NEWS UPDATE: Tascam DR-10SG

Way back in April at NAB 2016 Tascam showed off this beauty, the Tascam DR-10SG

Tascam DR-10SG

This on camera mic is a little different from the rest as it also houses an inbuilt audio recorder, headphone socket for monitoring, dual record mode which is useful for those times on a run and gun assignment where sound levels may suddenly jump. It basically acts as an onboard audio recorder with attached microphone for those who want to keep things simple or a one man band who doesnt want to have to deal with separate audio recorders. It will also be great for bigger shoots as b-roll audio capture as you will get a higher quality audio recording as its not being recorded through the cameras onboard pre amps, making it far more useful if the main audio recorder has a problem.

The DR-10SG also has the following: 

• Built in clock stamp of time of day to audio files
• Ability to record at 44.1/48khz 24bit
• Limiter and Eq settings
• Low cut filter
• Slate tone
• Automatic file closing for prevention of loss of data
• Headphone output for monitoring audio

Now if you are sat there thing ‘hmm this all sound familiar’ then you would be right. Back in2012/13 Rode put out a press release showcasing the ‘Videomic HD’. Based on the popular Videomic pro and ntg microphones it incorporated an sd card slot, audio recorder, audio monitoring and audio out to record to camera. Unfortunately it never made it in to production. It looked pretty darn good though (as you can see below).

Tascam may not be the first to come up with this idea, but they are the first to bring it to market, so I will be intrigued to read how it performs in the field once it is released.

For more info check out Tascams website http://tascam.com/product/dr-10sg/

NEWS UPDATE: Tascam DR-701D

Tascam have recently released an upgraded version of their DR-70D called the Tascam DR-701D.

This new version being not only more expensive than the 70D also comes with a variety of new and pro features. These include:

• 6 track recording 4 Tracks plus L+R Mix
• HDMI video synchronization
• Cascade feature to add more units for more tracks
• SMPTE Timecode Bnc in port to allow external Timecode unit or to be jam synced 
• One button press start recording. Hit record on your camera and the Unit also starts recording (enabled via HDMI)
• Upgraded mic pre’s

Compared to the standard DR-70D these are major improvements that make it not only more useful but enable it to compete with the likes of Sound devices and Zaxcom, adding great features at half the price.

For more info head on over to the Tascam website.

Tascam DR-701D

  

Tascam DR-701D

   

What about Timecode??

Ah yes, Timecode. We’ve all heard of it, we’ve all used it on tape based cameras, but what actually is it? and why was/is it important and useful for Film makers and videographers.

 Timecode was adopted in the late 1960’s by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, other wise known as SMPTE (sim-tee). Time code is an industry standard frame numbering system that assigns a specific number to each frame of the video in the format of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. There are two SMPTE formats: Longitudinal Time Code (LTC) and Vertical Interval Time Code (VITC). 

LTC is an audible electronic digital signal recorded on an audio track or time code channel of an audio recorder. VITC is a visual frame identification code recorded in the vertical blanking interval of each video field. VITC time code must be recorded at the same time as the video and it can be read even when the video isn’t playing ie in pause mode, where as LTC can only be read while playing (these days both formats can be read without playing the video or audio. However keep in mind LTC can use up an audio channel, so pick your audio recorder wisely and think about the amount of channels you may need during production).

  
So that’s a quick history, but Why is it important? Simple answer is accuracy and repeatability. With SMPTE Timecode every frame of video and audio is given its own unique identifying number. Once recorded the Timecode video/audio relationship will be the same every time the files are played. Ie 12.23.10.15 will always be the same point on both audio and video no mater where it is played or on what medium, audio or video editor.

So what? You say, don’t modern NLE’s and plural eyes sync everything accurately for me anyway? The simple answer is no, they aren’t 100% accurate. This is because they work off waveform similarities, matching waveforms together from the scratch on camera audio tracks and the sound recordists audio recorder, so they don’t always sync as accurately as using Timecode can and will. 

