4000 dollar Field audio kit what would you buy? feedback at DVinfo.net

Terwingen Niels · July 6th, 2008, 04:09 PM

hi,

Next winter I will be in Cambodia for 6 months and I am planning to do a documentary.
I will be working with a canon xh A1 and the format will be HDV. I am not sure yet if I will have all the time a sound/boomoperator. I have a collegue coming over and the rest of the time I am hoping that me girlfriend can sometimes fall in. It will happen that I will have to shoot alone.
I expect to shoot in many different circumstances: inside/outside/nature/city/...

I was thinking of following gear:

- an edirol 44 recorder
(dont want the compressed audio and perfer 4 tracks..)
: 900
- an NTG3 shotgun kit with boom/rycotewindshield/etc : 1800
- an AKG SE300B/ ck 93 mic as a mount on camera mic : 480
- Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Series : 550
- a TRAM TR50 : 315

what do you think of this setup? any pointers and tips welcome...

Kim Cascone · July 6th, 2008, 04:59 PM

since you are going to Cambodia make sure you spec whatever mic you bring for how it will react to high humidity/moisture...and be sure to bring a backup microphone...
there is a lot of good info on this very issue over on the nature recordists list:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/

a quick search there should yield some answers
hope this helps
KC

Dan Keaton · July 6th, 2008, 05:03 PM

Dear Terwingen,

I think you are on the right track in getting a better lavaliere than the supplied ME2 lavaliere with the Sennheiser G2.

A better lavaliere, such as the Tram TR50, is a substantial improvement.

I have been very pleased with the TR-50's, but some like other brands / models better.

Search for the Lavaliere Shootout by Dan Brockett on DVInfo.net. It is a very good resourse.

I tested the Tram TR-50, versus the Sanken Cos-11, and personally, I liked the Tram better. The TR-50 comes with some very handy accessories, but you can always buy the accessories separately.

Dan Keaton · July 6th, 2008, 05:07 PM

Dear Terwingen,

Humidity is a concern for many mics.

Keep your ME2 in a sealed plastic bag, such as a good ZipLoc freezer bag, along with some silica gel to keep the humidity low.

If your primary mic starts to fail due to very high humidity, switch to the backup mic, then dry out the main mic.

Matt Gottshalk · July 6th, 2008, 05:16 PM

I bought the Countryman EMW (shelved) for my G2 and LOVE it.

Allan Black · July 6th, 2008, 07:30 PM

The NTG-3 is now the only shotgun I'd take on that (or any) trip. Great sound and it's 'designed to withstand adverse environmental conditions' and comes with a weather resistant aluminium storage cylinder. It's very RF resistant too, not that you'd get much in the jungle, but you never know these days.

You need to take a shock mount for your boom and to fit the A1s extension mic holder and a very short XLR cable for it.

As well take a small table tripod, the type that has bendable legs, very handy if you're solo.

Cheers.

Terwingen Niels · July 7th, 2008, 04:13 AM

hi,

should the edirol 44 (small version from the R4) be suited for documentary use? didnt work with it yet..

Ty Ford · July 7th, 2008, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan Black

The NTG-3 is now the only shotgun I'd take on that (or any) trip. Great sound and it's 'designed to withstand adverse environmental conditions' and comes with a weather resistant aluminium storage cylinder. It's very RF resistant too, not that you'd get much in the jungle, but you never know these days.

You need to take a shock mount for your boom and to fit the A1s extension mic holder and a very short XLR cable for it.

As well take a small table tripod, the type that has bendable legs, very handy if you're solo.

Cheers.

Alan,

In that the NTG-3 is just out, have you really had enough hours on the NTG-3 to say it's the ONLY shotgun you'd take on a trip. That seems extreme.

Thanks,

Ty Ford

Jeff Kellam · July 7th, 2008, 08:45 AM

Is the 416 shotgun somewhat weather resistant?

If so, it seems to be an industry standard and fairly compact.

Is there any downside to taking the 416 on the Cambodia trip the OP is planning?

Ty Ford · July 7th, 2008, 09:06 AM

Hi Jeff,

The Sennheiser 416 is quite resistant to the environment. Its use of an internal RF circuit separates it from that of other mics.

I don't know if the NTG-3 uses similar circuitry or not. The 416 has been in use for many years and has earned a top shelf position in the Pantheon of shotgun mics.

Time and technology changes everything -- sometimes for the better, sometimes not. It will be very interesting to see how well the Rode NTG-3 performs.

Schoeps was opposed to making a shotgun mic until a few years ago. They finally came out with the CMIT, which has been successful for them. It's a great sounding mic.

I reviewed it when it came out and have comparison files with it and the 416, NTG-1 and AT 4073 on my online archive.

