Need some advice. Noob to production mixing on indie set.

[bluemalice]

The background for reference.

My cousin has LONG been obsessed with writing for television and just finished film school. We're a few days into shooting for an indie t.v. show that he wrote and we're producing ourself with volunteer actors etc... Our camera man is a professional photog/videographer and REALLY knows what he's doing. He uses DSLR so we're recording audio to a Zoom H4N via one boomed shotgun mic (even on indoor dialogue scenes!) to one channel and that's it.

I used to do a fair bit of music recording of just myself and my wife singing as well as playing guitar and know a little about editing and just how recording in general works. I am far from understanding everything about production mixing on set though.

Here is what my goal is and what I need a little advice on. We don't intend to stop with this 1 episode of a t.v. show. We have a story arc for 3, 6 episode seasons. There's going to be a kickstarter thing at some point etc... If this fails, we're moving on to the next show idea or even a feature film. I have no illusions of making it big or anything. I don't think this first show will technically fail as our goals are just to get it out there and possibly get 100k views on youtube or whatever direction we go. I think we can do that. The video quality so far is insanely good and the actors, while volunteers, are doing excellent as well. The audio is suffering with our setup and making it extremely hard to edit in post.

I want to go ahead and drop the cash to get a field setup that I can grow into and use on this and future projects. What we have now just won't cut it if we want this thing to be professional quality.

I've been doing a LOT of research on a field mixer and kit. I will be the one doing EVERYTHING sound on these projects.

Here's what I have put together so far. (haven't purchased. need advice on what I'm missing first.)

SD 302 mixer - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292980-REG/Sound_Devices_302_302_Portable_3_Channel.html

K-tek boom - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292880-REG/K_Tek_K_152CCR_K_152CCR_5_Section_Klassic_Series.html

MDR-7506 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/49510-REG/Sony_MDR_7506_MDR_7506_Headphone.html

Audio-Technica AT4053b Hypercardioid (for indoor shots. having trouble with the rode shotgun and echo/reverb) - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/642499-REG/Audio_Technica_AT4053B_AT4053b_Hypercardioid_Condenser_Microphone.html

BDS power input cable for np-1 style batt - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/283344-REG/Remote_Audio_BDSNPADW_18_BDS_Power_Input.html

BDSv4U Batt Distro - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/816002-REG/Remote_Audio_BDSV4U_BDSv4U_Battery_Distribution_System.html

Shock Mount - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554681-REG/Pearstone_DUSM_1_DUSM_1_Universal_Shockmount_for.html

So far the only cables I have on the list are a couple of 25' Canare XLR cables.

My question is, what cabling do I need to hook all of this up in the bag? I'm not 100% sure how (or what the conventions are for connections) to hook up the battery packs with everything that will be in the bag and what kind of cables I need. I'm trying to put together a complete, all in one kit for our needs. We already have a decent Rode shotgun mic that we liked the sound of outside. I will order 2 LP-1 style batteries to start.

Should I use the Zoom H4N just as the recorder for now or should I go ahead and invest in something else for that purpose that works better with this setup since I will already have a mixer?

What am I missing?

Very sorry for the long post. It was difficult to find a place on the internet where I could see production mixer professionals and also pretty difficult to find updated information on putting a kit like this together for a noob.

I would be eternally greatful for your help.

Wes

[afewmoreyears]

What am I missing?

Basically everything INCLUDING a kitchen sink... Most importantly, the knowledge to make it all work....

Everyone these days wants to go from zero to filmaker in a week.... welcome to that rather large club...

REALITY is , it does not happen that way.... Can you get some sound actually recorded? sure... so do a million people on you tube.... but really now... there is a difference between that and REAL production audio....

Some perspective sound people think this is all so easy.. and from some of the rates offered by producers, they too think this is a easy deal.... just plug and go.... anyone can do it.... just pull the items from the box and go....

If you need to ask what to get, what connection cables to use, and the like, you surely need info and quickly on what to do once you figure out what to actually get... Even if someone handed you a completely operating package and said "GO" what do you do then? How do you go about prepping files, machine...? where and how to place mics.... set protocol........on and on and on.....

There is a reason many on this board make a good living at doing this job.... and that reason is they know WHAT they are doing.... and for many of us, it took YEARS to do it right... day in, day out... our reputations on the line....

