Sound for Video Session: Headphone and Output Routing Demo - Zoom F8 Recorder
On your audio recorder, what is headphone routing? What about output routing? And why would you want to change it? In this session, we cover the purposes of routing and show a couple of examples of routing for specific production situations. We demonstrate this on the Zoom F8, but the same principles apply on the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders as well as the professional level recorders from Sound Devices, Zaxcom, and others.
Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode:
Zoom F8 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Zoom F4 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-3 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone- used to record my voice in this session
Sennheiser G3 Wireless Microphone System (you will need to buy the right frequency block for your region - call B&H if you need help)
Sound Devices 633 Mixer/Recorder
Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd
Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission
Record Live Event Sound from a Mixing Board
How do you record sound from a mixing board at a live event? Here are the basics!
Recorders I’ve used and that can record line level from a mixing board (links to B&H, Amazon, or DVeStore):
Zoom H4n Pro (use 1/4” input only)
Zoom H5 (use 1/4” input only)
Zoom H6 (use 1/4” input only)
Tascam DR-60DmkII
Tascam DR-70D
Tascam DR-701D
Zoom F4 (use 1/4” input only)
Zoom F8 (use 1/4” input only)
Sound Devices MixPre-3
Sound Devices MixPre-6
Sound Devices MixPre-10T
Sound Devices 633
XLR Female to 1/4” TRS Cable (XLR connects to mixing board, 1/4” to your recorder. Good choice for Zoom recorders)
XLR to XLR Cable (do NOT use this cable for Zoom recorders)
Radial Engineering Ice Cube Line Isolator/Transformer (need 2 for stereo mixes, one for mono)
Blackmagic design Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera - used for the talking head shots in this episode
Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 OS Lens (Canon EF Mount for the Ursa Mini Pro)
Panasonic GH5 - Used for some of the product shots
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5 most of the time
There are more sophisticated live show recording techniques. We discussed some of these with Mike Stranks here:
Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd
Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission
Sound Devices MixPre-10T: Initial Impressions
Links to gear below. If you found this review helpful and are planning to buy one of these lights, please use one of our links below which will help fund our ongoing efforts to make high quality filmmaking gear reviews.
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. I pre-ordered and the 10T arrived yesterday. Let’s take an initial look with a full review to follow in a few weeks when I’ve had more time to work with it.
Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-3 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Voice Technologies VT Duplex Headset Microphone
RODE Reporter Handheld Dynamic Microphone
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 the 10T as an audio interface)
Sound Devices MixPre Battery Sled for Sony NP-F Style Batteries
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6: A New Standard for Sub $1000 Mixers/Recorders
Sound Devices have just announced a new series of audio recorders/computer interface for filmmaking enthusiasts, podcasters, and YouTubers called the MixPre-3 and MixPre-6. I didn't see this coming and - WOW - on paper they look impressive. They're shaking up the category that has been owned by Zoom for the last couple of years with their F8 and F4 recorders.
What makes the MixPre's unique?
- New Kashmir preamplifier design by Sound Devices - Class A preamps with discrete components rather than off-the-shelf integrated circuit preamps
- Analogue limiters
- Analogue to Digital Converter - new 32-bit design
- Touchscreen LCD Screen
- USB audio interface for computers - Via USB-A and C
- Basic and Advanced menu modes
- Stream audio to computer and record to SD card simultaneously
- Large, ergonomic potentiometers (knobs)
- Several powering options including AA, USB, and Sony NP-F style batteries
- Bluetooth app for iPhone/iPad to control the MixPre wirelessly
- 1/4"-20 tap and screw to mount the recorder under your camera
Fortunately, I have an appointment to meet with the guys at Sound Devices next week at NAB so I'm planning to get a good look at the MixPre's and will have more info for you soon.
Oh, and pricing: The MixPre-3 is priced at $650 USD, the MixPre-6 at $900 USD.
Did Sound devices just kill their 6xx and 7xx series mixers and recorders with these new devices? No, not even close for a lot of reasons we can cover another time. But this is a great option for those who cannot spend $3300 for a high quality mixer/recorder and an audio interface to boot!
My friend Jonathan Morrison, for whom I've done a little bit of audio post work, was lucky enough to get an early look at the MixPre. He's coming from the perspective of a YouTuber and does a nice job outlining the benefits from a mobile creator point of view.
Sound for Video Session: Shotgun Mics, Wind Covers, Mixers, DAW Apps, Loudness
In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several questions:
- Why is my shotgun mic picking up everything in the room?
- Why do I get clicks and noise with my wireless microphones?
- Should I use a blimp cover on my shotgun microphone indoors?
- Which DAW audio editing app should I use if I don’t want a subscription?
- How do I send sound from a mixing board to my camera?
- Which loudness standard do I use when loudness normalizing my audio?
- Which shotgun microphone and wind cover should I choose?
