Zoom vs Sennheiser G3

[Nick Schale]

So, I've gotten by with just my shotgun mic for longer than I care to admit. I have a gig in a couple weeks where the talking head will be walking through a very loud warehouse (wood work). I do not believe that I can pull this one off w/o additinal equipment.

Also one of my camera guys recently brought a zoom mic to a gig we worked on. And it is AMAZING... lovves it. So, the question is:

Do I drop $600 on this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618739-REG/Sennheiser_EW_112P_G3_A_EW112_p_G3_Camera_Mount.html
Or do I get the Zoom and maybe a chep lav mic to connect to the guy and sync in post.

*Note, I have a cheap lav mic now, would get a mini-xlr cord for it to hook to the zoom.
**Note, I also shoot weddings and promo pieces.

Thanks in advance!

[Colin McDonald]

Nick, what exactly do you mean by a "Zoom mic?" Was it a H2 or H4n handy recorder that you used recently? If so, they are not going to be particularly helpful in a noisy warehouse unless the talking head will have it (or an external mic) really close to him.

[Nick Schale]

Sorry, H4N.

And the plan was (if i went the H4N route) to hook up a lav to that.

[Colin McDonald]

OK, that makes sense now but what kind is your "cheap lav" (eg condenser?) and how exactly are you going to connect it? The H4n does 24v or 48v phantom power through the XLRs if your mic needs it but not many cheap lavs use that I'm thinking. You may have a problem if your mic needs a lower voltage power supply or doesn't have an XLR connector.

[Nick Schale]

The more I process it in my head, I think the wireless lav is the way to go :/

1. It's more practical for all the other uses I would get out of it.
2. Zoom H4N just appeals me for the pure awesomeness of it :) (i.e. is it a toy to ME)

But cons:

1. Price obviously is high
2. I'm thinking I would still need another Lav... does that mean I need two of these Senns?

[Colin McDonald]

I must confess I have both - well actually a G2 Senny and H2 plus H4n Zooms.

I use the wireless lav a lot, and not just as a clip on for people. I hide it on tables, in flower vases and in bushes in fact, almost anywhere. It gives me complete freedom for camera angles and I have had very few problems with interference, even where there have been umpteen other channels of radiomics in use.
The G3s are even better as they are diversity.

I haven't needed two sets yet myself - where necessary I've used a shotgun or other wired mic along with my G2 set.

[Nick Schale]

I shoot a lot of video for our local channel 2, our 'show' normally has the host and a guest, that's the reason I am thinking I will need two. :/

[Nick Schale]

Here is a question.

If I go the senn... could i use the lav as one mic and the 'add-on' thing to my shotgun mic for a 2nd mic?
And use them both at the same time?

[Colin McDonald]

Negative.

If you use two transmitters, you need two receivers and the systems must be on different frequencies.

You can have more than one receiver for a mic however if you need to send the same audio to different places (but that's not what you need).

[Nick Schale]

Colin,
You have been very helpful... or very bad for me :) I am considering dropping about $1,600 and just getting a package deal from BHPhoto.

I'm wondering if a 'not-so-awesome' brand would serve me just as well.

[Bruce Watson]

Originally Posted by Nick Schale

I have a gig in a couple weeks where the talking head will be walking through a very loud warehouse (wood work).

Here's the deal. Mics work best when they are close to the source. All mics, even shotguns (which are not the audio equivalent of a zoom lens). To get the mic close to the talent's mouth, you'll need to either boom it, or wire the talent with some sort of body mic.

The Senn. G3 you are looking at will probably work just fine. I use this exact setup myself and it performs quite well for me. If the environment is really loud, you might want to get the G3 kit with the cardioid (me4) instead of the omni (me2) mic. You'll want to train the talent to turn the body with the head however, as they can easily swivel the head out of the mic's sweet spot, which isn't something you can easily fix in post. Much better to just avoid the problem in the first place.

If it's extremely loud, you could replace the Sennheiser mic with a mic like a Countryman E6. These things have a great reputation, but I have no direct experience with them. What they do however, is put the mic very close to the talent's mouth. In extreme situations, this is what you have to do if you want the talent to be heard above the environment. And they make E6s wired for Sennheiser, Lectrosonics, etc. so they are "plug compatible" as it were.

Sounds like an interesting assignment. Good luck with it.

[Nick Schale]

Great input.
Thanks very much!