Experience a post-production workflow that is far from traditional, but is extremely efficient and logical. Recommended hardware, software and apps, batch renaming, 4K Proxy workflow, GPS tagging, the correct steps to color correct and grade footage, and even how to safely back-up and archive your projects.
Learn the entire pre-production workflow, from brainstorming to asset allocation all the way to actually pre-shooting your project. This course is geared to filmmakers working with small crews, but it offers essential lessons and resources for all content creators.
This is your chance to join an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker on location! Get a unique view, from concept to delivery, and experience how to capture stills, video, and sounds to produce a commercial for a boutique winery in beautiful Oregon.
Expand your creative options and the range of services you can offer to clients by incorporating video and hybrid projects into your new 2020 skill set.
DISCLAIMER This article is not paid or sponsored by anyone. It reflects my own independent opinion. I only recommend companies and products that I trust. Some links might be affiliates, which means I may get a few pennies if you decide to purchase something. Thanks in advance for your support!
In my previous post I compared 6 different microphones on 6 configurations for filmmakers. Today I will compare 3 different wireless systems, once connected directly to a Panasonic GH5 , and a second time connected to a Zoom H1n field recorder.
The cool thing about these posts is that you will be able to listen to how each mic sounds while recording the same exact audio source, and judge the quality of each system by yourself.
Poison Apple Studios, a modern recording studio in Lisbon, Portugal
The Setup
The main goal was to test which mic/system would perform best under real-life situations for people working as a 1 Person Crew, so we chose one of the most popular cameras among indie filmmakers and the most basic field recorder we could find. For these tests I asked the help of Tiago Canadas, a professional audio engineer and owner of Poison Apple Studio, a professional audio facility in Lisbon. He chose a 30 second audio clip of a woman singing, and we meticulously set the mics at exactly the same distance and angle from the speakers.
Tiago hard at work.
Settings
We recorded all the microphones at 48000 Hz Stereo 24 bit, and used the same output settings to export the .wav files from Adobe Premiere Pro.
First we tested three wireless systems connected to the Panasonic GH5
Eduardo’s Comments: The three wireless systems performed very similarly andt he price for the three kits is almost identical. The RodeLink kit recorded more subtle sounds, and the Saramonic a bit less, but overall they seem extremely close.
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
07 MicTests_RodeLink Wirelss Kit to GH508 MicTests_Comica Wireless Kit to GH509 MicTests_Saramonica Wireless Kit to GH5
And then we tested the same three wireless systems connected to a Zoom H1n
Eduardo’s Comments: The Saramonica and Rode wireless systems are very close, but the Rode seems a bit “crispier. The Comica wireless system captures a less details than the other two.
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
10 MicTests_RodeLink Wireless Kit to H1N11 MicTests_Comica Wireless Kit to H1N12 MicTests_Saramonica Wireless Kit to H1N
Conclusions
Tiago’s Comments: The sound from all mics is poor, but this wasn’t a fair test for any of the mics. We should redo the test, adjusting each mic to perform its best and record actual human voices, not a recording.
Your Turn!
So here’s a question for you (the reader): If we redo this test, how would YOU like us to test these mics? Write your comments below, send me an email or even a Tweet.
DISCLAIMER This article is not paid or sponsored by anyone. It reflects my own independent opinion. I only recommend companies and products that I trust. Some links might be affiliates, which means I may get a few pennies if you decide to purchase something. Thanks in advance for your support!
In this post I compare 6 different microphones for filmmakers. On the next post I will compare 3 different wireless systems on 2 different configurations each. On both posts you will see the exact gear we used for the tests, and you will be able to listen to how each mic sounds while recording the same exact audio source. Sounds good? Let’s go!
The Importance of Clean Audio.
I strongly believe sound is the most important element on a film. We can have the most amazing story, stunning visuals and masterful editing and transitions, but add crappy sound and the viewer will tune out immediately.
