lavalier mics for pcm d50

Officer Dibble · 25th April 2009

Hi there,

I have a Sony PCm D50. Which I love!

Q: I need to record an interview between two seated people while they are being filmed.

I would prefer to give each person a lavalier mic clipped to their clothes/shirt. Is it possible to run two lavalier mics into a splitter and into the PCM D50 so that their voices will be split to the Left and Right channels which I can then mix in post later?

Which lavalier mics can you recommend? I have a budget of about $750 or £350 for two lavalier mics.

Alternatively, what shotgun mic would anyone suggest to use with the PCM D50 for interviews

Appreciate all suggestions!

OD

chris319 · 27th April 2009

You need a mixer. Here is how I would do it:

Buy Audio-Technica AT803b Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphone | Condenser Microphones | Musician's Friend

Buy Peavey PV6 Mixer | Unpowered Mixers | Musician's Friend

You also need an adapter to get from the mixer's left and right outputs to the Sony's line input, which IIRC is a TRS mini plug. Please ask if the part about the adapter doesn't make sense to you.

How are you going to sync sound and picture?

GZsound · 28th April 2009

I recently had a client need two lavalier mics to record therapy sessions with her clients direct to CD.

I bought an inexpensive Yamaha MG mixer and two Naiant X-X lavalier mics..
Man.. great recordings.

The mics were $40 each. Naiant Studio

Officer Dibble · 28th April 2009

Hi GZSound and Chris,

I have seen the AT803's before, but not the Naint.
Is there a link to recordings made with these mics on the net?
I want the recording to have as clean a recording as possible at the best price! (Impossible I know).

I was hoping not to get a mixer... but will consider it. Thank you for the link. Is it possible to run two lav mics into an adaptor/splitter to the PCM D50's line in or mic input?

It will be synced to Film. I have an on camera mic so it is easy for me to sync to the camera's sound.

I appreciate your replies and any further suggestions. Is it worth increasing my budget to get a better mixer?

OD

leeg1970 · 28th April 2009

Why don't you consider hiring a mixer- Perhaps a Sound Devices 302 (£8 pd hire) ? This way you get to see what's out there without blowing your money on something you may or may not use that often.

The Lavs I like to use are the Sanken COS 11 and DPA 4060's (ebay for DPA's pretty cheap £350 should cover two) both sound good.

Good luck.

Lee

LEE G

Quote:

Originally Posted by Officer Dibble

Hi GZSound and Chris,

I have seen the AT803's before, but not the Naint.
Is there a link to recordings made with these mics on the net?
I want the recording to have as clean a recording as possible at the best price! (Impossible I know).

I was hoping not to get a mixer... but will consider it. Thank you for the link. Is it possible to run two lav mics into an adaptor/splitter to the PCM D50's line in or mic input?

It will be synced to Film. I have an on camera mic so it is easy for me to sync to the camera's sound.

I appreciate your replies and any further suggestions. Is it worth increasing my budget to get a better mixer?

OD

chris319 · 28th April 2009

Quote:

Is it possible to run two lav mics into an adaptor/splitter to the PCM D50's line in or mic input?

It's possible in the literal sense of the word but the results will be quite unsatisfactory. You need a mixer.

Wow, that Naiant lapel looks pretty cool. I just got a Naiant X-Q and am very pleased with the sound of it, and you can't go wrong at that price.

Forget what I said about the Peavey mixer. The left channel on mine just crapped out and one of the knobs is bad, so I'm shopping for a new one.

GZsound · 29th April 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Officer Dibble

Hi GZSound and Chris,

I have seen the AT803's before, but not the Naint.
Is there a link to recordings made with these mics on the net?
I want the recording to have as clean a recording as possible at the best price! (Impossible I know).

I was hoping not to get a mixer... but will consider it. Thank you for the link. Is it possible to run two lav mics into an adaptor/splitter to the PCM D50's line in or mic input?

It will be synced to Film. I have an on camera mic so it is easy for me to sync to the camera's sound.

I appreciate your replies and any further suggestions. Is it worth increasing my budget to get a better mixer?

OD

I don't know if there are any recordings on the net of the Naiant lavalier mics, but as I said, they were great for the recordings of therapy sessions. Nice full quality pickup.

I tried one on some acoustic instruments in my studio just for giggles..acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo with good results too. They would make good instrument mics for acoustic bands on a budget.

Again, two Naiant X-X extended lead lapel mics and a small Yamaha MG series mixer was under $200. Pretty hard to beat the price.

