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3 hours ago, mikewest said:

I recorded an American show some years ago set on a snow covered mountain.

 

I had a brief meeting with the producer and director before hand and warned them that

outdoor clothing was usually pretty noisy for lavs so wardrobe dept should be aware

 

I traveled to location some weeks later to find noisy outdoor clothing and..........

when we start shooting "oh dear" we can see the boom in the ski goggles !!!!!!

 

mike

Did a movie up in the snow as well. Luckily only one actor the whole time in the snow and we hid the lav in the beanie for the first couple of days until the beanie is lost, can't remember why, but everything on the boom after that. The shots were so wide that we had to be at least 10 feet up in the air. Luckily snow is forgiving. And yeah those snow goggles...

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  • 1 month later...

I have a couple of MKE 2's reds I use for screaming or any loud scenes. I have had fair success using HUSH lav foam. They are a little hard to get over the mic but have worked well for me. I have one MKE 2 gold that sounds good when not hidden. I think they have a cheaper version that is marked with a black plastic sleve on the cable. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The ME2 is larger than most but how is it difficult to hide? What are the actors wearing?

 

As far as it slipping out of tape, what has been your technique?

 - Are you using a strain relief ? ***(Extremley Important)***

 - Are you using good quality tape (3M Transpore, Dr. Scholls Moleskin)?

 - Have the talent been sweating before applying the tape?

 - Are you prepping skin contact areas with alcohol wipes?

 - Are you using the a good tape for attaching to clothing (Stick it and Super Stick it Dots, transpore)?

 

 There are a bunch of different things to think about when getting into the art of attaching and hiding microphones.

 

I would suggest looking up the book "Down to the Wire" by Thomas Pop for starters.

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2 hours ago, Rick Reineke said:

Thomas Popp also did a multi part 'Udemi' video course that is very comprehensive. I forget the title, but maybe that's what Alex is referring to. Ain't free though.

 

Oh ya. A while back he made an iPad eBook on lav placement, too. That was nicely made:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/down-to-the-wire/id598071724?mt=11

 

@Thomas Popp is or was hanging out here.

 

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Daniel Ignacio said "... and I still can’t imagine hiding the mic on anything lighter, like T-shirts, without a noticeable bump."

 

I have done a number of shoots with the Sennheiser ME2 lavs under t-shirts. I wrap the head in moleskin - of course leaving the mic element at the top open. I then use the gaffer's tape triangles and tape the mic at the collar. The thicker cloth of the collar helps hide any bump. I then run the cable around to the back of the neck and down the back to the body pack, using a strain relief loop and taping where necessary to keep the cable hidden and the actor comfortable. I work often for a company that does training for Firefighters/EMS workers and they are usually wearing their EMS t-shirts. Usually they have me use their sound gear. They first just had ME2s, but now use Countryman B3s. I find those to sound better and are just as easy to hide. I have also used my own gear with Trams going to Lectro body packs with equal success. Even with a lot of movement as the EMT/Paramedics move around, kneel down, wheel gurneys in, etc., if I have done a good tape job I do not normally get any clothing noise.

 

Good luck!

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2 hours ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

 

Surprised but happy that a collar solution works. My shoot with the ME 2 is over, but I’d like to practice that if I encounter it again.

Collar solution works, and I've done it before, but be warned....any head movements will be VERY noticeable and exaggerated on your mix since the mic is placed so far off the lateral plane. 

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1 hour ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

Slightly unrelated, I encounter a lot of off-axis issues with collar mounting at my school’s student television. Haven’t yet found a good place for the lav where levels stay consistent enough, even accounting for head turning for the anchors. (Their over-zealous compressor is also partially to blame for the bad sound.) Tried the collar and the sternum. The breast area is up next.

Anywhere from the centre to the base of the sternum tends to be best hidden or exposed, it's the sweet spot we're always after.

 

Exposed on t-shirts trams work beautifully, psc millimic, anything front loading, or with something like a cos-11/b6/b3 you can play around until the head is facing down and away from the mouth, that may also help to balance a bit. 

 

What's the 'over-zealous' compressor?

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7 hours ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

I’m watching a clip right now from one of our productions. The lav is clipped to the host’s upper breast area, on the side that his head is turned toward. Yet, the noise overpowers the voice and his voice sounds stuffy.

