One of my favorite documentary filmmakers, direct cinema pioneer Robert
Drew, frequently directed as half of a two-person crew, and usually
while holding a microphone, not a camera. Although I like to shoot,
when I’m working with just one other person, I follow Drew’s lead.
After all, for video, sound is more important than image.
Mixing audio while directing gives me a number of advantages. I can
leverage my strong audio background (I’ve spent more time than I should
have in recording studios and I do some work as a location mixer). If I
mix I can better focus on the subject I’m covering and the story I’m
trying to get. Don’t get me wrong, visuals are extremely important, but
getting the right images requires a freedom of movement and a type of
concentration and an eye for the right shot that’s different from the
ear for the right track.
Plus, I’m a better journalist and audio guy than I am camera operator.
And I love working with great camera people. With me on sound, the guy
or gal with the camera is free to do whatever he or she needs to do to
get the images that will best tell our story.
Of course, I’d always rather hire a good mixer, but that’s not always
in the cards. Sometimes it’s budget, but usually the situation or
subject requires keeping crew size minimal. So I own a good, small
location audio kit.
My tracks (and my clients’ tracks) must sound as good as possible, so I
only use equipment that I trust. No $100 shotgun mics for me. However,
I’m not a full-time mixer and I mostly work on simple corporate, cable
and documentary projects. My ears may be golden, but my wallet is
nickel.
My Own Audio Kit
I work out of a bag, not off a cart. When I need a more elaborate audio
kit than I have, I usually need a dedicated mixer and I’ll hire one.
I’d rather have a smaller, better kit than a larger mediocre one. Of
course there are alternatives, and my bag is always evolving, but
here’s a brief overview of what I currently use.
A mixer. My bag is built around a Sound Devices 302 mixer. I have a
small two-channel Sound Devices MixPre and a bigger Wendt four-channel
mixer, but the 302, with its three-input and two-output channels, fills
most of my needs. It’s compact, rugged, easy to use, has great metering
and routing and audio performance that can’t be beat.
Boom mics. My main boom microphones are short-shotgun condensers. For
years, I’ve used an Audio-Technica AT4073a. It’s affordable, fairly
smooth and rejects the reflections found in tight interiors. I’ve
recently added a Sanken CS-1 short shotgun that is becoming my
favorite. I also have a Sennheiser MKH416 for pulling a sound out of a
crowd, working in press scrums and pounding nails. I wouldn’t be
without the 416; but for more intimate and interior work, I’ll stick
with the CS-1. Sure, I’d like a Schoeps CMC641, but I can’t justify the
cost this year, and the sound guys I hire all have them.
Boom and mounts. The mics ride a K-Tek K-102CC internally cabled
carbon-fiber boom pole. For my work, the 8-foot, 9-inch pole is long
enough to reach over a small crowd yet short enough to travel well. I
just switched to K-Tek mounts to attach the mics to the pole. For wind
protection, I mostly use Rycote Softies but switch to a full windshield
and windjammer when needed. The pole, mounts and wind protection are
all easy to adjust, rugged and light. I want as little weight as
possible in my hands, especially when I end up booming several
sixty-minute verité takes (curse you, long-running tapes).
Lav mics. I’d always rather use a boom mic, but sometimes a lavaliere
mic provides the best path to reliable sound. I’m not a huge fan of the
ubiquitous Sony ECM-77 lav, but they work fine and clients want them,
so I have a couple. I prefer Countryman lavs. I worked for Countryman
many, many years ago, but I wouldn’t use its mics if they didn’t meet
my needs, and they do. The EMW sounds open, is available with response
patterns for use over or under clothing and works in very wet
conditions. The Countryman B6 is tiny, with a head the size of other
lav’s cables. It sounds great and hides in plain site. I have several
of each model.
Wireless. I’d always rather use a hardwired lav mic, but sometimes a
wireless connection is the only way to go. I have three Lectrosonics
analog wireless systems: a 187, 195 and 201. Not cheap, but amazingly
rugged, rather transparent, fabulously supported and super-reliable. If
I were on a tight budget, I’d look at the Sennheiser 100 G2 series, but
the Lectros are worth every penny to me.
Headphones. Like many other mixers, I use Sony MDR-7506 headphones.
They provide decent isolation, sit comfortably on my head and have a
frequency response appropriate to mixing. The bright high-end helps me
catch noise hits and system interference. A mid-low boost lets me hear
cable and handling noise.
Power. Disposable batteries are expensive, a hassle and bad for the
environment. Although the upfront cost was significant, I’m glad I
power everything in my bag with a single NP-1 battery. I use IDX NP-L50
lithium-ion batteries that weigh under a pound but carry 55Wh. I can
usually run my bag all day on a single battery. Changing batteries
takes less than a minute. The battery connects to a Remote Audio
Battery Distribution System (BDS) that lets me turn everything on and
off through a single switch.
Cables. All my mic cables are made from Canare Star Quad. Star Quad,
and similar four-conductor cables from other manufacturers, reduces
induction of electromagnetic noise from dimmers, ballasts and AC
transformers. It’s tough, flexible and comes in 10 colors. I can reach
for the purple cable and know the length. I also have a 20-foot
breakaway cable that brings two channels of audio from my bag to the
camera, and one stereo signal back to me for monitoring.
Bag. Everything fits in a Petrol PSDMB-302. It’s rugged and accessible,
and has room for the mixer, a couple of receivers and transmitters,
some accessories and an NP-1 battery. I have a Petrol Eargonizer bag
that I use for bigger jobs, but I really prefer to keep things small
and light with the PSDMB-302.
Accessories. Of course, I carry a mix of tape—foot foam and medical
tape for rigging lavs and taping down lav cables, audio adapters, a
white-balance card, a notebook, a Creative Labs Jukebox recorder for
transcriptions and backup and a bunch of other doodads.
My Next Toys
I don’t own a DAT recorder. I occasionally rent one but usually run
cable or wireless to the camera. But I’m looking seriously at the new
compact nonlinear audio recorders from companies including Fostex,
Sound Devices and Zaxcom. Recording double system is a hassle, but it’s
worth it. Or I may update my wireless systems with two to three
channels of digital wireless.
As it is, the equipment in my small kit costs about $15,000. That’s a
lot of money, but spending less would be a false economy. Owning the
best means that production is expensive and it doesn’t completely free
us from exploitation by clients. But this kit gives us the option of
working the way we want and when we want. And it gets us out of the
office once in a while.
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