This week on jwsound.net a popular sound forum there has been a good discussion about studios, production company’s and filmmakers trying to pay almost nothing for our equipment packages by making us get competive bids from sound rental houses. Despite the fact that a mixer owned kit is always a better deal for the production because the equipment is in better shape and it (in my case and most other mixers I know) is always cheaper than a rental house by a large amount. I wish production companies would just take our work for it and understand that using rented equipment increases the chances of a equipment failure and something going wrong. Here is my advice for any mixer getting squeezed by a production company. Stick to your guns and get what you feel is fair for you and don’t put your equipment in danger for no money.
The Aesthetic Choices We Make
When I was in college receiving my Sound Design degree I had these grand ideas that I would always have the final say in all audio matters and be able to always do whatever I needed to do to get good audio. I wish someone who have told me how it really was in the industry and the fact I would be working reality tv and eng work for many years before I would be able to join the union and work on films made the right way. I enjoy my life currently as a ENG Sound mixer. I just wish someone would have told me when I entered film school the way I would be working now. Would I have chosen another professional? I am not but I would have liked to know
Another New Audio Bag The Petrol PSMK-N Sound Knapsack
I am always looking for new ways to travel easier and keep all my equipment safe while flying, driving or just moving it around on a shoot. I have been very lucky and never broken any of my own gear in transport. The airlines well thats a different story. Most of the jobs I fly and travel alot for are usually my smaller package which consists of my 302 mixer, 2 Lectrosonics, K-tek 20in collasped boompole, zaxcom hop. Usually for backup equipment I usually carry have my mix-pre, 2 G2 wireless and a Rode NTG2. Normally I check a 1510 Pelican case or my larger Porta-Brace Vault case with my backup gear, chargers, boom pole etc… Then I carry on my laptop bag and my eng sound bag. Well it is tough carrying 2 heavy shoulder only bags so that is why I purchased this Petrol Backpack. I can put my laptop, all my backup gear and my boompole along with batteries. I can them put my Eng bag in my 1510 Case if I want to and then check another case with backup gear. My buying this bag I can now carry on all my primary gear if I need to which makes me feel alot better.
The Sanken Cub-01 Boundary Microphone
I have been a fan of using the Sanken Cub-01 since it was first released though I have never owned one just because I couldn’t justify spending $500.00 on a item I’d consider a luxury. But almost all of the equipment provided jobs I work on we have one or two available to us. But I just bought one used for $250.00 which is a great deal. The Cub is small and cardioid shaped in its size and pick up pattern. It is the best microphone I have heard for conference tables and as a car plant microphone. But for me its primary job will be to gaffer tape it to podiums so I can get high quality dialogue. As we know most P.A feeds sound pretty bad so normally if I need to take a P.A feed I will iso that on one channel and if most people will be speaking from the same place I will use the Cub on the other. It is also great for high SPL sound fx. With a Ta5f breakaway the Cub can also be hooked up to any Lectrosonics to use as a wireless plant mic. So if you can afford one it is a nice item to have in your secret bag of tricks.
Already Off to a Good start for 2008!
As many of you fellow Freelance sound mixers know it is usually feast or famine. It is always the case with me I am usually super busy or dead slow. My Goal for 2008 is to network more and be more steady with work. I am taking almost All of December off to go on a dream vacation of mine to Spain for 18 days with my beautiful girlfriend then down to FL for New Years. Then I already have some possible work that I am on hold for in early Jan then to Paris in Feb for a Documentary then hopefully some more reality tv till may when hopefully I will be mixing a indie feature for 60 days. Hopefully 2008 will be a good year for all of us in the industry.
Pro Location Sound LLC 