; I hear you on slowly building trust. Good luck with the gig. Sounds challenging and fun...
 

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Of course you could go old school... Non lubricated condoms.

They were the goto solution for wireless packs on sweaty bodies, or mics going under water.
 
Cool stuff Jim. I'd say that is waterproof.

Noiz2, I have used condoms on a shotgun when we shot in Costa Rica in the jungle a long time ago. But have never tried that with recorders or transmitters.
 
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