Audio: Radio Lavalier Mic Shootout - Sennheiser vs Rode vs Sony

    I recently shot a video covering the sound quality of some lavalier microphones that I've been using on my video work for  the last year or so. The test I've done is a comparison between the various lavalier mics but also uses an industry standard boom mic for a reference point.
    The three lavalier mics I have at my disposal are the Sennheiser ME2, which is bundled with the G2 and G3 radio mic kits, the Sony ECM77, which I picked up cheap but has been used across the world as a professional broadcast lavalier and the newcomer in the Rode Lavalier. Which represents a middle ground in price terms but as with all Rode products it provides an extremely favourable performance to value ratio.
    The boom mic I've set up is the Sennheiser MKH60 which, in my humble view, is one of the finest shotgun microphones that money can buy.

    What we've set up is not a perfect test, but more an actual use case scenario. I've not plugged the lavaliers into a mic pre directly but have actually taken feeds from the radio system, as that's how I'd be using them on a location shoot anyway. Being as I wanted a fair comparison between the lavaliers they are all wired up identically to Sennheiser G2 radio transmitters with mains receivers. All three receivers are run into my computer audio interface; a RME Fireface UFX. The boom is also plugged into the UFX.
     Here's the video:

         

     The goal here is first, have a listen to the mics and see what you think of the quality. All three are in a good position for dialogue intelligibility, but not necessarily perfect positioning (as you typically get on set...). Secondly to help show that the use of a full size boom can really elevate the sound of the dialogue that you're recording. While radio lavalier mics are an excellent choice for difficult shots and for getting a tight perspective, correctly positioned boom mics will always give you a fuller and more appealing sound.

    Apologies if the presenting was a bit crap, it's my first time trying this so hopefully should get better as I go on.

Amazon Links:
Rode Lavalier Microphone
Sennheiser ME 2-US

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Gear Review: Sennheiser HD 26 Pro Heaphones

     Once again I return to my search for the perfect set of headphones for everything I do. Something that can have me covered for location sound recording, studio recording & mixing, general music listening, gaming and travel headphones. It's a tale fraught with many obstacles, but represents a real challenge for any set of headphones.
     Today I'm taking a look into the Sennheiser HD 26 Pro on ear headphones. It promises to be a different sort of beast to anything I might have used before and has a price tag to suggest I could be on to a winner.

Game Profile: Beyond Eyes

     In the run up to games biggest gaming show in the world, E3, I went up to Wakefield with the guys from Explosive Alan Productions to meet the people at Team 17 who are helping to fulfill the potential in a really cool looking indie video game designed by Sherida Halatoe. The game is called Beyond Eyes.

     The profile for this really mesmerizing looking indie game can be watched at the 56min mark on this Twitch video after the break:

Location Recording: Power to the Bag!!!

     Petrol Bags, a company known for it's innovation in the audio bag sector has been bought by a bigger fish in the film accessories game and have been re-branded to suit. Petrol bags are now Sachtler branded and built. They now have a classy black and red colour scheme and what feels like a better price point. So I bought one for my new revised location recording rig (rather than trying to shoehorn everything in to an old Portabrace, which was built for my SQN and not much else!).

     I spent most of a morning fitting out my new Sachtler SN601 "Eargonizer" audio bag. For a fairly modest sized bag I was pleasantly surprised to squeeze in so much kit. I've paired the bag with the SN605 Heavy Duty Harness to reduce the strain of 8.5kg (!!) across my back.

Gear Review: Sound Devices 744T location sound recorder

     I'm a little late to the party here as, now, the 744T has been around for quite a number of years now and has effectively been superseded by newer and more feature rich recorder/mixers like Sound Devices own 664 and 633 and Zaxcom's Nomad. However, as I was in the market for an improved recording experience over my Roland R26, the 744T presented itself, through the 2nd hand market, as a very affordable upgrade path to reaching a professional grade recorder with Timecode syncing capabilities. That combined with my collection of Sennheiser MKH mics, fulfills my goal of attaining the most transparent audio recordings I've yet been able to make.