Thoughts for Senn G3 as a wireless boom Tx?

S

sy90

Member
Hey everyone have a question for you.

So this is the first time a smaller (ultra low) indy show has hired me with my sound cart and there have been a few budgeting issues for them so far but I've since jedi mind tricked them into renting pretty much what I need to work from my cart. However the one thing they don't want/can't afford/don't understand are my lectro kits including my HM Tx for my boom op. Though I can just run a huge return cable from his 302 to my cart...that will be a little annoying so something my op offered was his SKP transmitter for the Sennheiser G3 units.

So I was wondering if anyone has used the SKP transmitter as their main boom Tx. I've used G3's for a while now and don't mind them as personal mics or for sending as scratches or even as poor man comteks but I'm a little worried to use them for my main audio line. We're thinking of going out of the 302 rather than straight from the mic to my cart. Has anyone thats used it for this type of situation or straight from the mic ever notice any loss in quality or signal drop? I know I won't be able to go too far but I'm mainly scared of random signal drops that happen to the G3's every now and again, can I trust it?

Otherwise do you think I'm being way to stingy and just throw in my Lectro kit for at least the boom to save myself the headache even though I'm throwing in all the g3 lavs for free and cutting a deal on my rig and mics?

Thanks in advance :)
 
sy90 said:
Hey everyone have a question for you.

So this is the first time a smaller (ultra low) indy show has hired me with my sound cart and there have been a few budgeting issues for them so far but I've since jedi mind tricked them into renting pretty much what I need to work from my cart. However the one thing they don't want/can't afford/don't understand are my lectro kits including my HM Tx for my boom op. Though I can just run a huge return cable from his 302 to my cart...that will be a little annoying so something my op offered was his SKP transmitter for the Sennheiser G3 units.

So I was wondering if anyone has used the SKP transmitter as their main boom Tx. I've used G3's for a while now and don't mind them as personal mics or for sending as scratches or even as poor man comteks but I'm a little worried to use them for my main audio line. We're thinking of going out of the 302 rather than straight from the mic to my cart. Has anyone thats used it for this type of situation or straight from the mic ever notice any loss in quality or signal drop? I know I won't be able to go too far but I'm mainly scared of random signal drops that happen to the G3's every now and again, can I trust it?

Otherwise do you think I'm being way to stingy and just throw in my Lectro kit for at least the boom to save myself the headache even though I'm throwing in all the g3 lavs for free and cutting a deal on my rig and mics?

Thanks in advance :)
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I haven't used G3 as a wireless boom but for your primary boom mic, I wouldn't chance it. Too many things to take into consideration to give you a "can I trust it" decision (RF at that particular space, interaction with other wireless, etc). If budget is the issue, go cabled and if they see that as an issue from a work flow perspective, talk them into your Lectro wireless boom rig. I always prefer, if feasible, to go cabled.

Good luck!
 
dano said:
I haven't used G3 as a wireless boom but for your primary boom mic, I wouldn't chance it. Too many things to take into consideration to give you a "can I trust it" decision (RF at that particular space, interaction with other wireless, etc). If budget is the issue, go cabled and if they see that as an issue from a work flow perspective, talk them into your Lectro wireless boom rig. I always prefer, if feasible, to go cabled.

Good luck!
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I'd second this. The SKP100 (the XLR transmitter in the G3) is a fantastic unit, and the G3 systems do offer a much larger range of frequencies than the G2 offering did, but there's no contest against a cabled primary boom mic. The pros just wouldn't outweigh the risks, and if this is the first time you've been hired by a show like this, you're gonna want to eliminate as many potential risks as possible.
Having said that, I don't believe you'd run into any additional signal drops with the G3 than you would with one of your Lectros. If you do your homework on the available frequencies in the area and show up early to do testing, the G3 should hold signal as well as almost anything out there. It's all about preparation.
When the G3 first came out, my company and I went out and tested it on a windy day in a park at roughly 100 yards, in a shootout against the Sony UWP-V1 wireless kit. Let me tell you, the Senny help up and then some! I'd say from my own experience you'd be fine trusting it if you can't manage a cable run.
Hope that helps!
 
sy90 said:
Hey everyone have a question for you.

So this is the first time a smaller (ultra low) indy show has hired me with my sound cart and there have been a few budgeting issues for them so far but I've since jedi mind tricked them into renting pretty much what I need to work from my cart. However the one thing they don't want/can't afford/don't understand are my lectro kits including my HM Tx for my boom op. Though I can just run a huge return cable from his 302 to my cart...that will be a little annoying so something my op offered was his SKP transmitter for the Sennheiser G3 units.

So I was wondering if anyone has used the SKP transmitter as their main boom Tx. I've used G3's for a while now and don't mind them as personal mics or for sending as scratches or even as poor man comteks but I'm a little worried to use them for my main audio line. We're thinking of going out of the 302 rather than straight from the mic to my cart. Has anyone thats used it for this type of situation or straight from the mic ever notice any loss in quality or signal drop? I know I won't be able to go too far but I'm mainly scared of random signal drops that happen to the G3's every now and again, can I trust it?

Otherwise do you think I'm being way to stingy and just throw in my Lectro kit for at least the boom to save myself the headache even though I'm throwing in all the g3 lavs for free and cutting a deal on my rig and mics?

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...

It's always a budget thing for sound! You say your boom op is using a 302 w/ possibility of going cable back to your cart? I say try using something smaller than the 302 for preamps (MM1 perhaps) and feed that into the HM Tx for wireless boom. Much safer and more efficient. Since your boom op has offered to use his SKP, go with that option first for comfort level. If you start getting dropouts or you feel unsure about the quality and/or durability of the unit switch out the SKP for the HM. Also, have you considered about IFB or private line for your boom op to communicate with you?
 
I've used the but plug transmitter before, not on a boom though but it should work fine, providing it's set-up correctly and one doesn't exceed it's limitations. The same could be said for a Lectro. It's certainly more bullet-proof than a G2/3, though with all other things being equal and no interference and such, there would not be a 'day and night' difference in the sound
 
I use my G2 plug in transmitter on a gitzo carbon fibre boom pole with an AT875R quite a lot as it gets rid of cables and for certain jobs allows more freedom for the operator on both sides.
 
Thanks a lot for all the tips guys! I went out to the majority of the locations yesterday with my boom op and tried out the senny. Worked out great in the outdoor locations which is probably when we'll be wanting to use the wireless boom the most. For the indoor locations we will probably just cable ourselves together as the rooms aren't too far from each other and the dp assures me there won't be any huge 360 dolly panned masters where we can't hide the cable. So unless all frequencies go haywire on the day (always half expecting it to anyways) we should live perfectly with the senn transmitter..guess I've just been to spoiled with the lectros to trust in anything else.
 
Not sure about Gary`s setup but normally if my boom op is using just a wireless boom with no pre or mixer I`ll send him an IFB feed or a comtek feed for the cart. For this shoot however he will be using a sd 302 as his own monitoring source.
gpforet said:
How does your boom op monitor?
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