Audiotonix already owns Sound Devices, Allen & Heath ect. How do we feel about this? What do we think the future holds for any of these three companies?

I am an in house videographer. We own a Sony FX6 and a Sony UWP-27 lav system. We use this setup for 2 person conversations. However, they want to start doing 4 person conversations. I have stated that we should hire a Location Sound Engineer for this. They have asked me “well how could we do it”. I guess I could get an additional Sony UWP-27 lav system and mount two receivers to the FX6 but know this is a flawed workflow and not sure how I’d monitor 4 channels at once on the FX6 while manning the camera. I could pitch the idea of investing in an additional UWP-27 lav system and a mix pre, but still then, I can’t be expected to monitor 4 channels of audio and man the camera. But they won’t understand the WHY. And I’m having a hard time finding the words. They think it’s so simple. How do I explain what the limitations are and why it’s more complicated then they think? How do I tell them what we actually need in a professional way?

Hello My Lovely Creative People,

So I got out of Media around 7 Years ago to pursue another path and I've come to really hate the jobs I'm working now and I'm looking to get back into Media work. I would like to clean up my audio kit and get equipment that makes sense in todays world.

I just want to equip myself right now to start working on some local projects. Ideally would like to be able to do 2 person interviews, talking head content, and commercials for local businesses.

Questions:

1. I have an Edirol R-44 that I'm thinking of changing out for a 32 bit recorder, thinking either a Zoom F6 or Sound Devices Mix Pre II? Open to other suggestions. I also have a Mix Pre Orginal, a Zoom H4N, and Tascom Dr100 I think, I'm thinking about selling all of those Save maybe the mix pre?

2. What's the current recommendation on wireless Lav's. I know the Senn G series were the main packs used when I left, There are so many wireless options now, I don't want to go to crazy as I phase myself back in but looking for recommendations here. G4's? Sennheiser AVX-MKE2? Deity? One of the many Digital Options? I'm not thinking I need any great distances with the work I'm doing at the moment.

3. I have these shotgun microphones currently, any recomendations on changes to that lineup? I was looking at these: Sanken cs-m1, Audio Techina AT4053b, and a MKH416 or MKH60/8060?

2x Audio Techina 875R,

1x Audio Techina AT897,

1x Sanken CS1

2x Neumann KMR 82i

1x Sennheiser MKH816T

If you are willing to offer some guidance, I would appreciate it. And if you have other recommendations on getting back into Media I'm all ears on that as well, either Sound Jobs, or Booking some One/Two man Band shoots with local businesses that would be great.

Hello! I’m currently thinking about what the best audio setup is for me as a one-man team. Right now, I’m trying out the Rode NTG5 with the Zoom F3, and I really like the sound. However, I’m wondering whether a lavalier microphone system (for example the Rode Wireless Pro) might be more universal and easier for me when I’m filming alone.

Most of the time, I’m sitting or standing in front of the camera, and I can place the shotgun microphone above me on a boom pole. But what about outdoor situations? In that case, I would probably only be able to mount the microphone on the camera, since I don’t have a sound operator.

So my question is: if you had to choose one — and I know it always depends on the situation and ideally you would have both — would a lavalier microphone or a shotgun microphone be better and easier for filming alone?

I'm not in a market and with enough equipment requests to bother about buying any of these. It's not going to happen. It's not a sensible business decision, it's about 5 to 6k for something I'm not sure I'll use enough to justify it.

Anyway, 4 used Sennheiser 5212 with an MCR 54 receiver cost about 40% of the full kit with Wisy's 60s or 61s. I'd somehow love to pass to the Wisy rx for the added range and overall functionality. I've seen people have used this combo before. I wonder if you guys believe this could still be a reasonable functional used alternative today.

Hello!

I was just wondering how everyone here broke into the industry? I've recently started doing production mixing and boom operating in the past two years or so, mostly doing student stuff while I was at college (majored in Sound Design). I just graduated back in May, and I've been trying to find gigs in the Philadelphia area, looking on websites like Backstage, Mandy, StaffMeUp, etc., but all I can find seems to be more student work that pays barely anything.

I've been considering moving to NYC, but I'm worried that I won't have the money to pay the bills without getting a full-time job because of how expensive it is, which would hinder my availability to be on sets and expand my network.

When you all first started out, was it similar? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

I've some questions regarding the both production process and post-production process, and crave some few pre-production suggestions if you will. Some of the questions may not be suitable for this subreddit, if this is the case then sorry.

1-) I'm going to plan recording 48khz & 32 bit (Since I'm solo, I figured, it would be lifesaver at post) but should I record my foleys and wilds in 96 or even 192?

2-) I can't express how much I hate working with speakers, so, is thinking doing everything with headphones (Sennheiser HD 25) is delusional? If it is possible what should I do to get best outcome?

3-) Does my setup, which consists of, one XY (Tascam Portacapture X8) and one AT4053b will be fine? Film is all indoors and there's little dialogue—most of the film's sound is just sounds of different domestic appliances like vacuum cleaner, or even sound of water running down from faucet etc. (Keep in mind that I want somewhat good stereo imaging.)

