Sound recording for video at DVinfo.net

Sam Rosado · August 18th, 2009, 06:32 AM

I was recently asked to record sound for a shoot not so long ago. Now, i've been in the studio recording industry for years but not in the "video" field. I have done may live concerts and such but this was new to me. since then i have had mant requests to do this(the prod co loved the recording they got, past my name around) but honestly, all I brought was my normal PA set up and my powerbook running DAW. If i had to buy gear, what do you suggest is the minimal items I need.

(On the sset i used a mackie 1642, signal processors, 1 lav mic)

Jordan Block · August 18th, 2009, 10:13 AM

A basic kit should include at least a shotgun and a hyper, a GOOD boom, shock mounting, and wind protection.

The real rub coming from a studio background is making everything portable. Much of the time, you're not able to set up a console mixer, laptop and all the trimmings, so you've got to be able to bag it with a portable mixer, recorder, and wireless kit. Redundancy is also important, especially if you're recording to a computer. No one is going to sit around and wait for the sound guy to troubleshoot something on his laptop.

In general, everything is recorded without any sort of signal processing, the most you'll usually see is a low cut.

Steve House · August 18th, 2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Rosado

I was recently asked to record sound for a shoot not so long ago. Now, i've been in the studio recording industry for years but not in the "video" field. I have done may live concerts and such but this was new to me. since then i have had mant requests to do this(the prod co loved the recording they got, past my name around) but honestly, all I brought was my normal PA set up and my powerbook running DAW. If i had to buy gear, what do you suggest is the minimal items I need.

(On the sset i used a mackie 1642, signal processors, 1 lav mic)

The equipment really depends on the type of shoots you'll be recording and the level of investment you want to make. Good quality gear is not cheap. A basic kit might consist of a battery powered field mixer, hypercardioid mic for interior booming, shotgun mic for exterior booming, boom pole, shock mount, wind protection, dynamic "stick-mic" for reporter standups and field interviews, a selection of hard-wired lavs, and a couple of channels of wireless lavs. For double system sound, add a time-code capable recorder and a smart slate.

One thing that is radically different from mixing for music recording or live sound is you want to apply minimum signal processing in the field, saving those decisions for post production. If you record your production sound with compression, for example, you can't really "un-compress" it if the editor later decides it doesn't sound right. High-pass filtering to eliminate mic handling noise and wind rumble, that sort of thing, is okay but leave the rest for post production. The objective during the shoot is to get the cleanest possible recording.

Mark Boyer · August 18th, 2009, 10:23 AM

Your needs are dependant on the job. I was field recording some steam trains a while back. My kit was a Sennheiser shotgun mic, Rycote blimp mounted on a Graphite boom pole, connected to a 3 Channel PSC mixer connected to a Fostex Field Recorder. Everything is recorded while wearing headphones.

Here is a page with various Sound Mixers web pages:Trew Audio: Sound Mixer Links

I like to surf through the equipment lists posted on the sites.

Alex Donkle · August 18th, 2009, 06:56 PM

I'll echo the others that how you buy gear really comes down to what you're shooting, what your budget is, and what kind of investment are you looking at making down the road (getting the best you can right now, or getting selective components that can also be included in higher budget setups).

If you could give some rough answers to those questions, you'll get a lot better and more specific replies as to what'll work out well for you.

Sam Rosado · August 18th, 2009, 07:43 PM

Thanks for the responses guys. I don't know what I'll be shooting. I've done an interview, a short, a skit for a church and the next job is a fil of some sort. Don't know the details yet. But I guess I would think I would do more shorts and films.

Jeff Kellam · August 19th, 2009, 07:47 AM

I am an audio novice and not qualified to answer, but I can tell you that it is going to cost you about $7K for the basics. I shoot events/weddings and that is about the minimum to get decent audio from primarily weddings. The sky seems to be the limit for audio pros kits.

