Who's using ONLY digital recorders for audio?

[Katie Fasel]

We use a mix...Senheiser wireless system on the groom and for a feed at the reception, digital recorders for priest/readings/podiums/everything else.

I like the idea of being able to monitor during the ceremony, but we've run into a few headaches this season with a little bit of hiss / interference here or there. Nothing that ruined a wedding but just sick of the headache of running around before the ceremony to test for interference, and same thing with DJs. We're leaning towards going with digital recorders all together.

I don't like not being able to monitor audio during the ceremony, but the truth is, if something is going wrong, I'm not stopping the ceremony anyhow...just curious on what others' thoughts are on this?

[Jeff Harper]

There are drawbacks to recorders too, but I'm glad to have them. Auto does not work very well on the Zoom H1, so it's a crapshoot when I set the input level. It normally it's fine, but not always. I am glad I have them, I rely on them, I use three now. Overall the results are most predictable with the wireless.

I still use the wireless, it's really nice to have. I love having clear audio that is part of the video, not a separate stream. I personally won't give it up yet.

The worst thing about recorders for me has been using them with DJs and getting levels right from soundboard. Much trickier than I expected it too be.

Katie, you have to try it and see which works for you. It's scary relying on recorders, I check them too many times, I did not hit record one time and I won't forget it again.

[Chris Talawe]

Katie, funny you ask this question because we actually just switch to all digital recorders from our last wedding. We use to use both wireless and digital recorder for backup but I also dont like the random hiss. I definitely love to be able to monitor the audio but at this point the digital recorder seems to be more reliable for us. We still use the wireless for controlled type interviews but I think its just habit. We like the H1 and we keep it at Auto.

[Art Varga]

Originally Posted by Katie Fasel

but we've run into a few headaches this season with a little bit of hiss / interference here or there. Nothing that ruined a wedding but just sick of the headache of running around before the ceremony to test for interference

I am getting more and more interference from my wireless. Just random bursts of static and I've just been lucky they haven't occurred during the vows - yet. I did some research and some are suggesting cell/smart phones can be the cause. I've never asked the groom to turn off his phone but will try this the next wedding. If I can't resolve I will be going the digital recorder route.

Art

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I still use the wireless, it's really nice to have. I love having clear audio that is part of the video, not a separate stream. I personally won't give it up yet.

Me too. The sound quality with the Sennheiser lav mic is a lovely full rich sound too. I have just started using a Panasonic G6 as my wide safety locked off camera instead of the Canon XF105 but still use my Sennheiser G3 wireless unit that looks ridiculously big perched on the hot shoe of the G6 but still does a great job.

[Katie Fasel]

Originally Posted by Art Varga

I am getting more and more interference from my wireless. Just random bursts of static and I've just been lucky they haven't occurred during the vows - yet. I did some research and some are suggesting cell/smart phones can be the cause. I've never asked the groom to turn off his phone but will try this the next wedding. If I can't resolve I will be going the digital recorder route.

Art

EXACTLY....we get these random bursts a lot lately...one WAS during the vows, but was really pretty darn low and of course I noticed it, but the clients did not. But we have had LOUD ones, and I'm not prepared to explain those if and when they happen during the vows or speeches. If we continue to use the wireless system, turning off cell phones is something we are definitely going to suggest.

We've been very impressed with two Sony recorders that we have lately...I'm not sure what the model is off the top of my head, but paired with a pretty inexpensive lav that we got from B&H the sound quality has been impressive to say the least.

We have two of the Sonys, and two H1s..there are things I like about both...unlike others, I DO like the auto feature on the Zooms because we put them on the lectern...it is handy when you have one boisterous male reader, and one soft female reader and no way to adjust in between. I don't like that the Sonys don't have an auto feature, so we never put them on the lecterns.

Does anyone have use Shure wireless systems? My husband has been looking at a new set that he's been raving about and says that we are going to replace the sennheisers with those.

[Noa Put]

I use a zoom h1, a tascam dr40, a yamaha c24 and a cheap sony (don't recall what type exactly) so all my recorders are separate and not monitored live, I do always have a backup at the church sound speaker in case another mike might fail.
In the past I would put a mike at the lectern, one at the altar, one at the groom and one at the soundspeaker but because I often don't have the time to set it all up and because it took too much time to take it all away again I decided to just mic the groom and place 2 recorder at the sound speaker so if one fails I always have backup, something that is crucial if you have no way to monitor your sound, but even if you can monitor your sound, if it fails, you can't do anything about it.

