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Dollsfoto

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Hi!

 

This is my first forum post, so greetings to all of you! I would like to thank you for the help you provide here. I was reading the forum for the last week and find lot of useful information. I realized two things - here I can find mainly professionals (I mean really professionals) and you do not like threads starting with "which is the best...". So, I am a bit afraid of what responses I will get, because I am a total beginner in audio/video and despite the thread name is not "which is the best...", but very close to it. Sorry. (I am especially afraid of Mr. Michaels).

 

I think that usually the problem when asking for best setup is that there is not exact specification of needs and conditions, I will try to be as specific as I can, but with my limited knowledge it will be pretty difficult:

 

As the thread suggests I am looking for a help related to audio for adult movies. I mean high quality adult movies - this is why I am here and asking for your help. Obviously, in the movies there will not be much talking, however there will other sounds that should be recorded - from very subtle and quiet breathing to loud screaming. Most of the videos (90%) will be done in medium size rooms with one bad and bare walls - I would say a typical hotel room. The movies will be recorded with two cameras - probably with Canon C100 cams. The other 10% will be recorded outside in controlled environment, mostly in nature, not noisy places. 

 

1 - I know that most of you being a boom operator/mixer/"audio guy" is your job and it is craft that has to be learned and mastered. I do not want in any way insult you with this questing, but I have to ask. Do I really need a professional boom operator considering the circumstances? I do not know what is the difference between recording normal movies and adult movies, but I suppose that recording adult movies is far more easy, is it? I am asking, because I am from small country where we do not have video productions, so we do not really have a lot of pro boom operator. Probably it would also be out of the budget. Is a "friend" holding a boom pole good enough to do the job? I am rally afraid of asking, but what about booming the mic and leaving it there? (sorry.) I know you usually say - it will end in disaster, but it is usually when talking about narrative, I am not sure if adult is not another cup of tea.

 

- - I heard and read a lot in the last few weeks and for now I am really confused about the gear we need. If we chose/you will tell (there is not high probability for it) that we do not need a professional audio guy what kind of equipment would you recommend. To understand me - I know that sound is very important, but I do not want to pay for something that is overkill for us, because of our budget is limited. I know that experience is more important, then having expensive equipment, but we have to start somewhere. What mics, preamp, recorder etc (setup) do you recommend? --

 

2 - Microphones:
I have read a lot of positive reviews about Sennheiser 416, Sanken CS3e, Sennheiser MKH 8060 which are shotgun mics, but some say that they are pretty good even indoors. I heard that CS3e is a bit like a "magic mic", because it can be used inside and outside too. Maybe because our work is 90 percent inside you would suggest a hyper - CMC 641, Sennheiser MKH 50 Audio-Technica 4053b etc. There is a pretty big price gap between those microphones. As I told you earlier, I do not want to buy a mics which would be an overkill for this job, but I want to have a decent gear to start with. I was wondering if you would recommend one mic - all in one - like the Sanken CS3e, or two mic - one for indoor and one for outdoor. Please bear in mind that I can not always get physically close with mic to the subject I want to record.

 

3 - Pre-amp

I do not think that I will ever need more than two channel audio. For sure not for this type of work. So, I was considering picking SD MixPre-D. But do I really need it? I know that some audio guys found the C100 in cam pre-amps decent to directly plug there a mic, others said that with the MixPre the sound was much better. I think this also depends on which mic will be used, because some have more self noise, other less etc. Would like to know what do you think.

 

4 - Recorder

I heard a lot of good about Tascam D60, except a clicking sound. But if it will be attached to MixPre I think it is not longer a problem, right? Or again - I know you do not recommend this for really pro work - but would it be enough to record audio on the C100. I think it also depends - if we have or do not have someone that is dealing only with the audio part of the project. To tell you the truth, there is high probability that most of the time the production will be 2-3 person, so I do not expect miracles. 

 

5 - Boom pole

Yes, I know it is basically just a pole, but what length do you recommend? I think that I will stick with aluminium instead of the carbon ones because of budget and the "boom operator" does not have to hold it for that long time, if you know what I mean ;)

 

6 - Anything else?

