Curtis Judd 5/5/16 Curtis Judd 5/5/16

Wireless?

Consider this an educational piece. I am not trying to convince enthusiast and semi-pro film-makers that they need gear in this price range to make meaningful films. Instead, consider this a quick tutorial so that some day when you reach sound ninja status and you're working or assisting on a job where they are using Zaxcom gear, you'll be all set with a good overview of why they chose to use Zaxcom.

Knowledge is power. Here's some knowledge.

Again, not trying to sell here, but if you are curious about pricing, you can visit Trew Audio.

Curtis Judd 5/1/16 Curtis Judd 5/1/16

Tentacle Sync: Simplify Sync of Audio to Video

At NAB 2016, we talked with Ulrich of Tentacle Sync about their new little timecode devices and software to simplify syncing audio to video when you recorded them separately. We know that to get the very best sound, you usually need to record your audio to a proper audio recorder, separate from the camera. But then you have the manual process of syncing the audio back up to the video in post production. Tentacle Sync makes this much simpler by automating the sync process for you, even if your camera or audio recorder don’t have timecode features.

Tentacle Sync is the result of a recent successful Indigogo campaign and it looks like their first round of product have sold out but more should be available by the end of May according to their site. Also note that the software to automatically sync is currently Mac only and is included in the kit. The kit also includes a utility for Windows which takes the camera tracks and converts the audio timecode to file timecode so that when you do import the camera footage and your audio files into your NLE (video editing app), you can sync from there (not quite as fast as the Mac app, but still much quicker than manually syncing).

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series.

You can learn more about Tentacle Sync at their site.

Curtis Judd 5/1/16 Curtis Judd 5/1/16

VideoDevices PIX-E 4K Recorders and PIX-LR XLR Audio Inputs

At NAB 2016, we talked with Jon Tatooles of VideoDevices about their PIX-E series of 4K recorders and their new PIX-LR Audio Mixer which integrates with the PIX-E recorders. The PIX-LR looks especially interesting to me and runs only $399 USD for a dual XLR input/dual XLR output audio mixer with the legendary quality Sound Devices preamplifiers, analogue limiters, high pass filters, and build quality of SoundDevices mixers and recorders.

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series.

Pricing for those interested:

Curtis Judd 4/29/16 Curtis Judd 4/29/16

Triad Orbit Light and Microphone Stands

At NAB 2016, we talked with Ryan at the Triad-Orbit booth. Triad-Orbit makes an ecosystem of premium stands for lights, microphones, and most other production equipment. If you’re investing for the long-term, Triad-Orbit stands and accessories are worth a look.

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series and schlep it around most of the Las Vegas convention center - no small feat.

Pricing links (this is a modular system so you buy the pieces separately):

T3 Tall Tripod Stand at B&H Photo

T2 Tripod Stand at B&H Photo

OR1 Boom Arm at B&H Photo

Curtis Judd 4/29/16 Curtis Judd 4/29/16

Zoom F8 Firmware Update & Production Bag NAB 2016

At NAB 2016, we talked with Samuel Greene at the Zoom booth about the Zoom F8. The F8 was actually introduced at NAB 2015, but the last 12 months have seen some interesting improvements to the firmware, with a major release back in December. We cover some of the details here.

Then Samuel also gives us a quick look at the production bag they have created for the Zoom F8 which is custom fitted and keeps the overall package very compact.

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series, and haul it around most of the Las Vegas convention center.

Curtis Judd 4/28/16 Curtis Judd 4/28/16

Zoom U-44 Record 4 XLR Mics to Your Computer or iPad

At NAB 2016, we talked with Samuel Greene at the Zoom booth about an interesting new portable audio interface which allows you to record high quality audio from XLR based microphones directly to your computer or iPad - the Zoom U-44. The preamplifers in the U-44 are based on the same design as those in the H6 so they’re quite good based on our previous review. You can also connect any of the Zoom microphones originally designed for the H6 and H5, including the module to add two additional XLR/TRS inputs. And keeping with Zoom’s tradition, the U-44 is aggressively priced at $199 USD and will begin shipping in May 2016.

