|
|||||||||
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
February 21st, 2007, 04:23 AM | #1 |
Inner Circle
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Posts: 2,337
|
Why do I need a mixer? Answered
Hi,
I get asked this question a lot. This time I thought I'd take a proactive position and post it. Mixers are more than knobs that let you vary the volume. 1. They let you vary volumes without shaking the camera or getting in the way of the camera op. 2. You may need to do that a lot with some people. I ride gain even if one person is talking if their voice fades on the end of each line. You can only do this in a relatively quiet environment, otherwise you bring up the ambient noise. 3. Mixer preamps (good ones) sound better than camera preamps. 4. Good mixers have input transformers that scrape off RF before it get into your audio. 5. Good mixers have limiters that allow you to record hotter, keeping your audio further above the noise floor without distorting. 6. Good limtiers have EQ that lets you roll of LF HVAC noise before it gets into your audio. 7. Good mixers have mulitple outputs so you can feed more than one camera, or separate recorder simultaneously. 8. Good mixers make your sound better. If they didn't pros wouldn't use them. Hmm, is this a sticky or what? |
February 23rd, 2007, 09:08 AM | #2 | |
Inner Circle
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 4,750
|
Quote:
That being said, you can probably get away with almost never using the locut, or always leaving it on (I've heard of one sound person who simply always leaves it on). 2- That being said, having a mixer is useful in many situations. |
|
February 23rd, 2007, 10:08 AM | #3 | |
Major Player
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 505
|
Quote:
|
|
February 23rd, 2007, 01:22 PM | #4 |
Major Player
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
Posts: 287
|
Great post, Ty!
One other point (it's obvious): Mixers let you use more microphones than you have input channels on your camera. |
February 23rd, 2007, 11:34 PM | #5 |
Major Player
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Petaluma, CA
Posts: 456
|
Amen
Beautifully said, Ty. One might summarize by saying a mixer is the ounce of prevention that saves a pound of cure in post.
Warm Regards, Michael |
February 23rd, 2007, 11:55 PM | #6 | |
Inner Circle
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Camas, WA, USA
Posts: 5,513
|
Quote:
__________________
Jon Fairhurst |
|
| ||||||
|
|