Wireless

saneproductions

saneproductions

Veteran
I have been answering some PMs lately about this so here it is for the general public.

Make sure you get the correct frequency for your area.
http://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=547&cat=77&page=1
hand mic for transmitter
http://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=364&cat=41&page=1
countryman lav wired for g2
http://www.trewaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=664&cat=42&page=1

hope this helps!

trew audio has great customer service and can answer hard questions others can't. You may save a few bucks buying somewhere else, but it doesn't help you if you buy the wrong frequency or mic.
 
I have cos11 mics myself (I agree), this is meant to be a "bare minimum" option.

Of course it would be better to get lectrosonics 400 series, but at $2500 a channel, most of the people coming here can't swing it. Everyone seems to be looking for something even cheaper than this. They end up buying some kind of Azden BS... You know the story.
 
whats wrong with the g2's? They're small and effective and you can wire up any sorts of lav mics with it. Plus they are relatively cheap. How can you fault them apart from the "too cheap to be used professionally" mentality.
 
It's a circular argument because you sometimes don't know what you are missing until you hear it. I used to think the ATR-55 was a great shotgun compared to my on-camera mic (which it is), but it's not good at all compared to something like the AT-4073.

Same thing with lavs. For my use, the G2 set-up with a variety of lavs (omnis, cardiods) works fine. My clients don't know the difference, and everyone is happy. If I come across a screaming deal on a Sanken, I may upgrade, but with a laundry list of other things to buy, it won't happen soon.

It's not about what's best. It's about what works for you.
 
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bimdas said:
whats wrong with the g2's? They're small and effective and you can wire up any sorts of lav mics with it. Plus they are relatively cheap. How can you fault them apart from the "too cheap to be used professionally" mentality.
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Nothing wrong with the g2 systems, I use them all the time. If you really want to have something that is bulletproof and won't drop out, you need to spend more. The audio quality is impacted by the use of a compandor:

The electronic circuit that does this is called a compandor and works by compressing or expanding the dynamic range of an analog electronic signal such as sound. One variety is a triplet of amplifiers: a logarithmic amplifier, followed by a variable-gain linear amplifier and an exponential amplifier. Such a triplet has the property that its output voltage is proportional to the input voltage raised to an adjustable power. Compandors are used in concert audio systems and in some noise reduction schemes such as dbx and Dolby C.
Companding can also refer to the use of compression, where gain is decreased when levels rise above a certain threshold, and its complement, expansion, where gain is also decreased when levels drop below a certain threshold.
Companding is used in professional wireless microphones to improve the dynamic range of the microphone (the dynamic range of the microphone itself is higher than the dynamic range of the radio transmission).
The use of companding allows signals with a large dynamic range to be transmitted over facilities that have a smaller dynamic range capability. Companding reduces the noise and crosstalk levels at the receiver.



Lectrosonics' proprietary DSP algorithm eliminates a compander (compression/expander) circuit — and the accompanying artifacts. According to the company, this processing preserves the RF spectral footprint of analog FM designs, which simplifies multichannel coordination with existing analog wireless systems. All I know is that it all works, and works well.
 
can someone help me with wireless noise issue?
i tried to use a wireless mic (karsect kru-301 - sorry... no budget for a sennheiser or equivalent)., frequency range 720 to 865.
i realized a windy noise no matter how i set volumes (two controls on the central plus one on the mic itself) when connecting to dvx-100 thry xlr.
also realized volume controls not operating at all (except the one at the mic).
then conected it directly to my notebook and.. voila... no noise at all... and all three controls working properly.
i of course dont want to record audio off the dvx-100 and then synchronize, so... does anyone know aboyt any incompatibility between dvx-100 and wireless microphones (especilaly lower end ones like mine).
tks in advance
 
Just remember... a decent mic and wireless can get you great sound, ie the G2 or B6. It's that extra little bit...that 5% difference that you end up paying thousands for. If you don't truly need that extra push, go with something cheaper, especially if you're paying your own bills. A G2 with a B6 will knock people's socks off when used properly, sure the Lectros are the true standard, but to get sound like this:
http://www.dvcreators.net/countryman-b6-lavalier/
All you need is the G2 and B6... that's all that was used. No post alterations, no additional mics... tell me that's not great sounding audio
 
Random, it all has to do with conditions and requirements. Don't get me wrong, I have G2's and B6's (if you look at the archives, you will see I am probably Countryman's #1 fan on this site). But, there are times and places where the G2's don't work as well as my Lectros, and my B6's don't work as well as my COS-11's. And, whether G2's are good enough depends on a lot of factors - what your final output is, what the expectations are from the client, etc. etc. If your output is targeted at the Web, certainly you will never hear the difference. If you're going for film output and a 5.1 mix for theatrical release, you probably will hear the difference. If I walked onto a large(r) budget production with G2's I'd be laughed off the set. In the low budget world I usually work in, just having any wireless is usually considered a miracle. :-) (And it is always fun to blow away a new director when I show them the B6's for the first time - they're amazed by the small size and the fact that I have it hidden in plain site and they didn't even know.
 
