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filming in a suana


r.paterson

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hello

i have just found out i have to a series of interviews in a few days all based in different small sauna's always two people side by side, naked except for a discrete towel, main presenter is bald so b6 in hair not an option, any other tips re what mic on a boom/stand got sennheiser mkh 50/60/ and sanken cs1 and cs3 plus neumann 81/150 all but the mkh i know will have humidity problems ..so just asking what would be an option, has anyone done a set up like this before..

thanks in advance

Richard

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If you allow the mkh 50 to get up to temperature (leave it in the sauna before they start steaming it up) then it should be fine. I wouldn't use a lav in this situation as you'd probably get sweat death regardless of where you put it. Does the sauna have to be operational? You could use a smoke machine to fake the steam...

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Hi thanks

Jon thats what i was going to do with a mkh60 wireless feed to me outside, sauna will be in full operatinal use so very humid, if a mic had to die i would rather it was the mkh60 rather than the mkh50 hence using mkh60, Jon when you filmed was the sauna operational ie full humidity, did you just let mkh60 get to proper humidity, no need for a condom over mic?

anytime i tried the condom trick it sounded useless

many thanks guys

much appreciated..

richard

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Many thanks, since heard its 3 up intv and no room for me in sauna, so thinking of putting an mkh40 on a stand instead of an mkh60 and wireless back to me, will record on a recorder camera is in a housing i believe suspect it will be a 7d, assuming which is dangerous an mkh40 has same humidy resistance as an mkh60 once its climatised?

thanks again

richard

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thanks jon, since heard they are sitting side by side so the 60 might be fine, presenter in the middle so heads should be turned towards him, i dont have a 40 so need to hire one in, when you used the 60/416 did you have foam or anything on mic or just naked..

thanks again

richard

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you describe a small sauna, and a good cardioid, or hyper should be fine, as the room is sure to be reverberant. I've used dynamics with great success since 1962...

Yes, way back then I was doing interviews in a Sauna, recording with a Norelco portable tape recorder (left outside) and a dynamic mic inside for the interview.

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  • 5 years later...
On 20/03/2012 at 4:45 PM, BVS said:

I used my Schoeps very successfully in a sauna with steam shooting off the hot stones when water was poured over them...sounded very good and no hisses or spluts...

 

BVS

I may have the opportunity to record the audio of a First Nations sweat lodge ceremony on a documentary Ive been working on, and wanted to see if anyone has advice for what mics to bring for these conditions.

The lodge is about 9ft × 9ft, a dome structure built with branches and covered by tarps. There's a pit in the middle that is filled with red hot rocks, and eventually water is poured on it creating alot of moisture in the lodge. We participated in the sweat lodge ceremony our last time up, but didn't document it.

I've seen in this thread people have had success letting their mics warm up with the room, but I still feel hesitant about leaving 416 in there with the amount of moisture that is released. 

I'm leaning towards a waterproof solution, or perhaps non lubricated condoms over the shotgun... Any suggestions would be welcome, as recording in a sweat lodge would be a first for me.

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1 hour ago, Gerard-NYNY said:

fake it. set off a piece of smoke cookie to simulate steam and spritz the talent with a sprayer bottle of water.

 

Haha! Now there's an idea.

56 minutes ago, Philip Perkins said:

Try the 416 and back yourself up with a dynamic on another channel. 

Yea, I think I may try a stereo pair of sm58s should the occasion arise.

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I have only done a couple of shots in a sauna. Once I started with a 416 in a Rycote (which I had hoped would serve as some sort of moisture protection), but quickly switched to a Schoeps CMK641 as the sound in that room was much better with that mic. It all worked just fine.

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I cannot see the problem, the classic (finnish) sauna is hot, but dry (35-40% rel humidity). Nobody could survive 90% humidity @ 90° C. Even in the phase of  the steam (water over hot stones) the humidity rises barely over 50%. If you bring in the mics at room temperature, nothing should happen. Put them on the floor at forst, it is significantly cooler there. After a few minutes they will be adapted to temperature and totally safe to use.

Different thing if you have to enter a steambath.

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Steambath is nearly impossible, maybe a waterproof Lectro with a VT 506 will do. But acoustics in these rooms is another problem: bare walls, horrible echo.

 

Never had issues in dry sauna (with Sennheiser equipment). Major problem was the transmitter and boom getting too hot to hold.

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