Rick Reineke

Many folks like the (USA made) Oscar SoundTech 801/802 (TR-50 clone), Still under $150 (usd) the last time I looked. The 4mm end-fire TL-40 (flatter response) is another OST model. OST's customer service is very good.

I have done both production and post prod sound quite a few docu's and I enjoy both aspects +1: "and you can’t blame anyone if it sounds sh#t" I would not try to pass myself off as a post sound mixer for movies, many I hear still really suck though which were done by 'Holywood' pros

I would kind of doubt the HP jack if different sets of HPs exhibits the same behavior and no visual damage or feel of the plug/jack connection is apparent. Call SD directly and ask them, they have always been helpful in my experience and their customer service is legendary.

You will want external power for either recorder. The F6 uses the 'standard' Hirose connector. Internal AA batteries are a good back up for external power loss, be it from a battery or wall-wart. The SD has better preamps, but not significantly better. The auto mix on the F8n is decent, I do not know about the F6 or Mix Pre.

"I got OST TL40's for my Sony UTX-B40's and they were wired signal to sleeve, screen to tip (!) " That's bizarre! Must have been a OST mistake.. which is rare.

See this recent thread https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/2969-recording-cell-phone-conversations/

While it is not a substitute for an RF scanner, Sennheiser's online Frequency Finder can identify TV stations in a specific area. Avoid channels with Prx signal strength in excess of -80 dBm or so. The USA/FCC data is out of date, I do not know about Germany. There are other frequency finder websites to ID TV channels/frequencies signal strength as well.

The MD21 has an odd shape (like the MD421) so traditional mounts for 'our' shotgun and pencil type mics or even for hand-held performance mics will not fit. If the '21' is same size and /or uses the same captive mount slot as the venerable MD421 tom-tom mic, this should work, https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MZS421--sennheiser-md-421-shockmount There are large 421 shock mounts as well for radio host booms.

Pianos are one of the most difficult instruments to mic (to get pro quality), double the difficultly if the mics cannot be seen. In closed lid scenarios, I use a pair of Crown PCC-160 boundary mics gaffer taped to piano lid's underside. This also works great to ISO the piano from other instruments

For non-stereo capture of individual sounds a long shotgun or parabolic rig. Plant mics can work as well if you know where the subject will be. If most of the sound is low SPL, choose a mic with high sensitivity along with a recorder with quiet mic preamps. Also factor in the cost of wind protection. A Zeppelin windjammer/ shock mount rig will cost several hundred USDs. This is primarily a dialog recording group for movies and such. There are forums and groups specific to nature recording so search those as well.

+1, a B6 (or other sub-miniature mic) in a tee shirt neck seam.

The production company is typically responsible and loss and damage.. (at least in a perfect world). Your deal memos should state production co's insurance cover L&D.

Dual ear 'headsets' stay in place better than a (single point) 'earset'. Transpore (surgical tape) can help anchor them both down further. Cardiods are Inherently more susceptible to air turbulence and 'handling' noise, so that may be an issue.. depending. I always use Omni's unless there is a feedback issue from a live sound system.

Sorry, I should have recolonized the name. duh.

This is primarily a professorial production sound (acquisition) discussion group, many of us do not deal with post-production issues. Try the DVUser forum which is more of a semi-pro group and deals with a broader aspect of sound-for-picture. In either case. you could post the audio for download on WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google or other cloud drive. Someone may have some time and tools to do something with it.