This week I've been tinkering with my soldering iron and doing a bit of basic electronics; while also gently dipping my toes into the black art of antenna repair/design. Neither of these things are completely alien to me. My degree in Broadcasting Technology got me problem solving electronics and I've been soldering for half of my life, and basic antenna design was a semester length module as part of my University time so after about a half hours reading I'm getting the gist of things again.
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Electronics & Antennae: Sennheiser G2 Radio SMA aerial mod
Welcome to another episode of "What to do when you have no work on..."
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Gear Review: LOM Uši electret condenser microphones
"Uši /uʃɪ:/ is a pair of stereo-matched, high quality omni-directional electret microphones. Compared with regular built-in microphones supplied with many recorders, Uši have exceptionally low noise and high sensitivity. They are especially useful for recording delicate sounds and environments."
Friday, 26 February 2016
Gear Review: Telefunken M82 Dynamic microphone
The Telefunken M82 is a microphone aimed most directly at people looking to get an "all-in-one" mic for tackling one of the most challenging sources in music recording.; the kick drum.
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Gear Review: Fostex AR501 Mic Preamplifier
Fostex are a company that have always been in and around the field audio recording market. With their industry leading portable DAT recording machines and excellent preamps they have always historically brought good products to market.
The Fostex AR501 is a single channel (although capable of being ganged into a stereo configuration) microphone preamp which can provide +48V Phantom power which can run off a single AA battery. The concept behind the product is a high quality preamp that can be used quickly and easily with small camera setups on cameras that lack proper XLR inputs. However Fostex have had the forethought to include an XLR direct output should you require it (I do!).
The Fostex AR501 is a single channel (although capable of being ganged into a stereo configuration) microphone preamp which can provide +48V Phantom power which can run off a single AA battery. The concept behind the product is a high quality preamp that can be used quickly and easily with small camera setups on cameras that lack proper XLR inputs. However Fostex have had the forethought to include an XLR direct output should you require it (I do!).
Monday, 16 November 2015
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
As always follow me on social media:
Twitter: @chazhurst
Twitter: @SoundUnitUK
Instagram: charlie_soundunit
Facebook: Charlie Hurst Sound
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
As always follow me on social media:
Twitter: @chazhurst
Twitter: @SoundUnitUK
Instagram: charlie_soundunit
Facebook: Charlie Hurst Sound
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