Shotgun Mic/Location Sound Advice Needed!!!

[boringstatue]

I am in need of a little guidance. I am trying to start a small location sound business. I have already have a Tascam DA-P1 Dat Recorder and I'm looking to buy a mic(s) and a boom and anything else that would be essential to the location sound business. I've got very limited experience with Location sound but I have worked as an engineer in a local studio for the past five years so I'm not completely green. Does anybody have any advice for me? What would be needed in the most basic rig? Any mic recommendations? Am I crazy to think I can pull this off without any experience?

[Berolzheimer]

Yep.

[Berolzheimer]

It should be fairly obvious; get some experience before you dive in and expect people to pay for your services in a very competitive field. Read all you can about film & TV sound, and hire on as an assistant to a production mixer for a few years, then maybe start doing some student films, & work your way up. Film sound is a lot more complex than just owning a Dat recorder & pointing a mic at someone.
That said there are a lot of people who do this job badly, I've been on many sound editing crews that had to do a lot of work fixing up a botched production mix. If you do learn well and really make an effort to do a great job and always go the extra mile with the post process in mind, as well as doing whatever you can to keep the directors and other members of the production crew happy, you'll be like gold. Just don't expect it to happen tomorrow.

[PlugHead]

FWIW,

I've been doing this part-time for a few years, and speak strictly from what I've learned on and off set - YMMV greatly... Basic kit follows:

The shotgun mic could be a variety of choices - low end is Sennheiser ME-66, all the way up to 416/816, or Neumann KMR-81 or KMR-82, but supposedly the new kid on the block is the Sanken - supposedly a great mic, but I've yet to hear it. You will of course need a boom pole, suspension system (Rycote) and fuzzy/fleece/acrylic for wind and wet. You can expect to lay out a couple a grand (new) for this part of your kit, and even more if you're serious...
You'll need at least 2 wireless mic's, and not cheapies: Lectrosonic/CAT/Tram/Sennheiser etc, and expect a minimum of a grand/set: good ones more than double that...
A good portable mixer is a must: best bang for the buck is the Sound Devices 302 or 402 series: bulletproof, and pretty damn good sounding, unless you're comparing them to Cooper/Pico/etc., but then again, over 5 grand to walk in that door, and they won't hold their value, given the market today...
Lastly, depending on what particular area you're delving into, you'll need a recorder of some sort: The DA-P1 is OK (I have one too), but hardly a standard: I wouldn't use it's pre's unless there was no other option. You'll need timecode if you're recording audio onto anything other than (feeding signal back into) the camera, and if it's film, you'll have to have timecode, no option. I'd suggest rental on that part of the kit - timecode DAT is still widely used,and some still are using nagra's, but they're both relics, and tho they're bulletproof, pretty much not worth the effort. Every job is different, and the PM will tell you the company's needs, and you'll go (rent) from there. You'd be hard pressed to pay off a capital purchase like that, unless you work constantly, and even then, think of how long before that kit becomes obsolete: faster than the boom kit, and that'll continue to make you money, and doesn't depreciate like a DAT machine...

my .02 cents - expect to shell out at least 5k just for basic kit: shotgun (with pole), one, maybe two wireless mics (if you get them used) and at least a 3 channel mixer (Sound Devices 302 is $1200 USD) just to start - it's not unlike the "studio" side: quality costs money, and so does portability, so either get started with renting kit, and buying piece by piece (as I'm still doing years later), or cough up if you can, but you'll NEED to work regularly if you plan on paying off your investment...

best,

[Tim Halligan]

I agree with Dr Boom. However, it takes a certain amount of insanity to want to be a field recordist for film/tv, so you may be perfectly suited.
...As for gear, your existing DAT is good for ambiences, and maybe wild lines, but you really do need timecode for film and double system TV work. Fostex/HHB/Stellavox(Stelladat) no longer make/sell timecode DAT recorders, so you're kinda stuffed if you want to be tape based. Hard disk multitrack seems to be the weapon of choice for film work - Fostex PD-6/HHB Portadrive/Zaxcom Deva etc - but expensive. Hire before you buy.
Microphones...IMHO Sennheiser 816 is a must, but hard to find new. It's not listed on the Sennheiser website, but due to a large demand from Japan, another batch was made...get in quick. The MKH70 is close...but no cigar. Sennheiser 416 or MKH60 as a short shotgun. Radio mics are a raffle...Letrosonics, Sennheiser(REALLY expensive), Micron etc...pick one that you like...the capsules are changeable...Senn,Sony,Millimic,Sanken. Apparently Tram is history - I understand the guy died, and his son tried to carry on the business, but it got too hard. Shame...good mics. Whatever...get 2.
Mixer...Cooper, Audio Developments, Filmtech, SQN. Andy Cooper apparently used to be THE Nagra guy in the States, and having used a few Cooper mixers, I understand exactly where he is coming from - very nice. SQN - stunning. Audio Developments and Filmtech - both really good. Just make sure you get recent models...the older AD's were OK but not brilliant. Avoid any SHURE mixer. Old or new...just average at best.
Booms...Panamic or Van Den Burg(?spelling). Panamic for film, vdB for ENG/EFP type stuff. Maybe K-Tec.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Tim

[djs]

hi all.

i'm a studio guy that has been getting into more and more location recording. i usually run a small 2 or for channel setup. i mostly record rock/blues/jazz/folk acts. a few times i haven't been able to get board feeds, and, for different reasons, i have had to place my mics at large distances from the stage. this obviously puts in way more room sound than i want (without a board feed to mix in) and thins out the direct sound too much.

my question is this: given this senario, are there any musical sounding shotgun mics out there which i could use to get better, more direct sound from the stage? one for full band stuff? one for solo acoustic stuff? and price range.

thanks for any input you have.
-dan