dillonesque Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 I'm working on a shoot where guns will be shot by the cast. What precautions should I take with my microphones? Thanks! P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantompwr Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 I'm working on a shoot where guns will be shot by the cast. What precautions should I take with my microphones? Thanks! P I have it on good authority that the mic capsules can handle ridiculously high SPL before they would be permanently damaged, with condenser mics the concern is that the front end amplifier gets saturated and will clip in a very unflattering way from most gunshots.I was on a shoot with blank guns fired by the cast and there was also (shouted) dialogue during the gunfire. My blue dot schoeps was distorting like crazy, and I don’t have a pad for it, so I went back to my Oktava MC-012, and used the -10 dB pad that screws in between the capsule and the body, and that took care of it. I think I may have doubled up the pads actually for -20.I would also recommend isolation headphones both to protect your ears, and so you can actually hear what your mics are getting. I used drummers headphones and they work well.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillonesque Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Excellent advice - thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 I have blown capsules on two separate occasions, once with an MKH 416 and once with a KMR-81, so it does happen. But, for ordinary gunfire, it is unusual; most of the time the microphones are quite robust. There are two circumstances to be cautious of: 1. Working inside where reflective surfaces tend to amplify the sound. I’ve not ever had difficulty when working outside but I did instruct my boom operator to give a little “air” during the gunfire. 2. With fully automatic fire. On both of the occasions when I had blown capsules the weapons were firing on full automatic, once with a Mach-10 and once with an AR-16. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillonesque Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Again - great advice - apparently i'll be outdoors the entire shoot, so shouldn't be an issue but that's super valuable info nonetheless - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungo Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Perhaps there's the opportunity to record a simple dynamic microphone onto a separate track? And there's the need to properly adjust (or even disable) the limiters to avoid heavy pumping after the gunshots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundpod Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Ask the armourer how loud they will be. They can pack the blanks differently, some will be loud some just a crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Don't point your boom at the gun but at reflective area Post may well use your work as a guide and lay in library shots with more impact and detail! mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenZ Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 From my understanding, a gunshot is a bit like a drum snare: very dynamic, short and loud. Some friends in post use dynamic microphones to record gun shots (such as a Shure sm57, believe it or not) for their sound design. They have it quite close to the gun and have an array of other mics further away or pointing at "reflective areas" just like Mike West said. Either way, if blanks are used, I was told they do not have the same sound than real bullets. So it's maybe not as interesting than a good library shot and the location sound is likely to be replaced (again Make West is right on this one too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 With adequate microphones for high SPL and a good PAD in your recorder you can record gunshots without problems and with quality. The DPA 4007 are a great microphone for the task https://www.dpamicrophones.com/ddicate/4007-omnidirectional-microphone Earthworks have a nice contenders, but support 10dB less than the DPA https://earthworksaudio.com/microphones/time-coherent-series/ Some info: http://www.sandv.com/downloads/0908rasm.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Patterson Posted April 23, 2018 Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 On 4/11/2018 at 11:54 PM, mikewest said: Don't point your boom at the gun but at reflective area Post may well use your work as a guide and lay in library shots with more impact and detail! mike IIRC this is what the sound mixer did for the original Total Recall. Not the remake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkanai Posted November 26, 2020 Report Share Posted November 26, 2020 Curtis Judd has interviewed Watson Wu, who is known for his recordings of vehicles and firearms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Harber Posted November 26, 2020 Report Share Posted November 26, 2020 We did a bunch of gunplay last night on a shoot. We record dialog with a shotgun mic (PDA 4017) and wires then waste the boom off the person for gunshots and I bring up a dynamic mic. They actually both worked well but the swing in dynamics between words spoken (often whispered while actor not trying to let their opponent know their position) and the very loud guns shots, even with half or quarter loads, can be drastic. Doable and the first take is always a learning experience. That's how we do it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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