Idea for speech recording

[Paul Mailath]

+1 for the Olympus WS311M recorders - but how do you mic the women?

- over here the vast majority of speeches are from a lecturn so that easy, I also encourage the MC to use the DJ's mike so I can plug into his sound system

[Aindreas Lynch]

Originally Posted by Roger Gunkel

This came on another thread recently and a couple of us recommended these Sony voice recorders http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ICD-PX3...keywords=px312. They are mp3 only, but on the highest setting the sound quality is excellent. The onboard mic is mono only but there is a stereo mic socket for an outboard stereo mic and the one that I linked to comes with a Sony Stereo lavalier that is excellent.

I use one of these Sony's for the speeches. I usually tape it onto the venue mic in the "Voice Notes" setting and it works brilliantly for me as each speaker is speaking directly into it. It's nice and small as well so it's not very noticeable on the mic.

I also use the Sony & lav for the groom during the ceremony to pick up the vows and set it to the "Interview" setting for this and for the price the sound is fantastic.

I scatter H1's around the place as back up but I invariably end up using the sound from the Sony's for everything. I would definitely recommend having one or two of them in your bag.

[Roger Gunkel]

I work just about the same way as Aindreas and having had the Sony on several weddings and a commercial shoot now, I much prefer it to the Zoom H1. I also use the Sony lavalier mic for the ceremony and have the recorder set for interview. I clip the mic to the lower part of the Groom's jacket and it is then a very similar distance from the Bride during the vows. I am knocked out by the quality of the sound that I have been getting coupled with the small size of the recorder.

Battery life also seems to be exceptionally good compared to the Zoom and I am now looking at getting another 3 of the Sonys ready for my next multi camera stage show recording. I have only found one minor downside and that is that there is no thread for attaching a tripod mount or mic stand, but it is easy enough to make a simple clip, although unnecessary if using a plug in mic.

Roger

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Rob Cantwell

Here in Ireland, any i've done (which isn't a lot) or attended, the speeches are done from the top table, i haven't been at one where they haven't!
the venue mic is used, so what i've done so far, is to tape my Sennheiser SKM G3 radio mic to the venue's. the mic is then passed along to each speaker, has worked out ok so far!
In the event that theres no mic or i'm not allowed i have two Yamaha C-24's that work great. I did buy an old mic stand for a few euros but haven't had to put it up yet.
:)

I would never rely on that Rob - only last week the father of the bride, for half his speech, had the mic in his hand hanging down by his side - much safer to rely on a lav mic or a couple of good boundary mics

[Roger Gunkel]

i'd agree with that, every time I see a house PA mic being offered for speeches, I inwardly groan, knowing what's coming. Unless someone is very used to using a mic, they won't have a clue what to do with it or will feel self concious. I always rely on my own mics for speeches.

Roger

[Noa Put]

It's not always possibly to mic the person speaking, like when a woman speaks depending on what she is wearing or they might have several persons speaking at the same time and pass the mike around. I always connect my tascam dr40 to the dj's system whenever I can and until now I have had good results with that, or I strap a yamaha c24 on the mikes handle with velcro tape and place a backup mike in front of a soundspeaker whenever possible, has worked out well for me so far. Ofcourse you will have that occasional person that holds the mic halfway his waist but if the dj doesn't react to that I will if I can, it might not be that polite to interrupt a speaker but at least I would save the dj some headache when he is trying to compensate for the too low volume and the guests will be happy as well because they can understand what's being said, not to mention the sound quality on the dvd will be a lot better.

[Nigel Barker]

The amateur mic users who hold the mic so close that it's almost resting on their chin are the worst so if it isn't actually distorted the sound is full of plosive pops.

[Noa Put]

You can't have it all at weddings :) It will always be one of those events where you never will have full control on what is happening so backup is always essential.

[Roger Gunkel]

In the UK. the vast majority of wedding speeches are conducted from the head table, where the 3 main speakers are all seated, Bride's Father, Groom and Best Man. although PA mics are sometimes available, I always ignore them and put either a portable recorder with a splitter to 2 mics on the table or 2 recorders with a mic each

I rarely mic the speakers directly, preferring to have the mics equally spaced on the table to get some of the room ambiance and guest reaction, but no further than about a metre from them to get good clarity.

Roger

[Taky Cheung]

I just put together in my blog on ways to capture great audio at weddings. Feel free to comment.

Attaching Voice Recorder to Handheld Microphone to Capture Audio | L.A. Color Online Blog

[Byron Jones]

I have stayed away from the Sony 312 due to the mp3 only format. However, this thread is making me reconsider. The price is right for sure. The dimensions show it nice and small (1.5" x 4.5" x 0.84").

To those currently using this: are you getting satisfactory results using it without a lav? B&H doesn't show it comes with one. What are you using? Thanks!

[Taky Cheung]

I am using RODE PINMIC. It's the Long Pin version works especially well with thicker jacket. The mic pin through the fabric. There is no visible cord.

RODE PinMic Miniature Omnidirectional Microphone (Long Pin Version) | L.A. Color Online

[Noa Put]

I am using RODE PINMIC

While that looks like a very clean solution I"m sure my clients won't be happy when I tell them I'll be pressing 3 pins right through their expensive clothes, it might not be an issue but just the thought would most probably have clients refuse me using it.

[Taky Cheung]

It was never an issue. The 3 pins on PinMic actually fine enough to go through the "holes" fabric. The pin are actually finer than the pin they use to pin chest flowers.

Also, most of the groom's blazer are rental.

[Noa Put]

I believe you it won't be an issue but try convincing the client :) They just see something with 3 pins and you telling them it will have to go right through their new and expensive vest. :)
Even on a rental you's have to pay for damages, while that won't be the case the client might fear it will be.