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Shirt noise


mojofunkster

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I've been working on a shoot for the past week where the main character is wearing a loud shirt. I checked the tag and it is 40% cotton and 60% polyester. The shirt is very thin so the mic has to be right in the center where the buttons are because the material is thick enough that the wire doesn't show. I don't believe that the shirt itself is the problem, he is wearing a cotton tank top underneath and I believe that the rubbing of the different materials is what is causing all the noise.

I have tried having the mic between the buttons on the over shirt, on the over shirt facing the undershirt, on the undershirt. I've had it in a RM-11 with moleskin and topstick. I've used topstick to tape the undershirt to the over shirt to minimize movement between the two but nothing seems to work, at least not for long before I start hearing it again.

I have tried fixing it many times but the actor is getting frustrated, which is making me frustrated. Thankfully he hasn't had a ton of lines and when he does, he generally isn't moving, so it's pretty clean.

Can someone please give me some insight on something I should try. Here's a picture for costume reference.

18cb0ec49c877eccdbd6c490a469803b.jpg

Thanks for your help,

SW

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

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try a white cos11 poking out behind a button with a donut of joes sticky stuff around it to stick it to the back of the button and also create some isolation. A piece of sports tape behind the mic head shaft bit inside the shirt as another anchor. 

Third button down from the very top collar button is usually out of the close up and hides in plain view in wide shots. 

Also Try the Abetek button down mount. Abe has mounts for cos11 and a couple of other types IIRC. 

Agree with the beard rubbing on the shirt collar would not be helping the situation. 

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Usually, cotton undershirts are helpful, as they make any chest hair a non-issue. That is, if the undershirt is really tight.

I rather suspect the shirt itself being noisy when moving. Often the biggest (audible) noise comes from the sides when arms are moving. Nothing to be done about this since taping down would look strange and inhibit the actor from moving. Stickystuffing the button area (more than just around the mic) might help against noise from that part of the shirt - which is the only part where stiffer areas rub against each other.

Beard, yes, always a PITA, but well, nothing you can do about it, can you.

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No matter how cool a lav mic rig you can come up with, the mic will always hear noise the clothes make in an unnatural way, because the mic is so close to the fabric.  Your wardrobe dept needs some education about what does and what doesn't work for sound, and a shirt like this, stiff, highly synthetic, is going to be a gnarly problem, especially when added to the guy's beard.  You are probably stuck with his wardrobe now--and a lav on his shirt will continue to suck no matter how you rig it.  If you can't boom then the best advice so far is to put the mic somewhere else--head, suspender, a plant etc.  If the actor is uncooperative and the director won't back you up then they get what they get.  I would start with a "come to Jesus" meeting with the wardrobe dept..  There are days in a soundies life where no help is forthcoming and you die a slow death by this sort of cause--I hope this situation works out better than that for you.  But you need to get some help from other depts..

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22 hours ago, pkautzsch said:

Usually, cotton undershirts are helpful, as they make any chest hair a non-issue. That is, if the undershirt is really tight.

I rather suspect the shirt itself being noisy when moving. Often the biggest (audible) noise comes from the sides when arms are moving. Nothing to be done about this since taping down would look strange and inhibit the actor from moving. Stickystuffing the button area (more than just around the mic) might help against noise from that part of the shirt - which is the only part where stiffer areas rub against each other.

Beard, yes, always a PITA, but well, nothing you can do about it, can you.

beard oil?

http://www.toolsofmen.com/best-beard-oil/

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3 hours ago, hiro nakamura said:

In addition, the cable makes more noise than the Lav head. Extra loop could help to reduce the cable noise. 

Good luck

Old school SOP: any planted or spot mic should have some slack cable near the mic. In my case, a loop for strain relief and isolation, but also for adjusting position in many situations. Good one, hiro.

 

Jim Rillie

Production Sound Mixer

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Totally agree with DRPRO
A center head rig in the hair will get you away from the shirt and beard noises.
I used one recently on an Asian actress with a surgery gown on and amazed the wardrobe dept.
mike


I haven't got good sound out of a mic placed on the head anywhere unless it's out in front of the face on glasses or big hair. I always use B6 in this case. Can't imagine putting a larger mic on the head, but I do all doc-style, so I need to have them well-hidden. Have others had success in other locations and/or with other mics?

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

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58 minutes ago, mulluysavage said:

 


I haven't got good sound out of a mic placed on the head anywhere unless it's out in front of the face on glasses or big hair. I always use B6 in this case. Can't imagine putting a larger mic on the head, but I do all doc-style, so I need to have them well-hidden. Have others had success in other locations and/or with other mics?

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 

 

+1 on B6 in hair

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Hair on this guy could be difficult (depending on how much that forelock is supposed to move) but over his ear should work fine, hiding behind the beard. Not the greatest solution soundwise, but rather have it rustle free and rely on post EQ than have rustle all the time.

We don't know about the back of his head, though, regarding hiding of mic cable, and about how he's gonna move / if cam will see his back at all.

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I m considering in hair mic placement on a show I work for too for the very same reason, a bloody noisy white shirt and a lot of chest hair..as I never tried it before I m wandering if with this pacement in some case "head" hair could make noise too? .fast head movement? I have asked more than once to talent with long hair to move theirs hair back a little cause of them scrubbing against the lav. Is the fact that placed at the forehead, hair and mic face the same direction magically solve this issue?

Envoyé de mon SM-G920F en utilisant Tapatalk

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