berniebeaudry

I'm sure I don't have enough experience with them but so far the Sankens haven't impressed me. I own B6s, Sonotrims, and have used the MKE2s (probably not the Gold though) and to my ears the Sankens just aren't that much different or better. What I don't like about them is that they are such a weird shape, and I wouldn't consider them all that small. I saw some on a show that had them exposed on the top of tee shirts (a man and a woman) with the alligator clip and they looked ridiculous and sounded only average. And I know the show doesn't do much post work on the sound. There is no perfect mic for under wardrobe and I understand that, but they didn't seem that easy to hide the few times I used them. What I'm frustrated with is the fact that they are great mics (I know they are because so many, with far more experience than me, on this and other forums swear by them) and I should like them. I don't get it. Bernie

Hello Ron, I can only imagine how busy you must be so I'm extremely grateful that you took the time to reply to me here, and via email. Welcome to the forum, but be careful its known to be addictive. All the best to you and your outstanding crew, and have a great rest of the season. I'll be watching and listening for sure. Regards, Bernie

Finally got a message sent through RealityStaff. Will see if he has time to answer. Bernie

Thanks Scott and Rob, Didn't find anything of the Location Sound site. I did find Ronnie's info on the RealityStaff site of which I am a member. The site is ridiculous, I clicked on the contact him button and it never loads. Many of the other functions don't load either, but the forum does. Weird. Could their server be that busy? Bernie

Thanks!

I can't find a bit of info on Ron. Tried Google, IMPDB, etc. and no mention of him. Any idea how I might contact him? Thanks, Bernie

Thanks Scott! Bernie

Anyone know who the sound supervisor is for Celebrity Apprentice? I was watching the show tonight and am truly impressed by how good the hidden lavs sound. That in spite of some difficult wardrobe. Even outdoors didn't hear any wind issues at all. Would like to know what they're using and how they're micing them. Thanks, Bernie

Thanks everyone for the good ideas! Regards, Bernie

Just wondering what you put your blimp and boom pole in to protect it during transport or storage. I know there are lots of options for the pole without the blimp, but I've never seen anything for the blimp. Thanks, Bernie

Sorry, no pictures but I can tell you we used a B.E.C bracket and boxes to put 201's on a HVR Z1U for a doc we shot in Europe. My cameraman shot handheld and with tripod and it worked well. Here's a link http://www.thebecgroup.com/swf/nav.swf I know there are other similar products out there just happened to use this one with success. Bernie

I do often hide the B6 in plain site if there is no wind or if I'm indoors. Especially on hairy chests. I was considering purchasing one of those Tram mounts for the Sonotrim I just bought. I kind of do the same thing with my B6s when neccessary, but I tape a paper clip "cage" over that keeps fabric from rubbing on the mic head. Bernie

Thanks all for the really good information that keeps on coming. Hiding the mics is the trickiest thing we do I think, and the more ideas the better because no one solution is perfect for everything. I've never been able to to get an acceptable sound adhering the mic to the skin no matter what the wardrobe. Way too much clothing noise that way. For a reality show I put the mic on the skin of a small child wearing a cotton tee shirt using a mole skin patch. It looked great, couldn't see any evidence of the mic, an MKE2, but it was really crunchy sounding. Before we rolled, I attached the mic to the inside of the collar of the shirt with moleskin and it was much quieter. I've been using the Transpore with my B6s since reading the suggestion in this thread and its pretty good except it leaves residue on the mic, and sometimes it makes some noise depending on the fabric. I'm looking forward to trying some of the tape formulations mentioned here. By the way I clean the goo off the mics by dabbing at the cable with the sticky side of gaff tape. The gaff adhesive pulls the Transpore adhesive off the cable without having to use solvents or cleaners. Men with hairy chests presents the biggest challenge in my opinion. Even if they're wearing a tee shirt under the top shirt. I've built little cages with paper clips to keep the mic head from contacting the undershirt directly. What other techniques do you use? Bernie

what a great idea! Thanks for sharing. Bernie

Hi All, I have a Peluso CMEC6 which is considered by some to sound much like the Schoeps hyper. I've noticed that it seems to accentuate sibilance on primarily female voices. I had a similiar issue with a Sennheiser MKH50 and was curious if this a hyper cardiod issue in general, or something noticed by others with these particular mics. I had never heard the MKH50 before and liked it except for the sibilance. I am familiar with the Schoeps hyper and don't remember having an issue with sibilance on it. I had a foam windscreen on the Peluso, and none on the Sennheiser, and it was a just above the frame sit down interview. The main subject had a softer, sibilant voice and the Peluso didn't sound so good so I went with my Schoeps CMIT5U instead after trying the Sennheiser on her and not being happy with that sound either. I bought the Peluso as an inexpensive alternative to the Schoeps hyper to go with the CMIT5U and now I'm not so sure about my choice. I do like the sound of the cardiod cap better on the Peluso, but didn't have it with me to try. Would that be a good choice for a sit down interview instead of the hyper given the close range? Two obvious remedies would be to point the mic slightly off axis or put a heavier windscreen/blimp on them and see if that would sound better. Different subject: I know many regard the Sanken lavs to be the preferred mic for hidden micing and I'm curious to hear from those that own them to tell me why. I have Countryman B6s and for the most part have been pretty happy with them, but we all know there is no perfect lav for all wardrobes and situations. I'm looking to add to the collection so I have some alternative choices when the B6 isn't the way to go. Besides the B6s I'm most familar with the Sonotrims, Trams, and DPAs. I've used the all of these under clothes except for the DPAs. I'm also needing a good lav to use in sit down exposed mic situations as an alternative to the B6s. Looking to buy something before the end of the year so I welcome all thoughts. Regards, Bernie