Start reading and studying.... FAST..... There have been many good books listed in threads on this site....

I will try to spare you the brunt of the posts to follow ... but get some thick skin, and fast...

A great deal of info can be found here.... but you need to STUDY... EVERYTHING.... and soon....

What to get, and how to plug it all in are the least of your worries....

[John Blankenship]

What AFMY said.

This comes up often from newcomers who typically seem to think that if they have the proper gear, they'll somehow, magically, become proficient at location sound.

However, the truth is, the primary thing needed to capture good location sound is experience. It takes at least five to ten years of experience in the trenches to even begin learning what it is that you don't know that you don't know.

Secondly, when it actually is time to purchase professional sound gear, it should not come from a box house such as B&H, but rather should be purchased from a professional location sound dealer such as Trew Audio, Professional Sound, Gotham, Location Sound Corp., etc. These are the people who can help you assemble a proper package and who can furnish the extremely important service after the sale.

Thirdly, since this "what should I buy" question comes up so often, there are massive amounts of information on just that in the archives here. Some diligent searching will yield rich rewards.

Have you considered hiring an experienced professional? Your answer will likely be that you don't have the budget for it, but, I remind you that you indicated you had a professional on the video side who "REALLY knows what he's doing." If you want the audio to be up to par with the video, then you also need a professional sound person who "REALLY knows what he's (or she's) doing."

Good luck.

[RPSharman]

We use the phrase, "it takes years of experience to get years of experience" a lot here. That's because it's true.

There's nothing wrong with a good mic and a zoom recorder if you have a controlled situation and a skilled boom operator.

I would take some time to watch other "independent" projects. You'll discover it's much more distracting to have bad sound than it is to have bad picture.

I'd consider redirecting your budget accordingly.

But if you're still fixated on doing this yourself, there are many threads here about gear and booming techniques. Search around.

Robert

[bluemalice]

I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea. I am not planning to use this to make money or be a professional of any sort. This is a hobby for us and I want a kit that I can grow into. This is the price range I've decided to go with. I'm 34 years old and have worked in the Criminal Justice field all my life. I do not intend to change my career path. I am doing this to help my cousin.

I have spent literally about 3 weeks now reading everything there is to read about production mixing. I already understand HOW the process works enough to do sound on our little 3 man operation. I do NOT expect to be a pro by buying equipment. That's obvious I think considering the equipment I listed is not necessarily pro level to begin with. I consider it hobbyist level for me.

You talk about all these years of experience I need to learn how to do anything... How would you propose I go about that other than buying a nice little field setup and starting on that now? That's my intention. Buy some nice equipment that will give me what I want (I understand recording sound and even sound editing as I have done that before but mostly used equipment aimed at the music industry)

All I really need is to know what cabling I needed to hook the lithium battery pack up to everything and if I should go with a stand alone recorder or keep using the little Zoom H4N. This is basically just to make it easier for me to order everything in one shipment instead of having to go get cables after the fact.

I know you guys are pros here and maybe my mistake was to ask a question like this on a "pro" forum. You're not helping me by instructing a grown man that he needs to go and research and it takes years and all this stuff... I'm pretty sure I already know that considering I am an adult with a wife and kids and work in my own industry (Private Investigation and Organized Retail Crime) that requires years of knowledge acquisition to competently do.

There is NO money involved in shooting this t.v. show. Everyone is volunteer including myself. There is no "budget". I was merely trying to help make the sound something better than the abysmal level it's at now. By that I mean, the Zoom H4N is OK in certain scenarios but we really need multiple channels and more redundancy. I am also purchasing a couple of Lavs to help with this. Having 1 boom mic that's not even the correct type of mic and recording 1 channel of audio with no redundancy and no feed to the camera etc... is not my idea of decent.

Thanks...

[afewmoreyears]

All i can say BM is start reading.... all the info is at your fingertips.... again, this forum, and books specialized to the task....it's all there and better laid out than if we here were to try to instruct you... That's all... I understand your point, and it is well taken, but you must try harder on your own and show that you have put forth the effort... and once you do so, then come back and ask all the questions on specific problems or situations you need cleared up....

For those questions many are very kind to help out... but.... first do your homework....

