r/LocationSound

Anyone here work on that show? I assume it’s all on radios due to the way it’s shot but even in times you’d expect a radio to sound bad, it still sounds super clean.

They are all really well hidden as well. You can spot the occasional wire thought a top but other than that they’re invisible! Even on button up shirts the mics don’t seem to be placed in the placket as I’ve never saw one. But everything still sounds great!

Anyone got any insight on this show?

Hello all! I have absolutely no idea what I am doing in terms of microphones/audio equipment. I run a YouTube gameshow similar to Survivor or Big Brother. Audio quality has been a consistent issue for my over the years, so for the next season I'd like to upgrade that. I've tried adding small mounted microphones to each camcorder and while that has improved things, it's still rough quality.

What should I be looking for to have audio recorded with these parameters:

- Players move around freely within a house to talk through the vote.

- Looking to be able to record 14-18 people at the same time.

- obviously if you know of a way to make it more affordable, please share that, but I imagine this won't be a very cost friendly endeavor.

- Be able to record for extended periods of time (max of 1 hour straight)

Reposting this here as I see crossposting seems not allowed. I've asked this also in the audioengineering sub.

I've been asked to record some sounds coming from mechanical stuff, one of the ideas was getting those sounds also with contact mics. I do have shitty diy piezos (50ç stuff), but I wanted to get something flatter and decent sounding. I'm also not planning to make a career out of it, so nothing too fancy or expensive.

For example, Thomann has a range of Schertler mics which are all well above 500€ and they look like the real deal but way above my needs. They then have a bunch of other mics below 100€, (like for instance Leaf Audio, TAP, KNA and others) but these are mostly unbalanced jack out and seem to be aimed to be used as acoustic instrument pickups, and amplified, so no idea if they're too noisy for foley work and if they'd be ok as recording mics (maybe through a DI?).

I've seen that the Cortado mic is often suggested but it would be a little longer to get one compared to places like Thomann.

Anybody has better suggestions or even ideas about what contact mic could work well in such a scenario? Thanks.

Hello!

I'm a student of 4th year on Universidad del Cine (FUC) from Argentina. I'm trying to pave my road as a sound operator on my own because my film university doesn't have a sound orientation.

I've recently had a gig where I was the sole operator (sound mixing and boom op) and my only equipment was a Zoom F4, a sennheiser g2 set and a MKH-416.

I only had a transpore 2,5mm hypoallergenic tape and the sole actor had a dark tight T-shirt that limited my placement options.

I know about the collar method, so I placed the mic around that place and slipped the cable through the collar and then the actor's back.

However, the tape itself generated a rustling sound that was noisy enough to difficult the recording of the actor's dialog.

This problem persisted even when trying different positions and tape usage.

I found myself clueless as to how to avoid that noise through the whole shooting day.

Where can I find lav'ing techniques that could solve this kind of issues?

Everything I find makes use of ursa stuff, furrs and things that I cannot obtain on most film sets (there's only one import business and they charge insanely high fees that no one wants to pay for on my student film sets)

I want to find my way to improve without fully depending on expensive supplies, however I do understand and value the necessity of those elements in a film set myself and I will invest on them once I have the financial chance to do so. For the time being, I want to try and learn how to improve without them.

Thanks you!

What's the deal with camera companies and their fans?

I'm filling in as a mixer for a feature on its last week. I noticed the fans on the camera were pretty loud, tolerable for mediums and wides, but once we get to closeups, it becomes an issue.

I talked to the first AC to see if we could double check the fan settings. It was on low noise, so we switched it to rec low.

However upon our first shot after changing the settings, I didn't notice any difference in the fan noise. Shouldn't the fans just be turning off completely when rolling? (Or as close to off as possible). Is there another setting I'm missing somewhere?

I'm making sure we have enough room tone to help the editors, but man I wish we could just kill these fans.

I double checked the user manual, looks like this is just a loud camera. They really need to design these cameras better and have a larger fan that can spin at a lower RPM.

Hi there,

I'm a field ecologist and I've been starting to record my field surveys with my phone, but this doesn't work well in windy or wet weather so someone had suggested using a lav mic with windscreen which is much better, but I'm looking for a more robust setup that helps reduce wind noise and keeps the mic secure and out of the weather whilst out for a full days survey.

I have found various options from URSA, but there are so many options and videos online, that it becomes overwhelming to know what would be a good option.

I need the clearest sound as I'm then taking the audio and transcriping the words, so clear audio is important for the most accurate transcription.

Any help and suggestions would be really appreciated

Hi all.

I was a pro on set sound recorder, boom op, sound engineer for a few years. I kind of got burnt out on it and moved on to other directing & production roles.

I spent quite a large chunk of money on a professional sound recording setup after about a year or so of using various mics I pulled the trigger on a Sanken CS-3E shotgun mic which cost me around $1550.00 & a

full-field boom pole setup (pole, internal cable, shock mount, Rycote basket/fluffy windshield)

I spent about 3 to 5 grand on the whole setup which fed into a Sound Devices recorder with set me back another huge chunk of change.

I have moved on to other things & was easily able to sell the Sound Devices recorder for almost what I paid for it.

It's been a while since then & I don't know where the best marketplace is to sell the Sanken mic with the full setup.

I absolutely hate ebay & its outrageous fees and anti seller policies.

Where do you think I could get the fairest price?

The mic is extremely high end & had very little use & no wear & tare or scratches on it. I'd like to sell it with the whole in cable 15 foot boom pole & shockmount & rycote blimp & windshield but I'll separate them if I have to.

