Sound for Video Session: Q&A 11 December 2018

In this week’s Sound for Video session, we answer your questions about production and post sound:

00:13 Isolating lavalier microphones

05:12 Which software to use for editing, mixing sound?

07:49 Can you use the F8/n as audio interface with F-Control?

08:56 Loudness vs Peak Normalizing

12:27 Default settings for Sennheiser G3?

13:37 Can you link the Zoom F4 & F8 to operate as one?

14:56 How to get “Radio Voice” with Audition?

18:07 How does the FCC frequency allocation affect you?

19:25 Sound Devices 688 and SL6

20:17 How does Sennheiser MKH416 compare to newer shotgun mics?

25:11 Dealing with ventilation/refrigerator that cannot be turned off?

26:58 Mixing foley?

27:41 How did I get a killer deal on these old Lectrosonics wireless kits?

30:40 How to mount timecode generator to camera?

31:47 MixPre: Meters and limiters

33:55 Are vintage mics overrated?

36:50 How do you get audio to a director?

37:18 Recommendation for enthusiast wireless mic systems?

38:52 Is the Tascam DR-60DmkII still a worthwhile purchase?

40:56 I do both music and film sound, should I get the MixPre-10T or 10M?

42:27 Zoom F8: How do I keep the settings I make on the app?

43:45 Zoom F8 5.1 firmware update: What’s new?

45:00 How to record iso channels on MixPre-6?

45:39 Recommended recording apps for iOS?

47:38 How to setup the dbx 286s?

48:41 Is Izotope RX worth its price?

51:00 Which frame rate settings do I use for timecode?

Previous videos mentioned in today’s session:

Fairlight in DaVinci Resolve:

Loudness normalization:

Foley:

Comtek wireless audio for directors:

MixPre-10M vs 10T:

Gear discussed/used to record this episode:

Moleskin (Amazon) for hiding lavalier microphones

Joe’s Sticky Stuff (Amazon) - two-sided tape for attaching lavalier mics to clothing or anything else

Zoom F8n (Amazon) - eight channel audio recorder/mixer. One of my favorites. Paid my own hard-earned money for this thing.

Zoom F4 (Amazon) - four channel audio recorder/mixer. Basically the same as the F8n but no app control, monochrome screen, and bigger knobs. Paid my own hard-earned money for this thing.

Sennheiser G4 solid analogue wireless mic kit

AKG C414 XLS - used to record today’s session. I was recovering from a cold at the time, so this isn’t the best representation of the sound possible with this mic. We’ll do another demo with it once my voice is back to normal.

Sound Devices 688 - Pro level audio recorder/mixer. It is the price of an older used car but a good buy for those doing paid production sound work.

Sound Devices SL6 - add on wireless receiver slot system which simplifies powering and using larger antennae for multiple slot-in wireless receivers from your sound bag.

Sennheiser MKH416 - Tjhe legendary shotgun microphone for film & TV production.

Sennheiser MKH8060 new generation shotgun microphone meant to replace 416

Sennheiser MKH8050 new generation indoor dialogue boom mic meant to replace MKH50

Sound Devices MixPre-3 - great little recorder from the company that makes amazing pro-level audio recorders. But this one is a lot more affordable. 3 mic inputs, analogue limiters.

Sound Devices MixPre-6- great little recorder from the company that makes amazing pro-level audio recorders. But this one is a lot more affordable. 4 XLR mic/line inputs plus a 3.5mm stereo input, analogue limiters.

Sound Devices MixPre-10T- great big recorder from the company that makes amazing pro-level audio recorders. But this one is slightly more affordable. 8 XLR mic/line inputs plus a 3.5mm stereo input, 2 balanced and 2 unbalanced outputs, analogue limiters. etc. Great recorder. My favorite sub $2000 USD option.

Tascam DR-60DmkII (Amazon) - great budget recorder (XLR inputs are good, 3.5mm not so good)

CEntrance Mixerface R4 audio mixer/recorder (Amazon)

dbx 286s channel strip (Amazon) - good for voiceover and live broadcast sound

Universal Audio Apollo x6 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface - used to record the voice over for the screen cast

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Awaken by Ethan Rank

Sound for Video Session: Timecode Systems UltraSync Blue Demo

In this week’s session, we take a look at a wireless timecode generator you can use to make syncing audio and video from your mobile phones and tablets quick and easy: The Timecode Systems UltraSync BLUE.

The BLUE can send timecode to up to 4 devices at the same time and can also connect wirelessly to UltraSync generators attached to cinema cameras or professional level audio recorders.