Jon Braeley · August 19th, 2009, 09:35 AM

You can get good results via XLR into your camera and a field mixer, so check with your camera person.
I carry the essential gear, being a good shotgun and a hyper, boom pole, Rode blimp, wireless lav setup, cables. This comes in at around $2,500. You can add a mixer and still have a good set up for less than $4k.

Alex Donkle · August 19th, 2009, 08:46 PM

For films, this would cover you pretty well to start off....
1. ($1000 Location Sound Package 4 @ DVcreators....
RODE NTG-3 Shotgun Mic at DVcreators.net
- Rode NTG-3 Shotgun mic
- The Rode Blimp
- Your choice of K-Tek Boompole
- A premium Audio Technica 30′ XLR Cable
2. ($250) Oktava MK012A w/ hyper cap (you can only get this mic coming with the hyper cap stock here... The Trusted Source for Genuine Russian Oktava MK-012, MC-012, Oktava 319, and Matched Stereo Pairs)
3. ($140) Rycote 20cm BBG (Oktava REQUIRED)
4. ($120) K-Tek KSSM Shockmount (Oktava REQUIRED)
5. ($100) Sony MRD-7506 Headphones
6. ($1300) Mixer: Sound Devices 302 ($1300)
- Pro quality, can link multiple units together for more channels.
7. ($50) Another 2 - 30' XLR cables (one mixer to camera, another backup)
8. ($10) 1/8" 30' cable to plug into the camera so you can monitor what the camera records instead of what your mixer says (if the camera doesn't record it, it's YOUR fault. So best to monitor the results and not in the middle of a signal chain)
9. ($170) Petrol 302 Bag
8. ($2000) Sennheiser G3 wireless sets with COS-11x lavs (or I guess the COS-11D are the new ones, not sure...)
9. ($300-______) A backup recorder. Lots of options from a Zoom to a Sound Devices

A little over $5k.
With the entire above list, you'd be covered to work professionally on shorts. Now learning how to use the gear.... that takes time and practice.

Hope that helps give you a starting point.

Personally, I'd start off without wireless though and finding super low budget shorts where you know they aren't going to require it. Booming is the answer 90-95% of the time and you need to perfect this skill before trying to mix lavs while you boom.

Marco Leavitt · August 20th, 2009, 03:29 PM

Man Sam, this is a big question (and one that gets asked a lot around here). It's all a question of how much you can spend. It's all triage from there.

Get a good pole, good mixer, decent mics, headphones, and cables, including a betacam breakaway cable. You can't work solo without that last one. Plan on spending $400 on it alone.

August 18th, 2009, 06:32 AM	#1
Sam Rosado Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: bridgeport ct Posts: 161	Sound recording for video I was recently asked to record sound for a shoot not so long ago. Now, i've been in the studio recording industry for years but not in the "video" field. I have done may live concerts and such but this was new to me. since then i have had mant requests to do this(the prod co loved the recording they got, past my name around) but honestly, all I brought was my normal PA set up and my powerbook running DAW. If i had to buy gear, what do you suggest is the minimal items I need. (On the sset i used a mackie 1642, signal processors, 1 lav mic) __________________ "Catering to all of your needs, from A to V."

August 18th, 2009, 10:23 AM	#4
Mark Boyer Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bothell Washington Posts: 174	Your needs are dependant on the job. I was field recording some steam trains a while back. My kit was a Sennheiser shotgun mic, Rycote blimp mounted on a Graphite boom pole, connected to a 3 Channel PSC mixer connected to a Fostex Field Recorder. Everything is recorded while wearing headphones. Here is a page with various Sound Mixers web pages:Trew Audio: Sound Mixer Links I like to surf through the equipment lists posted on the sites. Last edited by Mark Boyer; August 19th, 2009 at 09:05 AM.

August 18th, 2009, 07:43 PM	#6
Sam Rosado Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: bridgeport ct Posts: 161	Thanks for the responses guys. I don't know what I'll be shooting. I've done an interview, a short, a skit for a church and the next job is a fil of some sort. Don't know the details yet. But I guess I would think I would do more shorts and films. __________________ "Catering to all of your needs, from A to V."