 

I was really struggling at first to post on this forum full of pros, because of the harsh comments I previously read and was not sure that it would be a good idea to ask for "what is the best?". But I think that this type of recording will always be the same or at least we will be doing it under very similar conditions, this is why I finally decided to open a thread. I hope to get from you some useful recommendations, because

 

Thanks very much in advance :)

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I approved this post from a new member, but I have to say this is a FIRST for this site --- trying to answer the question (which the poster has indicated he is fully aware) "what is the best (fill in the blank) for the job?". This particular post is especially difficult because we have no idea what the expectations, from the producer/employer, are for this sort of project. To the poster, "Dollsfoto", be prepared for some rather unsettling comments from all our professionals, non-professionals, newbies etc. I think lots of people may comment and very little will be helpful, sorry. Maybe "Dollsfoto" may be lucky enough that we have a member (no pun intended) who has done this sort of work and could give some useful advice.

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I approved this post from a new member, but I have to say this is a FIRST for this site --- trying to answer the question (which the poster has indicated he is fully aware) "what is the best (fill in the blank) for the job?". This particular post is especially difficult because we have no idea what the expectations, from the producer/employer, are for this sort of project. To the poster, "Dollsfoto", be prepared for some rather unsettling comments from all our professionals, non-professionals, newbies etc. I think lots of people may comment and very little will be helpful, sorry. Maybe "Dollsfoto" may be lucky enough that we have a member (no pun intended) who has done this sort of work and could give some useful advice.

 

Thanks Jeff for approving the thread. I am afraid you were right about what kind of comments will I get.

 

I do not really understand, if someone is professional why does he not behave like professional. Some members showing that they are far from being professionals - it is always much easier to make joke of someone instead of trying to help. I can understand that a lot of sarcasm will be made here, but it would be nice to also get some useful advice. 

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Here's the thing about the word "professional": many meanings, many interpretations when it comes to describing a person, their behavior, or a piece of equipment, its performance, its specification. At the simplest level, you are "professional" if you are paid for your work, and the gear you use is professional as well. Beyond that, on this site, people are free to behave any way (almost) that they want to, with humor, kindness, thoughtfulness, uselessness, sarcasm and at times outright meanness. It is what it is. I did warn you, Dollsfoto (and don't get me started, again, on people not using their real names).

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Thanks Jeff for approving the thread. I am afraid you were right about what kind of comments will I get.

 

I do not really understand, if someone is professional why does he not behave like professional. Some members showing that they are far from being professionals - it is always much easier to make joke of someone instead of trying to help. I can understand that a lot of sarcasm will be made here, but it would be nice to also get some useful advice. 

 

I think its sort of the nature of the beast around here.  Don't sweat it.  Lots of people here think everything is below them, but hey, as long as the check clears and you're wife gives you the okay, I say go for it.

 

If it were me, I would definitely steer clear of a shotgun mic, based on being inside 90% of the time.  I'd go with a MKH-50, personally, since you can get away with it outdoors.

 

How you record is kind of up to you and the producer and camera.  My first advice would be to record in-camera, and get something like a Sound Devices mixpre or 302, but then maybe cables would be an issue around set?  I suppose if its typically done in one long take, you could record separately and then sync, but I feel like the more steps involved the higher the chance for user error (especially if this isn't being operated by a "professional".  Definitely DONT just plug a cable straight into the C100, as you'll have no idea if you're recording at a proper level.

 

Good luck.  Sounds like a challenging work environment if I ever heard of one.

 

e.

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This is going to be a fun thread that I'm sure will go on for a while. But seriously yes I would reach for an mkh50. Its only 5 inches.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Size isn't everything you know! My 8050 is only 1.7 inches and sounds great!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

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Definite contradictions in the OP's thread.

His insistence that the question of how to handle the location audio should be handled in the most professional way possible leads to one answer: hire a professional sound crew.

Anything less is a less professional way to do it and will result in less professional answers.

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I'm sure these adult movies have bigger budgets than most of the stuff I work on.

 

The golden ages of the adult industry is over. These days everything is free and it is really difficult to squeeze out some money from it. Therefore I am not sure about this, despite I do not know the usual budget of small films/movies.

 

Dollsfoto may be better off checking out the DVinfo and DVuser audio forums, which would be better suited to his obvious expertise level (or lack thereof).

 

Not all forums allow talking about adult, even if it is only technical aspect of it. But as I see now, maybe I have made a bad decision of opening a thread here at jwsoundgroup. I thought that this is forum, because some experienced guys are willing to help, but I am not sure...

