Audio setup for man on the street interviews

[Jay Massengill]

I'm also interested in the Tascam DR-10L for this type of work.

It's just a very small pocket recorder that comes with a locking connector lavalier mic.

It doesn't appear to have any metering, but I'm just looking at the manual on the internet and haven't seen or used one in person yet.

[Kathy Smith]

Is this BS?
Mikme

[Roger Gunkel]

Its another crowd funded project that isn't on the market yet and is projected to sell initially at $399.

It way well be good quality when it hits the market, but personalyl I think it looks very quirky and I am not overenthused about bluetooth transmission to a phone app for profesional reliability. If you used it as a stand alone recorder for your interview project, I can't see any advantage over any other recorder and mic option and still think a lav and small pocket recorder is a far better option for a fraction of the price.

Roger

[Kathy Smith]

that's what I thought. Thanks Roger

[Roger Gunkel]

Kathy I feel you are over thinking the interview project to such an extent that you will just get more anxious and confused.

Miking a single interviewee is pretty basic and you are not looking at the huge dynamic range and sound to noise levels that you would require for an orchestral recording. you have basically 3 straight forward options:-
1) An out of shot mic either hand held, boom mounted or on a stand. As you are mostly indoors then wired is fine.
2) A lav wired to a TX on a belt or waist band and back to the camera RX
3) A lav wired to a small recorder in pocket or on belt/waistband, synched in post to camera mic sound.

Personally I think 3 is the most simple and trouble free with good quality obtainable from an inexpensive setup.

Roger

[Steven Digges]

This wont work for all attire but it will work a lot of the time. Since visibility is such a concern and speed is important consider taking the lav wire up the back and taping it inside the collar or other garment piece to hide it. Stuff the wire up the collar in the back and put the lav at the opening in the front, completely unseen if you want. You must use real gaff tape to tab it to the garments, do not use duct tape on peoples clothes.

Note: I hate seeing an over the shoulder exposed lav wire. Nothing looks more amateur, many garments can easily hide it. Do a little searching on concealing lavs and you will find all kinds of info, including how to avoid garment rub.

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Jon Fairhurst]

A friend of mine shot news, professionally. He'd generally have a sound person as well as an on-camera mic as a backup. But sometimes with a breaking story, there was no time to get an audio op.

For solo, man-on-the-street shots, he'd zoom the ENG lens wide, grab the mic from the camera, get close to the subject, and hold the mic in his left hand with his arm extended just out of the frame. As I recall, he was using an ME-67 or similar short shotgun.

This has these advantages:

1) There's no additional equipment. The ENG cam already has an on-camera, short-shotgun mic with a short wire into the built-in preamp.

2) This gets the mic closer to the subject. Rather than, say, a four foot distance, it's now a two foot distance.

3) It's out of the frame.

4) It's held by the professional, not the subject.

5) It's quick and mobile. You can start the interview right away and move on immediately without any set up or tear down time needed.

Of course, it was better with a sound person. He could stand further from the subject. And the sound op could use a boom, blimp, long shotgun, and focus totally on sound. But his solo solution got pro result as fast as he could move his feet.

[Martin Sonnenberg]

Alan Barker suggested the Sennheiser ME 64 for his PD150, many moons ago. I have continued to use it on the EX3 and will test on the Z150. It has worked amazingly well, in situations as complex as interviews from the floor of national political conventions during speeches and outdoor demonstrations. See link to his updated suggestions. Simple Sound Kits