Granted my little inexpensive set up had zero "wow" factor and probably would not impress anyone into brand names.. but hey, it's the end result that matters.

chris319 · 29th April 2009

Quote:

Forget what I said about the Peavey mixer. The left channel on mine just crapped out and one of the knobs is bad, so I'm shopping for a new one.

Later that day ...

I unscrewed eight screws and opened up the (metal) case of my Peavey mixer. It's built like a tank inside. I then fitted the case back on without the screws -- problem solved. I put the screws back in, tightened them, problem still solved. I don't know what the problem was but removing and reattaching the case fixed it, and now I love my Peavey mixer again. Four mic inputs with pretty darn decent preamps, built like a tank, $100.

Officer Dibble · 5th May 2009

Thanks again Chris & GZ,

I am back from a well needed vacation

The job I was going to use the lavaliers and mixer on has been postponed. But I will look into getting them soon anyway.

For the price, two lavaliers and the peavey mixer - hard to beat!

Do the Naint's have a low background noise? What about a little bit higher up the price ladder?

I don't care about brands as long as the recording is very very good

chris319 · 5th May 2009

There are some demos at Naiant Studio under Naiant TV. Other than bad room acoustics, the mics sound good to me.

If you're doing a two-person interview with lapel mics you really need someone to mix them, to reduce the off-axis pickup of each person on the other's mic, if that makes sense.

Lapel mics can get very expensive.

Officer Dibble · 15th June 2009

Thanks for all the advise and help. The project was pulled. Typical bureaucratic stuff!

so I didn't buy the mics or the mixer.

Useful thread and thanks again.

OD

Big D · 31st July 2010

Thanz you guys for putting me onto Naiant and their mics. I have been looking for four small lavaliers that operate on the phantom power from the mixer. I just ordered them and I'll give you and quality update and how they compare to studio mics and the ME-2 wireless.

I'd like to return the favor if possible. I've been an electronics engineer and well as a musician and studio engineer for the past 30 years. Now I'm a deposition videographer... I would have retired if wall street didn't screw me so hard... c'est lavie. If I can be any help let me know.

Big D

petsematary · 12th December 2010

It's an oldie but not too old...

You guys were talking about mixing lav's. Do you do that just to be able to ride the faders and reduce unwanted pickup/cancellation?

Obviously the mixern wouldn't be needed for preamp purposes, at least not if you have a 2+ preamp recorder. I'm kinda curious as I'm looking around for lav mics at the moment. Figured I might as well get those of those and solve two problems in one. First being in-person interviews where I want some freedom of movement and second being stereo ambience recordings.

I'm thinking mixing just to ride the faders would be a bit of a pain in the behind if there's just me and the interviewee. Is there any other way of doing that, that doesn't require quite as much attention on my behalf while the interview's in progress?

If not, what are my options in terms of battery powered small mixers (read: really effin small)? And would I have to use the preamps in the mixer? That would kind of a shame seeing as I had my PMD recorder modded just to get better preamp sound.

Thanks slutz. And sorry for hijacking the corpse of an old thread.

hbphotoav · 13th December 2010

DPA 4060/61 would give you a great pair of lavs that also work exceedingly well as a stereo pair of omnis. Does the "PMD" recorder have XLR in as phantom? If so, run 24bit (if you can) with nominal peaks at -12dBFS and engage the limiter.

GZsound · 14th December 2010

My client that records her therapy sessions with two lav mics simply makes sure the levels are not too hot and overdriving the inputs to the recorder and let's it rip.

No riding of faders is required. Fire up the cheap mixer, fire up the CD recorder and bingo, she has a very decent recording of her therapy session.

I have heard some of the recordings she has done and they sound great.

Of course I can't listen to very much of them because I don't want to quit smoking or lose weight....and there is that danger.

petsematary · 14th December 2010

Good point.

I used to be the mixer guy at a really small tv station and I always had to ride the faders to keep the lav's from phasing the hell out. But then again, that problem might've been bigger with 3 people in the studio, I actually don't remember. Problem might not be that big with 2. It's just that I remember that it used to be a hassle, that's why I'm used to the idea of constant fader riding.

Ride the fade, ride the fade, to the lake, the ancient lake baby... The fader's long... seven miles...

25th April 2009	#1
Officer Dibble Gear nut Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 84 Thread Starter	lavalier mics for pcm d50 Hi there, I have a Sony PCm D50. Which I love! Q: I need to record an interview between two seated people while they are being filmed. I would prefer to give each person a lavalier mic clipped to their clothes/shirt. Is it possible to run two lavalier mics into a splitter and into the PCM D50 so that their voices will be split to the Left and Right channels which I can then mix in post later? Which lavalier mics can you recommend? I have a budget of about $750 or £350 for two lavalier mics. Alternatively, what shotgun mic would anyone suggest to use with the PCM D50 for interviews Appreciate all suggestions! OD

28th April 2009	#3
GZsound Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Oregon Posts: 958	I recently had a client need two lavalier mics to record therapy sessions with her clients direct to CD. I bought an inexpensive Yamaha MG mixer and two Naiant X-X lavalier mics.. Man.. great recordings. The mics were $40 each. Naiant Studio __________________ Mark G.