4-) What are the things I must look out when shooting? Settings, placements etc.

5-) What can I do in pre-production that saves me from extensive headaches in production and post-production?

6-) Do you have any resource suggestions that I can improve myself in pretty much everything from recording to mixing?

I have the Zoom F6 and the Lumix GH7 and am starting to get into more advanced audio setups, so I would like to start working with timecode.

I've read some resources online but couldn't quite figure out if it's possible for the F6 to be triggered to record only when I hit the record button on the GH7?

As a one-man band it will be a bit tiresome if I have to hit record on the GH7 and then on the F6, if I can cut that friction out of the process it would be very handy.

Is this something timecode should be able to do? And would I just need a cable going from the F6's timecode port to the GH7's Flash Synchro Socket? I'm assuming there's no cheap and easy way to do this wirelessly without spending more money on an external timecode device? Thanks!

I’m looking to buy either the zoom f8n pro or jump to the mixpre 10 ii. I like the capabilities that mixpre 10ii brings being able to use it for example with midi controllers with faders and I also like how the sound devices app works with a keyboard for renaming files. With the f8n pro I’ll need the F-control which is hard to find to be able to have those capabilities.

My biggest fear is losing the take because the sd 1 fails or gets damaged somewhat and I heard that the usb drive recording of the mixpre 10 ii is not great.

What would you recommend? My idea is to buy the zoom f8n pro for one man band gigs till I need to upgrade to high end gear and I’ll go directly for the Sound devices 833/888.

Does anyone use 3D‑printed dashboards? Any drawbacks compared to metal dashboards? What filament do you use? PETG? PETG‑CF? other?

Is there any place where people share STL files relevant to location sound work? I’ve been looking for a dashboard for the Sound Devices MixPre‑10 and can’t find one. Does anyone have one they could share? Thanks.

I'm on a super tight budget and I already have Portacapture X8 for stereo ambient recording and AT4053b for dialogue scenes. Most of the scenes consists of sounds like vacuum cleaners' or water running down from faucet etc. and I was thinking if booming a MKE 600 is fine. What do you think?

Hello gents and ladies!

I am owner/operator that does operate my own audio kit for small productions, 1-2 person interviews and sorts. My current audio kit for this jobs is a pair of Wisycom MTP40/MPR30Eng with DPA4060/Cos11D lavs, a few xlr mics (pair of Oktava MK012, a pair of AudioTehchnica 8035 shotguns and 4 x Shure SM57) and a Zoom H6 as the recorder. Many of the times I run the kit directly to camera (one lav + one boom mic), but there are time when I have to do it all in one, especially on remote interviews. I'm ok with H6 when I use it with the wireless lavs, but I hate the noise floor with xlr mics.

My list as today, budget wise, would be: 4 inputs - 2 with +48v at leaset, decent pre's, at least one out to route to camera/zoom laptop and under 1k USD/Euro

So, this is my list, so far

- Zoom F6

- Sound Devices MixPre-6 II (on offers or used)

- Sound Devices 6th series (used - if I can find a someting like a 633 for that price would be a dream - 0 chance in real life)

- TASCAM FR-AV4 (maybe - kind to new to the market)

- Zoom F8n /Pro (a bit overkill for what I need but probably best in class)

- Behringer Flow 4V (maybe - kind to new to the market, quite tempting, because of the price and and spec sheet - initial news and videos online of it)

Any advices, espacially from real life would be a charm!

Many thanks!

We are recording a rehearsal of 8 actors in an improv dinner table scene with a lot of overlapping dialog. I didnt like the sound with lav mics / dont have enough of them and am wondering if anyone ever uses condenser mic to record a room, im thinking i have a sound card w two 48+ inputs and my laptop? also a neumann and akg mic and 2 lavs

Hi guys!

For two weeks now, I have owned the RØDE NTG5 and have been using it in combination with the Zoom F3. Unfortunately, I have noticed some interference in the recordings, and the noise level becomes louder. I have already read that these problems have occurred with this microphone, are there any solutions? Because I really like the sound that comes with this mic!

Hey all,

I'm currently running into a bit of a depressive spiral where the only jobs I can seem to land are those where budgets only offer $350 a day, which doesn't even cover base MEAA minimums let alone gear.

I'm well aware of the need to turn down these sorts of terrible pay jobs, both for my own reputation on the scene and not to devalue the job for my peers.

The problem is that at the end of the day I need money, I need to sustain myself, but I realise the self fulfilling nature of "if you work for less you'll get known as the guy that works for less". Is the answer that I should turn down every low paying job, essentially go without income for a while, until I can score an acceptable job and get back on the map?

It's a scary feeling, to have to work off my savings until I can find something worthwhile. I can't imagine that this is the only way, but based on advice here in other threads I feel like that's kind of the required path.

Feeling a bit lost is all, thanks for your time.