I'm told an NTG-3 is on the way here.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Brooks Harrington · July 7th, 2008, 11:06 AM

Looks to me like Rode copied the MKH416...... looks identical and specs very closely.
Countryman EMW shelved is a good choice.... they are water resistant to the point of being waterproof.
Good luck with the project!

July 6th, 2008, 04:09 PM	#1
Terwingen Niels Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	4000 dollar Field audio kit what would you buy? feedback hi, Next winter I will be in Cambodia for 6 months and I am planning to do a documentary. I will be working with a canon xh A1 and the format will be HDV. I am not sure yet if I will have all the time a sound/boomoperator. I have a collegue coming over and the rest of the time I am hoping that me girlfriend can sometimes fall in. It will happen that I will have to shoot alone. I expect to shoot in many different circumstances: inside/outside/nature/city/... I was thinking of following gear: - an edirol 44 recorder (dont want the compressed audio and perfer 4 tracks..) : 900 - an NTG3 shotgun kit with boom/rycotewindshield/etc : 1800 - an AKG SE300B/ ck 93 mic as a mount on camera mic : 480 - Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Series : 550 - a TRAM TR50 : 315 what do you think of this setup? any pointers and tips welcome...

July 6th, 2008, 04:59 PM	#2
Kim Cascone New Boot Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 15	humidity since you are going to Cambodia make sure you spec whatever mic you bring for how it will react to high humidity/moisture...and be sure to bring a backup microphone... there is a lot of good info on this very issue over on the nature recordists list: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/ a quick search there should yield some answers hope this helps KC

July 6th, 2008, 05:03 PM	#3
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Terwingen, I think you are on the right track in getting a better lavaliere than the supplied ME2 lavaliere with the Sennheiser G2. A better lavaliere, such as the Tram TR50, is a substantial improvement. I have been very pleased with the TR-50's, but some like other brands / models better. Search for the Lavaliere Shootout by Dan Brockett on DVInfo.net. It is a very good resourse. I tested the Tram TR-50, versus the Sanken Cos-11, and personally, I liked the Tram better. The TR-50 comes with some very handy accessories, but you can always buy the accessories separately. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

July 6th, 2008, 05:07 PM	#4
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Terwingen, Humidity is a concern for many mics. Keep your ME2 in a sealed plastic bag, such as a good ZipLoc freezer bag, along with some silica gel to keep the humidity low. If your primary mic starts to fail due to very high humidity, switch to the backup mic, then dry out the main mic. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

July 7th, 2008, 04:13 AM	#7
Terwingen Niels Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	R44? hi, should the edirol 44 (small version from the R4) be suited for documentary use? didnt work with it yet..

July 6th, 2008, 05:16 PM	#5
Matt Gottshalk Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Potomac Falls, VA Posts: 215	I bought the Countryman EMW (shelved) for my G2 and LOVE it.

July 6th, 2008, 07:30 PM	#6
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,928	The NTG-3 is now the only shotgun I'd take on that (or any) trip. Great sound and it's 'designed to withstand adverse environmental conditions' and comes with a weather resistant aluminium storage cylinder. It's very RF resistant too, not that you'd get much in the jungle, but you never know these days. You need to take a shock mount for your boom and to fit the A1s extension mic holder and a very short XLR cable for it. As well take a small table tripod, the type that has bendable legs, very handy if you're solo. Cheers.

July 7th, 2008, 08:45 AM	#9
Jeff Kellam Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 656	Is the 416 shotgun somewhat weather resistant? If so, it seems to be an industry standard and fairly compact. Is there any downside to taking the 416 on the Cambodia trip the OP is planning? __________________ Panasonic HMC150/Canon A1/JVC HD1/Sony Vegas 8.0c

July 7th, 2008, 09:06 AM	#10
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Hi Jeff, The Sennheiser 416 is quite resistant to the environment. Its use of an internal RF circuit separates it from that of other mics. I don't know if the NTG-3 uses similar circuitry or not. The 416 has been in use for many years and has earned a top shelf position in the Pantheon of shotgun mics. Time and technology changes everything -- sometimes for the better, sometimes not. It will be very interesting to see how well the Rode NTG-3 performs. Schoeps was opposed to making a shotgun mic until a few years ago. They finally came out with the CMIT, which has been successful for them. It's a great sounding mic. I reviewed it when it came out and have comparison files with it and the 416, NTG-1 and AT 4073 on my online archive. I'm told an NTG-3 is on the way here. Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

July 7th, 2008, 11:06 AM	#11
Brooks Harrington Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 152	Looks to me like Rode copied the MKH416...... looks identical and specs very closely. Countryman EMW shelved is a good choice.... they are water resistant to the point of being waterproof. Good luck with the project!