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Best way to record in noisy environment


BoroParmo

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Hi all,

I'm working on a short film (very low budget) next month and have been to scout out the locations the other day, I found out that both exterior locations are going to cause me problems as ones next to a noisy road and the other is next to a scrap yard (lorry's and wagons moving about quite regularly) 

I am an amateur sound recordist so I dont really have much access to different microphones, my kit for this is going to be;

Rode NTG 2, Rode NT4, 2 Sony radio mics, Tascam DR 60D, boom pole and blimp

Just wondering what the best sound quality I could achieve is (radio mic or shotgun) 

 

Thanks in advance and let me know if you need anymore info

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Maybe download a SPL meter app to your smart phone. I have db Meter Pro on my iPhone, but there are plenty of others. I find that's sometimes helpful for making my case that a location or current noise is loud enough to impair good audio tracks. Usually, people trust me when I say there will be a problem. I don't need to explain dB scale or anything, but occasionally it helps to be able to show visually that it's 83 loud. 

Good luck.

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Thanks all for your feedback

Mirror - I thought that might be the case, just have to find ways to hide them in costume now haha

Philip - Unfortunately the locations are set so I've just got to do the best I can with the equipment I have

Jim - Thanks for that I'll have a look into it, sounds very interesting

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Sounds like a typical LB british production. Probably a fortunes worth of camera and lenses, a DP with an agent and a director with awesome showreel of non sync films :~) etc. As a supplement to the above 3 suggestions:

Building on PP's 'plausible deniability' - try to get some clean 'buzz track' at the beginning and/or end of each take and wild line acquisition structured into the schedule, explaining this may just be enough to avoid ADR. There is a chance they'll consider covering the scenes with a sympathetic choice of shots (eg CUs for sync, WS for non sync) but it'll only happen if the DP thinks it'll look good on his showreel :-)

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16 hours ago, BoroParmo said:

Philip - Unfortunately the locations are set so I've just got to do the best I can with the equipment I have

As Philip said, the "best" you can do doesn't involve equipment- it's letting the director and producer know what's going to work and what isn't and letting them make the call on whether they need usable sync sound in these scenes or not.  It's better if you can offer some kind of solution or compromise  If you're next to these places and they're not established in shot then it's probably going to be distracting to the audience and won't cut easily

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Haha Daniel your exactly right :') will have to have a word with the director and DOP to see what they say, I was planning on recording a lot of buzz track anyway so the post mixer has a bit of an easier job!

Richard - The thing is I'm trying to get the noise from the locations in the film for example machinery being operated, just as long as it doesn't overpower the actors voice.

 

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