Yeah, that sounds like the settings on the mixer. (or the mic if they are using sub-par equipment)

7 hours ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

I think all I need is some alone time with the board to get it where it needs to be

I'd read up on the manual, if shows are programmed in it may take a while to go through and change everything, but if not it should only take a couple minutes max to get in and fix everything. The biggest thing is to make sure the compressor is the last thing in your chain.

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+1 to using a better lavalier microphone for dialogue recording.

 

Sennheiser Evolution G3 wireless systems sound a lot better if you substitute a good lavalier microphone for the one included.  Tram, Sonotrim, Sanken COS-11, DPA, or one of several models of Countryman lavaliers all sound so much better and fuller than the Sennheiser ME2.  For a time I used Sennheiser MKE2 lavaliers with Sennheiser Evolution wireless systems.  The MKE2 mics had a decent sound uncovered, much better than the ME2 mics, but, when concealed, were nevertheless problematic with respect to clothing noise and microphonics /handling noise.  There are often JW members selling good used lavalier mics in the for sale section of this site.  You might have to have the connector changed and wired to the type that suits your Sennheiser transmitter.  This will cost $35 to $50 at a reputable sound shop.  But I'd recommend a good used lav over a lower quality new one. 

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39 minutes ago, Rob Anderson said:

+1 to using a better lavalier microphone for dialogue recording.

 

Sennheiser Evolution G3 wireless systems sound a lot better if you substitute a good lavalier microphone for the one included.  Tram, Sonotrim, Sanken COS-11, DPA, or one of several models of Countryman lavaliers all sound so much better and fuller than the Sennheiser ME2.  For a time I used Sennheiser MKE2 lavaliers with Sennheiser Evolution wireless systems.  The MKE2 mics had a decent sound uncovered, much better than the ME2 mics, but, when concealed, were nevertheless problematic with respect to clothing noise and microphonics /handling noise.  There are often JW members selling good used lavalier mics in the for sale section of this site.  You might have to have the connector changed and wired to the type that suits your Sennheiser transmitter.  This will cost $35 to $50 at a reputable sound shop.  But I'd recommend a good used lav over a lower quality new one. 

Isn't the problem with used lavs that for some operators and productions they are all but considered disposable items? And how does someone know from appearances how many times it's got sweat and make-up sprayed on the capsule or excessive tension and force has been put on the wire and strain relief or what method of cleaning the previous owner used etc. Maybe good for a back up or for finding out if you like the sound or mounting process but buying used caps for primary usage seems a bit risky to me. Personally I've always use the lavs i like most to work with (Cos-11 DPA) and get the best wireless system I can afford after factoring cost of lavs. I started out with 2020s and over the years moved between UWPs, 411s, G2000s and with all of them i used Cos-11s, Trams or DPA. I'd rather have the caps I can hide well than have best wireless system but not caps I like. There will also be times when you wont need to use a TX and can go hardwired with the cap.

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Most of us consider lavs as expendables or at lest semi expendable, And as Daniel stated, over time, they get contaminated with make-up sweat, ect. compromises the response. The cable/connections take a beating as well. That doesn't mean there aren't deals to be had but I would not buy a used lav, unless I knew it's history and/or I could try it out prior to handing over $$. 

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6 hours ago, Rick Reineke said:

Most of us consider lavs as expendables or at lest semi expendable, And as Daniel stated, over time, they get contaminated with make-up sweat, ect. compromises the response. The cable/connections take a beating as well. That doesn't mean there aren't deals to be had but I would not buy a used lav, unless I knew it's history and/or I could try it out prior to handing over $$. 

Semi expendable yes, lavs can see a lot punishment on a set, being exposed do pretty much everything that talent is, and while they're designed with that in mind, they aren't as bomb proof as comteks.

 

I've picked up lavs off other mixers I know who were swapping gear for one reason or another, but mixers who I know treat their lavs as well as their boom mics.

 

Going through a known & reputable dealer, somewhere like Trew, Gotham, Location, or Tai is probably the safest option for used audio gear lavs or otherwise. I'd hesitate picking up used gear on ebay.

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