Transmitter/Receiver Advice Wanted (What to Buy)?

[Samuel Floyd]

Hello everyone, I have just recently begun my production audio journey and am looking for some advice on how much $ to invest and on what exactly.

 

I have already spent around $5k on:

 

- Mixpre 10 II

- mkh50

-ktek-pole (Avalon)

-orca bag

 

As you can tell, the last thing I need to complete the essentials is cavalier mics, transmitters, and receivers.

 

I'm currently debating whether to cheap out and go for the sennheisers, or take the big jump to lectrosonics, wisycom, or sound devices.

My thought process for getting my bag in order is I don't want to have to upgrade a year or so down the line, but the prices of the high end transmitters/receivers are quite high.

 

I'm basically asking to see if any of y'all think I can get by with the Sennheissers on 100% of small productions for a couple years.

 

I don't have certain kind of work I do, as I am just starting out, but so far I've worked on 2 small $10k budget films.

 

At what point do the high end transmitters and receivers become must haves?

[Aprikot]

There are many opinions on this because there are alot of variables that would go into your decision.

 

All you can really do is read through similar advice threads on this board (about this issue), try to template those opinions on to your situation, and go from there. The best thing is to rent and see what you like.

 

From my reading when I was starting, the two things I settled on as being critical was:  a robust pro-level wireless and a reliable battery distro to power everything. (a nice mixer and boom as well, of course, are critical)

 

Plenty of people can and do make Sennheiser G3/4 work. I keep a G3 unit for a hop and roll it out now and then. They are great, but do have their drawbacks. When I was in your position I purchased second hand:

 

2x Lectro 411a

1X LM

1X UM400a

 

I started with Tram TR50 (used on ebay at about $50 each) and Countryman b3 mics.

 

Then soon after added 2 more 411a (but with a SM & SMQV transmitters), added a couple more SM/SMVs, then demoted the LMs and UMs to hop transmitters.

 

When I booked 20'ish shoot days on a decent rated indie feature I upgraded to DPA lavs. I've since swapped the 411s for a DSR4, upgraded some transmitters, sold off some older units, and only fold in older transmitters and receivers on higher channel count jobs (which isn't common)

 

This is a simplified description, but it took a lot of time searching and waiting for second hand deals. I was fortunate to never have to purchase on credit, which personally I think is wise, but may not be feasible for you. I tried to only outlay money for capital expenses when I knew the work was there.

 

Now - would I do it all differently today?

 

Well, MAYBE - if I knew the income was going to be there to support the kit I wished for at that time, I would have skipped all the auction watching and probably just purchased a package from Gotham, then paid it off during an interest free period. But there's no way I could have known that, and it's not my nature to take financial risks.

 

Ultimately I learned a lot by reading, putting things together, learning the limits of my equipment, and upgrading as needed.

 

The hidden cost of the business can also be found in all the little extras - mount and wind protection options, rain protection gear, CABLES, time code, car rigs options, bag and case options for different pack-outs and travel, follow cart options, boom accessories, backups and backups. The list goes on, but that's why we get paid.

 

Hope this is helpful - if not specifically on gear, then just generally in terms of a possible approach. (sorry if it's a ramble!)

 

[Constantin]

You‘ll be absolutely fine with the Sennheisers. Don’t bankrupt yourself by getting wireless gear that’s more valuable than the entire production. 
 

You can immensely improve the Sennheisers by getting a quality lav mic, like a DPA4060. 
 

you will know when it’s time to upgrade your wireless. 
 

Lastly, please use the search function if this site. While the gear changes, the question does not and has been regurgitated many times

[Aprikot]

3 minutes ago, Constantin said:

You‘ll be absolutely fine with the Sennheisers. Don’t bankrupt yourself by getting wireless gear that’s more valuable than the entire production. 

 

1000 times this. If the work is there to justify the expense, then go for it. This can be a fickle business, and can sting if you outlay money for equipment and work dries up.

[Paul F]

Yes, the Sennheisers are fine.  I would definitely recommend starting with them. Save your money for microphones.

 

The one meaningful drawback I find is that the display and controls are on the front of the receivers. When operating out of a bag, you have to pull them out to look at the display and make adjustments. There are other reasons to go with the other brands. But as far a audio quality and performance, you will be fine.

