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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Audio setup

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Anatole Sloan

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We're purchasing a Scarlet-W and are looking to upgrade our audio at the same time.

I'm not by any means an expert on sound recording, but am willing to put in the time to learn.

At the moment we have a Zoom H6, Rode NTG-3 and a couple of Sony UWP-D11 lavs. We've set aside a budget of around £5k excl. VAT ($7.5k) towards audio... But this is flexible. I'd rather us buy good equipment once than have to repurchase again.

Thus far I've been looking at something like an SD 633, either an MKH50 or a Schoeps equivalent, and maybe an MKH416. Perhaps add on a couple of Sanken Cos-11s but then again better transmitters seem incredibly pricey.

What do you guys think? Also have there been any recent developments with equipment? It seems like a lot of this stuff has been around for a while...

Any thoughts on resources for learning more about audio recording?

Thanks!
 
Anatole Sloan said:
Thus far I've been looking at something like an SD 633, either an MKH50 or a Schoeps equivalent, and maybe an MKH416. Perhaps add on a couple of Sanken Cos-11s but then again better transmitters seem incredibly pricey.
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All that stuff is very good gear. They're all widely available on the used market at reasonable prices, and can work provided you don't need more than 3 or 4 tracks.

Lectrosonics wireless to me are about the best that you can get (and I would add Zaxcom to that small group), and none of the good models are cheap. You can get some of the older 200-series Lectros affordably on eBay and other suppliers. You'll need to do some research as to which wireless frequencies are permitted in your area, since some countries strictly forbid certain channel ranges and power ratings.

Jeff Wexler's JWSoundGroup.net is a good potential source for advice on production sound, and there are also tons of books out there, including several by Jay Rose.
 
Thanks both!

I'll definitely look out for those transmitters as used items. JW Sound Group also looks like a great resource.

Patrick - I've seen you mention Sonosax before. It's the first time I've come across them. Are they rather new on the scene? Would be keen to get something that is a lasting investment and has good resale value too.

On that matter does anybody else have experience of the Sonosax SX-R4+?
 
Anatole Sloan said:
Patrick - I've seen you mention Sonosax before. It's the first time I've come across them. Are they rather new on the scene? Would be keen to get something that is a lasting investment and has good resale value too.
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Hello Anatole,
I must admit I'm a bit biased as I'm a good friend of Jacques Sax and a SX-R4 (older version) user (and I love it!).


Sonosax is not quite the new kid in the block as people have been hearing sounds on the Sonosax preamp and mixer from the biggest features films shot in the mid 80's (BACK TO THE FUTURE, TERMINATOR, THE COLOR PURPLE, FULL METAL JACKET) to the latest James Bond, Avatar, Kill Bill and so on...


On that matter does anybody else have experience of the Sonosax SX-R4+?
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Here you have some input from SX-R4+ users (Jwsoundgroup.net) select the last posts to get up to date.

Pat
 
We where in a similar position... Ultimately we overspent but are pretty happy. Zaxcom nomad 10 recorder/mixer plus Zaxcom TX/RX and zaxcom IFB... Mic Sennheiser 8060, COS11 plus some DPA lavs as well..

For plain ease of use I suspect the SD 633 might be unbeatable but I was one over by Zaxcom's belt and braces approach to wireless..

Also don't forget TC ... We have ambient boxes but if we are doing our own audio we use a zaxcom erx2tcd on camera that is a light and easy way do carrying TC and a scratch track to camera...

Good luck and do yourself a huge favour and demo before buying!
 
Michael Lindsay said:
We where in a similar position... Ultimately we overspent but are pretty happy. Zaxcom nomad 10 recorder/mixer plus Zaxcom TX/RX and zaxcom IFB... Mic Sennheiser 8060, COS11 plus some DPA lavs as well..
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Glancing quickly over the Zaxcom Nomad, there seems to be a lot going for it. Having an integrated set up is a big positive. What are the pre-amps like?
 
Take a look at the Zoom F8, Aputure D3, and Saramonic UwMic10, as three items that pack an awful lot of punch at not much cost.

What sound gear is best for you, depends a lot on the kind of shooting you do, just like with camera gear. There is no one single right solution for everything.

Plus don't you have a specialist audio guy whose responsibility this would be? As who is using the gear is even more important than the gear itself!
 
My 2 cents are if you invest in a good camera try to invest in an as good as sound equipment. All equipment can do the job but the question is how does it sound?
It comes to the sound engeneer's taste that uses the equipment to make the choices. It's also therefore that usually sound engeneers tailor their own equipment to their taste and rarely rent them.