At the same time, Zoom will also release a two input version (does not have the accessory jack) for only $149 USD - the Zoom U-24.

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series.

Curtis Judd 4/27/16 Curtis Judd 4/27/16

Sound for Video Session: Skills vs Gear and Q&A

In this session we covered a couple of your questions and had another shot on the topic of equipment vs skill. On my recent trip to NAB, I had a great conversation with Senator Mike Michaels, an incredibly experienced sound mixer for film and TV and had some great insights based on things he said. His interview will be posted sometime in the next week or two.

Happy recording in the meantime!

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Sony Wireless Audio 2 Mics 1 Receiver URX-P03D

At NAB 2016, we talked with Andy at the Sony booth about an interesting new wireless audio receiver: URX-P03D which is part of their larger UWP-D wireless audio ecosystem. The thing that is most exciting about this receiver is that it can receive audio from two separate transmitters. For those shooting with Sony’s alpha series of mirrorless cameras, you can now capture audio from two separate people/transmitters just by mounting this in the hot-shoe of your camera without any bothersome wires. Additionally, you can always send a 3.5mm line output to a proper mixer or non-Sony camera. And as an added bonus, there are a few additional ports on the receiver that make it even more useful: A 3.5mm headphone jack to monitor audio, and an additional 3.5mm stereo microphone input so you can actually record two transmitter body packs plus an additional mic attached to the receiver. Looks like an interesting addition to the Sony wireless audio system which solves a serious practical issue: How do I record two people with wireless lavalier mics?

Pricing looks to be $999 USD and should start shipping in August. It is a little on the pricey side but this is a pro-level receiver with line level outputs unlike kits like the RODELink which only outputs mic level signal (and thus requires an amplifier).

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series.

Curtis Judd 4/10/16 Curtis Judd 4/10/16

Sound Devices 633: Why do the Pros Use Gear Like This?

Because I love sound and am aiming to take on more jobs as a mixer, I recently bought the Sound Devices 633 mixer/recorder. This is a much more capable mixer and recorder than my previous recorders including the Zoom F8, the Tascam DR-60DmkII, and others. The Sound Devices will be my primary recorder and the Zoom F8 my backup recorder.

One question I’ve heard several times, and indeed, a question I’ve asked myself is, why does a mixer/recorder like the 633 cost so much more than something like a Tascam DR-60DmkII. Why $3000 more?!

In this episode, we cover some of the features on the 633 that make it the type of device that professional sound recordists and mixers choose.

Curtis Judd 4/7/16 Curtis Judd 4/7/16

Sound for Video Session: Setting up Your Recorder or Mixer

This week, more requests for "How do I set up my recorder?" My goal is to help you understand the concepts so that you can set up ANY recorder/mixer.

We gave examples using the Tascam DR-60DmkII and Zoom F8 but the settings are similar on all recorders.

The main settings you need to set:

1) Record format: WAV or BWF (on the Zoom F8, this is the default so you don't have to set this up)

2) What to record - tell it how many channels (on the Tascam) or on the Zoom F8, tell it whether you want just the ISO channels or ISO + a stereo mix (L & R channels). Remember that if you have a recorder like the F8 which is also a mixer, the faders affect the levels of the sound in the stereo mix track, not in the ISO tracks.

3) Sample Rate: 48kHz for broadcast, 44.1kHz if for YouTube or other online distribution

4) Bit Rate - 24 bit. I do this because then I have more room in post to process the audio. if you choose 16 bit, your audio files will be smaller, but you'll potentially have a harder time doing things like noise reduction.

5) Gain (sometimes called input or level) - set this until the peak meters show the loudest parts hitting -12dB. Of course your talent needs to talk while you get this set. Typically I'm looking for them to talk for 30 seconds so that I feel comfortable