 

Everyone has their favorite lav/lavs. So read up and pick one.

[Johnny Karlsson]

Look for used 411a/UM400a in blocks that are ok in your area. You will thank yourself later. 

[Tim Norris]

It depends on what you will be doing, your commitment to doing it and your cash flow. All I do is News. We work fast.

 

After 35 years, starting back when there were no rentals for audio gear in News... I have always purchased the best new gear. There was always some cash available to do it and an inner need to satisfy myself.

 

My current back up "disposable"  bag is a MixPre 10ll with a DSR2, two digital transmitters and a Schoeps CMC1-MK41 on a K-Tek boom. I will probably add a 'Lectro Dipole antenna pair before election day to extend the RF range a bit. It is all powered through a pair of IDX NP-9X batteries to a cute Deity SPD-1. Oh, and Deity TimeCode as well, one for each bag and 3 spares for cameras. My spare 'Lectro DCHT is mounted in the bag for camera hops to the DCHR. Sometimes I think I should have installed a DSR4 with four transmitters, but for running in hurricanes or protests, I don't want the extra weight nor the extra loss of equipment dollars should some small watercraft capsize while i am working in it.

 

The full kit is a Scorpio, SL2, DSR4, SRC 941 plus all the above extras and more. It weighs about 35 pounds and I can still work with it strapped to my chest while booming for a couple hours.

 

If 'Lectrosnics came out with a slot ready digital system that covered all frequencies and worked with my current bags, I would probably replace my current systems right away, even with only a few working years left. I may be on the foolish and extreme side...

 

Upgrading from perfectly fine gear to newer gear gives you better resale value on the old stuff... someone else is always needs to save money buying used slightly older technology. Is one way better? It depends, I suppose.

 

Good luck on your production audio journey!

 

Cheers,

Tim

[IronFilm]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:20 AM, Aprikot said:

When I was in your position I purchased second hand:

 

2x Lectro 411a

1X LM

1X UM400a

 

I started with Tram TR50 (used on ebay at about $50 each) and Countryman b3 mics.

 

On 9/25/2024 at 4:13 AM, Johnny Karlsson said:

Look for used 411a/UM400a in blocks that are ok in your area. You will thank yourself later. 

 

This is a great plan. Get older Lectrosonics 400 Series wireless. 

Very cheap now on eBay yet still great performance. 

And when you upgrade to newer stuff from Lectrosonics you'll still have full compatibility back and forth with all your wireless. 

The only tweaks I might suggest to this plan:

1) keep an eye out for UCR401, they've got fixed antennas and weaker performance, but can be even cheaper 

2) keen an eye out for Lectrosonics SRa/SRb, again they also have weaker performance than a UCR411a, but are a lot lighter!

3) go with Deity W.Lav Pro as your first lavs https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1612124-REG/deity_microphones_dwlavpro_w_lav_pro_microphone_with.html (plus either rewire itself, or get the adapter) 

[Constantin]

The older Lectro gear is really solid and certainly a good choice. 
 

I just want to point out how easily the Sennheiser gear can be re-purposed once you‘ve moved on to more expensive lav transmitters. 
 

To this day I use 4-5 Sennheiser transmitters (between cart and bag rigs) for iem purposes and some receivers for camera hops and various video recorders. 
in that regard this gear is really very versatile and even more cost effective 

[edward chick]

 

You can not go wrong with used Lectrosonics. 

I have a mix of. 411as and src/srb and dsr .. all work well together and I love the backward compatibility with the transmitters. I’m slowly upgrading and it’s nice to be able to pace the cost and not have to spend a ton of dough to keep the gear in the game. 

[OB1]

Used Lectro 400s and you won't need to upgrade for quite some time, or maybe ever! That's what I did a very long ago and I still have those same units in my arsenal, albeit backups when reaching higher channel counts or busy rf airways.

[PMC]

I use Lectro for my booms and lavs. I use Senny G2s and G3s for hops. Once or twice a year a get pushback for using the Senny's as hops. I tell the producer I can certainly rent higher end stereo hops but you aren't going to like the price. The ROI just isn't there in my market.