Looking to spend some money before the end of the year and I'm conflicted. I have four Countryman B6 lavs wired for lectro. Two have hard wire adaptors available. I have an SD 302 mixer along with a Schoeps CMIT-5U shotgun and a Peluso CMEC-6 hyper cardiod mic. I don't own any wireless units and I use the production company's or rent. I like the B-6s but they are not suitable for every occasion. Here's the issue: Do I buy one good used lectro tx/rx (211 or better), or do I get some more lav choices? I'm thinking Sonotrims, Sankens, or DPAs. I'm very familiar with the Sonotrims (l like them better than Trams), and I've used the DPAs in a studio situation but not hidden. I tried the Sankens a long time ago but had issues hiding them, but that was fifteen years or more ago. Much of what I do requires hiding the mics. Of the mics I've mentioned which would you go for and why? And/or should I start getting some wireless gear, even though I may be able to afford just one so far? I've been doing location sound for a long time, but I find getting opinions from other experienced people is invaluable. Thanks all in advance for your opinions. Bernie

To tag on to Jeff's excellant advice. Consider using a dynamic mic just for the gunshots. They can withstand higher sound pressure levels without overloading than condensers. You're really limiting yourself for level control by using a wireless boom. Might consider using a wired boom instead. Bernie

Didn't mean to give the impression the CMIT doesn't work well, I was wondering if it could be even better with an outboard phantom supply. I think you're right on the Peluso mic, as Sound Devices has some information on other mics that have the oscillation problem on their web site. I'm thinking if I don't go for an outboard phantom supply I should at least get an external dc supply for the mixer. Thanks for your help! Bernie

Thanks Scott, I need some clarification on the level because there are 11 different choices when it comes to meter reference level on the 302. If I ride the levels at -8 the camera guy will be telling me I need to give him more signal, or am I missing something here. Thanks, Bernie

I have a SD 302 and I'm curious if any other 302 owners use the "advanced gain structure" method to line up the meters with your recording device. I would like to hear about the pros and cons of working this way. I interface with a number of different cameras and the metering is all over the place. Some of the older Beta SP camera/deck meters are particularly tricky. There doesn't seem to much room above zero on the scale yet the meters aren't very responsive till you hit it harder and then its a tightrope between getting strong level and getting close to clipping. If I listen to the return loud enough to hear what I'm doing I sometimes hear clipping on the peaks but I don't know if its distortion from the headphone circuit feeding both channels of the camera at too loud a level or its the tape really distorting. A playback direct from the camera would tell me for sure, but there often isn't time to do that. Any advice about lining up metering with different cameras would be appreciated. I've also been considering buying an outboard 48volt power supply for my mics (Schoeps CMIT5U, and Peluso CMEC-6). Do you think this would give me better performance from these mics than what I get using the internal 302 power? And if so, what unit would you recommend? Sometimes the mics don't seem to have as much gain as I would like, but perhaps I'm being too conservative on the trim pots. Another reason I would use an outboard supply is the Peluso mic causes the mixer to go into oscillation if I don't use the 160hz high pass filter on the mixer and I increase the gain beyond a certain point. It happens with mics that have extended low frequency response. I can use it this way and it still sounds alot like the Schoeps hypercardiod mic, but would like to be able to use it without the filter if I can. All in all its a great mixer and I use it and a 442 quite often and want to get the most out of them and deliver the best sound possible. I've been doing field audio for a long time and I've recently become addicted to reading this and some other audio forums and its because I like to learn how to do the job better/easier/faster and throw in some help to someone else if I can. The mixer who I boomed for early on in my career gave me a good start and taught me alot about this business and then implored me to pay it forward. Its good to see the professionals on this forum have the same attitude. One last question. Do you finance your equipment purchases or do you just get what you need to do the work as it comes in? I'm looking for ways to complete my partial package. Regards all, Bernie

Anyone had any experience with Voice Technology mics? I'm interested in hearing about any thoughts, opinions, or experiences you've had with any of their models. How are they for hiding under clothing, durability, sound quality etc. Thanks! Bernie

The company I worked for at the time had the entire Schoeps collete kit that did include that suction cup mount. Of couse the suction cup part didn't work on the cloth arm rest, but it was nice and light and easy to gaff to the arm rest and put the mic at just about the right height. You could really use about anything that positions the mic right. I do remember it picked up the dialogue between the two people pretty well. If you had someone in the back seat it should pick them up too. Acoustics in a car are weird so try different capsules to see what works best. Bernie

A real quick and fairly easy to rig setup I did a long time ago involved a Schoeps colette w/omni cap & gvc swivel mounted on the suction cup mount that Schoeps makes. I secured the mic mount to the arm rest between the seats with gaff tape and then put the end cap of my zeppelin over the mic for wind protection. Probably used gaff tape to secure that as well. At least one window was open and come to think about it I may have use the cardiod capsule instead of the omni, but its been so long I don't remember. I do recall it worked fairly well though. Bernie

Both good suggestions. Thank you! Bernie

Phil, Do you have issues with breath pop on the B6s when you use them outside the fabric, and if so what do you do about it? I own four of them and appreciate being able to use them in plain sight, but recently have noticed how sensitive they are to breath blasts. Thanks, Bernie