James Lopez

Even though less known around here, i have to give thumbs up for the Audix SCX-1HC. Ive been more than satisfied with its performance those 6 months ive been using it, almost exclusively for indoors interviews. It gives me a very natural and articulate sound, very little sibilance (and only in specific voices) that usually requires very little work in post. I am very happy with this purchase and i think that it worths trying it out, even though it hasnt been praised as much as others in its category.

Have only used it with senn G3's and XLR. Even though i was a bit skeptical about the connections they proved to be quite solid (interviewer standing up and walking while the lav runs tethered..). Sound wise i find them quite satisfactory and, while they lack a bit of highs, they give me a well rounded tone which sounds pretty natural to my ears (and spares me some time in post). Never tried them below clothes. Also, lav comes with a very nice, rugged (and maybe waterproof?) travel case.

Hi Jesper, thanks for the info. Ive read great things about the D50 but its price (more than double M10's in Europe) is out of my reach. The recorder is primary going to be used with external mics and the 302, so line quality is more important than built-in mics/pre. In taperssection.com there seems to be a lot of praising for the M10, and claims that its the best in its price range (considering features as well). I'm currently looking for information on how the M10 compares to other recorders mentioned here (dr40, PMD620).

Just when i was checking on my budget for a stereo field recorder.. What a welcome coincidence Since im not planning to connect external mics directly to the recorder (will be using my 302's pres) XLR inputs is not so much of an issue, so id be concentrated in quality more than anything else. I would however appreciate relatively good built-in mics since im also planning to use it for ambience/landscapes recordings until a stereo mic solution becomes viable (for use w the 302). The M10 seems like a great option, but im a bit skeptical because of the omni mics used.. Theoretically (havent heard any recording out of it) id think that an omni configuration can affect stereo imaging quite a bit. I wonder how would the M10 compare to the Tascam dr-07mkII in terms of recording quality - built-in mics.. Anyways, thanx for all the opinions people, once again very helpful EDIT: While the reply window was open for a couple of hours, there has been a mention on the omni mic configuration issue.. have to refresh more often i guess

Hello, A few months ago I started a thread here asking for information about gear, mostly about a new hyper mic. I received many and v helpful answers and advice which, together with some research mainly here, greatly helped me in buying the equipment i needed, even though some of them weren't on my list in the beginning. The microphone i chose was the Audix SCX1-HC, on which i found few comments and no sound samples, but since i always appreciated the brand i went for it. I have to admit that i am very satisfied with it. After completing 3 projects (feature length doc and 2 corporate videos) i can safely say that, imho, the mic has a very natural sound, with good detail, low sibilance, suitable both for male and female voices (amazing on acoustic guitar recordings too ). I am planning to make some test samples, when time permits it and share it here, so you can have a 'taste'. After many comments i decided to blow away my budget and went for an SD302.. and what a great buy was that! Sound quality aside (surely not much to comment here) i am truly amazed on how thoughtfully this device has been designed, allowing a fluid workflow and accounting for everything one would need at work. The booming pole also proved to be a great purchase, talking about the Ambient QX580, a very lightweight carbon fibre pole (bought on a great deal) with a stellar locking system. So, reason for writing this is to thank everybody that participated in my thread and also all that comment on equipment and general queries here, your help to new professionals on the field and me in specific is greatly appreciated. All the best

Thanks for your input guys, I am really struggling to make ends meet after ending up almost doubling my initial budget so i had to go for the aluminum k-tek. Having a few charging issues with dvestore ebay store, they charged me for both the k-tek pole and the boom boy already (my bank account says so) but they totally messed up with the invoices. I tried to pay at least 4 times, w paypal or direct credit card and i was receiving 'this credit card cannot be used' and 'paypal is currently unavailable' messages. I have only received an invoice for the pole (no mention of the boom boy) with a 'pay now' button, but dvestore had already charged me the full amount even though i was getting a 'cannot use this credit card' message. A total mess.. I sent them a pretty angry email, lets hope they sort their s**t out. Anyways, thanks for the advice PS. I did mean the 'thanks for the advice' to the Senator, no irony there

That is good to know, thanks for the input Senator, v helpful indeed.

Hi Senator, I never said i had/wanted to choose between the 2. I merely mentioned the carbon fibre model as a comparison to state the weight/price difference. I was asking people (if any around) that have used the aluminum model for an opinion: if they find it too heavy and/or other info i should know about. But yes, its most possible that i buy it eventually. In this price range there's also the rycotes, but they are a bit too short (250cm comparing to 280cm of the k-tek). Not too much of a difference, but for my next project i'll have to have the boom pole mounted on a c-stand (yep, looking for a boom buddy as well) at a minimum of 2,5 meters distance from the subject.

Hi there, thanks for the advice. I'm doing docu & interviews work and my budget would be around 250-280 euros max (shipping included). I found the KE-110CCR on dvestore's ebay store with 223 euros (shipping included, unaware of whether extra costs would be applied, hopefully not) which i think is a great price. From the same store, the KEG-100CCR costs 397 euros, which unfortunately is too much for me atm (already went beyond my equipment budget.. twice!).

Hello all On my search for a new boom pole, i have come across more than a few positive reviews on K-Tek poles, here and elsewhere. I think though, that most (with the exception of one) people refer to either the Klassik or the Avalon carbon fibre series. I was interested in the KE-110CCR model, aluminum made, which roughly compares to the carbon fibre KEG-100CCR, material being the major difference. The KE-110CCR weights 822g (221g heavier than the KEG-100CCR) which is a substantial difference. According to K-Tek all other components are the same. I'd like to ask those that have used/own the KE-110CCR (if there are any around) of their opinion about this pole and if its weight would be a major drawback. My former experience was with the Rode Boom as well as a couple of 'no-brand' booms lended to me, meaning that i haven't really been on the light side of things until now. Thanks in advance for any advice.

The web is filled with discussions over this, one could read much in sites like head-fi.org. One can even find mini apps for pc's that generate a mix of pink/white noise and sine sweeps with 'rest time' intervals etc. The fact remains that, even if it is true that headphones require burn-in, there's practically no difference between 'forcing' this result using the aforementioned solutions and simply using the headphones on different applications (monitoring, music), apart from the time consumed.

@Winter You mention in another thread that you own an Audix and i think you are referring to the SCX1-HC? Is that so? If yes, could you share a few words regarding this mic? I'm deciding between this and the KM185, but apart from a few mentions i found about it, there's not much more around, so i could use some 1st hand opinion. Thanks

Wow, nice to hear so man. Thanks for the rental suggestions, ill sure will pay them a visit (they are not the place i rent stuff from). Ill try to get hold of and test any of the candidates formentioned, a rental-purchase combination (buy the hyper, rent a lav) will do the job i think. Thanx for the advice man, much appreciated. :-)

I am in Barcelona atm and yes there are a few rental houses around. Recapping.. Ditch the zoom (and maybe the duet as well), rent a mixer to go directly into the cam, with either 2 lavs wired (or wireless if i can afford renting the wireless system) or a single hyper. I think that maybe i can squeeze all in. The dilemma between lavs or hyper remains, but this has got a lot to do with the particular location and the script i guess. Any opinion on the hypers i mentioned in the 1st post? Thanx for all the advice people, really helpful.

I note the unanimity on this :-) Still, even the mix-preD comes to around 890 Euros (you'd be amazed to see how in audio products, euro-dollar exchange rate 'transforms' to 1:1..), meaning that i would have to rent mics since thats about all my budget. I could possibly fit in something cheaper, but maybe it would be better to wait until i can afford an SD mixer/recorder.