Again... Ebay & the like seems bad.... there's 1 active listing for about $1200.00 usd active now for just the mic.

Are there better specific speciality places for film pros to buy & sell? Can you sell here on reddit (as far as I know that's a very bad idea).

Any pointers or help is greatly appreciated.

I had an editing PC crash & I would rather put the money into that or a new pc. I hate to sell it because it has the most amazing voice recording sound & noise rejection of any mic I have ever used, but I need a working high end PC more. I have standard backup mics like the sienhieser mkh 416 I can use as a backup.

I do a lot of Indy sound work for narratives. low pay, but lots of fun. I inherited an Audio-Technica AT897 which I have been using for outdoor booming work. I am happy with my interior microphones , but I am looking for a budget-ish upgrade for outdoor. Any suggestions?

Hi guys! I’ve been working as a sound recordist for a while now, and I haven’t upgraded my boompole since I started.
I feel like it is now time to move to a pro solution and I’m thinking of an internally cabled pole with side exit for the connector: I’m getting more and more frustrated with wrapping the cable around the boom and with the need to handle the extra cable I don’t need when the pole is not at its maximum extension.
I think an internally cabled pole + a coiled cable from my sound bag to the pole would be the ideal setup for now.
I mostly do commercials and some docu features kind of jobs.
I’m also unsure about the full length of the pole I should look for: I current own a 3.3m pole that I pretty rarely use at its maximum extension.
I was looking at some K-Tek and Ambient poles but there’s so many options that I believe some recommendations from more experienced guys would be really helpful!
I will be having the boompole shipped to Italy, where I live.

It would be great if you could help me out with understanding what specs I should mainly look into and diving deeper into models and main differences

Hi all! I'm a DP owner-operator looking to acquire some audio gear. Sometimes, projects just doesn't have the budget for hiring a sound crew and I'm looking for something that 'just works' for solo passion projects or projects that are in the low budget range but require audio. I'm looking for something that works without the premium price tag since this is strictly for solo work or a 2 to 3-man crew where a dedicated sound mixer isn't in the budget. My plan is to hand it off to an assistant to start/stop the audio recording.

My budget is $800 (converted from my currency). I'm from Southeast Asia.

Any recommendations for:

-Shotgun Mic as a Boom Mic
-Field Recorder
-2 Lav Mics

Thanks!

Hello, we are about to start shooting a short film in the upcoming months and I’m looking for good microphone recommendations. I’m leaning towards MKE600, but any other suggestions would be appreciated. I’m recently graduated so there is a slight budget but I’m willing to invest in a good long term and quality microphone. Cheers.

I’m looking at potentially replacing my Deity Connect systems with something a little higher end. I don’t work professionally anymore, I just use my gear for fun on indie shoots with my friends. However, I would want something that I could rent out and be passable for professional work. It’s going into a Zoom F8 or a Sound Devices 302 mixer if I’m going straight to camera.

Features I’d like to have:
- UHF
- Receivers powered from bag distribution
- 4 total channels
- Wireless shotgun adapter with phantom power (preferably XLR plug-on)

I’ve looked at Deity Theos and Saramonic K9, but they don’t seem to have power inputs on the receivers (correct me if I’m wrong).

Used Lectrosonics gear is a bit confusing, I’m not sure which series to look for.

I’d like to get it for $500 per channel, less if possible on the used market.

TLDR:

I have been doing sound and landed on verticals for 2 years, don't think I'm getting closer to bigger set. Done 2 day calls and found out I'm pretty ignorant. Thinking if I go to NFTS, connections and techniques can help. Also wanna teach in the future. Paying home fee in UK but still wanna get scholarship.

Course link: https://nfts.co.uk/location-sound-recording-film-and-television

Hey guys,

Has anyone here attended the Master's course in Location Sound, or is there anyone who has graduated from NFTS who can provide some insight?

I have been wondering whether I should go to NFTS UK for a Location Sound MA. I heard about this school through Simon Hayes' Instagram Story and posts, where Mr Hayes brought along a 3rd-year student helping out with his production as a sound trainee, which really gave me a good vision of working on a bigger set on the other side of the planet. And there are so many great technicians winning different awards, I wonder if I could use the connection and technique from the school to my advantage.

Meanwhile, my second reason for choosing this MA is to have a master's degree so I might be able to teach in postgraduate studies.

I have been doing sound for the last 3 years and have been stuck in the vicious cycle of doing more than 25 verticals here in Vancouver, Canada. I have also done a bunch of short films where I pieced together my technique as a sound person when I was in film school. I often feel like I don't know enough since I had no proper sound training that I learned from my university, and I feel like if I ever want a breakthrough, I'll need to study more and be trained properly.

I'm at a point where doing verticals is not going to make me a better sound person, and I also don't have any other opportunities to work on a bigger set. I tried to apply for the union, but I don't have anyone I've worked with who can help me with a recommendation letter for the union, let alone having a union member hire me for a bigger set. I had the opportunity to do a day call for 2 days for a TV show, and I am stunned by how ignorant I am about the Film/TV industry and about my roles. I was having a bit of trouble navigating on set with all the hierarchy, even though I know what normal set etiquette is, and yet having to navigate as a Boom Op/Sound assistant on a bigger set did set me back a little.

I have no worries when it comes to working legally in the UK because of my family history, and I would be paying local fees rather than international ones. Hopefully, if I ever get an offer, I'll happen to get a scholarship, but it might not even be possible.

Thanks for your time, and I will greatly appreciate your comments and perspective!