Super confused among the sea of options - TX/RX, Recorders, Lavs and more

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dylansmith

Well-known member
Hi,

My recent project requires me to do a 1-man course talk through with various focal lengths. I currently have the RODE VideoMicro and Zoom H1. Would like to ask the following:

1. What price should I be paying for a decent LAV?
2. What is the difference between say, Deity W.Lav vs Boya M1?
3. Do I need to buy the Tascam DR-10L if I already have the Zoom H1?
3b. I saw that the DR-10L only supports up to 32Gb microsd. Is there an equivalent model that can support 64gb-128gb? I have a bunch of those cards sitting around.
4. What is the benefit of the above 2 recorders when I can also connect my LAV to my Samsung S8 and sync in post?
5. How does all the above compare to the Rode Wireless Go solution? [what is the benefit of this solution compared to S8+Lav?]
6. Is there any wireless LAV (smaller than the wireless go) that I can consider?
7. What will be your recommendation for the simplest run-and-gun LAV setup (not shotgun)? Using it for courses now, but will also use it for lightweight travel vlogging in the future.
8. If I were to pay for a course to learn all this audio stuff (with a focus on course-making or travel vlogging), who will u recommend?
 
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OK...

This post I suspect will not get a lot of responses. 1) because it seems pretty obvious you know next to nothing about sound, & 2) because you are asking a a lot of questions that are hard to answer if you don't know squat about sound, & 3) because you won't like the answers and will probably argue with them.

1) $800 - $5,000
2) ? Deity makes some cheap ok mics never heard of the other.
3) ? as in personal choice, smaller
3b) so you are too cheap to drop $10 on a card but want a wireless setup? Use the H1.
4) use your phone if that is the quality level you are aiming for.
5) apples and oranges
6) yes, I believe Zaxcom makes one. Aim at $10K and up.
7) you say lav. but I assume you mean wireless. Simplest will be any of the WiFi systems.
8) sign on as an assistant and a couple of years down the line you will know much of the above.

Not trying to be snide but #8 is basically "I want to be a race car driver, what on line class will make me a pro".
There are books etc. that will help and just searching this list for some of your questions will get some help, but you kind of need to do it and actually care that you are doing it well to really learn much. I mean what course did you take to learn what you are teaching?

My advice is to find someone local who can help you out. Maybe they even do it all for some of the classes till you get the setup down. Part is because you can't just take a class because there is way too much, but also because there are no universal rules. A $$$$$ wireless maybe what I need but someone else may be fine with a $ wireless. It is very use specific. So someone who knows what they are talking about can work with you and help you get the setup that works for you.
 
It all depends upon what you want to get out of this project. I think question 4 is your key question to answer before you go any further. We don't know what the project is and we don't know what you want in terms of quality. I'd suggest you do a test with the S8 and a cheap lav. If you are happy with the results, you're done. No need to go any further. The most important thing to do is to get the mic close to the person talking. For your test, set up the camera and get the lav mounted on the person talking. You may need a mic extension cord to do this as you mentioned several focal lengths.

Note that you cannot plug the mic directly into the S8. You need a breakout cable that will separate the mic and headphone connecions on the S8. You need a cable like this - https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Split...plitter+cable&qid=1555655750&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Here is an explanation about the cable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA7YV8zwr0Y
 
Paul F said:
It all depends upon what you want to get out of this project. I think question 4 is your key question to answer before you go any further. We don't know what the project is and we don't know what you want in terms of quality. I'd suggest you do a test with the S8 and a cheap lav. If you are happy with the results, you're done. No need to go any further. The most important thing to do is to get the mic close to the person talking. For your test, set up the camera and get the lav mounted on the person talking. You may need a mic extension cord to do this as you mentioned several focal lengths.

Note that you cannot plug the mic directly into the S8. You need a breakout cable that will separate the mic and headphone connecions on the S8. You need a cable like this - https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Split...plitter+cable&qid=1555655750&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Here is an explanation about the cable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA7YV8zwr0Y
Click to expand...

On this note, will you have a good android audio app to recommend? I am using RecForge II and while I can disable AGC, the levels (weirdly) cannot be controlled.
 
1. $350 + but you might get by with a cheaper one. I've read reviews which claim a JK MIC-J 044 with EQ adjustments is comparable to a Sennheiser ME-2, which also isn't that great of a mic. An Oscar SoundTech lav would be a better starting point.
3. Probably not, but it depends on what you want, and no one can answer that for you. Just compare the specs sheets and pick the one that suits your needs the best.
4. I think it's safe to assume that the Tascam & Zoom have cleaner preamps.
5. The rather obvious answer is that it's wireless and won't require syncing in post.
6. No.
7. Get the new Rode wireless, it's the simplest budget option. I'd assume that the battery life is a couple hours shorter than advertised, so don't plan on using it more than 4-5 hours per charge.
8. I recommend that you learn by doing.
 
I said
6) yes, I believe Zaxcom makes one. Aim at $10K and up.
Click to expand...
ooops,
Wrong on two counts. I thought they made a super small one but it is actually larger than the GO. It's small, but still noticeably larger than the GO. Also a set would only run you around $3,500.
 
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