Audio guru? What are the best wireless lav's?

[Jeffry Alan]

I need to expand (and possibly improve) my current mic setup for two XL2's.

Currently we are using the Sony URX P1 wireless with a single mic in combination with a Sennheiser shotgun mic, both going into the rear XLR's (16 bit), to cover bowhunting expeditions where the guides may be off camera, and the hunters are whispering and may be talking away from camera.
I would like to use the camera mic (to pick up the off camera dialogue), and maybe add another wireless lav on the same frequency, but not sure if I can still get 16bit (the manual is woefully inadequate in this area).
Also, the plastic Sony cases are getting beat up.

My Q's are: Suggestions for more rugged wireless lav's?
Can I still get 16 bit with on camera mic with lav's too?

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Jeffry Alan

I need to expand (and possibly improve) my current mic setup for two XL2's.

Currently we are using the Sony URX P1 wireless with a single mic in combination with a Sennheiser shotgun mic, both going into the rear XLR's (16 bit), to cover bowhunting expeditions where the guides may be off camera, and the hunters are whispering and may be talking away from camera.
I would like to use the camera mic (to pick up the off camera dialogue), and maybe add another wireless lav on the same frequency, but not sure if I can still get 16bit (the manual is woefully inadequate in this area).
Also, the plastic Sony cases are getting beat up.

My Q's are: Suggestions for more rugged wireless lav's?
Can I still get 16 bit with on camera mic with lav's too?

Jeffry,

The answer to your second question is no. The rear jacks can be setup as channels 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 in 12 bit mode, or they can REPLACE the on camera mic in 16 bit mode. However, for dialog recording, most feel that 12bit 32khz audio is sufficient because it's not a linear distribution on the bit samples and yields good results in the frequency range you would be recording.

-gb-

[Jeffry Alan]

thanks for the response Greg,

I am investing in the Sennheiser G2 wireless lavs to supplement the Sony's we already have, and will try the 12 bit setup for dialogue.

I wish there was more info about audio for the XL2 in the manual, but I will do some tests and figure it out.

thanks again-

Jeff

[Richard W. Morris]

Like many using this board I am always trying to learn more. I have been using an Audio Technica ATW-U101 wireless UHF system with spectacular results. They are available from B & H for 500.00 now ( I wish that is what I paid for mine).
Expert help is available from Equipment Emporium, Inc 818-838-457 (pacific time). The equipment they sell is top notch (slightly more expensive than other sources) but the advice and expertise that comes with dealing with them is priceless. They are professional ( owner is a PHD audio engineer) Hollywood sound men. Hope this helps.

[Miguel Lombana]

Originally Posted by Jeffry Alan

thanks for the response Greg,

I am investing in the Sennheiser G2 wireless lavs to supplement the Sony's we already have, and will try the 12 bit setup for dialogue.

I wish there was more info about audio for the XL2 in the manual, but I will do some tests and figure it out.

thanks again-

Jeff

I'm using the Sennheisers but the 1st generation units not the G2 series and I swear by them, the 2 transmitters for each receiver makes it really nice to not have to buy another kit just for a lav or handheld.

12bit and 4 channels is tricky, once you get it setup it's a breeze, however the 2nd issue is dubbing off the tapes to your NLE and getting all 4 tracks. I use scenealyzer and it creates a 2nd audio file for each video file with the same name so that when I need all 4, they are there. I keep scenealyzer setup to do this so that if I get a take that someone shot in 12 and didn't tell me there are 2 other audio tracks, I won't miss them, otherwise I usually delete the 2nd set of audio files before I ever import anything into my NLE.

The only time BTW that I've used 4 tracks was when I first setup my XL2 and wanted to experiment with the stock mic in stereo and 2 lavs, otherwise, I took off the stock mic, replaced it with my Sennheiser boom, velcroed a Sennheiser wireless pack to the back of the cam and set the audio for 2 channel 16bit mono.

Good luck on your decision and how to setup.

Miguel

I have the Sennheiser Wireless G2 and have been happy with the sound. I've only used it a couple of times, but it's worked just fine each time and was very good at just catching my voice.

What I really liked about the G2 was the ease in setting it up with the help of this video from Guy at DVeStore.com. I followed it through and had wireless sound my first try. I'm probably one of the most un-technical guys there is, so that says a lot about the simplicity of the G2 combined with the video tutorial.

Here's a link:
http://www.dvcreators.net/products/s...movieframe.htm

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Jeffry Alan

I need to expand (and possibly improve) my current mic setup for two XL2's.

My Q's are: Suggestions for more rugged wireless lav's?
Can I still get 16 bit with on camera mic with lav's too?

The best wireless: Lectrosonic 400, Zaxcom digital or Audio Ltd.

The current best.

Ty Ford