I am about to shoot my first paid wedding in two weeks. I have invested in a Sony PD150 (and a Canon GL2 as a second/backup camera on a tripod), a Sennheiser Evolution 100 wireless kit, and an Azden SGM-2X shotgun/omni mic. I have also spend quite a bit of time getting to know the equipment, reading the manuals, and reading up on forums.

My first question: Is the Azden mic (with the short barrel) better than the standard PD150 mic ??

2nd long question: Regarding the Sennheiser wireless...how do I determine the squelch setting and how do I make sure there will be no interference from the priest's wireless once he turns his on ???..also, how should I mic the groom ??? I was planning on putting the transmitter at his back waist, and putting the mic somewhat low, around stomach level. (I found that if I put it too close to the mouth, his voice is much louder than that of the person next to him)

3rd question: I plan on going full manual audio. What level should I be seeing on the audio level bars ??..and should I use the MIC ATT during the loud reception (with the Azden mic)??
I plan on setting the wireless transmitter sensitivity to -20 db, setting the volume on the reciever to about 40%, and then controlling the volume using the PD150 and MIC ATT if needed...how does this sound ???


I really appreciate any advice you experienced videographers might have.

Owning a couple of 150's, IMHO pretty much any mic is better than the stock mic. I have an ME66 AND an Azden SGM1X that actually isn't too bad.

As for squelch level on the Sennheiser wireless, I don't have Sennheiser so I can't answer that BUT putting the mic at stomach level is a waist :-)-put the mic up on the lapel around flower level- if you don't, don't bother micing the groom-all you'll get is his stomach noises! You want the mic to get his voice, the brides voice and the officiants voice. If his voice is a little louder you may have to bring the level down in post and you might have to bring the brides UP in post. Most brides and grooms kinda lose their voices at the moment of the vows- emotion you know!

As for the levels, I'll only tell you what I do, others here do it differently.
For the reception, I do not use a wireless unless I'm doing guest interviews and even then I might use a wired mic. As for the music etc, I GENERALLY put the mic on "MIC ATT" and keep my gain to NO MORE than 50% and peak at no more than -12db.
I try to keep the levels between -20 and -12. PAst -12db and you can have some serious clipping-under -20 and it could be hard to hear. Now having said that, last weekend I did 2 weddings. They were so different it was unbelievable. At one, I left it on "MIC" because the DJ was so quite you could hardly hear him and then all of a sudden BAM! I had to scramble to get it reset to "MIC ATT" and set the gain. He kept going soft and then loud, I finally left it in "Mic Att" and let it go-he was a moron. On the other hand, the guy Saturday night was a pro and made life easy, he kept HIS levels constant so I could also, and I had great audio from the event.

Audio is 70% of what we see, so do your level best to get great audio but remember you may have to play a little to get it right.
Good Luck,
Don

Thanks Don, I appreciate the advice !!!