Don't worry about grouping shipments, worry about getting all the right stuff from a reputable pro sound specialty business... they will be very helpful in getting you straightened out.... ESPECIALLY if you can go in person... they will hold your hand through the process and literally show you how to plug everything in and make it all work..... then of course your back to needing knowledge...

[bluemalice]

Yeah that's what I don't get. This is a forum. People discuss and ask questions on forums. I have done research and through that research have an entire kit laid out.

I have done my homework. There isn't a place anywhere near me, or anyone I actually know that does this stuff so I have to rely on the internet (or ordering and re-ordering) to get something like cabling right.

You guys don't have room on this forum for anyone but the conceded "pros" who know SO MUCH that they can't take 5 minutes to help a guy out because he should just struggle through minutia just like you did.

My question is, what good is knowledge if you horde it?

I know it doesn't matter to anyone on this forum but I won't be back here. It's sad you can't ask a question with a bunch of uppity types making a LOT of assumptions about a person and responding in kind.

[Rick Reineke]

You may may be better off posting questions on 'DV user' or DVX User which is more geared to semi-pro and/or camera ops and others with little audio knowledge or skills. Some of us pros frequent those sites as well to share knowledge. Either way there's still no Substitute for experience

[atheisticmystic]

Dude,

As a fellow noob, allow me to respectfully tell you that posts like yours arrive daily in EXACTLY the same format:

1- The "we have pros/semi-pros/talented artists onboard" qualifiers are always there:

Our camera man is a professional photog/videographer and REALLY knows what he's doing.

2- The "I have ancillary experience" qualifiers are there:

I used to do a fair bit of music recording of just myself and my wife singing as well as playing guitar and know a little about editing and just how recording in general works.

3- The massive list of B&H prices standing in as "research".

4- And this is contrasted with the "all I REALLY need to know is" question that REALLY tips your hand:

All I really need is to know what cabling I needed to hook the lithium battery pack up to everything and if I should go with a stand alone recorder or keep using the little Zoom H4N.

It always goes down the same way my grown and married father-brother. Take it from me, go humble or stay at home with your kids.

Best,

Steven

[johnpaul215]

If you are not going to add wireless mics in the future, a MixPre or MM-1 may be a better pre-amp for the boom mic. Then again you would get a lot of bang for your buck out of a used Shure FP-33 (at times you can find them pretty cheap). I think the SD pre-amps sound better, but if you have a limited budget, that may allow you to reallocate funds for something else.

If you already own the Zoom, adding a better pre-amp would improve the sound quality. If you guys have a workflow that non-Timecode recording in the Zoom is ok, then go with it. The Zoom is clunky compared to professional recorders (let alone lacking the features), but is pretty ok for the cost. A lot of us own them for backup, transcription, whatever.

If you have experience with recording music, then there is a good chance you will get your head around booming. You probably have trained ears to guide you to better booming techniques. On my first film, I used a buddy as a boom op that had YEARS of experience as a musician that did home, and studio, recordings. He has great ears and picked it up really quickly. It's too bad he couldn't ride out the freelancer life once his first child was born.

[OmahaAudio]

That's a decent listing of gear. Look into buying the big things (mixer, mics) used. A few excellent sources of used pro audio gear would be www.locationsound.com, www.trewaudio.com, www.gothamsound.com and www.pro-sound.com. If you're lucky enough to live near NYC or LA it might be worth a day trip into the city to visit a few places, meet the people there and soak up the atmosphere. If you're in the boonies then the Internet is about you're only option. Things are bought and sold here on JWSound as well.

You might also want to think of a Rode NTG-3 shotgun for exterior work (a good, lower priced alternative to the industry standard Sennehiser MKH416) and a windscreen for each mic. A very nice, and less expensive, windscreen is available from http://www.micover.com.

A good source for custom cables is www.redco.com.

The BDU is a good idea but try using AAs while you get used to things, as a DBU outfit will set you back $500-700. Costco's Kirkland brand of alkalines work well and are usually cheaper than the name brands.

A Rycote Invision (http://www.bhphotovi...Microphone.html) might be a better shock mount than the one you list at only a slight increase in price.

For the basics check out "Location Audio SImplified" by Dean Miles (www.locationaudiosimplified.com) and "Sound Man" by Richard Patton (http://www.trewaudio...ard-Patton.html), both Canadians by the way.