ptalsky said:
Random, it all has to do with conditions and requirements. Don't get me wrong, I have G2's and B6's (if you look at the archives, you will see I am probably Countryman's #1 fan on this site). But, there are times and places where the G2's don't work as well as my Lectros, and my B6's don't work as well as my COS-11's. And, whether G2's are good enough depends on a lot of factors - what your final output is, what the expectations are from the client, etc. etc. If your output is targeted at the Web, certainly you will never hear the difference. If you're going for film output and a 5.1 mix for theatrical release, you probably will hear the difference. If I walked onto a large(r) budget production with G2's I'd be laughed off the set. In the low budget world I usually work in, just having any wireless is usually considered a miracle. :-) (And it is always fun to blow away a new director when I show them the B6's for the first time - they're amazed by the small size and the fact that I have it hidden in plain site and they didn't even know.
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No totally... I'm not saying the Lectros and other high ends aren't worth it, I know they are. But since a lot of people on here are doing productions based on low or their own budgets, if you have a system like the G2 you're going to be in great shape. Good range, good sound quality (especially with an upgraded lav, fellow countryman fan) my point was that to a lot of people, there is a threshold of quality most wireless or lavs achieve, and the trained ear can hear a big difference when you get the best, but you pay A LOT for that. you pay 2k (let's say) for a Lectro system and 500-600 for a EW112, most applications would be fine either way. I've never worked on a big production though, so I'd obviously bow to your knowledge on that.
 
@Ptalsky : couldnt have said it better! the small increase in quality costs so much more but will be heard in a theater in your neighbourhood :-) unfortunately my B6 was broken and I havent found somebody who dares soldering those tiny suckers. The bottom plate with the 3 soldering points came right off....:-(
 
timbook2 said:
unfortunately my B6 was broken and I havent found somebody who dares soldering those tiny suckers. The bottom plate with the 3 soldering points came right off....:-(
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Have you tried sending it to a service center? Back to Countryman, or to the dealer from whom you bought the mic? Either will get your B6 fixed.

I've never had to get any of my Countryman mics fixed, but I bought them through Full Compass and when I needed to switch connectors, their repair center did the job.
 
timbook2 said:
couldnt have said it better! the small increase in quality costs so much more but will be heard in a theater in your neighbourhood :-)
Click to expand...

I'm not arguing with the quality of the lectros or the fact that people want the best... however, a lot of people on here simply don't have the budget for that, so to be able to get a system that does a very good job for a fraction of the cost... it's like everyone would love to drive a Beamer, but a lot of people can't afford it, so they buy a Hyundai luxury cary... the name's not great, it's a cheaper car, but does still have a lot of really nice features. That's all... if you have to watch your wallet, go for a G2 and then upgrade when it's made money for you. Then worry about what people in your "neighbourhood" think :0)
 
I had an actor snap a wire on my B6 and Countryman repaired it for free.





timbook2 said:
@Ptalsky : couldnt have said it better! the small increase in quality costs so much more but will be heard in a theater in your neighbourhood :-) unfortunately my B6 was broken and I havent found somebody who dares soldering those tiny suckers. The bottom plate with the 3 soldering points came right off....:-(
Click to expand...
 
Yep, Countryman does a great job with repairs - I bought a used B6 once that was supposedly plugged for a G2. It turned out it wasn't - it was plugged for a weird Sony model that looked like a G2. Countryman replugged it for free - and threw in a case for it and the extra caps.

If you ever need anything special - Rosa is the head tech person there.

Phil
 
A G2 with a B6 will knock people's socks off when used properly
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Please can you post a link to this from the BHphoto website - I am so confused trying to find them among all their products!!!!

Thanks
 
craigb said:
Please can you post a link to this from the BHphoto website - I am so confused trying to find them among all their products!!!!

Thanks
Click to expand...

I won't post one from B&H, but here's a link to it WITH a video that shows you exactly what you will get. I posted it at the begining of this thread, but since you're asking, here it is again.
 
Used the G2 100s recently. They werent mine, I own AT wireless kits. Never the less I kept getting nasty interference and weak RF signal on one of the packs. I tried diff channels, replacing batteries, more squelch. Is it just that its a low end model? Everyone seems to swear by these but I wasnt impressed. The shoot was indoors inside an office. I tried moving them around tested it in the different physical locations that were extreme oposites of the office / tried being close in diff rooms. One of the pairs was rendering itself highly unreliable. I like that the reciever is small and battery powered where my AT kits are not. I would get myself some however I had this funny experience. Any tips comments?
 
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