[Jeff Cook]

I have two zoom h1s and like them. I used one on the groom on auto so I could pick up the bride. I was thinking about setting it to manual, but others suggested auto works good in the situation. I had the other hooked up to the dj's mixer on manual. I believe the setting I set it to was 15 and it came out good. I figure better low than over modulated.

[Kyle Root]

I also use the Sennheiser G3 and have been plagued by random hiss and other interference... even after scanning and having a "clean" signal 30 minutes before the ceremony starts. I actually had 3 weddings this year where there was what I would call significant interference on the vows, to where I had to use "wide shot" audio.

Fortunately, I clearly state up front that there may be interference and I don't make any promises the vow exchange will be heard etc. Everyone has been fine with that.

I have started using a Tascam DR40, but sometimes it's very difficult to get it in a location where it will be close enough to pick anything up. I've thought about investing in another short shotgun mic that I could maybe rig up on stage in some situations to get "closer"... maybe even hiding in some of the flower arrangements. I'm not talking small ones, I'm talking these huge 3' wide 6' tall gigantic vases with huge arrangements kind of thing.

[Dave Partington]

Turning cell phones off is an absolute priority for me, not just for the groom but anyone stood close to them OR me. Phones near the receiver can have just as bad effect.

Also, make sure BOTH transmitter AND receiver are orientated the same way, so if the transmitter is upright in the groom's pocket make sure the receiver is upright on your camera mount. Don't under estimate the effect this can have on signal problems / reflections.

[Kyle Root]

Now that's an interesting tid bit... I've never thought about that, making sure they're in the same orientation.

Because historically, my G3 has always been mounted on my camera's hot shoe horizontally, while naturally the mic pac is in the grooms jacket pocket vertical.

I have a wedding Saturday. I will try this out.

-- regarding cell phones --
I seem to recall reading a lot a while back that iPhones and smartphones in general can cause significant interference issues with wireless mics, and even more so now that the switch was made in America a few years back to get wireless systems into the under 700 MHz spectrum. Don't know if there's any hard science behind it, but I do remember reading those kinds of things when the transition happened.

Normally an annoucement is made before the wedding to turn off cell phones... but kind of like on airplanes during take off and landing, only a small percentage of folks literally do it.

[Don Bloom]

Cell phones are always hunting for the network. Now in most cases you don't hear that in the headphones because they're not hitting the wireless freq. BUT....when they do hit the freq, it can be painful. DUT DUT DUT DUT DUT and here's the thing. You can't do anything about in post to fix it because it inevitably ends up hitting just as the vows are being said. Well, not really but it seems like it.
BTW, Blackberrys seem to be the worst. I have a true horror story about one but I won't get into it right now just suffice to say the B&G thought it was the DJs fault (non church ceremony, DJ supplied the PA system and wireless mic for the ceremony) and it was a guest sitting 5 feet from me with his Blackberry. I "politely" told him to turn it off and put it away during the remainder of the ceremony and even went after to explain to the B&G it WASN'T the DJs fault. For whatever reason it hit his freq and not mine.
I ALWAYS have the guys in the bridal party turn their phones OFF as do I. I'm not worried about the girls since in most cases they leave theirs in the brides room.
Once you hear the phone hunting for the network you'll never forget the sound and will always be vigilant about it.
Of course I love to hear someones cell phone go off with a beautiful melody during the ceremony almost as much as I love hearing little children cry and scream.
Don't get me started on that! ;-)

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Of course I love to hear someones cell phone go off with a beautiful melody during the ceremony almost as much as I love hearing little children cry and scream.
Don't get me started on that! ;-)

Best one I had was the bride had given her phone to her mother to look after. The mother left the bride outside with the father and was walking down the isle as the brides phone alarm went off to remind her she's getting married. So, the mother is walking down the isle with the bride's phone playing "here comes the bride".

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Kyle Root

Now that's an interesting tid bit... I've never thought about that, making sure they're in the same orientation.

I bought a couple of this type of adapter specifically to make the receivers stand up:

1/4" Screw Hot shoe mount adapter Adjustable angle pole for camera LED light | eBay

Nice and cheap and work well.

[Don Bloom]

Dave, that is cute (I hate that term but it seems appropriate for this) and that would 100% make it in the finished product if it were me.