Tapping a P.A System

whitneyince

One of the things that can sometimes be a Pain in the A** is getting a P.A feed. It is either very easy or a pain. All I want is a XLR Output that is constant and free of signal noise. But in the last week I have had to tap 4 different P.A systems and all but one was bad. Some things that you should always have n your kit to help this situation is a large assortment of adapters and in line Pads. Especially the following:

Line to Microphone

Switchable Attenuation Pad

1/4in to XLR adapter

RCA to XLR adapter

If you don’t own any adapter the Remote Audio Adapter Kit is a good start and then buy two Shure Pads and your good to go.

Is this your lav microphone

whitneyince

Today I was covering a corporate conference After getting a look at the P.A system I decided not to take a P.A feed and just lav the two presenters myself. The producer said “As long as the microphone is small that is fine” The presenters were both wearing dark suit jackets so I put a countryman B6 on a black tie clip on each of them. Then about ten min before the presentation started the producer comes running towards me and asked me ” What I didn’t understand about the microphone being non intrusive.” So I go take a look and the attached picture is what lav microphone the hotel Av person had attached to each speaker. So I ended up giving the hotel a feed from my mixer and everyone was happy. I have never seen a lav microphone this large

Zaxcom Hop Mounting Option

whitneyince

Someone sent me a email asking how to effectively mount a Zaxcom ENG Transmitter on a camera. It is a loaded question:

If your shooting on a fullsize camera (Beta, Digideta HD Cam) it is fairly easy:

You can either use a Bec Box, Saddle Bag or if the camera takes V-mount batteries you can just put V-mount plate on the Zaxcom Hop

If your shooting on a small format Camera (Hvx-200, Dvx-100) It is a bit harder:

If the shoot is mostly handheld or all handheld most operators use a shoulder mount rig of some type. These rigs usually have a mounting plate on the bag, which I usually mount the Zaxcom on sideways so that the operator doesn’t get poked in the head by antennas all day. The best way to mount it to the plate is velcro, and usually a small bit of gaffer tape to keep the excess cables and connects secure. It is simple and easy for battery changes you get about 6 hours if you use lithium AA.

If the operator is hand held with no rig. Then a waist/ fanny pack is the only other option. Most operators hate this method but you have to do it. So I hope this answers your questions.

New Audio Mixer

whitneyince

On the more Prosumer side there is a new small beachtek like audio product now available call “Juicedlink“. They offer a couple of different audio interfaces for video camera from a 2 channel passive unit for $173.00 to a 4 channel mixer for $569.00. They also have a demo video on there website that shows the different noise floors of beachtek products vs the juicedlink products. The juicedlink products out preform the beachtek products in these tests. So check out the Juicedlink website and check out there products they may offer a solution to your problems if you need a affordable easy to use interface for your camera. However hiring a Location Sound Mixer is always a better option