13th December 2010	#14
hbphotoav Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2008 Location: NashVegas Posts: 1,044	DPA 4060/61 would give you a great pair of lavs that also work exceedingly well as a stereo pair of omnis. Does the "PMD" recorder have XLR in as phantom? If so, run 24bit (if you can) with nominal peaks at -12dBFS and engage the limiter. __________________ Harry Butler Photography • Videography • Audio Visual Production www.harrybutlerphotoav.com

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27th April 2009	#2
chris319 Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2007 Location: West Hollywood, USA Posts: 1,492	You need a mixer. Here is how I would do it: Buy Audio-Technica AT803b Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphone \| Condenser Microphones \| Musician's Friend Buy Peavey PV6 Mixer \| Unpowered Mixers \| Musician's Friend You also need an adapter to get from the mixer's left and right outputs to the Sony's line input, which IIRC is a TRS mini plug. Please ask if the part about the adapter doesn't make sense to you. How are you going to sync sound and picture?

5th May 2009	#9
Officer Dibble Gear nut Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 84 Thread Starter	Thanks again Chris & GZ, I am back from a well needed vacation The job I was going to use the lavaliers and mixer on has been postponed. But I will look into getting them soon anyway. For the price, two lavaliers and the peavey mixer - hard to beat! Do the Naint's have a low background noise? What about a little bit higher up the price ladder? I don't care about brands as long as the recording is very very good

15th June 2009	#11
Officer Dibble Gear nut Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 84 Thread Starter	Thanks for all the advise and help. The project was pulled. Typical bureaucratic stuff! so I didn't buy the mics or the mixer. Useful thread and thanks again. OD

31st July 2010	#12
Big D Gear interested Joined: Jul 2010 Posts: 1	Thanz you guys for putting me onto Naiant and their mics. I have been looking for four small lavaliers that operate on the phantom power from the mixer. I just ordered them and I'll give you and quality update and how they compare to studio mics and the ME-2 wireless. I'd like to return the favor if possible. I've been an electronics engineer and well as a musician and studio engineer for the past 30 years. Now I'm a deposition videographer... I would have retired if wall street didn't screw me so hard... c'est lavie. If I can be any help let me know. Big D

12th December 2010	#13
petsematary Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: East Coast, Sweden Posts: 1,491	It's an oldie but not too old... You guys were talking about mixing lav's. Do you do that just to be able to ride the faders and reduce unwanted pickup/cancellation? Obviously the mixern wouldn't be needed for preamp purposes, at least not if you have a 2+ preamp recorder. I'm kinda curious as I'm looking around for lav mics at the moment. Figured I might as well get those of those and solve two problems in one. First being in-person interviews where I want some freedom of movement and second being stereo ambience recordings. I'm thinking mixing just to ride the faders would be a bit of a pain in the behind if there's just me and the interviewee. Is there any other way of doing that, that doesn't require quite as much attention on my behalf while the interview's in progress? If not, what are my options in terms of battery powered small mixers (read: really effin small)? And would I have to use the preamps in the mixer? That would kind of a shame seeing as I had my PMD recorder modded just to get better preamp sound. Thanks slutz. And sorry for hijacking the corpse of an old thread.

14th December 2010	#15
GZsound Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Oregon Posts: 958	My client that records her therapy sessions with two lav mics simply makes sure the levels are not too hot and overdriving the inputs to the recorder and let's it rip. No riding of faders is required. Fire up the cheap mixer, fire up the CD recorder and bingo, she has a very decent recording of her therapy session. I have heard some of the recordings she has done and they sound great. Of course I can't listen to very much of them because I don't want to quit smoking or lose weight....and there is that danger.

14th December 2010	#16
petsematary Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: East Coast, Sweden Posts: 1,491	Good point. I used to be the mixer guy at a really small tv station and I always had to ride the faders to keep the lav's from phasing the hell out. But then again, that problem might've been bigger with 3 people in the studio, I actually don't remember. Problem might not be that big with 2. It's just that I remember that it used to be a hassle, that's why I'm used to the idea of constant fader riding. Ride the fade, ride the fade, to the lake, the ancient lake baby... The fader's long... seven miles...