Wireless Lav hassles vs wired lav hassles

Mister Big

Mister Big

Well-known member
Hi,

I've had some hassles getting some rented wireless lavs (Audio Technica) to work. Sometimes I get it from the shop and it doesn't work. Sometimes the radio cuts out even though Im only twenty feet away from my subject. Maybe if I owned the gear I'd be familiar enough to make it work consistently.

This makes me think about getting a wired lav mic, but of course the hassles that come with that involve the subject not being as free to move around and having to be unplugged every time they have to take a whiz or get some coffee.

Typical uses for me are:

Sitdown interviews.
Walk and Talk interviews.
Sometimes I have a sound person, sometimes I do it solo.

My questions are these:

1. Should I just get a wired lav mic and get someone to wrangle the cable so I don't have to deal with the radio mumbo jumbo? (Advatage: price, reliability)

2. Is there a reasonable $500 or so wireless lav that anyone finds stone cold reliable (advantage: mobility, convenience)?

Fortunately I have had a ME66 as backup, but it would have been much better to have had the lav working on these shoots.

Many thanks for your advice.
 
check the fq in your aria , might be you are working on 'ACUPIDE TERETHORY":-)
not to mention you are working with 10mw output wierless ( the lectro are 100)
if you are renting lectrosonics 200/400 ,you can scan the blocks to find the open channel ( the g-2 also has this function)
usially the external interference is what cause your range to be poor, even my 3500$ zaxcom is dying on bad channel .
if you rent these without scanner, buy one and check the aria to find the answers since checking in the shop is not the best way to find it in the field.
under 500 you have sennheiser or if you have mipro( Taiwan made) dealer in the states they have diversity unit which sounds not bad at all but i when i checked get twice the sennheiser range ( 100 channels on 24 mh block), th tx is alittle bit ugly and bigger then sennheiser but the unit is working ok ,check the lectrosnics site or sennheiser one to find occupied channels in your town , it might be not complete list since tv station could move or new one still not listed - scan your self for better results
 
I use lectro 200 series wireless every day and have virtually no problems. I would suspect the quality of your gear. Sit down interviews are no problem but a walk and talk will be a big problem.
 
Xort ,usially the problem is people who renting you the equip , they dont have a clew about anything except to send the bill , so you pay for improper tool or bad equip . even with these mikes in free of rf problem space you have to get at least 50 feet of working range
 
Exile, you are right. The peeps who rent the gear don't really care. I should have just bought my own gear because I'm going to do it in the long run anyway by renting. Plus you get familiear with how to use it.

Do you know if it's possible to turn a wireless lav mic into a wired one if the wireless isn't working out?

Thanks again for your sage advice.
 
without any problem - but since the lavs usually wired for one brand transmitter you will have to wire your power supply in the same way to fit it ( even with lectro 400/200/ sm wich carry the same plugs you sometimes need different wiring)
every lavalier you buy might come with powers supply which could be rewired (brake)in the middle for wireless usage
 
Exile, forgive my ignorance, but by creating a "break" do you mean just snipping the cord and patching in either an XLR or a minjack termination depending on my needs? I was just at B&H (visiting NYC from SF) and looked at the Sennie today. Seems nice for the dough.
 
break - 2 opposite connectors male/ female , the type you need for your tx .
about sens - i personally dont find it good enough for my needs ,some people see it differently :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top