It also depends on how long you want to use your equipment for? 2 years or 10 years?

My old SX-R4 is 8 years old and is still sounding great and I still plan to use it the next 5+ years. One time investment I've never looked back.

Patrick

FYI my audio setup.

1 SX-R4 Sonosax enregistreur
1 Sennheiser HD-25 II
1 PortaBrace Mini302
1 Lectrosonics SRB/E01 &SREXT&cable
1 Lectrosonics SMB/E01
1 Lectrosonics SMB/E01
1 Set Voice Technologies VT506
1 Set Voice Technologies VT506
1 Set Sanken Cos-11D
1 Sennheiser HF / eW SK 100 G3
1 Sennheiser HF / eW 100 G3
1 Set VoiceTechnologies VT506
1 Set of cables, mini jack, xlr,...
2 Audioroot Battery 45wh
1 Audioroot Charger une voie eSmart
1 Câble HRS4-RA
1 Câble d'entrée/sortie TC Lemo5/Lemo5
1 Câble d'entrée/sortie TC Lemo5/BNCx2
1 Perche K-tek 102
1 Tube de protection pour perche
1 CINELA OSIX 2 MS
1 CINELA LEO-20-MS
1 Micro Schoeps CCM41
1 Micro Schoeps CCM08
2 Rycote TACT*! T
1 WindTech B-2 Mic Bag
1 WindTech Mic Zipper
1 K-tek K-Mount Shockmount (short)
1 Pelican 1520
1 Pelican 1508
1 Pelican Strap 1432
1 TrekPak insert
1 Pelican 1010 Micro case
1 Pelican 1012 foam
2 Dot Line AA holder
1 Think Tank Cable Management 20 V2.0
1 Think Tank Cable Management 10 V2.0
 
Patrick's system is really, really excellent, but I don't see that being within the £5k budget of the original question. If the sky's the limit, you could have potentially dozens and dozens of options. Five grand (US$7500) limits those options a lot smaller, but it would absolutely pay for a multitrack recorder, a timecode slate, a timecode generator, a boom pole, a shotgun mic, and a couple of very good (used) wireless mics & receivers.
 
David Peterson said:
Yes, one good thing about audio equipment is it will not depreciate or go obsolete as crazy fast as camera equipment will! :-o
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The microphones won't, but lately certain wireless mic frequencies have been vanishing (or at least have been taken away by government regulation), and the value of some multitrack recorders has plummeted due to new gear coming out. I think microphones and peripheral gear do hold their value for a long time; I know some guys who are still using 20-25-year-old mics every day, and they sound as good today as they did the day they were first built. You could make a similar case for great lenses: they last damn near forever, while cameras become obsolete over time.
 
Anatole Sloan said:
Glancing quickly over the Zaxcom Nomad, there seems to be a lot going for it. Having an integrated set up is a big positive. What are the pre-amps like?
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I think they are really good/great BUT my only really reliable point of comparison is a sounddevice mixer we have. They are very low noise but this is not my field of expertise.

Just so I don't mislead you the Zaxcom stuff is very powerful but a bit complicted unless you embrace your geeky side... There are some videos you should watch if seriously considering buying a nomad https://www.youtube.com/user/zaxcom1/videos

Also Zaxcom will come out with stuff that is of little widespread use not unlike Red.. Zaxcom is more like Red so if you want really simple and easy to use maybe look think twice... but if you enjoy clever stuff and don't mind putting in a little bit of time!

Anatole where are you based?
 
Zaxcom is the Apple for sound (not quite how Red works today, the comparison is misleading) They lock you in their system. Recorder, wireless, TC, mixer, ... all can work together but it's one brand fits all. All know (even Red) that brands are better in doing one thing and not everything. If you like that do it.

Pat
 
Marc Wielage said:
The microphones won't, but lately certain wireless mic frequencies have been vanishing (or at least have been taken away by government regulation), and the value of some multitrack recorders has plummeted due to new gear coming out. I think microphones and peripheral gear do hold their value for a long time; I know some guys who are still using 20-25-year-old mics every day, and they sound as good today as they did the day they were first built. You could make a similar case for great lenses: they last damn near forever, while cameras become obsolete over time.
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True true. Tricky situation with wireless at the moment. Is why I'm trying to not put all my eggs in one basket with my wireless kit.

Recorders and mixers can last years and years. I'm using an older 552 which is still great. Though yes I lust after a 688....

Anyway even recorders depreciate nowhere near as fast as cameras do! :-o
 
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