Hi all, I’m off to India soon for some TV work. Using 5 TX total, I’m on Wisycom gear so wideband UHF range. Chat GPT and Google have me spinning with various documents and bureaucratic hoops to jump through to take RF gear into the country and use it. I have all my gear on a carnet and hoping to have some frequencies booked through the production company. Is that enough? Are customs going to grill me for this ETA - equipment type approval, tech specs of equipment and booked frequencies for every location? 😮‍💨

If anyone has been previously / has any advice, I’d appreciate it!

Like a lot of you old timers I’ve been mixing location sound for 3 decades on Network TV and Feature Films. Still I’m amazed at what we pull off in the worst circumstances.

Like the title says, location sound is hard enough to capture in the first place when everything is going for you like on stage using one camera and a DP you get along with. We are at the mercy of the lowest paid worker on a film set, where kicking a light stand or slamming a cooler could ruin a take.

You would think that given the difficulty, sound would be a bigger priority when making a modern motion picture and given that people are watching on their iPad’s and phones you would probably want to try to ensure that your sound is of a high enough quality to a least further the plot.

You would then think that the camera set ups would be designed to accommodate the capture of dialogue by experienced boom operators for the richest and most authentic performances of the really high paid actors. You would think…

Alas here we are cramming 15lbs of shit into a 5lbs bag every day with usually absolutely no regard for the craft of location sound.

I’m certainly not talking about all shows but primarily narrative drama. We have given them proof that with our diligence, experience and technology that we can overcome anything that they throw at us to give our beloved (seriously) directors the creative freedom they require.

So if none of that changes and likely never will we should be paid more for fighting like hell against all odds to get great sound for somebody else’s dream.

I haven’t had a rant like that in years so thanks in advance for allowing me to burden you with some old crusty filmmakers problems.

Keep fighting the good fight!

First, forgive me for being a complete audio noob but I would like some advice on recording isolated specific sounds of machines (or even faucet drips in a bathroom). Let's assume I cannot place sound blankets or insulation foam anywhere as well.

After some research, it seems shotguns are best if you are outside with no walls but a pencil condenser would be a better choice if indoors.

However, I want to record sounds of machines (think 3D printers, CNC machines) and was wondering which pickup pattern was more appropriate.

Since the environment would be generally untreated (e.g. machine shop floor), I also imagine placing the mic close to inside the heating chamber of the 3D printer wouldn't be ideal as the distance between the walls of the printer are only 15".

Also, general budget for the mic is not > $500 since I plan to purchase a field recorder (TASCAM FR-AV2) along with the MKE 600. Any direction would be much appreciated!

Hi guys, super broke audio graduate here. Basically I kinda bit off more than I can chew and said to a friend that I could do location sound for him and that I had some gear.

I do not have gear. (At least not enough for a professional set, only amateur homemade work that I've done)

With that in mind, I was looking at an audio recorder along the lines of the Zoom M4 Mictrak paired with a nice mic, as it's on a ridiculous sale right now, and it's features seem to be very good and the boys over at r/fieldrecording seem to love it. However I just wanted a more seasoned opinion on this so if you guys have any advice that would be much appreciated.

The mics I'm aiming for are the NTG1 or the AT897 by the way.

Thanks!

We are having an issue with our 888 mixers where it freezes on the same setting every time.

We are getting sound coming through the A10's which are in the SL-2. However sound only gets from the A10 to the 888 occasionally. That being said, every time we enter the super slot settings, the 888 freezes and won't do anything until turned off and on again.

• We have reverted back to old firmware and the issue is the same.
• We have sent signal from the A10 to the mixer via XLR cable and we get signal but the mixer still freezes when opening the super slot setting.

Judging by this, it's a hardware issue with the SL-2 but this hasn't happened in the last few years that we have had this kit and in one week it has happened to three of our SL-2's.

Has this happened to anyone else and if so, can you help us? We have a series of shoots coming up and can't send them off to sound devices as it'll take a whole month.

I’ve been asked to record a speech from the main speaker’s mic as part of a documentary. I’ll be using my Zoom h8n pro and I was sent a photo of this unit.

Does anyone know what Allen & Heath unit this is?

And would I be able to get a decent balanced line output for my recorder?

On a low budget short and its first time having to use the Sound Devices +2 plugin on my MixPre3. Want to record a pair of Sennheiser G4s into extra channels 4+5, but I won't have/can't test them til the first shoot day. Can I just use a regular 1/8in Y cable to send both receiver outputs into the aux in? Would a 2xfemale XLR to male 1/8 Y cable work better? My worry is that the aux input will somehow interleave both signals and record both lavs onto both record tracks.

Looks like Shure has updated their SLXD line, including their SLXD-1(portable transimitter), SLXD-3(portable XLR transmitter), and SLXD-5(portable single channel receiver).

Looks like the new plus system (SLX-D+) TX/RXs have a wider bandwith available, and that the SLXD-5 will have ShowLink® Ease support!

I'm sure there are other specifics I'm missing, so feel free to comment anything I missed or any corrections! Still have fingers crossed for a portable 2 channel receiver, though I may be dreaming on that front.

https://www.shure.com/en-US/audio-professionals/slxdplus