On 12/7/05, Jan McLaughlin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Jack's pronouncement that lapel mics (lavaliers) aren't as "good" as
wireless mics provoked some thinking and a desire to share some
information.
Wireless mics are not necessarily easy to work with or the solution to
every sound challenge. Most notably, if you can't get them to work well
for you, then they're not better, but worse than a wired lavalier.
What wireless mics *can do is allow you to capture sound more
transparently - with fewer obvious reminders to your subjects that they
are being filmed. They also free the camera from being either tethered
to the subject, as with a wired lavalier, or the need to be within 3
feet of the subject in order to get good sound without a lav. It's a
pain in the bum to have to disconnect your subject every time he or she
wishes to stand up and move around. It's potentially intrusive to have
the camera very close all the time.
Some thoughts about wireless mics: keep transmitter and receiver as
close together as possible and if that's not possible, then within
"line-of-sight" - e.g., no physical obstacles between them. It's
advisable to have headphones on so you know whether you're getting good
signal from wireless mics as you record. They are not always reliable.
Cell phones will interfere with wireless signal as when your cell phone
comes through your speakers with pfft-pfft-pfft when nearby. Advice:
make sure all cell phones near transmitter and receiver are turned off
during recording.
Wireless mics - especially the lower end mics - send only a limited
frequency range. As an example, a telephone sends a limited frequency
range and that loss of frequencies above and below that of the average
human voice makes the voice sound tinny. Make sure you listen to the
mics before purchase to determine whether this loss is acceptable to
your ear.
Lavalier placement is also very important, but that's advice for a
hands-on seminar.
My best advice to those interested in purchasing external microphones
for their cameras is to take your camera to your nearest professional
sound sales/rental house and have them walk you through a bunch of
options so you can listen, compare, test, and walk away with all the
cables and accessories required to make it work for your particular
device.
XOXOX,
Jan
--
Josh Leo
joshleo.com
stonefarm.blogspot.com
joshspicks.blogspot.com
vlogcats.blogspot.com
wearethemedia.com
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