Curtis Judd 3/11/18 Curtis Judd 3/11/18

Zoom F1 Audio Field Recorder

Zoom’s new F1 is a tiny audio field recorder which works well in place of a wireless lavalier system but can also be used as a camera-top shotgun or “wireless” shotgun microphone. Here’s our overview of the Zoom F1.

Thanks to B&H for lending us the F1 for this overview.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
Zoom F1 (with lavalier microphone)

Zoom F1 (with shotgun microphone)

32GB microSDHC Card (you’ll need one, not included with the F1. This'll give you over 30 hours record time at 48kHz, 24 bit)

Mic Stand Adapter (I used this to mount the shotgun mic configuration on a regular 5/8” mic stand)

Voice Technologies VT500 Lavalier Microphone (this does NOT come with the F1)

Panasonic GH5S (My current favorite small camera)

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Curtis Judd 2/19/18 Curtis Judd 2/19/18

80K Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing to celebrate 80K subscribers! The lucky winner of the drawing was DAZ Studio - congratulations!

A big thanks again to Aputure for generously supplying the Deity microphone for DAZ.

If you'd like to see our review of the Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone, have a look here:

Thanks to EVERYONE for your support and encouragement!

Curtis Judd 2/17/18 Curtis Judd 2/17/18

Mixing Board Basics for Video/Filmmakers

Why are we talking about mixing boards on this channel where we normally cover sound for video? Because understanding the basics of mixing boards makes you a better location sound mixer for film/video! Here’s a quick high-level look at how mixing boards are laid out and how knowing that can help when you're troubleshooting sound issues.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:

Allen & Heath SQ-5 Digital Mixing Board - 48 channel, 36 Bus Mixer with Motorized Faders

Panasonic GH5S 4K Camera - works great when you don't have a lot of light. Much improved over the GH5, but alas, you give up the in-body image stabilization of the GH5 so it is a tradeoff.

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Curtis Judd 2/3/18 Curtis Judd 2/3/18

Sound for Video Session: Q&A

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, I make my best effort to answer your sound related questions:

0:11 Which loudness target (LUFS) should I aim for when posting videos online?
2:24 Which Izotope RX plugins do you use most? I’m hoping to buy one of the less expensive options if it contains most of what you use.
11:56 How do I provide a director with a feed of the audio or do a “wireless hop” to a camera?
12:53 When recording sound effects, where should the peaks hit on my meter (Sound Devices 633 in this case)
14:28 Sound Devices MixPre questions - pre and post fader metering, gain staging for loud environments, setting camera levels using tone?
17:00 Advice on how to sync sound for a documentary project?
24:18 Should I position my speakers/monitors above my computer screens since I have 3 of them?
26:06 The recording clipped on my Zoom H1. What happened?
29:27 Liability insurance for location sound freelancers?
31:02 How do you round-trip audio from FCPX to Audition?
34:01 Sound Devices MixPre - How to configure it as an audio interface with a computer and with my iPhone?
37:45 Which blimp cover/shockmount do you use and what is your advice for combating distracting ambient sound?
44:35 ** non-sound related question, but interesting nevertheless: How do you avoid looking like a jittery, stuttering nervous wreck on camera?

Gear and links discussed in this episode:

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder
Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Field Recorder Review

Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Field Recorder Review

Zoom H1n Audio Recorder

XtoCC (app to help get audio from Final Cut Pro X to Adobe Audition)

Rycote Modular Windshield with Windjammer (original style) Review:

Rycote Cyclone Windshield and Shockmount
RODE Blimp Windshield and Shockmount
Sound Devices ASIO Driver for MixPre Series Recorders for Windows:

Tentacle Sync E Review and Timecode Demo:

PluralEyes Audio Sync Software
Syncaila Audio Sync Software

Wireless Hop with Sennheiser G3 (Gregg Palmer):

Wireless Headphone Feeds (Comtek):

Izotope RX Elements
Izotope RX Standard
Izotope RX Advanced
Outro music licensed from Artlist: Keep an Eye by Back to Dream. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link.

Curtis Judd 1/28/18 Curtis Judd 1/28/18

Sound for Video Session: Zoom F4/F8 Scenes, Metadata, and Sound Reports

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, we have a high level look at setting up scenes, metadata, and creating sound reports on the Zoom F4 and F8.