At the time of this review, the compatible apps are for iOS, available in the App Store:

Apogee MetaRecorder (audio recording app)

Mavis (Cine style camera app)

Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode:

Timecode Systems UltraSync BLUE - Bluetooth wireless timecode generator

Sennheiser ClipMic digital (Amazon) - used to record the talking head clips into the MetaRecorder app

Electrovoice RE20 (Amazon) Dynamic Broadcast Microphone - used to record the voice over for the screen cast portion

Universal Audio Apollo x6 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface - used to record the voice over for the screen cast

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Keep an Eye by Back to Dream

MOZA AIR 2: How to Balance & Mini Review

Single handle motorized gimbals for interchangeable lens hybrid and DSLR cameras have come a long way over the last few years. The original MOZA AIR was really good for the smaller ILM cameras and had a great app for remote control and time-lapse. The newest gimbal from MOZA, the AIR 2, is a nice step forward in a lot of ways. It can handle much heavier payloads, uses separate axis controls rather than “modes”, impressive battery life, a new shorter pan arm which makes it easier to see the screen on your camera and quickly and smoothly go to a low shot.

In this episode, we cover how to balance your camera on the MOZA AIR 2 and do a mini review.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

Gudsen MOZA AIR 2 Gimbal for Interchangeable Lens Hybrid and DSLR Cameras

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record most of this episode

Aputure COB120dmkII (Amazon) - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II (Amazon) - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 LED panel light

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS (Amazon) Lens - Used on the GH5 gimbal shots

Panasonic GH5 (Amazon) Camera - Used on the gimbal shots

Glider Pro 3 4th Axis Dual Handles by Scotty Makes Stuff - Review coming soon

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

Sound for Video Session: Edit/Mix Room Tour 2018

After several requests and despite my prior objections, this week’s episode is a virtual tour of my mix/edit room. This is where I edit all of my videos, edit and mix the sound for these videos, and generally work. I hesitated to do this because I don’t want anyone to think that you have to have expensive tools to edit and mix good sound for video. You can start with a basic computer and set of headphones. Once you’re getting paid to mix and edit sound for video, then it generally makes sense to invest in some tools that will help you get the job done more efficiently.

Please consider my sound for film courses.

Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode:

Sennheiser MKH 8050 (Amazon) Supercardioid boom microphone

Oktava MK-012 (Amazon) Cardioid boom microphone

Schoeps CMCmk41 Supercardioid boom microphone

Furman PL-8C (Amazon) Power Conditioner

Universal Audio Apollo x6 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface with 5.1 surround monitoring

Focal Solo6 Be Powered Reference Monitors (Speakers)

Mackie 802VLZ4 (Amazon) Analogue Mixer

Sony MDR-7506 (Amazon) Closed Back Headphones - my first choice for when I’m recording/mixing on location

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (Amazon) - my second choice for when I’m recording/mixing on location

Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro (Amazon) Semi-open Back Headphones - my first choice for reasonably priced mixing headphones

Sennheiser HD820 Closed Back Reference Headphones - My favorite very expensive headphones for mixing

Golden Age Project Pre-73mkIII (Amazon) - A modern day copy of the Neve 1073 preamp. All analogue. Fuzzy and warm

Golden Age Project R1 Active mkIII (Amazon) - A reasonably priced ribbon microphone with a smooth high frequency roll-off which I like for recording voiceover and harsh instruments. Smooth

Electrovoice RE20 (Amazon) Dynamic Broadcast Microphone

Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer/Audio Interface

Blackmagic Pocket cinema Camera 4K - used to shoot this episode

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Keep an Eye by Back to Dream.

CEntrance MixerFace R4 Mixer/Recorder For Film & Video: Tiny Pro Level Mixer/Recorder

It has been a while since we’ve seen an innovative new handheld recorder with professional level pre-amplifiers and other features. The CEntrance MixerFace R4 and R4R, however, have done just that.

These are very compact mixer (R4) and recorder (R4R) that is very small, yet very rugged and sounds really great. They include an in-built Li Polymer batter that lasts up to 8 hours (nearly 7 hours phantom powering microphones in my tests) and provide several outputs including line and mic level, unbalanced and balanced. It includes 2 XLR microphone inputs and a 3.5mm line level input. There’s no screen, which means longer battery life, and there are physical controls to do everything you need to do.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at https://school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

CEntrance MixerFace R4 (this is JUST a mixer and audio interface to record to camera, iOS, Android, Mac, or PC)

CEntrance MixerFace R4R (this is a mixer, microSD card recorder, and audio interface to record to camera, iOS, Android, Mac, or PC)

Apple Lightning to USB 3 Adapter (Amazon) - You’ll need this if you want to record to an iOS device from the MixerFace R4 or R4R

USB C to Micro OTG Cable (Amazon) - You’ll need this if you want to record to an Android device with USB C input from the MixerFace R4 or R4R

Shure SM58 (Amazon) Dynamic Handheld Microphone - The quintessential handheld dynamic microphone

ElectroVoice RE20 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone - great for podcasts and voiceover

DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone - This is the shotgun microphone I use for my paid production sound jobs when shooting outdoors

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record this episode

Aputure COB120dmkII (Amazon) - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II (Amazon) - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 panel light

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 (Amazon) OIS II Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd 

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

JK Mic-J 069 Headset Microphone: Cheap Headset Mic for Recording in Noisy Places

Lots of people have asked me what type of microphone would work well for recording lectures, public speeches, demonstrations, or sermons, especially in cases where there might be a lot of ambient sound and noise.

