Sound for Video Session: Q&A
In this week's live Sound for Video Session, we'll take a shot at answering your sound for video questions. You can submit them live, or for future sessions, just sign up for free over at http://school.learnlightandsound.com and I'll email you when its time to submit.
Gear discussed in this episode:
dbx286s Vocal Channel Strip - an analogue preamp, compressor, de-esser which can be useful for live streaming
Oscar SoundTech Lavalier Microphones
Lavalier Microphones:
DPA 4160
Sanken COS-11D
Countryman B6
Voice Technologies VT500
Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd
Sound for Video Session: Lav Mics, Recording to Phones, Presets in RX, Headphone Volume
This week we have a question and answer session. These are the questions submitted:
- Best lav mic for recording in very noisy environments?
- Best microphone for recording to phones?
- Universal presets in RX?
- What do I set my headphone volume to so that I can tell whether I’ve set the gain correctly?
Links to gear we discussed or used to record this session:
Countryman E6i Cardioid Ear Set Microphone:
RODE VideoMicro - miniature cardioid microphone you could use on a smartphone rig (with the adapter below)
RODE SC4 Adapter (Use the VideoMicro with your phone)
Aputure A.Lav Lavalier Microphone:
Previous Sessions where we’ve covered how to process dialogue audio in Izotope RX:
Izoope RX6 demo:
Reduce reverb with RX6:
Loudness normalization in RX:
Process dialogue demo with RX:
Clean up extreme noise in RX and Audition:
Electrovoice RE20 (recorded this session)
Antelope Audio Orion Studio Audio Computer Interface
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
Special Pricing: Sennheiser G3 Wireless Lav System (516-558MHz)
Today only, B&H has a special pricing deal on the Sennheiser G3 wireless lavalier kit (good for USA with the 516-558MHz frequency range). Normally this is priced at $629 USD, today is is $399. This is the primary wireless system I use today.
Voice Technologies VT500 Lavalier Microphone: Pro Quality Lav
We’ve had several requests to spend some time looking at pro-level lavalier microphones. In this episode we take a quick look at and listen to the omni-directional VT500 lavalier from Voice Technologies, a Swiss microphone company. For reference, we also have some sound clips from the Sanken COS-11D lavalier, one of the very common lavalier mics used by pro location mixers for film and video. And we include samples with male and female voice.
I was really impressed with the VT500 with it’s unusual front facing capsule and found it’s audio quality to be very good and its form factor easy to hide. The foam windscreen is thoughtfully designed with hard plastic backing to prevent noise from rubbing against clothing, and the RF shielding worked nicely to avoid those annoying interference issues. There’s also a waterproof model for those recording more exciting pieces in or near water.
You can find our previous review of the Countryman B6 lavalier microphone here:
Links to Gear Discussed and Used to Record This Session:
Voice Technologies VT500 Omni-directional Lavalier Microphone
Voice Technologies VT500 O Eco (same microphone without the waterproof case or extended accessories and lower price)
Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro - for talking head shots. quite a lot of moire with this particular shirt
RODELink Wireless Lavalier Filmmaker Kit
Sennheiser EW 112p G3 Wireless Lavalier Kit (516-558 MHz)
Panasonic GH5 Camera - for product shots
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
6 Affordable Lavalier Microphones Compared
One of the least expensive ways to improve the quality of your video is to use a microphone that you can get close to your talent/actors. Here are six affordable lavalier microphones that will help. We chose an assortment to work with your smartphone, DSLR or interchangeable lens cameras, your laptop or PC, or even GoPro action cameras.
Links to Gear Discussed and Used to Record This Session:
Dutch Kings Lavalier Microphone (For smartphones or GoPro)
Aputure A.lav EZ (for smartphones)
RODE smartLav+ (for smartphones)
Aputure A.lav (for smartphones, cameras, and PCs with headset inputs)
Comica Dual Head Lavalier Microphone (for recording 2 people into smartphones, cameras, PCs, or GoPros)
Sony ECM-CS3 Stereo Lavalier Microphone (for cameras)
RODE SC3 Adapter (If your microphone has a TRRS plug - 3 colored rings on the plug - and you want to use if for your camera or audio recorder, use this adapter)
RODE SC4 Adapter (If your microphone has a TRS plug - 2 colored rings on the plug - and you want to use it for your smartphone or PC with a headset input, use this adapter)
Panasonic GH5 Camera
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
Sound for Video Session: Lavalier Mics, Air Conditioning, Music Videos
This week we answered sound questions from several of you including the following:
- 3 questions about lavalier microphones
- How to deal with noise like air conditioning
- How to record/shoot music videos
Gear discussed and used to produce this episode:
RODE VXLR 3.5mm TRS to XLR Adapter
Tascam DR-70D Audio Recorder (4 inputs)
Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Microphone (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)
Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)
Azden EX-507XD Lavalier Microphone for PRO-XD Wireless System or Phone
Last year we reviewed the Azden PRO-XD digital wireless lavalier system. For its price, around $200 USD, it was surprisingly good. The only major downside we found was that the included microphone didn’t sound great. We gave Azden that feedback and now they have introduced the new EX-507XD lavalier which they pitch as the upgrade you can add to your PRO-XD system.
In this episode we give you some sample audio so you can hear it for yourself. Pricing and availability to be determined.
Sound for Video Session: Reduce Reverb, Lavalier Clothing Noise, Record Live Acoustic Bands
In this week's episode, we cover questions on these topics and more:
- How to reduce reverb in rooms with lots of hard surfaces
- Are there any special techniques for reducing clothing noise when hiding a lavalier mic under clothes
- Thoughts on recording live acoustic music groups
Here are links to a few videos we mentioned:
Using sound blankets to reduce reverb
Audio Recorders
Microphones
Sound for Video Session: Boom Mic, Lav Mic, Poly Wav Files, and Walla
In this week's sound for video session I discuss some of the practical things with a corporate video shoot:
- Boom mics vs/and lav mics (Which I typically end up using, bleed, etc)
- Poly Wav Files
- Walla, what it is and how I mix it with dialogue
Sennheiser G3 Wireless Special Pricing
One of the first wireless lavalier systems I ever used was the Sennheiser G3. These kits are everywhere in the independent and documentary filmmaking world. And there's good reason for that: They're solid and reliable. Yes, you'll need to read the manual and learn how to use them and set up them up, but once you've got that down, they work reliably, are well built, and have some nice features like locking 3.5mm plugs.
These transmit an analogue signal. This is what most of the pro-level wireless systems do and there are some advantages to that. First, you're not sharing the rather overwhelmed 1.4GHz band with all the WiFi, Bluetooth, and other consumer electronics enabled devices out there (mobile, cordless phones, etc). Also, there are potentially distance benefits as well. But of course, you do need to buy a device with the right frequency band for your region so if you do look seriously at these, you'll want to research which band is suited for your region of the world. For those in the US, B&H is recommending models which transmit in frequencies below 600MHz. And the FCC has some FAQs here.
B&H has several kits at the regular price but with some bundled items which make for a good deal: a $100 B&H gift certificate and a case similar to a Pelican for the kit. I'm told that these bundle deals last through the end of September.
There's a dizzying array of model numbers, but here's the basic G3 kit with the ME2 lavalier microphone and a coldshoe mount receiver.
And here's the same G3 kit with the ME2 lavalier but which also includes an XLR plugon transmitter for handheld mics.
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