Get as much information as you can. With three weeks of information gathering you've only begun to scratch the surface on the information out there. This site is an invaluable resource so just do some reading here. Don't pay attention to the naysayers. I don't know what makes a few of the extremely knowledgeable old hands here jump down the throat of anyone that posts an "I'm a beginner, I have a dream, Can someone help?" message but it seems to happen a lot. Get to know your gear, practice with it before you use it in battle and get on with it.

[afewmoreyears]

Here BM, from this very forum.... see, all you have to do is use the search engine provided free of charge.... some really good books...

Vin,

If you aren't familiar with it, Geoff Martin's e-book, Introduction to Sound Recording, is excellent: http://www.tonmeister.ca/

So is Ron Streicher's and Alton Everest's New Stereo Sound Book: http://www.stereosoundbook.com/

"I don't know what makes a few of the extremely knowledgeable old hands here jump down the throat of anyone that posts an "I'm a beginner, I have a dream, Can someone help?" message but it seems to happen a lot. Get to know your gear, practice with it before you use it in battle and get on with it. "

I don't know if I am included, but... the answer is....

I do, we see it almost every day..... we are happy to provide info, but one really must try harder themselves first.... simple enough....

Wait till the Senator gets wind of this... LOL....

[bluemalice]

Don't worry. I know work is hard to find right now. You guys will get by at some point. I'm sorry it makes you mad that a noob has enough money to start with decent enough equipment to get paid doing it.

Once again, another comment full of mis-information arrives on the "full of itself" board of "professionals".

Would you like to see our camera guy's website? He does all the film/photo for the Dallas Mavericks. That's a good enough qualifier to me.

2nd, I was humble about my experience with music recording. Would you like to see my work as well?

3rd, my price list was not my research. It was a list of things I am putting together so people would know what I was talking about. How do you think a list of equipment is somehow my qualifiier for research? I've spent 3 weeks studying mic patterns, sound physics, placement, recording separate channels or mixing to give the most options in post and too many other things to list. I said from the very beginning I'm a complete noob and still in the research phase. I never acted like I was some guy who thought buying equipment would make me awesome even though the forum treated me as such from the beginning.

The All I really need to know comment came after I realized I would get no legit advice here because it's one of "those" kinds of forums. I was hoping some kind soul would just help me out with the advice on the Hirose connector and how it connects to a battery pack.

[johnpaul215]

My question is, what good is knowledge if you horde it?

People have mixed feelings on this. Some are all about sharing knowledge and answering every question. Some will point you in the direction of finding the answer your own. Like learning to do math instead of grabbing a calculator. There are others that feel that they amassed the knowledge over a career of working their butts off. That knowledge comes with experience and that's something they bring to the table when getting hired. I'm not saying one if right, but they all have merit.

Anyway, if you want to make a bundle and get the right cables, try calling a salesperson at one of the known audio shops. They have the same prices as B&H (sometimes better). Their specialty is building a complete package. there are a lot of seasoned vets that will count on their dealers to make sure they have the right cables when buying a new piece of equipment. A lot of people here have sound packages put together by, or with, a dealer so they know they have the gear they need for the project.

B&H is a good resource to see approx what something costs, but you will not get somebody on the phone that knows much of anything about audio gear. In my experience, I have to do the research myself before ordering from them. I have returned a TON of stuff to them over the years because it could not do what their sales people told me (specifically specs on little LCD monitors). They always seem frantic on the phone. I realize it's NYC, but Gotham is around the corner, and the people there have time to make sure you get what you need.

[atheisticmystic]

I know it doesn't matter to anyone on this forum but I won't be back here.

Back so soon?

First you said:

There is NO money involved in shooting this t.v. show. Everyone is volunteer including myself.

Then you said:

I'm sorry it makes you mad that a noob has enough money to start with decent enough equipment to get paid doing it.

Get it?

And the killin' part?

I was hoping some kind soul would just help me out with the advice on the Hirose connector and how it connects to a battery pack.

If "all you really need to know is" how to connect a fucking cable???

Whatever.

[bluemalice]

If you are not going to add wireless mics in the future, a MixPre or MM-1 may be a better pre-amp for the boom mic. Then again you would get a lot of bang for your buck out of a used Shure FP-33 (at times you can find them pretty cheap). I think the SD pre-amps sound better, but if you have a limited budget, that may allow you to reallocate funds for something else.