Headset microphones are one good way to make these types of recordings and in this episode, we take a look at an affordable headset microphone option: The JK Mic-J 069 Cardioid Headset microphone.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

JK Mic-J 069 (Amazon) Headset Microphone - for Sennheiser and RODE Wireless systems

JK Mic-J 069 (Amazon) Headset Microphone - for Zoom and Tascam recorders and most cameras

JK Mic-J 069 (Amazon) Headset Microphone - for Shure Wireless systems

JK Mic-J 069 (Amazon) Headset Microphone - for Audio Technica Wireless systems

JK Mic-J 069 (Amazon) Headset Microphone - for AKG and Samson Wireless systems

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record most of this episode

Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro - Used to shoot a couple of the b-roll shots

Aputure COB120dmkII (Amazon) - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II (Amazon) - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 panel light for background in some of the shots

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

Sony ECM-674 Shotgun Microphone: Compared to RODE NTG2 & Deity S-Mic 2

Microphones in the $250 to $350 range are at a sweet spot between performance, sound quality, durability, and reasonable price. In this episode we take a closer look at the Sony ECM-674 shotgun microphone and compare it with the RODE NTG-2 and Deity S-Mic 2. All three of these microphones are shotgun style boom microphones with XLR balanced outputs. Let’s see how they compare.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at https://school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

Sony ECM-674 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone

RODE NTG-2 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone - our review can be found here:

Deity S-Mic 2 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone - our review can be found here:

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record most of the product shots

Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro - Used to shoot the talking head shots

Aputure COB120dmkII (Amazon) - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II (Amazon) - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 panel light for Lighting Bridget

Came TV RGB Ringlight - Used to light the product shots on white background, review coming soon

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

Deity D3 Pro Shotgun Microphone

At NAB 2018, Deity Microphones made their debut and announced several new microphones for video and filmmakers. The D3 Pro is their new camera-top shotgun microphone but it has some features which make it stand out from many of the others on the market. First, it can automatically detect which type of 3.5mm input your recording device is using and adapts to work perfectly with that camera, phone, or audio recorder. And, with the D3 Pro Location kit, you can adapt the 3.5mm output to work with XLR based cameras and audio recorders.

Check for compatibility with your camera or phone.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

Deity V-Mic D3 Pro - Standard, camera-top kit

Deity V-Mic D3 Pro - Location kit which adds pistol grip shock mount and 3.5mm to XLR adapter

MiniRig 2 Bluetooth Speaker - used for the off-axis rejection test. I use this because it is small enough to move easily around the mic and at the same time, is able to produce bass down to about 50hz which is critical for the test.

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record most of the product shots

Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro - Use to shoot the talking head shots

Aputure COB120dmkII - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 panel light for Lighting Bridget

Moza Air 2 Gimbal - shown in the gimbal product shot - review coming soon

Came TV RGB Ringlight - Used to light the product shots on white background, review coming soon

Panasonic GH5 - Used in product shots and to record the audio in the silhouette sample clips

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 Lens - Used on the GH5 and the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

Sound for Video Session: Recording Audio in a Tesla Model 3

In this session, I'm looking for a way to record decent dialogue audio in a moving car, specifically the Tesla Model 3. In this test, we put the following to the test:

CEntrance Mixerface R4R Audio recorder/USB audio interface

RODELink Filmmaker Kit

JK MicJ Headset Microphone

If you wanted to skip the Wireless kit and connect the microphone directly into the Mixerface R4R recorder, use the RODE VXLR+ adapter.

Tesla - If you plan to buy a new car, Tesla makes some really nice options. Using my link, you'll get a little extra, i.e., free supercharging for 6 months.

Copyright 2018, Curtis Judd

Upcoming Reviews After a Short Break

After five years of producing a new video nearly every week, I need a short break just to catch up on a ton of things that have been neglected and recharge a bit. We've got a bunch of interesting reviews coming up after the break:

Sony ECM-674 Shotgun Microphone

Centrance MixerFace R4 - 4 channel XLR/3.5mm TRS Mixer/USB Audio Interface. Great for mobile recording

JK Mic-J Headset Microphone

Moza Air II - Coming soon

Scotty Makes Stuff Glider Pro 3 Duo - 4th Axis Stabilizer for motorized gimbals (like the Zhiyun Crane 2)

Aputure Light Dome II - Softbox for the Aputure COB series of lights or any light with a Bowens mount

Aputure Light Dome Mini II - Smaller softbox for the Aputure COB series of lights or any light with a Bowens mount

Portkeys HS7T On Camera Monitor - HD high brightness screen with HDMI and SDI inputs. Can read 4K signal via HDMI - Coming soon

Accusonus ERA D

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.