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Light Weight Mixer Solution For Remote Location

Josh Melin

Josh Melin

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Hi Everyone,

I have a shoot coming up next month that will take place in the remote coastal range of British Columbia. For roughly 6 days our small crew will be traveling from base camp to different parts of the mountain depending on what the script calls for. Currently we record our audio straight to the Epic via our Sound Devices 442 Mixer. With limited crew and a ton of equipment to carry I am trying to downsize anything I possibly can to make the travel on the mountain a bit more comfortable. Would anyone be able to suggest a small or light weight mixer that would be dependable for this situation? Perhaps even a light weight recording device which may be better anyway not having to be tethered to the camera.

Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers,

Josh
 
tough call. do you need timecode?

There are plenty of small mixers and plenty of small recorders. but getting something small that does everything well is more challenging. What would be the size threshold? Is the Zoom H8 too big?
 
Steve Sherrick said:
tough call. do you need timecode?

There are plenty of small mixers and plenty of small recorders. but getting something small that does everything well is more challenging. What would be the size threshold? Is the Zoom H8 too big?
Click to expand...

I wasn't able to find the H8 on the website. Are your referring to the F8 possibly?
 
Josh,

I travel with a SD 702T recorder + SD 633 mixer. The combination produces a very clean sound and supports timecode. It's physically compact and both units are super rugged. Not the lightest in weight and inputs are only 3, but very dependable combo. Phil Holland did a writeup on another thread on the Zoom 8 as a powerful and more affordable option to Sound Devices gear.
 
I would go for the Sound Devices 633, which the smallest full-function mixer/recorder they make: 2.5 pounds. Great unit, very reliable, simple to use.
 
Marc Wielage said:
I would go for the Sound Devices 633, which the smallest full-function mixer/recorder they make: 2.5 pounds. Great unit, very reliable, simple to use.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendation Marc. Looks like a perfect solution.
 
Marc Wielage said:
I would go for the Sound Devices 633, which the smallest full-function mixer/recorder they make: 2.5 pounds. Great unit, very reliable, simple to use.
Click to expand...
If I were to go with the SD 633 what is recommended to jam TC. I don't currently have the pro I/O module.
 
Josh Melin said:
If I were to go with the SD 633 what is recommended to jam TC. I don't currently have the pro I/O module.
Click to expand...
You could do a couple of things:

1) jam from the 633 to the Red camera several times a day and hope that the camera will retain accurate timecode

2) get a lockbox (Ambient or Denecke), jam that to the 633, and then attach it to the camera and have the camera jam from the box all day long.
 
Zoom F8 or (if budget allows) Sound Devices 633 is the way to go.

If you want extreme lightweight (and extreme low cost!), you might consider the Tascam DR60D mk2 / DR70D. It is not at Sound Devices level quality, but they're not too bad, pretty good and a massive big leap forward from the bad old days of when DSLR shooters would use a terrible Zoom H4n.
 
Marc Wielage said:
You could do a couple of things:

1) jam from the 633 to the Red camera several times a day and hope that the camera will retain accurate timecode

2) get a lockbox (Ambient or Denecke), jam that to the 633, and then attach it to the camera and have the camera jam from the box all day long.
Click to expand...

I think we are going to go with the SD 633. From what I gather I will be able to jam TC to the Epic using one Tentacle http://www.tentaclesync.com/ (only $275). I have been told that drift will only happen slightly when the Epic is powered off. I plan on running some test's next week.
 
Sonosax SX-R4+

1.15kg with rechargeable battery (2 days of shooting on 1 removable battery)
Small 200 x 50 x 144.5 mm (7.87'' x 1.96'' x 5.7'')
Best preamp in the market
Modular design up to feature film setup.

http://sonosax.ch/

Pat
 
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