 

This is going to be a fun thread that I'm sure will go on for a while. But seriously yes I would reach for an mkh50. Its only 5 inches.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

You are a second one suggesting MKH50. I am sure it is a great mic, but maybe too directional? You know I have to care about recording the voice of the female talent and the "action". Maybe using two mics would be more ideal? But again, that would make things even more difficult. Does the MKH 50 have  good pickup pattern to record the voice and the "action"/body sounds at the same time?

 

I think its sort of the nature of the beast around here.  Don't sweat it.  Lots of people here think everything is below them, but hey, as long as the check clears and you're wife gives you the okay, I say go for it.

 

If it were me, I would definitely steer clear of a shotgun mic, based on being inside 90% of the time.  I'd go with a MKH-50, personally, since you can get away with it outdoors.

 

How you record is kind of up to you and the producer and camera.  My first advice would be to record in-camera, and get something like a Sound Devices mixpre or 302, but then maybe cables would be an issue around set?  I suppose if its typically done in one long take, you could record separately and then sync, but I feel like the more steps involved the higher the chance for user error (especially if this isn't being operated by a "professional".  Definitely DONT just plug a cable straight into the C100, as you'll have no idea if you're recording at a proper level.

 

Good luck.  Sounds like a challenging work environment if I ever heard of one.

 

e.

 

Thank you. A lot of useful advice for me in your post, really appreciate it, because as you can see I do not get many usable advice from here. It is for sure a challenging environment, it is not like an usual production, because we have to limit our crew to be only 2-3 person, but at the same time produce quality. Lot of members here do not understand, that I am willing to learn it how to do it properly and hiring a pro sound guy is not in budget/the crew would be too big/we need a person who can travel with us when needed. As I already stated here we do not have a lot of professional sound guys, so the best bet for us would be learn how to do it properly by our own crew. 

 

I think the best "starting" gear is right now MKH50 to SD MixPre to C100. I am still not sure about how to boom, if we need at least a friend doing the boom work, or placing the boom fixed would do the job. I think that we will need at least someone dealing with the booming if we need quality sound. 

 

I would be interested if I can deal with the mixing and adjusting levels as a camera guy or it would be too much work for one person?

 

Here's the thing about the word "professional": many meanings, many interpretations when it comes to describing a person, their behavior, or a piece of equipment, its performance, its specification. At the simplest level, you are "professional" if you are paid for your work, and the gear you use is professional as well. Beyond that, on this site, people are free to behave any way (almost) that they want to, with humor, kindness, thoughtfulness, uselessness, sarcasm and at times outright meanness. It is what it is. I did warn you, Dollsfoto (and don't get me started, again, on people not using their real names).

 

Jeff, I understand what you are saying and appreciate how correctly do you handle this situation, but I think you understand what I tried to say. I am using an alias name, because here in adult industry we try to protect our privacy.

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I'd go for the CS3e, the MKH50, though a wonderful mic, performs less well further away from the subject. The CS3e is the closest thing to a one size fits all solution, I use mine more than any other mic. In moderately skilled hands it will give you good, even 'professional' results.

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Put another way, the OP's position is, "Why can't you professionals give me a nonprofessional way to do the job professionally?"

The problem is in the question, not in the answers.

 

There is something true in this. But it is interesting that every time some newbie ask a question here almost always the answer is - "hire a professional boom operator/mixer". Ok, if the budget allows and there is opportunity to do it why not, but there are times when it is not possible. But what is someone - me? - wants to learn how to do it and I am not saying that I want to be a professional in this field, but I would like to do at least a decent job while dealing with the audio. I do not understand why most forum members are not trying to give at least a basic advice on a gear and how to use it properly. I really want to learn and I do not expect miracles at the beggining, but it does not help me a lot when some forum members make joke of me and post for example "condoms on the mics?" - that reveals something about the quality of the person.

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Most of the top mixers [many retired now] started out doing porno's up in S.F. .

 

The tascam 60D [i think it's called] is a good choice----It's cheap and records a back-up and a cheap [$300 or under audio technica or rode mic.] and "Bob's your Uncle".

 

                                                J.D.

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I've had good results with the Audix SCX1. It's a good value. I've never done a XXX job but I've done plenty of love scenes and nude scenes, (as I'm sure plenty of people here have as well) and have found it to be quite challenging at times. I'd say that's it's never a good idea to mount a boom during production. Even in an interview situation the talent will most definitely move off pattern let alone a...

Ps. If you need some stock ADR I can probably get it from my upstairs neighbor. Bwaahahaha.

Good luck.

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