If you already own the Zoom, adding a better pre-amp would improve the sound quality. If you guys have a workflow that non-Timecode recording in the Zoom is ok, then go with it. The Zoom is clunky compared to professional recorders (let alone lacking the features), but is pretty ok for the cost. A lot of us own them for backup, transcription, whatever.

If you have experience with recording music, then there is a good chance you will get your head around booming. You probably have trained ears to guide you to better booming techniques. On my first film, I used a buddy as a boom op that had YEARS of experience as a musician that did home, and studio, recordings. He has great ears and picked it up really quickly. It's too bad he couldn't ride out the freelancer life once his first child was born.

Wow a legit response. Thank you kind sir. You hit the nail on the head with what a lot of our problems have been so far using the H4N.

I am adding 2 lavs right away. We have a couple of scenes that we probably couldn't do without them and will probably still need ADR even with them. That's the main reason I picked the SD302 over the Mixpre. I looked at used Shure FP-33's but it seemed like a lot of people think the SD302 is a new standard at it's price range. Money isn't an issue as far as cost except that I just have to justify the cost to what it is for me, a hobby. So as a hobby, I can't justify spending 3k on a mic or 2900 on a mixer etc... but it seems ok to spend 1200 on a mixer and 600 on a mic for me. That's just a personal thing really as well as I think it would be YEARS AND YEARS before I would even be competent to get anything out of the extra features as the price goes up.

As far as timecoding, the H4N is so clunky. I had something like 5.5 gigs of files on it from the last shoot and it is mind numbing trying to keep track of and sorting that out. I don't know a good way to do it with the Zoom.

As far as booming, I didn't start out working on this project. My cousin who just writes/directs and the camera guy were having to split duty doing it. It was so bad that I came in when they had to re-shoot the whole first 2 days of shooting. The sound came out LOADS better and mostly because I did a LOT of research before going out and they had only rudimentary knowledge of what they were doing. One example of extreme noobishness on the first 2 days of shooting was inside a cramped dining room of a house (4-wall nightmare) complete with AC noise, a washing machine going in the background and a deep freezer... The sound was horrendous. After doing a lot of research and knowing the only decent mic we had was a Boom mic, I went out with a bunch of moving pads and blankets and we got WAY better sound on the second shoot.

Anyway, thanks for the reply and I appreciate the advice.

[atheisticmystic]

After doing a lot of research and knowing the only decent mic we had was a Boom mic, I went out with a bunch of moving pads and blankets and we got WAY better sound on the second shoot.

Or you could turn the AC, washing machine, "clunky" "timecoding" feature of the H4N ..off?

[Tim M]

Look this isn't the 1970's or prior anymore, when a little kid by the name of Ben Burtt received his first tape machine from his rich parents, this was rare...and celebrated. Now every kid has a Zoom, IT IS NO LONGER okay to be imaginative and do things on your own. Go play video games and watch Madmen. Being creative? No no no this is all wrong. You must buy into the system and buy the games, TV, and film WE did and then when you spend several K on your education we will then offer you an internship, which you must work for free. After you do this we will then send you a link to the Zoom and you can somehow buy that yourself and then start doing it.

[bluemalice]

That's a decent listing of gear. Look into buying the big things (mixer, mics) used. A few excellent sources of used pro audio gear would be www.locationsound.com, www.trewaudio.com, www.gothamsound.com and www.pro-sound.com. If you're lucky enough to live near NYC or LA it might be worth a day trip into the city to visit a few places, meet the people there and soak up the atmosphere. If you're in the boonies then the Internet is about you're only option. Things are bought and sold here on JWSound as well.

You might also want to think of a Rode NTG-3 shotgun for exterior work (a good, lower priced alternative to the industry standard Sennehiser MKH416) and a windscreen for each mic. A very nice, and less expensive, windscreen is available from http://www.micover.com.

A good source for custom cables is www.redco.com.

The BDU is a good idea but try using AAs while you get used to things, as a DBU outfit will set you back $500-700. Costco's Kirkland brand of alkalines work well and are usually cheaper than the name brands.

A Rycote Invision (http://www.bhphotovi...Microphone.html) might be a better shock mount than the one you list at only a slight increase in price.