For a number of reasons I own different audio sets, but never actually took the time to test them side by side. Until now. A few days ago I called my incredibly talented friend Tiago Canadas who owns Poison Apple Studios, a professional recording studio in Lisbon.
“Poison Apple Studios is a modern recording facility for today´s musician, band, producer, equipped with some of the most cutting-edge and old-school gear within an environment that is dedicated to one thing: creating great music. “
I’ve always wondered, “how long does it take to learn what each button does?”Poison Apple Studios, a modern recording studio in Lisbon, Portugal. Not exactly 1 Person Crew audio gear.
Why these tests?
I often joke about how many people spend all their money on a camera, get the kit (aka shitty) lens that comes with it, and if there’s any money left they buy the crappiest tripod in the world. It should be the opposite, as a good solid tripod can last 20 years, a great lens at least 5 to 10 years, and the cameras are being replaced by cheaper, better, faster alternatives every 18 months or less. Well, the same goes with audio gear. You can have a great field recorder and a professional mic, add a low-quality XLR cable and you get low-quality sound.
I’ve set a few professional goals regarding sound for 2019; pay more attention to audio recording while on location, add more sound effects to my projects, get better at choosing the music that enhances the story, and get a better technical understanding of mixing and mastering.
We spent an afternoon designing a test to compare three XLR shotgun mics, three on-camera shotgun mics, three wireless systems connected to a camera, and the same three wireless systems connected to a field recorder.
The Setup
At some point we considered plugging the mics to Pro Tools and go nuts analyzing the different tracks. But the main goal was to test which mic/system would perform best under real-life situations for people working as a 1 Person Crew, so we chose one of the most popular cameras among indie filmmakers and the most basic field recorder we could find. Tiago chose a 30 second audio clip of a woman singing, and we meticulously set the mics at exactly the same distance and angle from the speakers.
Tiago hard at work.
The Settings
We recorded all the microphones at 48000 Hz Stereo 24 bit, and used the same output settings to export the .wav files from Adobe Premiere Pro.
We tested three on-camera shotgun mics connected to a Panasonic GH5
Eduardo’s Comments: Saramonic mini shotgun is as good as the rode video mic go that I’ve used for many many years. The Panasonic shotgun picks up a lot more ambient sound than the other two shotgun mics. The Saramonic Vmic Mini and Rode VideoMic GO seem even in quality (and price).
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
01 MicTests_SaramonicMiniShotgun on GH502 MicTests_RodeVideoMicGo on GH503 MicTests_PanasonicShotgun on GH5
Eduardo’s Comments: This was not a fair competition for the Audio-Technica, as it is a completely different type of mic. The Rode NTG2 has a crisper sound than the Saramonic Shotgun. To me the Rode NTG2 performed better on this test..
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
04 MicTests_AudioTechnica on GH5 w XLR1 Adapter05 MicTests_RodeNTG2 on GH5 w XLR1 Adapter06 MicTests_SaramonicShotgun on GH5 w XLR1 Adapter
Conclusions
Tiago’s Comments: The sound from all mics is poor, but this wasn’t a fair test for any of the mics. We should redo the test, adjusting each mic to perform its best and record actual human voices, not a recording.
On the next post I’ll share the second part of these test, using three different wireless mic kits (with the same set up) on two different recording devices.
Your Turn!
So here’s a question for you (the reader): If we redo this test, how would YOU like us to test these mics? Write your comments below, send me an email or even a Tweet.
On any video production, regardless the crew size, sound design is key. We all know that. What’s is not very well known is where to find high quality and affordable sound effects.
Resources
On today’s video tutorial I share some of the websites I’ve found most useful, from the usual suspects, to the BBC and even a somewhat hidden sound effects library within YouTube.
I quickly discuss when to spend time recording ambient sounds on locations and when I’ve found it’s better to rely on sound effects libraries. There’s even a tip on how to create sound beds for free and without any copyright issues, and lastly, I discuss why Artlist.io is currently my favorite music library.
