Sennheiser G2 Lavs at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > All Things Audio

All Things Audio
Everything Audio, from acquisition to postproduction.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old January 23rd, 2008, 11:09 AM   #1
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Northampton, UK
Posts: 259
Sennheiser G2 Lavs

Hi

I have a Sennheiser G2 112P kit with the ME2 omni lav. To my ears it sounds fine, but I have read here and elsewhere that the mic is not particularly good. What is wrong with it - is it noisy or is the response not flat enough? And what is a good mic to replace it?

Many thanks,

Nick
Nick Wilson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 23rd, 2008, 11:45 AM   #2
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,109
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Wilson View Post
Hi

I have a Sennheiser G2 112P kit with the ME2 omni lav. To my ears it sounds fine, but I have read here and elsewhere that the mic is not particularly good. What is wrong with it - is it noisy or is the response not flat enough? And what is a good mic to replace it?

Many thanks,

Nick
Hi Nick:

I am presently working on a test of 18 different lavalier microphones. I wouldn't say that there is anything wrong with the stock mics that inexpensive wireless systems come with. They are fine but utilitarian sounding in comparison to what you can obtain with a top of the line lav.

In my experience so far, lavaliers are no different than shotguns or cardioids in that they are sound different, they all have individual characteristics that may or may not be desirable. Some have a cleaner, smoother sound. Some have a bassier sound. Some are waterproof. Some are so tiny that they are invisible.

I would only upgrade if it makes financial sense to. Are you happy with the quality that the stock mic is delivering? In audio, we have the law of diminishing returns which means to get better sound quality, the more money you spend, the smaller the incremental gains in quality usually. Yes, a $500.00 DPA or Sanken will sound better but that's how much you paid for your entire system so is it worth it? That depends on you and more importantly, your clients. Are your clients happy with the sound quality?

Best,

Dan
Dan Brockett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 23rd, 2008, 07:23 PM   #3
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Northampton, UK
Posts: 259
Dan

Many thanks - what you say makes a lot of sense.

Nick
Nick Wilson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 11:42 AM   #4
Major Player
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bristol U.K.
Posts: 244
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Wilson View Post
Hi

I have a Sennheiser G2 112P kit with the ME2 omni lav. . What is wrong with it -


Nick
Lack of top end/brightness/clarity
Lack of bottom end/depth/fulness
High distortion in comparison to some
Cheap plastic cable which often break at the plug
It is not small, although is not large either
Lack of detail in its response
Not particularly sensitive
sounds duff

Having said all that it is still a perfectly useable mic and for live P.A. systems it is sometimes advantageous to have a less sensitive mic as it can help to avoid feedback. Having said that a well eq'd system will sound better with a good mic.

As to flat response, that is not important with mic's aimed at voice reproduction. Generally they have a presence lift built in to help with vocal clarity. Smooth response might be something to think about rather.

Why not try a better mic for on camera work and se what you think. It will be a good learning experience either way. The MKE2.4 gold wired for the G2 will be a great improvement and the the cable will last as opposed to the ME2 which seem to always fail eventually. I have literally frown dozens of those mic's away on behalf of hire company I once worked for.
Jimmy Tuffrey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 12:50 PM   #5
Trustee
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bristol UK
Posts: 1,273
Hi Jimmy,nice to see someone else from Bristol.
__________________
Round 2
GH5,FZ2000
Paul Kellett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 02:48 PM   #6
DVCreators.Net
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 892
Here's an example of the Countryman B6 lavalier running through the Sennheiser Evolution G2. The detail surprised us. http://www.dvcreators.net/countryman-b6-lavalier/
__________________
Guy Cochran
DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!
Guy Cochran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 03:39 PM   #7
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy Cochran View Post
Here's an example of the Countryman B6 lavalier running through the Sennheiser Evolution G2. The detail surprised us. http://www.dvcreators.net/countryman-b6-lavalier/
Wow... that sounds a lot better than I would have expected. Where did you place the B6 in this shot? Just above the guitar?
Robert Huber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 04:00 PM   #8
Fred Retread
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Hartford, CT
Posts: 1,227
I used my G2 with its stock lav to grab a few spoken lines of dialog from an actor to fix a dropout in the audio track from her musical that I had recorded from he house board. The audio from the board, which came from the house's body pack & lav that she had worn during the performance sounded strikingly more natural than mine. I'll be buying new lav soon.
__________________
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence..." - Calvin Coolidge
"My brain is wired to want to know how other things are wired." - Me
David Ennis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 04:02 PM   #9
DVCreators.Net
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 892
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Huber View Post
Wow... that sounds a lot better than I would have expected. Where did you place the B6 in this shot? Just above the guitar?
Mid chest, yep, right above the guitar. If you look close at the video you'll see a white zipper. Right there. BTW, this was shot outside our office in the parking lot, cars are driving by and you can hear people at a busy lunch time restaurant across the street.
__________________
Guy Cochran
DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!
Guy Cochran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 04:17 PM   #10
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy Cochran View Post
Mid chest, yep, right above the guitar. If you look close at the video you'll see a white zipper. Right there. BTW, this was shot outside our office in the parking lot, cars are driving by and you can hear people at a busy lunch time restaurant across the street.
Interesting. I use the Sennheiser G2 system a lot more than I had planned when I purchased it - it's a great system for the buck! I have always found though, that when shooting outdoor interviews, etc, the stock lav picks up way too much ambiance (distant traffic, weather, etc) so I usually end up pulling from a shotgun on a stand - but even on a stand that turns into a juggling act when shooting alone. I never really thought that a better lav could make that kind of difference. I am going to have to take a closer look.
Robert Huber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 05:58 PM   #11
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Burbank
Posts: 1,811
Guy,
What program/blog software do you use for the website? Is it WordPress? Thanks!
Jack Walker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 06:22 PM   #12
DVCreators.Net
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 892
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Walker View Post
Guy,
What program/blog software do you use for the website? Is it WordPress? Thanks!
The entire DVcreators.net site is a WordPress Blog.
Now if I could only figure out how to use PodPress to allow *two* movies side by side, we could hear what the boomed shotgun mic sounds like on the same shot....always learnin' somethin' new :)
__________________
Guy Cochran
DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!
Guy Cochran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 24th, 2008, 07:16 PM   #13
DVCreators.Net
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 892
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Huber View Post
I have always found though, that when shooting outdoor interviews, etc, the stock lav picks up way too much ambiance (distant traffic, weather, etc) so I usually end up pulling from a shotgun on a stand - but even on a stand that turns into a juggling act when shooting alone. I never really thought that a better lav could make that kind of difference. I am going to have to take a closer look.
Both the Sennheiser ME2 and the Countryman B6 are Omni directional. You're still going to hear all of that same ambiance if they're mounted in the same location. With the Countryman and other top end lavs, you're (hopefully) going to hear a smoother response with additional detail and clarity. Man....Always chasing that better sound...it's like a drug!
__________________
Guy Cochran
DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!
Guy Cochran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 26th, 2008, 02:12 PM   #14
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 86
I use the G2 system for live PA use and for the most part like them. However, for video or audio recording, I wouldn't like it. Not for sonic reasons, you can always eq, but for noise reasons. The system is clean sounding with its balanced output (XLR), but the lav mic itself has a very cheap swivel clip, to allow clipping from either side of a tie for instance. It is made of plastic and have some give and every time something touches it, it makes a clicking sound. Very distracting in a recording but tolerable through a PA.

Thomas
Thomas Barthle Jr. is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > All Things Audio

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:10 PM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network