This episode shot/recorded with:

RODE Reporter Microphone
Sound Devices 633 Audio Field Recorder
Nikon D750 (wow, haven’t shot video with this guy for a while!)
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D Lens

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Sunscape by Oliver Michael on One Moment. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link: https://www.artlist.io/Curtis-54452/?utm_source=Curtis_Judd&utm_medium=Affiliate_99&utm_campaign=December

Curtis Judd 1/26/18 Curtis Judd 1/26/18

Thank You Giveaway: Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone

Congratulations to DAZ Studio, the winner of the giveaway and happy new owner of an Aputure Deity Shotgun microphone! Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing and to Aputure for their generous gift!

Our Light and Sound YouTube community just hit 80,000 subscribers - thank you! Our good friends over at Aputure have offered to give away a Deity shotgun microphone to celebrate. To enter the drawing, all you need to do is subscribe to my channel and Aputure's channel using the form above. Don't worry if you're already subscribed, this will just enter you into the drawing.

We reviewed the Deity microphone last year and found it to be a really versatile and dependable mic. If you don't have an XLR-based microphone, this will be a great start. If you already do, this will be a nice addition to your kit.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Get out there and make some great sound.

Curtis Judd 1/21/18 Curtis Judd 1/21/18

Sound for Video Session: False Economies, Consumer & Pro Gear

"Fix it in post," is a very common mistake that often results in greater cost, broken budgets, and sometimes failure of a film project to get to the finish line. We call this a false economy and we discuss this subject in this week's Sound for Video Session. We also cover the difference between consumer and pro grade audio gear and when it might be appropriate to use each in the context of false economies.

So if you're self-funding a passion project, learn all you can to get great results with consumer grade gear. But once you start getting paid for sound production and post jobs, it's time to start considering pro-level gear to help mitigate risks and make sure your clients get what they need.

This episode shot/recorded with:

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone
Antelope Audio Orion Studio Computer Audio Interface - record with your pro-level XLR microphones directly to your computer

Zoom H1 Handy Recorder (consumer grade recorder that produces surprisingly decent sound quality)
Tascam DR-10L (consumer/prosumer grade bodypack recorder)

Lectrosonics PDR (professional grade bodypack recorder)

Curtis Judd 1/20/18 Curtis Judd 1/20/18

Lectrosonics PDR: Professional Body Pack Recorder

When wireless just isn’t going to work (too much interference, too far away from the camera/recorder), a body pack recorder like the Lectrosonics Portable Digital Audio Recorder can be a great option. This is a professional level recorder with incredibly sturdy build quality and great sound.

Thanks to B&H for lending us the PDR for this overview.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
Lectrosonics PDR - Portable Digital Audio Recorder

Voice Technologies VT500 Lavalier Microphone

Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 OS ART Lens

Aputure COB120t Light (this is the key light in the talking head shots)

Aputure Light Dome Soft Box (used on the key light and for product shots in this episode)

Lupo Superpanel LED Panel (this provided the blue light on the wall behind me)

Curtis Judd 1/7/18 Curtis Judd 1/7/18

Sound for Video Session: Setting up the Sound Devices MixPre-10T as an Audio Interface

If you're interested in the full Sound Devices MixPre course, you can find it at our school.

The Sound Devices MixPre-10T has the added benefit of balanced XLR outputs which make it more convenient to connect powered monitors/speakers with balanced inputs. On the flip side, the MixPre-10T cannot be powered via USB. My preferred method to power the 10T when using it as an audio interface is to use an AC to hirose adapter (linked below).

TA3-F to XLR-M Adapter Cable

Balanced XLR Cable (if your monitors have balanced XLR inputs)

Balanced XLR to 1/4" TRS Cable (if your monitors have balanced 1/4" inputs)

AC to Hirose adapter to power the MixPre-10T (does not work with MP3 or 6)

ASIO Drivers for Windows (so that you can use all of the MixPre-10T's inputs)

Drivers are NOT needed for MacOS as the MixPres are CoreAudio compatible.

Curtis Judd 1/1/18 Curtis Judd 1/1/18

Sound for Video Session: What are Impedance and THD and Other Specs?

In this week's sound for video session, I talk through a couple of the specifications you often see listed for microphones, preamps, recorders and such: Impedance & Total Harmonic Distortion. We also talk about impedance bridging and what this means when choosing a microphone, recorder, mixer, or preamp.

Impedance Bridging article at Wikipedia.

Steve Hogan forum entry re: impedance bridging

Sound Reinforcement Handbook (2nd Edition), Davis & Jones

This episode shot/recorded with:

Lectrosonics PDR (Body Recorder with Timecode)
Lectrosonics HM172 Omnidirectional Headset Microphone
Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera (the noise you hear in the background was the fan in this camera)
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART Lens

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Midday Moon by Vikings in Tibet. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link.