We committed to do a testimonial video in about a week and a half and I decided to get ahead of the disappointment wave and make sure I had the stuff I needed to do the job well, in hand and ready to go. It's been a while since I did an interview-style video assignment. I knew I had enough camera gear, lenses, mixers, and tripods to outfit a small film production company but I'm always extra sensitive to audio gear. I like what I like to work with and hate having to sub in unfamiliar products in a pinch.
I remembered loaning one of my favorite lav microphones to a friend who accidentally trashed my Sennheiser MKE II Gold Omni microphone. He paid me for it and I forgot all about it because with Covid raging we just weren't doing many new interviews. There was no pressing need to replace that microphone in the moment. I also remember that the last time we did a big interview intensive project (nearly a week of shooting) I lost a couple of tiny "dead cat" windscreens for my collection of lavaliere microphones and a couple was all I had. So, in fact, I was down to zero micro dead cats.
Back when I was teaching classes in commercial photography at the University of Texas College of Fine Arts I remember telling students time and time again that a professional shows up ready. Ready with gear. Ready with a plan. Ready with extra gear in case something goes wrong. My students probably thought I was nuts but I was trying to save them from failure. And it's been a work habit ever since.
Before I started down the long road to photography I was more interested in audio gear. At one point in my life I wanted to go into electrical engineering in order to design amplifiers, pre-amps, high fidelity wireless systems, etc. It was a fun hobby but I could see, after a couple of internships with big semi-conductor companies, that the reality of that kind of work was much different from my fantasy of it. Big companies all expect one to show up on a regular basis and actually get work done. They expect results. The best dodge I could find instead was advertising and then photography. But I never lost my interest in audio equipment and I'm generally always appreciative of good engineering.
So, when I head out the door to do video I feel pretty confident about the camera work but I'm always much more concerned about the quality of the audio we need to get. In my mind, and in my experience, great audio is always the most important component of a video project. You might have great footage of beautiful stuff but if you are including interviews and the sound is funky you lost the game.
I bought two sets of Sennheiser EW 100 wireless microphone systems back in 2012. That was ten years ago. I bought them because at the time they were the reputable standard. Not as luxe as the Lectrosonic gear but still good, solid gear for the kinds of productions I do. I'm usually just using one set and keeping the second set handy as a redundant back-up. On a shoot I'll have both pairs set up identically so that if one unexpectedly dies I can quickly replace them without having to re-calibrate, set levels and pair them again while a client is waiting for me.
I've used the EW 100s extensively over the last ten years. They are reliable and consistent. Each set came with a Sennheiser MK 2 mic. I later bought the upgraded MKE II versions which are sonically supposed to be "better" but I think the originals are 95% there already. Certainly good enough for spoken word interviews. But I went ahead today and ordered another of the MKE II Gold version and also a packet of "furrys" for the lavalieres. We're going to be filming outside and I want to be ready to step in and dress up the mics with little furry objects to kill the wind noise; if necessary. (These are not really made from dead cats. They are generally synthetic fabric fuzzy constructions that kill wind noise...).
Today was test day. I tested both pairs of receivers and transmitters and matched them all to the same pairing frequencies. I tested the microphones and both sets of headphones (weak link is almost always the cords) and made sure I have ample supplies of Eneloop Pro double "A" batteries ready to go. I tested the gear on all three of the cameras I have in mind to shoot with. So far so good.
The new microphone and replacement furrys are in stock and shipping. They'll be here a week ahead of the project date. Looks like we're good to go here.
I also wanted to talk about one of the things I like about my Sennheiser wireless mic gear: I love that both units take standard, widely available, double "A" batteries. This is one area in which I do not like built-in, non-removable, rechargeable, proprietary batteries. If you screw up on charging them you can't easily fix your faux pas in the field. They are remorseless. Those proprietary batteries live to screw with you. If conventional, removable batteries decide to give up the ghost it's an easy and quick replacement. And the gear is set up to show an accurate battery level with conventional batteries. Built ins? You're on your own....
So, robust gear. Easy to work with. Easy to set up. Easy to get power. Industry standard. I know the Rode Go's and the DJI's are much cheaper but I also don't think wireless mics are based on such ever changing and cutting edge technology that the new models are important to keep chasing down. I'll stick with these until such a day as when I can justify a set of Lectrosonics and a bunch of Countryman microphones. Till then, do a sound check and watch your levels....
8 comments:
local place here that supplies bbc (round the corner from them) rents countrymens for somewhere round $25 equivalent a day, I imagine it'd be a similar amount in your area
It has been eons since I felt compelled to comment on anything... but when you mentioned that you take two identical sets of audio gear, loaded and ready to roll, I started laughing so hard. I have been doing that since I started shooting video back in the analog days... but no one else around me ever did. I thought it just proved I was paranoid. LOL. Now I realize I just hate having to reshoot or make up excuses why something turned out like shit. I would much rather swap out in 2 seconds and just keep moving forward. This was so incredibly reassuring to read. Thanks.
Alex, Welcome back to commenting. We are smart to choose an ounce of (gear) prevention over pounds (and dollars) of cure. I still can't go on even a quick, afternoon assignment without packing up rudimentary back up gear.
It's also why my car has a spare tire....
Your car has a spare tire! I bet you even know where to find it. The one disappointment I found with my 2012 Miata - undoubtedly the best car ever made, both in design and build - was that it had no spare tire. Just a miniature pump powered from the 12 volt outlet and a can of spray-in sealant. What a sad joke. The one time in five years I did run over a three inch bolt and puncture a tire my AAA membership paid for itself with a flatbed truck dispatched to the scene.
Mr Tuck, I was a director of corporate videos for 30 years before slowing down. Your attitude regarding clients is exemplary. Corporations pay good money for good service. That's it! You can't afford not to be prepared!
Hi Raymond, Thanks! My mentors from the film era pounded preparation into my brain over and over again. I remember the day we were shooting sports stuff outside in a sand storm in San Antonio and my Hasselblad jammed. The client looked worried. I pulled out a second body and kept shooting since the light was amazing and the talent was expensive. That body soon jammed too. The client looked resigned to calling it quits and coming back without the needed shots. That's when I pulled the third body out of the case and finished the assignment....
My local camera repair guy was able to clean out all three bodies and their attendant lenses and return them to full working status in short order.
After that my client never looked at a bid from another photographer right up until he retired.
After being introduced to them in college radio several decades ago, I still favor the EV 635 for hand-held interviews and the like. They're indestructible - you can win a bar fight with one, and then use it to interview the losers.
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