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)

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 1/20/18 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 1/16/18 Curtis Judd 1/16/18

Sound for Video Session: Premiere to Audition with Dynamic Link & Mix vs Isolated Tracks in FCPX

In this week's sound for video session, we discuss two questions:

- How do I get a sequence from Premiere Pro CC to Audition CC and back again?
- I can record a stereo mix (L & R) plus isolated microphone channels on my recorder. When should I use which and how will those come through in Final Cut Pro X?

Gear used to record or discussed in this episode:

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone
Antelope Audio Orion Studio Computer Audio Interface - record with your pro-level XRL microphones directly to your computer
Sound Devices 633 Audio Field Recorder for film production - my main recorder for film/video

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.

Curtis Judd 12/23/17 Curtis Judd 12/23/17

MixPre 10T: My Impressions After 2 Months (Final Review)

Sound Devices added some nice options to the prosumer audio recorder market earlier this year with the introduction of their MixPre-3 and MixPre-6. And now, they’ve added the MixPre-10T which takes the MixPre line legitimately into the professional recorder realm for $1800 USD. After working with the MixPre-10T for a couple of months, these are my impressions and thoughts.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:

Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Recorder/Mixer

Sound Devices MixPre-6

Sound Devices MixPre-3

Samsung USB Thumbdrive - This was tested by Sound Devices and I find it works great for the file copy function on the 10T

Sandisk Extreme Pro SD Card I use in my MixPre-10T and 633

Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Boom Microphone

Adapter Cable for Mini XLR outputs (TA3F to XLRM)

AC to Hirose Adapter (useful if you plan to use this as an audio interface)

Sound Devices MixPre Battery Sled for Sony NP-F Style Batteries

NP-1 Style Battery - Higher capacity, often used for powering everything in your sound bag

NP-1 Battery to Hirose Adapter - You'll need this if you use NP-1 batteries

Anton Bauer Digital 90 Battery - I keep this on hand as a backup - its big but can save the day

V-mount IDX 95 Battery (Same as above but with a different mounting mechanism for cameras)

I also created a course on how to get the most from your MixPre recorder:

Curtis Judd 12/11/17 Curtis Judd 12/11/17

Sound for Video Session: Tentacle Sync E and MixPre, Booking Jobs, Mixing 2 Boom Mics, and More

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, we cover the following questions:

00:13 Does a Tentacle Sync E write audio or meta data timecode to the MixPre-3?
00:38 How do you book a location sound job?
03:50 How do you mix 5.1 surround in Premiere Pro (we cannot answer this, but cover why you probably want to do this in Audition instead)
05:02 Does using two boom mics make more work for post production? Should I instead use one boom mic and queue between the talent?
07:40 Here’s my audio post workflow. Any suggestions to improve it?
10:47 With Tentacle Sync E, I’m not getting any audio into my Canon C100mkII. Help!
14:59 How do I break into the semi-pro corporate video world and start earning money?
18:00 Questions about Zoom F8 on a documentary film.
23:49 Why can I not power my Sound Devices MixPre-3 with my Anker USB Power Bank?
26:28 Should I use Audition or Izotope RX to process my dialogue audio?
33:29 Should I buy the Zoom F4 or Sound Devices MixPre-3?
35:27 Bonus: How much light does the Aputure COB300d put out at two meters with the light dome?

Zoom F4/F8 vs Sound Devices MixPre-3/6:

Links for gear, videos, and lists discussed here.

Gear In my Kit - see all the details with links over at Kit

3.5mm TRS to dual XLR cable for getting timecode and audio into Canon C100
Dugan Automixer Plugin
Comparison of Izotope RX Versions: Elements vs Standard vs Advanced

Curtis Judd 12/3/17 Curtis Judd 12/3/17

Sound for Video Session: Order of Operations - Processing Dialogue Audio

In this week's sound for video session, we cover my thoughts on which order I apply each effect or process when cleaning and sweetening dialogue audio.

This episode shot/recorded with:

Sennheiser EW112 G3 Wireless Microphone Kit (be sure to check which frequencies you are legally allowed to use in your country)

Voice Technologies VT Duplex Headset Microphone

Panasonic GH5 Camera

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens

Curtis Judd 11/27/17 Curtis Judd 11/27/17

Sound for Video Session: Zoom F4/F8 Limiters & Packing Checklist for Location Sound Job

In this week's episode, I discuss how the limiters in the Zoom F4 and F8 recorders work (not just simply digital limiters) and walk through the location sound job packing checklist I use before each job.

Sound Samples of Digital and Analogue Limiters:

Checklist for gear you need on location sound jobs: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13sI0mGplMC5p2VZHXotDdg9mSdvJVspP2H9_6qyn4Pw

Gear In my Kit - see all the details with links over at kit.co

Sound Devices 633 Recorder
Sound Devices MixPre-10T Recorder
K-Tek Avalon Carbon Boom Pole
Orca OR-30 Sound Bag
Orca OR-40 Audio Harness
Rycote Cyclone Wind Shield
Schoeps CMC641 Super Cardioid Boom Microphone
Sennheiser 8050 Super Cardioid Boom Microphone
Voice Technologies VT500 Lavalier Microphone
Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone
Rycote Stickies (for concealing lavalier microphones)
Sony MDR-7506 Closed Back Headphones
Comtek Audio Feed Kit
Sennheiser EW112 G3 Wireless Microphone Kit (be sure to check which frequencies you are legally allowed to use in your country)
RODELink Wireless Filmmaker Kit

Curtis Judd 11/23/17 Curtis Judd 11/23/17

Zoom F4 Special Pricing

One of my favorite pro-sumer level audio recorders is the Zoom F4 (affiliate link to B&H which helps support my reviews). It was a very good value when it was priced at $650 USD, but now it looks like it is (at least temporarily) priced at $500 USD over at B&H Photo. If you've been on the fence, now may be a good time to jump in.

Here's my most recent comparison episode which includes the Zoom F4:

And here's my original review of the Zoom F4: