Digital Video - June 2008 - (Page 38)

As a part of this story, you’ll find a Microphone Buyer’s Guide on our site. Visit DV online. Windscreen lists for $43.67 and has four-layers of nylon mesh. And yes, you can build your own using stretched pantyhose. The other thing about studio mikes is how to mount them. While most come with a rigid stand mount, the ideal mount is a shockmount that helps isolate the mike from the stand, the floor and the room. FIELD MIKES While field mikes can be anything from large shotguns to micro-mini lavaliers, they have one thing in common: they are used in uncontrollable environments. That means having to take great care with your recordings. Tip number one: Windscreen even if it’s not windy, just use it, always and religiously. It not only helps with wind noise, but with a breathy voice. It will also help to protect the mike in case it gets dropped. Tip number two: Shockmount your mike if not a lav or handheld. You don’t need to use a pole to shockmount your mike; shockmounts can be mounted on cameras (which helps eliminate vibrational noise from the camcorder). Tip number three: The right mike for the job. Putting a handheld mike with a wide pickup pattern on a camcorder may not be the smartest idea, so use a shotgun with a tight super-cardioid pattern to get the sounds that the camera is pointing at. A great time to actually use a wide-pattern handheld on a camcorder is if you’re in a room and want to pick up natural sound at a consistent level no matter where you turn the camera — the trick is to mount the mike pointing upwards. And finally, monitor your audio while recording, and check it afterwards. biggest problem. A number of Web sites list available or reserved TV channels so you can get your wireless on an open channel, but coordination and site surveys are the key. If there are others using wireless mikes, it’s time to coordinate. (Some hotel conference centers actually have charts in each room that list the frequencies their AV department uses for wireless.) The site survey can tell you about potential problems before they happen. Just look around. What can cause interference? Make sure folks turn off their cell phones and their Bluetooth headsets. I’ve had wireless mikes take hits from a variety of sources, so while you can eliminate some of them, you can’t catch every last one, so monitor your audio carefully. Having a wireless system that gives you a choice of frequencies is great, just remember that even the best wireless system can take a hit. And always use fresh batteries (and have spares). DV Michael Silbergleid is president of The SilverKnight Group, a technology marketing communications company. He has been a theatrical sound designer who has run sound offBroadway. Contact him at msilbergleid@sil verknight.com. WIRELESS MIKES Interference is the biggest problem with wireless mikes. Whether a TV station (VHF/UHF), cell phone, Bluetooth, microwave oven, or other mikes, this will be your From top: Electro-Voice RE27N/D dynamic cardioid studio microphone, M-Audio Nova cardioid studio mike, Shure's PS-6 Popper Stoppers Windscreen, Shure SM58 dynamic cardioid unidirectional wired/wireless mike, Sony ECM77 omnidirectional wired/wireless lav, Nady 151 VRVHF wireless system. 38 dv june 2008 www.dv.com http://www.dv.com

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Digital Video - June 2008 Contents DV Update My Studio Runners World Brevis Flip 35MM Lens Adapter 4160 Soom Tripod System Century Essential-5 Filter Kit Little Big Disk Quadra Instant Expert DXA-2S Adapter Technology Treasures Making What You See Sound Great Click to Play DV 101 Production Diary

Digital Video - June 2008

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