Links:
Broadcast Loudness Standards (tc electronic)
For internet delivery, Paul Figgiani recommends -16 LUFS for stereo, -19 LUFS for mono audio
Audio Editing Apps (DAWs)
- Logic Pro X
- Reaper
- Studio One
- Avid ProTools
Attenuation Cable to connect mixer output to camera (Panasonic GH4). You will also need a 1/4" to 3.5mm cable
Electrovoice RE50L Dynamic Microphone (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)
Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro (Recorded the talking head portion with this camera)
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
Saramonic SmartRig+ Audio Adapter Mixer Review
Saramonic’s SmartRig+ is a compact, light weight adapter which allows you to record professional grade XLR and 3.5mm microphones directly to your camera or smart phone. Pretty impressive little device for a very good price.
Could be a good option for run 'n gun shooting, musicians who want to record guitar and vocals, and those on a tight budget who want to add higher quality audio to their production.
Let’s have a listen!
Gear used or mentioned in this episode (affiliate links):
Saramonic SmartRig+ Audio Adapter/Mixer
Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone
RODE VC1 3.5mm Extension Cable (10 feet) - If you need to run a 3.5mm microphone closer to the talent.
Sound for Video Session: Fix Waveform Asymmetry, Gear, Bias Power, Preamp Quality
In this week's episode we cover questions submitted by our little community on how to record and process better sound:
- How to fix asymmetric waveforms in Audition
- Recommended gear for no/low/big budget films
- Sound Devices MM1, Tascam DR-10CS and bias power
- Recording dynamic scenes
- Getting audio from FCPX to Audition
- Why is there such a big quality difference between the Zoom H6 and F8?
Here are links to some of the things we discussed in this episode:
Episode on Microphones:
Audio Recorders/Mixers:
Tascam DR-10CS (not available in the US)
XtoCC (App to convert an XML file of the audio from FCPX to a format that Audition can read):
Zoom F4 Limiters and Timecode Accuracy
Last week we did an overview of the new Zoom F4 audio field recorder. This is an impressive prosumer audio recorder designed for independent and enthusiast filmmakers with 4 microphone inputs and 8 track recorder.
This week, we look a little more in depth at the F4’s limiters and timecode accuracy. Don’t worry if you don’t know what all that means, we’ll run through what they are and how they can help you make better sounding recordings with less effort.
Here's what I hope you'll take away from this: The Zoom F4 is a really impressive, reasonably priced recorder. While it's limiters are digital, it doesn't seem to need limiters in very many situations because it seems, subjectively, to have an incredible amount of dynamic range for a recorder in this price range. Also, the timecode clock seems really, really solid and accurate. Wow. Good show, Zoom!
Zoom F4: Coming Soon
Zoom has been coming on strongly for the last few years and their pace only seems to be picking up.
I'm a fan of their Zoom F8 recorder which they released in late 2015. The quality of the recorder is top notch both in terms of build and in terms of the audio quality it records. The preamplifiers are powerful and clean with a nice neutral sound. The screen is great. The main encoder/dial is great and the menus are good. Overall ergonomics are good though the overall unit is quite small which makes for very small channel potentiometers/knobs. Since the knobs serve double duty as gain trim and faders and as mentioned, are quite small, mixing can be tricky. There's a bluetooth iOS app which allows you to enter metadata and mix, but the mixing capabilities are still a little rough because the on-screen fader is a little too jumpy. But for the price, the F8 is a GREAT recorder. This is accessible to some enthusiast filmmakers and with it, they can produce sound every bit as good as professional productions.
Once Zoom begins shipping the F4, there will be an even lower cost recorder ($650 vs the F8 at $999) which makes this audio quality even more accessible.
Several have asked and yes, I plan to review this as soon as I am able to get my hands on one. I'm very excited about the F4.
From the specs, it looks like the F4 has the same great preamplifiers as the F8. That's a very good start. Also, the F4 looks to have the same form-factor and solid metal build. Same battery configuration and hirose input for external batteries. Dual SD cards which allow backup or recording to different formats simultaneously.
But there are some changes, some look very good and some which are sacrifices which come with a lower priced unit:
- Gain/Fader knobs (potentiometers) are larger on the F4 simply because there's more room for them. This is good!
- The screen looks to be similar to the lower resolution screen on the H4n Pro or perhaps the H5. This is not nearly as nice as the F8, but still potentially workable. It should be viewable in direct sunlight.
- Main outputs are full size XLR. This is an improvement over the F8's TA3 connectors which will generally need to be adapted for monitors, outs to camera, or wireless hops to camera or director.
- Bluetooth: F4 does not appear to be Bluetooth enabled so there's no iOS app for metadata entry or mixing
- SD Card slots have moved from the left side to the battery compartment on the back.
Overall, this looks like it may be a great choice for those who want very good quality audio at a price well under $1000. Should have an initial impressions piece up in October and a final review in November if the units ship on schedule in October.
Which Audio Recorders for Filmmaking do I Use?
We have reviewed several recorders over the last several years at various price points and with different feature sets. While I attempted to be very thorough in those reviews, nothing can replace the experience of working with a recorder over a longer period of time. Now that I have more experience with each of these audio mixers/recorders, let’s talk about what I’ve found since I posted the reviews.
Recorders Covered:
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