For the basics check out "Location Audio SImplified" by Dean Miles (www.locationaudiosimplified.com) and "Sound Man" by Richard Patton (http://www.trewaudio...ard-Patton.html), both Canadians by the way.

Get as much information as you can. With three weeks of information gathering you've only begun to scratch the surface on the information out there. This site is an invaluable resource so just do some reading here. Don't pay attention to the naysayers. I don't know what makes a few of the extremely knowledgeable old hands here jump down the throat of anyone that posts an "I'm a beginner, I have a dream, Can someone help?" message but it seems to happen a lot. Get to know your gear, practice with it before you use it in battle and get on with it.

Great thanks!

I'll try to respond to everything you wrote.

I was unsure if used equipment like this was typically a reliable way to go or not. I've read that the 302 mixer is built like a tank so I figured it might be alright used but didn't know about the other stuff. I'll check that out.

Sadly, I don't live very close to any retail places to check stuff out in person with a professional. That's ok though. I like to learn as I go and if I get something I end up not liking, I'll sell and try something else.

I think the Rode NTG-3 is what the camera just purchased for his own kit so we'll probably go with that for the outdoor stuff. Yeah the MKH416 I seriously considered but it's just a little too much money considering I want to purchase a hypercardioid and a shotgun.

I found and bookmarked redco last night actually

I have a large set of eneloop batteries already that I could use for the time being. I REALLY like convenience though and the BDU seems like the most convenient. Spending the money on that would be worth it to me not to have to fiddle with AA's and 9volts.

I will try that Rycote. I was having a difficult time finding any legit information on which shockmounts were actually good or bad etc... Not as many reviews or discussions on those.

I ordered that book, Location Audio Simplified on Friday. Should be here this week. I saw that book suggested in several other places as well. Looking forward to it.

Yeah I know I've barely scratched the surface but I'm a tad bit crazy when it comes to getting into a hobby. I know that before long, I'll be wanting something more capable than the Zoom H4N and that's the reason for just starting out with something like this instead.

I understand the "can someone help me" thing with forums as they get people asking a lot. When I'm on a forum about something I know about, I try to help every one of them individually by reading what they have to say and catering an answer to them. Otherwise, what's the point in responding just to basically tell them, to eff off?

[atheisticmystic]

You must buy into the system...

A compromise might be to admit cluelessness, and begin the very long and humbling journey of knowledge and experience acquisition?

[bluemalice]

People have mixed feelings on this. Some are all about sharing knowledge and answering every question. Some will point you in the direction of finding the answer your own. Like learning to do math instead of grabbing a calculator. There are others that feel that they amassed the knowledge over a career of working their butts off. That knowledge comes with experience and that's something they bring to the table when getting hired. I'm not saying one if right, but they all have merit.

Anyway, if you want to make a bundle and get the right cables, try calling a salesperson at one of the known audio shops. They have the same prices as B&H (sometimes better). Their specialty is building a complete package. there are a lot of seasoned vets that will count on their dealers to make sure they have the right cables when buying a new piece of equipment. A lot of people here have sound packages put together by, or with, a dealer so they know they have the gear they need for the project.

B&H is a good resource to see approx what something costs, but you will not get somebody on the phone that knows much of anything about audio gear. In my experience, I have to do the research myself before ordering from them. I have returned a TON of stuff to them over the years because it could not do what their sales people told me (specifically specs on little LCD monitors). They always seem frantic on the phone. I realize it's NYC, but Gotham is around the corner, and the people there have time to make sure you get what you need.

You say one of the "known" audio retailers? Is there a retailer you would suggest where I can order online or have the kit shipped to me? I live in Texas. I would definitely prefer to use a place where I can talk to someone competent on the phone about the order first.

[John Blankenship]

All the advice you were given (at least at the beginning of this thread) was not snarky nor mean-spirited. It was simply direct. If direct is not your cup of tea, why in the world would you ask these questions in a professional forum?

Just because an answer is direct and honest doesn't make it mean. However, if your response to directness is defensiveness, this definitely isn't the right forum for you. If you had bothered to research deeply into the archives for the thirty thousand times the same question has been asked you'd find that most here have been quite forthcoming with advice and have spent many hours of personal time helping people such as yourself. That is, until they become as defensive as you are now being.

