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Audio monitoring/guide track solutions for Red Epic


Sandy

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I'm new to Red cameras and in need of solutions for monitoring sound through the camera and using it to record, at the very least, a guide track.

 

From what I've read on various threads here, it would seem that the EPIC is left sorely lacking for anyone needing to record high quality sound directly to the camera but I would appreciate any advise or suggestions for affordable but, none-the-less, professional level equipment that works well with the EPIC to record a guide track the camera from the mixer and recorder being used for the master track.

 

Wireless solutions would be ideal. Please advise the best way to proceed.

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Do a search. The most popular camera hops (Lectro SRa, Zaxcom QRX) will work fine if you pad their outputs down, and you can find a place to mount them on the camera. You can easily make a breakaway or adaptor if you want to cable in, and many companies make breakout boxes for the camera (wooden camera for example). For scratch, Zax ERx's, Lectro R1a's, Comteks, Sennheiser IEM. Choose your flavour, get the signal right, set the camera up correctly. It works.

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Usual suspects like Lectrosonics, Zaxcom, if you really want high quality.

For "guide" purposes, any halfway decent system will work, say, Sennheiser IEM with a G3 transmitter, or anything else.

Keep in mind that the Epic cam has 3.5mm TRS connectors that look like normal stereo inputs, but aren't. They are symmetrical mono inputs and therefore need Hot-Tip, Cold-Ring, Ground-Sleeve (or connect Ground to both sleeve and ring). Using a stereo receiver in mono mode will not work.

The hardest part is finding a place to mount the RX to.

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You can make a decent little tray for an RX or Lockit out of a piece of ABS and a Monfrotto ultraclamp.  Clamp the thing to a rail on the camera.   Download the manual for the camera from RED, the wiring of the audio input (TRS mini, balanced) and how to get around the menus is pretty well explained.  I keep the manual on my location netbook so the AC and I can refresh our memories about how it all works.

 

philp

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Funny that the Epic add-on is called 'wooden camera':long ago (yes,ahum,filmtime..) cameramen would say 'wooden camera' when not actually shooting,but pretending, because the 'on camera' subject was certain cuttingroom floor material..(so no waist on film material )

I always go to the camera rental facility before a ( longer) production to make sure my TC box and scratch receiver are well placed.(lots of velcro:-)Don't want to be surprised on the first shooting day.David C.

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  • 2 weeks later...

From what I've read on various threads here, it would seem that the EPIC is left sorely lacking for anyone needing to record high quality sound directly to the camera but I would appreciate any advise or suggestions for affordable but, none-the-less, professional level equipment that works well with the EPIC to record a guide track the camera from the mixer and recorder being used for the master track.

 .

Welcome to the RED club Sandy! Yes some guys, including me, would say that the RED is an amazing picture camera, but somebody forgot to add the sound system! One of the best things you can do is to get hold of an A box from Wooden Camera. It converts the EPICs 3.5mm jacks to XLR. Standard part of the kit in my opinion.

Feed the sound out from your mixer to the A box as a guide track, and record externally as your planning. Ideally if you can get a recorder with a good time code system, then let the EPIC pickup the TC from the recorder, that way audio sync in post should be easier. One option, if its in your budget, may be something like a SoundDevices PIX240 - has dual XLR for mic/line in, TC generator and can record Apple ProRes if you need rushes - saves transcoding RedRaw afterwards - just a thought for you. I've know them used along with a recorder, and instead of.

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