Digital Voice recorder or Wireless Mic

[Taky Cheung]

wowo I'm sorry to hear that. I think no matter it's a voice recorder or wireless mic system, when things like that happen, you can't really do much. There're people disagree with me saying I can't monitor live audio using voice recorder. My defense would be, even if you can monitor live audio.. and if something goes wrong live, what can I do?

Check out this video

Lav Mic Failed in Action on Vimeo

[Dan Shallenberger]

Ok, I'm really close to jumping on board with using DVRs for wedding audio. I have 4 irivers with GS mics, but would love to use my 2 H2s as well. What lav mics do you recommend for them? There are so many choices and types that I have no clue where to start.

[Taky Cheung]

Check out my blog. I have a link point to the lav mic that I'm using

Wireless Mics vs Voice Recorders | L.A. Color Blog

[Dan Shallenberger]

I have a Tram TR-50 wired for Sennheiser, but it doesn't work in my Zoom H2. Seems like it plugs in all the way. Maybe I'm just a dunce, but I don't see why it wouldn't work perfectly.

[Dan Shallenberger]

Ok, I see why it's not working. Even with mic power turned on in the zoom h2, it just doesn't provide enough power for the tram tr-50 (that's what some audio guys at Sam Ash told me). So, I just bought a Sony PCM-M10 to try out, figuring I'll use it with my GS mics if the Tram doesn't work. It has a mic sensitivity switch that seems to boost the amount of phantom power provided. On High, it powers the Tram tr-50 perfectly fine, and it sounds incredible. I assumed that the mic sensitivity switch just applied gain to the mic signal, but I've test it both ways with my GS mics, and I don't hear any additional noise with it on High vs Low. Maybe my old ears aren't hearing the difference, and I don't have any fancy gear to test it, but I don't hear a difference at all.

Anyhow, I'm a happy camper now and will test this out on 2 grooms this long weekend.

[Jay Jelliff]

To those using digital recorders; once the audio is in sync at the beginning, do you ever notice that the sync drifts out of sync as the timeline progresses?

[Scott Brooks]

Originally Posted by Jay Jelliff

To those using digital recorders; once the audio is in sync at the beginning, do you ever notice that the sync drifts out of sync as the timeline progresses?

It depends ... my iRiver used to drift quite a bit, Zoom H2 was really bad at keeping sync, my 3 Yamaha PockeTrak CX units have been a champ on my first couple of weddings and one dance recital.

[Giroud Francois]

for me there is no wireless mic vs digital recorder case.
wireless just allows me to put the mic where it is needed (the best place, near the source versus the worst place , on the camera).
And when connected to the camera, it is digital recorded anyway. Bonus is the sync with picture, and you still can monitor what you get.
I use sony uwp-c1 and v1 and never get a drop. and if i would have one, i just pop out the plugs and go to the camera's mic, takes 3 secondes.
On the other side digital recorder can be great too, but for a totally different use.
I use sometime my iRiver (get 3 of them) to capture sound without using the camera (background sound).
The problem with digital recorder is if you let them unattended, you do not know if something is going wrong. I would use anyway a wireless with a digital recorder just to be able to monitor what i am recording.

[Travis Cossel]

Originally Posted by Jay Jelliff

To those using digital recorders; once the audio is in sync at the beginning, do you ever notice that the sync drifts out of sync as the timeline progresses?

Yes, we deal with drift. Each recorder seems to have a slightly different rate of drift. So mark your recorders and figure out what each of their drift rates are. Then, as you edit future projects, you will know how much to adjust the speed of the audio for each recorder.

[Taky Cheung]

I have to adjust the speed of the audio clip from the Olympus recorder from 100% to 100.06%. Then it will be a perfect sync.

[Steve Shovlar]

I have several audio recordings going n at the same time. Never miss a thing. In the UK frequencies are getting crowded. A wedding videgrapher friend of mne has had a "sonic boom" several times this year in church. He uses the Sennheissers. I have the American Lectrosonics and they work of a different bandwidth and I am yet to have any problems.

I also use a Edirol R-09 recorder. Brilliant. Place it on the lecturn for all the readings and use it at the specches at reception. Saves wiring up the best man.

Use both. Safety in numbers. Takys video disaster clip where the groom started fidling could easily have been avoided with a recorder placed close by.

[Jay Jelliff]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

I have to adjust the speed of the audio clip from the Olympus recorder from 100% to 100.06%. Then it will be a perfect sync.

THAT is great information. I use Olympus recorders too. Thank you so much for posting that.

[Travis Cossel]

Again, the adjustment is going to vary per recorder. For the two Olympus DS30's that we use the adjustments are 100.18% and 100.12%. You're going to have to figure out the drift for your own recorders unfortunately.

[Taky Cheung]

I agree on that. You might have to experiment your own to find out the speed value. It isn't difficult at all.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Again, the adjustment is going to vary per recorder. For the two Olympus DS30's that we use the adjustments are 100.18% and 100.12%. You're going to have to figure out the drift for your own recorders unfortunately.

Hey Travis, and anyone else. I have a couple of Irivers, I would imagine that the main difference between my irivers and the olympus is what you talked about, the adjustment you can do. So, is there any Olympus out there that you don't have to adjust? Something like this that records in WMA? WS-600S