Tentacle Sync E - iOS Recording App with Timecode

Last year at NAB Tentacle Sync announced their bluetooth enabled timecode generators, Sync E. I've used them over the last year and really like that they are easy to setup and monitor via their bluetooth app (for iOS). Syncing video to audio is super simple with the included Tentacle Sync Studio app for macOS.

But one thing I've wanted to do for a long time is send timecode to my iPhone when I'm using it as a recorder, such as when I do show floor interviews at NAB.

Now you can send timecode to your iPhone, wirelessly, with Tentacle Sync E and a new app from Tentacle Sync titled "Timecode Audio Recorder."

Also, Ulrich reveals that Tentacle Sync is working on full Bluetooth jam syncing capabilities with their Sync E timecode generators. This is exciting because now you can ensure that all of the timecode generators are in perfect sync through an entire production day.

Gear covered and used to shoot this episode:

Tentacle Sync E Bluetooth Timecode Generator

RODE Reporter Microphone

RODE iXLR Adapter - Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad

Panasonic GH5 - A good event shooting video camera

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5 most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

SoundDevices MixPre 10M - NAB 2018

Last year Sound Devices announced and shipped their MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 recorders and then later added the MixPre-10T with a few additional hardware features for professional sound engineers. One question I received several times was, "Can I use this to record my band and does it have overdub and punch in features? Any effects like reverb?"

In this episode, Paul Issacs talks with Cary Judd, my brother who is a profession music producer in addition to filmmaker. The MixPre-10M looks a lot like the 10T, but the operating system is re-designed from the ground up and optimized for multitrack music recording.

As a bonus for those who already own a MixPre-3, 6, or 10T, you will be able to add all of these music recording features with a plugin that runs $99. The plugin will be available some time in the summer of 2018.

Gear covered and used to shoot this episode:

Sound Devices MixPre-10M for musicians

Sound Devices MixPre-10T - 8 XLR/TRS inputs, timecode

Sound Devices MixPre-6 - 4 XLR/TRS inputs + stereo 3.5mm input

Sound Devices MixPre-3 - 3 XLR inputs + stereo 3.5mm input

RODE Reporter Microphone

RODE iXLR Adapter - Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad

Panasonic GH5 - My favorite small camera for shooting events

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

Sound Devices MixPre 10T & New Firmware - NAB 2018

Last year Sound Devices announced and shipped their MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 recorders and then later added the MixPre-10T with a few additional hardware features for professional sound engineers.

In this episode, Paul Issacs runs down the list of additional features in the 10T along with the new features that will be added to the 3, 6, and 10T in a new firmware update that became available earlier this week: Re-mix, cue markers, and more flexibly channel linking.

You can find the firmware update over on the Sound Devices site here.

Gear covered and used to shoot this episode:

Sound Devices MixPre-10T - 8 XLR/TRS inputs, timecode

Sound Devices MixPre-6 - 4 XLR/TRS inputs + stereo 3.5mm input

Sound Devices MixPre-3 - 3 XLR inputs + stereo 3.5mm input

RODE Reporter Microphone

RODE iXLR Adapter - Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad. Works ok for short clips (6 minutes or less) but drifts on longer clips with my iPhone 7+

Panasonic GH5 - My favorite small events camera

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5 most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

Deity Microphones NAB 2018

Last year, Aputure made their first serious shotgun microphone for independent filmmakers called the Deity. It was an impressive first design with a decent sound and the ability to withstand water exposure. But now they've decided to get more serious by spinning off their microphone business so that the Deity team can focus 100% on sound.

In our interview, Andrew covers the S-Mic, D3, and D3-Pro shotgun microphones, Deity's first three models.

Gear covered and used to shoot this episode:

Deity S-Mic Coming Summer 2018

Deity D3 Coming Summer 2018

Deity D3-Pro Coming Summer 2018

RODE Reporter Microphone - Amazingly good dynamic reporter's mic for about $130

RODE iXLR Adapter - Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad

Panasonic GH5 Camera - My main "event shooter" small camera. Love the in-body image stabilization

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

Audio Ltd A10 Wireless Microphone System - Sound Devices NAB 2018

The professional location sound market now has a fully digital wireless microphone system option - the Audio Ltd A10 from Sound Devices! Here we have a closer look at the A10 system with Kish Patel at the Sound Devices booth at NAB 2018.

Gear covered and used to shoot this episode:

Audio Ltd A10 Wireless Microphone System

RODE Reporter Microphone

RODE iXLR Adapter (Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad)

Panasonic GH5

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

Zoom F8n: First Look

The Zoom F8 audio recorder and mixer changed the location audio world two years ago when it was released. Zoom showed that they could make some very good preamps and most of the features pros expect in their recorders including timecode, dual card recording, and an incredibly robust build all for a price that sits under $1000 USD. 

