Tag: Location Sound Mixer Charleston South Carolina

Not Every Boompole is created equal

whitneyince

For a Eng/ Reality/ News/ Corporate mixer I own quite a few boompoles but each one has a different purpose:

Firstly I only own Ktek boompoles and despite what other mixers may say I think they make the highest quality boompoles at the best price point. I am considering adding a Loon Audio boompole ( A newer Company) which has some interesting innovations and designs. But that will be a 2009 addition to my kit. The following are the poles I own:

Ktek 79cc- It is my smallest boompole it will fit in a 1510 pelican case and is great for shows, Which I don’t use my boompole very much it is easy to clip onto my bag. Due to its small size it is great except it only extend about 7 feet

Ktek Avalon News pole extend to about 10 feet great for most of my Reality and news gigs

Ktek Carbon Fiber Stage pole- Extends to almost 17 feet. By far my favorite pole. It is like driving a BMW or other high end car. The others are more like driving a Honda do a good job very robust but not pretty. I don’t use this pole much anymore since it doesn’t collapse down past 3 feet and is over $600.00 dollars. But it is so smooth and easy to use. The other day I had to a scene in a swimming pole alot of wide shots and movement. So I used this pole it made my life so much easier and made me glad I didn’t sell this pole last year when someone wanted to buy it!!!

I personally don’t like VDB poles as they are plastic and find the locking collars less than satisfactory and haven’t used any other brand poles.  So this is just my 2cent. The avalon news pole cabled is less than $200.00 well worth the $$$$$

Wired or Wireless Boompole that is the question?

whitneyince

On a serious note this is a hotly debated topic in the sound industry today. Some mixers even claim with some of the newer all digital transmition systems that they cannot tell the difference between a wired and wireless boom. Here is my take on the situation: I definately hear a difference between my lectrosonics plug on tx and plugging my boompole in. However at the pace I have to move in the reality world having my boom free from me and quickly moveable as well as quickly being able to stick it on a stand for an interview. It is a trade off but in the reality world with all the background noise and situations I am in you will never hear the higher noise floor.

Reality Show set politics

whitneyince

Will try and post more just been very very busy. I just talked with a fellow sound mixer friend of mine who doesn’t do much reality tv work but is very experienced in news and doc work. He called asking me for some advice on his upcoming gig.  First some background on the gig it is a pilot and a nightshoot. These is the worst combination there is a pilot (no budget high stress) night shooting (which is always no fun). The only good thing about most reality shows is despite being difficult and taxing they have a good size budget to rent the right gear and hire the right team. The other reason I hate pilots is they only usually want to rent a 3 channel package 2 lav and boom. Which is never enough most of the shows I do I have 4 wireless or more. So my friend said that they wanted a wireless camera link but that the producer stated she didn’t want the camera op to listen. If using a wireless hop the camera op MUST ALWAYS LISTEN. Since that is the only way to make sure the audio is being recorded correctly. He explained this to the producer who said “It is your job as the sound mixer to listen to the audio”. This is the classic sign of a stupid producer your hired as the audio expert so they should listen to you. Remember that you need to stand your ground and do what it takes to get good audio

Tips When using a Zaxcom Wireless Camera Link

whitneyince

I think wireless camera links are the best advance in technology to happen to the location sound mixer because it gives you the freedom to do your job the best way you can, I have rarely had an issue with my zaxcom system but here is a list of things to do before shooting and a list of possible problems you may run into:

SETUP:

1. Make sure your camera man is always listening to the wireless feed via his camera headphone jack since you have no way of knowing what it sounds like.

2. Make sure all attennas and power cables are secure to the unit. The only issues I have ever had it a lose power cable or attenna.

3. Make sure the unit is secure in a saddle bag or BEC box. I have mine wrapped in velcro, which keeps them extra tight in the saddle bag or BEC box.

4. Have extra cables and attennas in case something breaks.

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

1. Unit will not power on: Check power cables are tight by removing them and reinserting them. Check batteries if your using them. Check Power Switch.

2. Unit is on but Camera Op hears no audio: Check headphone volume knob on camera, check transmitter in your audio bag, make sure camera is set up to recieve audio correctly.

3. Poor Range: Check to make sure tx and rx attennas are tight and secure, Make sure they are in good condition. Scan for new clear frequency.

With these simple tips and tricks your Zaxcom should preform well for you and make your job much easier.

Countryman B6 Lav you can hide it in plain sight

whitneyince

The Countryman B6 has always amazed me with the quality of audio it can provide for such a small microphone. It has become a life saver as an example. My go to lav microphone is usually a Countryman EMW because I usually fond it the easiest to hide and the best sounding. When I need to avoid noisy clothing or have a women wearing something very sheer I will use a Sanken Cos-11 since it is is a top element lav I can just peak it out the top of wardrobe. But for impossible wardrobe and noisy mens dress shirts I use the countryman B6 I just peak it out a button hole and bam you can hide it in plain site. It also has a variety of different color caps so you can match the cap to the shirt color. So everyone should have atleast 1.