Three questions for Audio pro's

M

mico

Veteran
I have a couple of questions and would love to hear what people hear have to say.

I've never done this before but would like to body mic people with a cos11 lav and a sony pcm m10 instead of going wireless. Since I have a 16gb card and long battery run times on the m10 i would like to leave it running but I'm sure over time I'll get sync issues. Is it better to shut it off to protect for sync issues or is this a non issue. And Should limiter be on or off. Should low cut filter be on or off in this situation.

I also want to use my m10 with a riggy and have heard that unity gain on the m10 is at mark 4-5 on the dial. Should I set it there and then use the riggy's pots to adjust?

Any suggestions on securing the lav on a female with a tshirt on that is snug but not tight fitting.

Thanks for the help
 
Most of your questions are subjective, but IMO,
- It's easier to leave them running and deal with sync in post. Shut them down for lunch or long breaks.
- Limiter on (NOT AGC) Set the level based on the 'talents' speaking level, leaving enough headroom so the limiter is not hammered. I'm not familiar with the M10, but if possible, set the record volume fader to 'Unity gain' Typically indicated as "0" or "U" on the fader scale, then adj. the mic gain/trim for a rough level set.
You could use a vampire clip on the shirt inside neck line; secure or clip the mic to the middle of her bra (if she wears one) or affix it directly to the skin using the appropriate mounting accessories/techniques. (this is a skill set in itself)
 
There is nothing to suggest that turning it off and on will change the sync issues in any way. One way or the other.
Of course, if you are recording independently, you cannot monitor the audio for the dozens of things that can go wrong.

As Mr. Reineke suggests, however, at least retrieving the recording at lunch (or other break) time allows you to put fresh batteries in it, and sample the recording to see if any changes (or re-take) are needed..

See this matrix I created: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/content.php?107-Article-Audio-Solutions-Matrix-Advantages-Disadvantages
As to how the configuration should bet set, you will need to experiment for your particular situation to determine that for yourself.
 
Thanks for the great suggestions/matrix list and taking the time to answer Richard and Rick.

The M10 hardwired body pack may just be a backup to the wireless. The M10 does not have a record volume fader to set unity, the record level gain unity setting of around 4 on the dial is what I have read on several sound forums. I went with the M10 because it was small, had long battery time, and noise floor tests seem to have it very favorable and certain Olympus recorders suggested here have been discontinued.

It does seem easier to leave it running then to constantly go to the talent to shut it on and off but I've got it in my head from reading posts that sync drift gets worse the longer the recording.

Vampire clip looks worlds easier than other methods.

thanks again
 
mico said:
It does seem easier to leave it running then to constantly go to the talent to shut it on and off but I've got it in my head from reading posts that sync drift gets worse the longer the recording.
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If you shut it on and off twenty times (say) you will have twenty separate soundfiles, each of which will need to be manually synced to the video. If you leave it running you will have one soundfile that you will need to chop into twenty separate pieces and sync those to the video. The amount of drift for each of your twenty sections will be the same, either way.

Yes, drift gets worse over time, but this is an accumulation of errors that is removed when you cut the long soundfile into shorter sections and re-sync each one.

This still leaves a small amount of error (drift) but will probably be negligible over short takes. For long takes you may need to nip and tuck here and there to keep it in sync. Or use some time-stretching software (which your editing program may already have). In fact that would be an additional argument for recording one long soundfile, because you would only need to apply a time-stretch to one soundfile instead of having to do it to twenty.
 
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Stephen Frost said:
If you shut it on and off twenty times (say) you will have twenty separate soundfiles, each of which will need to be manually synced to the video. If you leave it running you will have one soundfile that you will need to chop into twenty separate pieces and sync those to the video. The amount of drift for each of your twenty sections will be the same, either way.

Yes, drift gets worse over time, but this is an accumulation of errors that is removed when you cut the long soundfile into shorter sections and re-sync each one.

This still leaves a small amount of error (drift) but will probably be negligible over short takes. For long takes you may need to nip and tuck here and there to keep it in sync. Or use some time-stretching software (which your editing program may already have). In fact that would be an additional argument for recording one long soundfile, because you would only need to apply a time-stretch to one soundfile instead of having to do it to twenty.
Click to expand...

Appreciate your thoughts. Isn't there a 2gb file limit (Fat 32) anyway that you would get recording for hours and creating separate clips (although much less than stop and starting) and have to join clips that cross over that limit. And what about the benefits of tcp x auto sync and plural eyes for helping manually sync.
 
I don't know the M10 but it probably does have a file size limit. If I've done my sums right 2gb would buy you nearly two hours of 48kHz 24-bit audio though, so, as you say, much less than stop-starting. I haven't used plural eyes - I've heard it can be half a frame out, which is not accurate enough for me, but of course many people swear by it (probably because they have thousands of files to sync up).

Anyway, my main point was that whichever approach you choose (long takes or short takes) any drift will be the same and so that should not affect your decision.
 
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