Of course the F8 wasn’t perfect. The hybrid limiters weren’t perfect, the inputs were only line level when using a TRS cable, and the headphone amp was a little rough to listen to all day. It appears that Zoom heard the customer feedback and starting summer/fall, the F8n will address many of the few remaining hardware issues.

Gear used to shoot this episode:

RODE Reporter Microphone

RODE iXLR Adapter (Record a dynamic XLR microphone to iPhone or iPad)

Panasonic GH5 - My favorite, small camera for handheld use with a great image stabilizer

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission.

Better Sound for Your Videos: Basics for Sound Newbies

How can you make your videos sound better? Here’s a quick overview for newbies who just want better sound but aren’t really interested in becoming a sound expert. 1) Get the microphone close to the person speaking. 2) Choose the right kind of microphone. Boom mics sound more natural but lavaliers allow the flexibility of moving around more. See the videos below to help you choose the right mic for you, and if you choose a boom mic, how to boom it close to the person speaking.

My recommended microphones and how to boom a mic for not too much money:

RODE VideoMic Pro+ boom/shotgun microphone - Incredibly convenient, flexible, and good sounding microphone

Aputure A.Lav Lavalier Microphone - the best sub $40 microphone I have found

RODE VC1 Extension cable for when you boom your camera-top shotgun microphone.

How to boom a microphone like the RODE VideoMic Pro:

3 camera top shotgun microphones compared:

6 Affordable Lavalier Microphones compared:

5 Indoor Boom Microphones compared:

5 Shotgun Microphones compared:

3 Professional Indoor Dialogue Boom Microphones compared:

3 Affordable Indoor Dialogue Boom Microphones compared:

Panasonic GH5S (My current favorite small camera)

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Quality, iOS Mics, Limiters, Monitoring, G4, Lavaliers, Cameras Audio, & Quiet Voices

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, we answer your audio for video questions:

00:12 Quality Difference Between USB and SD
01:04 iOS Mics
05:37 Limiters and Quality
06:31 Getting Audio to Boom Op
09:20 Sennheiser G4
12:57 Lavalier microphones directly to Mixer
16:43 Camera Audio
21:51 Quiet Voices

Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode: 

DPA d:vice - dual lavalier interface for iOS, Mac, PC

Sennheiser Clip-Mic Digital (Lightning)

Sennheiser MKE2 Digital Microphone (Lightning)

Shure MOTIV MV88 Stereo Microphone (Lightning)

Zoom iQ6 Stereo XY Microphone (Lightning)

Zoom iQ7 Stereo Mid-Side Microphone (Lightning)

RODE iXY Stereo Microphone (Lightning)

Sending wireless audio from your mixer with the Sennheiser G3 system:

WAV.REPORT’s First Look at the Sennheiser G4 wireless system:

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Keep an Eye by Back to Dream. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link.

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

ATOMOS SUMO Audio Features

The ATOMOS SUMO 19” monitor & recorder is a dream to work with on set from an imaging point of view. The ATOM HDR feature makes exposing log footage much easier, has all the focus and other exposure tools pros rely upon, and even has some pretty impressive audio features. In this episode, we look specifically at the audio features and assess whether the microphone and line level inputs work well enough to rely upon for your projects and jobs. We also take a look at how the timecode and monitoring features hold up.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
ATOMOS SUMO 19 - this is the recorder version, not the monitor-only version

Tentacle Sync E Timecode Generator

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer & Recorder

Sennheiser MKH 8050 Super-cardioid Boom Microphone

Panasonic GH5S - My current favorite small camera

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Q&A - Audio Interface, Upgrades, Headphones, Sync, & Giraffes

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, a Q&A session, we cover the following questions:

00:14 How to connect powered monitors/speakers to my Sound Devices MixPre?
02:37 Should I upgrade from the Zoom F4 to the Sound Devices 552 or save up for the 664?
05:44 What do you think of using noise cancelling headphones when recording location sound?
08:16 How do I sync 4 cameras and audio from 2 recorders?
11:13 How do I record giraffes in a hurricane with a Sony point-and-shoot camera?
14:26 Troubleshooting audio gear

Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode: 

Sound Devices MixPre Course

Whirlwind pcDI - convert the unbalanced output of your MixPre to balanced XLR cables to connect your powered speakers/monitors
Sound Devices MixPre-3 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Recorder/Mixer

Zoom F4 Audio Recorder/Mixer

Sound Devices 552 (2-Track Recorder, Cannot Record ISOs)
Sound Devices 664 (Records ISO Channels + Mix, But No AutoMix)
Sound Devices 633 (Record ISO Channels + Mix, also includes AutoMix)
Sennheiser PXC 550 Noise Cancelling Headphones
RODE NT1A Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Awaken by Ethan Rank. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link.

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd