MKE 2 to Sony Z1e

[Ben Turvey]

Hey guys, okay so I've been using my Sennheiser EW G2 without a mixer. Currently it's feeding directly into my Sony Z1e XLR ports. I've got an MKE 2 as the lapel.

I've been filming weddings for the past six months and have started to dread live bands.

Should I be using a mixer, and if so, which one is ideal for the Z1e?
While I'm here, I could also do with a shotgun mic that'll attach to the camera, any advice on that?

[Gary Nattrass]

Depends what you are expecting a mixer to do, it will not magically fix things if you are having problems with bands and may cause you even more grief.

I presume you are only using the lav as your sound recording device and it will overload with loud sounds like a band but it is more likely the radio mic or the camera input that is overloading or the auto gain if you are using it.

Adding a shotgun mic will be a better option if you do not have one as then you can set that at a better level for the band and use the shotgun track for ambience and the lav for any vows in the church etc.

There are cheap camera shotguns available on e-bay that will do the job but if you are wanting a good solid sounding entry level mic the AT 875r would be my personal choice.

Cheap mics on e-bay: Broadcast Video Shotgun Microphone4 Panasonic Sony Cams | eBay
Note the description is not accurate as this is a mono mic and does not need batteries but it is good and they have sold over 130 of them, offer $75 and they usually accept that.

The AT875r is available here: AT875R, Audio Technica 875, 875R

There is also the Rode NTG1 or 2 but I prefer the AT as it sounds far better, record the shotgun to one channel and the lav to the other and select which one is best in the edit.

You will need to sort your levels out though and a mixer could do this but if you only have two mics it is better to set the levels correctly on the camera and record them as two sep sound tracks.