Need to mic a Basketball Player for a game
 

So a client contacted me ,and wants me to record him live during his game.

similar to this video:
YouTube - Kobe doin' work trailer 2009

Now whatever mic i get needs to be very light as i don't want it to affect his performance on the court.

Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

Or advice on a good reliable mic that could do the job
preferablly under $300

quick answers are extremely appreciated :)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/495624-REG/Lectrosonics_MM400C_21_MM400C_UHF_Body_Pack_Transmitter.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/415498-REG/Lectrosonics_UCR401_21_UCR401A_Compact_Camera.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294539-REG/Countryman_B3W4FF05BLS_B3_Omnidirectional_Lavalier_Microphone.html

You missed the "under $300" criteria. Not that that is realistic....

Sam, absolutely GREAT suggestions and I heartily agree with them. Just 1 thing. The OP asked for something that was preferably under $300.00.

To Tom. There is virtually nothing out there under $300 that will do the job, actually I can't think of anything out there under $300 period.

I think the least expensive would be around the $500 to $600 range whether ot's Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Azden, or something used by by any of the above or AKG or Shure (maybe a VHF unit).

Pretty much ANY decent wireless lav bodypak with a decent mic be it Countryman, Sanken or Tram will do they job but you'd need need to make sure the bodypak is securely attached to the player. Probably somewhere in the undershorts that they all wear now over their supporter and under the shorts. I can't think of anywhere else where it would be secure enough. You'd also need to make sure the lead from the mic to the bodypak is plenty long so it doesn't pull, yank or stretch.

In anycase, if I were you check the for sale forum here and the big auction site that starts with E.
Good luck.

I am involved with placing mics on sport players and umpires [Australian rules football, Cricket, Soccer etc] on a regular basis.
We have used Lectrosonics of various models, Sennheiser, Shure etc.
Get a GPS harness [like a sports bra] that athletes use for training, it has a pouch between the shoulder blades and doesn't interfere with the player at all.
The transmitter MUST be placed into a waterproof housing of some sort, we use a surgical latex glove with just a slit cut in 1 finger to get the mic cable out, the antenna goes into another finger and the wrist gets sealed up with duct tape its then tidied up with electrical tape and placed in the harness pouch.
Have been doing it for many years with little or no problems.
We also often use in-ear receivers a well with an additional pouch sewn onto the harness, the ear piece is taped into the ear with medical strapping tape.
Also use lithium batteries to eliminate a battery change at half time.

Brain,
Great suggestion about the harness, never thought about that. Also the surgical glove idea is really thinking out of the box. Gotta love it. Great ideas.
I doubt I'll ever need to use them for the work I do but still nice to keep in mind. Ya never know when a seminar speaker or a bride might....... ;-)

wow you guys really know your stuff!

thanks so much ,i know next to nothing about mics so this has been really helpful!

oh and i posted at first and sam was so fast to reply that i guess he didn't see my edit that i made a little later with a price range

so thanks everyone ,like i said its greatly appreciated :D

Just another note; Basketball games etc are a nightmare for RF frequencies,can you get to another match prior to the shoot to try your radio mic set up out as its IMPOSSIBLE to change frequencies when its bundled up, on the player and the match has started.
A typical RF setup at a stadium may include...[this is whats used in my city]
3+ [PA mics]
5+ [TV mics]
3+ [Radio network]
5+ [in-ear receivers]
3+ [TV news crews]
3+ [Umpire mics]
So often 20 + radio mic channels / frequencies are involved in a game arena the last thing these guys need is an additional rouge transmitter causing interference so be careful....
Then you have the 2 way radio communications as well.
What you are wanting to do will work well if you do it right,..... do it wrong and you and others will have MASSIVE problems.

Why not consider a small on person recorder, like the IRiver, or a Zoom H-1 with mic. I did not get out of your post that you wanted to broadcast live, so you could match up the sound later in post.

update ,ive talked this over with the client and we've decided the cheapest way for this to work is if i just record him after the game and then mix it into the audio

thanks again guys

Phew! My reading comprehension is still intact.

On stage the most common waterproofing is to insert the pack into a condom. It is amazing how much some of these actors can sweat!!!!

When I needed to I would use a ziplock sandwich bag. The other leaves too many things for the mind to wander too. ;-)

I'm late again. A digital voice recorder on the HQ setting with a lav would be servicable, not risk your expensive wireless gear, and run you about $65.00 US.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/723541-REG/Olympus_142600_VN_8100PC_Digital_Voice_Recorder.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/372513-REG/Olympus_145045_ME_15_Tie_Clip_Microphone.html