By the way, if you like what you see at Artlist.io, this link gets you 2 months FREE.
Dive in. It’s just under 3-minutes long but full of (hopefully) useful info. If you have other resources I didn’t mention, please add them to the comments below.
I’ve been using Rode wireless mics for many years and never expected to change. There’s even a blog post on why I have been completely loyal to Rode for so long.
But, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been using a new set of wireless mics from a company I didn’t know: Comica.
Features
The complete kit comes in a nice hard case, and offers all the expected features:
96-channels
Auto scanning
Real time monitoring
AA batteries
Lavalier mics included
Some other features stand out:
Adjustable RF signal strength which can be lowered to reduce power consumption and increase battery time
A working distance up to 394 feet (120 meters) in a open area
But there’s ONE feature that tipped the scale for me: two transmitters can be used with only one receiver.
Audio Workflow
In practical terms I need only one receiver connected to an audio recorder (like this or this or this) and can record two people simultaneously. As you can see below, as a safety net and to record high-quality scratch audio, I used a Rode shotgun mic on my camera. Later in post I simply duplicate the track, keep subject A on Channel Left and subject B on Channel Right, and sync the audio and footage manually in a few seconds using PluraEyes.
I wanted to document my two main characters, one winemaker on the field collecting the grapes with a small group of people, and a second winemaker at the shop, receiving and pressing the grapes. They both were working at the same time at two different locations.
Do you shot on the field with the beautiful early morning light and miss an event that happens only once a year, OR do you document the grape crushing process and get b-roll later with super harsh mid-day light?
As a 1 person crew my options were very limited. I did run like crazy all day to get enough footage of both, but by having a wireless mic on each subject the whole time I was able to also capture wonderful moments. For example, the small group of farmers singing and joking while picking grapes, and at the same time one of the winemakers describing his winemaking philosophy, and why they choose to use ancient methods over modern ones.
Trying to record a long and formal interview on the most important and busiest day of the year for the subjects was out of the question. And if you have done any interviews before, you know it is extremely rare to get this kind of spontaneous sound bites.
Pros and Cons
I used this kit for about 5 hours straight on a single set of AA batteries per unit, which is very impressive. I always use and recommend Eneloop rechargeable batteries, they cost a bit more but last much longer.
I’ve seen some complaints on Amazon about the quality of the mics. I haven’t noticed any issues, but will test the wireless transmitters with other lavalier mics in case I’m missing something.
There are also a few complaints about the battery holders (aka cartridges). I agree with that one. The batteries are super tight, so I’d recommend getting three extra sets of battery holders to swap batteries much faster.
There you have it; how to record two people at two different locations with only one receiver and getting fantastic results. The 1 person crew approach.
In this 1 Minute Tutorial you will learn how to quickly record audio from a wireless system like Rode’s RODELink Filmmaker Kit to an external monitor/recorder like the Atomos Ninja Inferno.
As an example I’ll be using a Panasonic Lumix GH5, but the steps apply to virtually any camera, wireless system, monitor.
Key Steps
1. Make sure the Transmitter and Receiver have been paired. Just in case, here are the instructions to do just that.
2. Connect the camera to the external monitor/recorder via HDMI cable.
3. Connect the RECEIVER (RX) via a “3.5mm male to 3.5mm male” cable to the camera. This cable should be included with your RODELink Filmmaker Kit.
4. CRITICAL STEP: In The Atomos Ninja Inferno turn the volume ON and enable the RECORD buttons on the LEFT. Then make sure to turn OFF the volume and the record buttons on the RIGHT.
5. CRITICAL STEP: Under “Audio Options/Audio Delay” select ZERO (0) frames. This is the case when working with the Panasonic Lumix GH5, but you might need to adjust the Audio Delay settings for other cameras.
And that’s that.
But, why to get into all this to begin with? Because now we can have very long recording times AND embed high-quality audio to our high-quality footage. There’s no need to transcode nor sync anything in post saving lots of time. That’s why.