August 19th, 2009, 07:47 AM	#7
Jeff Kellam Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 656	I am an audio novice and not qualified to answer, but I can tell you that it is going to cost you about $7K for the basics. I shoot events/weddings and that is about the minimum to get decent audio from primarily weddings. The sky seems to be the limit for audio pros kits. __________________ Panasonic HMC150/Canon A1/JVC HD1/Sony Vegas 8.0c

August 18th, 2009, 10:13 AM	#2
Jordan Block Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 67	A basic kit should include at least a shotgun and a hyper, a GOOD boom, shock mounting, and wind protection. The real rub coming from a studio background is making everything portable. Much of the time, you're not able to set up a console mixer, laptop and all the trimmings, so you've got to be able to bag it with a portable mixer, recorder, and wireless kit. Redundancy is also important, especially if you're recording to a computer. No one is going to sit around and wait for the sound guy to troubleshoot something on his laptop. In general, everything is recorded without any sort of signal processing, the most you'll usually see is a low cut.

August 18th, 2009, 06:56 PM	#5
Alex Donkle Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 38	I'll echo the others that how you buy gear really comes down to what you're shooting, what your budget is, and what kind of investment are you looking at making down the road (getting the best you can right now, or getting selective components that can also be included in higher budget setups). If you could give some rough answers to those questions, you'll get a lot better and more specific replies as to what'll work out well for you.

August 19th, 2009, 09:35 AM	#8
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	You can get good results via XLR into your camera and a field mixer, so check with your camera person. I carry the essential gear, being a good shotgun and a hyper, boom pole, Rode blimp, wireless lav setup, cables. This comes in at around $2,500. You can add a mixer and still have a good set up for less than $4k.

August 19th, 2009, 08:46 PM	#9
Alex Donkle Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 38	For films, this would cover you pretty well to start off.... 1. ($1000 Location Sound Package 4 @ DVcreators.... RODE NTG-3 Shotgun Mic at DVcreators.net - Rode NTG-3 Shotgun mic - The Rode Blimp - Your choice of K-Tek Boompole - A premium Audio Technica 30′ XLR Cable 2. ($250) Oktava MK012A w/ hyper cap (you can only get this mic coming with the hyper cap stock here... The Trusted Source for Genuine Russian Oktava MK-012, MC-012, Oktava 319, and Matched Stereo Pairs) 3. ($140) Rycote 20cm BBG (Oktava REQUIRED) 4. ($120) K-Tek KSSM Shockmount (Oktava REQUIRED) 5. ($100) Sony MRD-7506 Headphones 6. ($1300) Mixer: Sound Devices 302 ($1300) - Pro quality, can link multiple units together for more channels. 7. ($50) Another 2 - 30' XLR cables (one mixer to camera, another backup) 8. ($10) 1/8" 30' cable to plug into the camera so you can monitor what the camera records instead of what your mixer says (if the camera doesn't record it, it's YOUR fault. So best to monitor the results and not in the middle of a signal chain) 9. ($170) Petrol 302 Bag 8. ($2000) Sennheiser G3 wireless sets with COS-11x lavs (or I guess the COS-11D are the new ones, not sure...) 9. ($300-______) A backup recorder. Lots of options from a Zoom to a Sound Devices A little over $5k. With the entire above list, you'd be covered to work professionally on shorts. Now learning how to use the gear.... that takes time and practice. Hope that helps give you a starting point. Personally, I'd start off without wireless though and finding super low budget shorts where you know they aren't going to require it. Booming is the answer 90-95% of the time and you need to perfect this skill before trying to mix lavs while you boom.

August 20th, 2009, 03:29 PM	#10
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Man Sam, this is a big question (and one that gets asked a lot around here). It's all a question of how much you can spend. It's all triage from there. Get a good pole, good mixer, decent mics, headphones, and cables, including a betacam breakaway cable. You can't work solo without that last one. Plan on spending $400 on it alone.