The advice is there. It's all good. You say you've been learning, but I can tell you the best way to learn anything is to close one's mouth and open one's ears -- and drop the attitude.

If all you want is to know how to hook something up, then why bother to tell us how great the DP is and how awesome this is going to look? The answer to how to hook it up, is to buy from a professional sound dealer and work with them. That's already been noted several times in some of the answers you ignored. You don't have a dealer near you? I don't have one near me either, but they all have telephones.

Plus, your heading wasn't accurate. It should have read, "Noob with an attitude needs advice."

Good luck.

[afewmoreyears]

"Don't worry. I know work is hard to find right now. You guys will get by at some point. I'm sorry it makes you mad that a noob has enough money to start with decent enough equipment to get paid doing it."

I don't even know what that means...... or who it is directed to...but I am very happy you have enough gear to fit into the glove box in my gear van...

You will be fine.... just continue to study.... that's all... again, so simple... try not to be so angry, were not...

Direct purchase places with nice people to help you over the phone...:

Location sound services.... West Coast.... 818-980-9891

Pro Sound services.............East Coast... 800-883-1033

Some common sense must apply...

As for the AC noise... you mean 60Hz humm? Most rooms have walls, many 4.... nothing new here....

Fridge on.... unplug while shooting... remember to plug back in....

Washing machine.... really?... either turn it off for now, ask to have someone else turn it off if it is not yours.... mic differently.....

[bluemalice]

Or you could turn the AC, washing machine, "clunky" "timecoding" feature of the H4N ..off?

You're an angry, angry little person aren't you? Do you know what an internet troll is? Well it's you.

Someone responded with helpful information. That's why I'm still here.

I did say there is no money involved in shooting this and there isn't. I also said I'm sorry it makes you mad that a noob has enough money to start with decent enough equipment to get paid doing it. Those two things are not synonymous of each other. Use your brain. Those were two different things said at two different times. They don't go together. I am not getting paid in any way for this and don't actually plan to ever get paid doing any sound stuff ever.

You said, "If all you really need to know is how to connect a fucking cable??? Whatever."

Really dude? The descriptions of the items in question do not tell what type of connection the power out and in's are. I only figured out the Hirose adapter thing from a post I searched about 3 hours to find eslewhere. I don't know what goes on the other end though. You're basically full of shit man.

You said, "Or you coudl turn the Ac, washing machine, "clunky" timecoding feature of the H4N .. off?

Did you even read that above or are you just skimming for things to troll about? I said they RECORDED with all of that stuff on the first shoot when I wasn't there. I was stating that that's how bad it was to start. I then stated that we had to re-shoot because they didn't know about all that stuff and we used blankets/pads for the echoes/reverb from using the shotgun mic inside a 4 walled room and I assumed people would realize the second time around when I was there, I turned all that stuff off. Again, use your brain instead of being hell bent on being an ass.

You said, "A compromise might be to admit cluelessness, and begin the very long and humbling journey of knowledge and experience acquisition?"

No shit Sherlock. What do you think is going on here? I admitted cluelessness in the very beginning. The title of the damn thread has me calling myself a Noob in it. How much more must I grovel in noobishness before you realize you have no reason to act like an ass to random people on the internet?

[bluemalice]

Here BM, from this very forum.... see, all you have to do is use the search engine provided free of charge.... some really good books...

Vin,

If you aren't familiar with it, Geoff Martin's e-book, Introduction to Sound Recording, is excellent: http://www.tonmeister.ca/

So is Ron Streicher's and Alton Everest's New Stereo Sound Book: http://www.stereosoundbook.com/

"I don't know what makes a few of the extremely knowledgeable old hands here jump down the throat of anyone that posts an "I'm a beginner, I have a dream, Can someone help?" message but it seems to happen a lot. Get to know your gear, practice with it before you use it in battle and get on with it. "

I don't know if I am included, but... the answer is....

I do, we see it almost every day..... we are happy to provide info, but one really must try harder themselves first.... simple enough....

Wait till the Senator gets wind of this... LOL....

Neither one of those suggestions have anything to do with the questions I asked. That's why searching this forum (which I already did) would not yield the exact answers I was looking for. I have and have ordered books for study already.

It would take a lot less time and effort to just respond to what I actually asked or not respond at all right?