Another reason to use Timecode is that not all internal clocks in Dslr’s, video cameras and audio equipment (unless spending lots of money) are built the same, so they can ‘drift’ by a few or a lot of frames over a period of time. This is particularly a pain when recording events over a long period such as a few hours etc you’ll try to line your audio and video up and find that by the end the audio or video will be up to 5 frames or more out of sync after 30 minutes or an hour, this then causes a fun headache of trying to slip things back into sync which will take unnecessary time and money.

So there you have it, Timecode can help stop the headaches of syncing video and audio together and help keep everything perfectly in time. Plus if you log it along with shot take and scene number you’ll know exactly what time the shot you need was filmed making it easy to find when it comes to finding it when editing.

Next up ‘what about Timecode part 2’ where I’ll explain the options available and how to get Ltc audio time code into your NLE.

My top 5 useful posts you may of missed from 2015

With 2015 disappearing over the horizon, here’s my top 5 useful posts that are not to be missed.
1. https://audioforfilm.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/5-tips-to-get-great-audio/

2. https://audioforfilm.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/action-cameras-with-audio-inputs/

3. https://audioforfilm.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/source-connect-now-from-source-elements/

4. https://audioforfilm.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/handing-over-your-audio/

5. https://audioforfilm.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/news-avid-pro-tools-first-is-finally-here/

NEWS: Avid Pro-tools First is finally here!

Avid Pro-tools First it’s  here! It’s real and not vapourware (phew). 

That probably sounds a little over the top, but I was getting a tad edgy that it would never arrive just like the rest of the community.

After going through the fun Avid sign up process and trying to remember my Avid account details, I was in and ready to download Pro-tools first *huzzah*. Once downloaded it was a simple install on my Mac, load up the dog file and follow the onscreen instructions.

Opening Pro-tools First for the first time it took a while to load, but I guess that’s because it’s searching the system for any plugins etc and contacting the Avid cloud services. (As a side note it was even slower once I’d setup PT Control, Avids new iPad controller app, but more on that in another post).

Loaded up it found all its associated plugins plus the few I already have installed, and well it looks like the Pro-tools we all know and love. The only real difference being some of the options you get to save projects, no video import options unfortunately, and slightly different options for setting ins and outs. But apart from that it’s identical to normal PT and PT HD. 

Apart from the no video import 😦 which would of been rather handy (even if it was a paid for extra)its still really useful for those of you who may need to edit radio/podcasts, interviews, sound effects etc as you’ve still got all the editing tools you’ll need, at the great price of £0. What more do you need from something that is FREE.

http://apps.avid.com/ProToolsFirst/

P.s. Sorry it’s taken me so long to post this, I know it’s been out a while.

5 tips to get great Audio Recordings

My Five tips to get great Audio Recordings:

1. Use your ears

This may sound completely obvious, but use whats stuck to either side of you head, your ears. Always listen, if your not listening to whats being recorded, how do you know its any good?

2. Always monitor your audio

This is a given, not monitoring your audio would be like setting up your camera, vaguely pointing it in the right direction and hitting record without looking through the viewfinder.

3. Invest in a good set of headphones

As well as using your ears a good quality pair of headphones will help hear any niggles or sounds that may effect a good take. Spend a good amount as you get what you pay for.

4. Scout locations and listen

Find out where the locations are or tag along on scouting missions. Then just close your eyes and ‘listen’. If possible do this throughout the day and note down any external sounds that may cause issues. Use this to help build the shooting schedule with your director to save alot of pain in post production later.

5. Know your kit

So you may not have top of the range gear, but knowing how to use it to get the best possible results is far better than having the most expensive microphones and audio recorders and not knowing how to use them. So spend time with you gear, testing it, going through the options and working out how best to use it to get the best end result.

So there you have it, my Five top tips for recording great Audio. Now go out there and get the best Audio you can!

Action Cameras with Mic Inputs

I was looking through my top viewed posts the other day, and discovered that my most viewed and read blog post is a little thing I wrote way back in October 2012 about the GoPro Hero 3 having a 3.5mm jack input for external microphones. At the time this was big news as the inbuilt mic hadn’t always yielded the best results, so being able to add something like a rode video mic pro was a fantastic feature.

So I’ve decided to bring you an updated list of all the action cameras with mic inputs that are currently available in 2015 that allow you to plug in an external microphone either via a 3.5mm jack connector or using a specific connector cable like GoPros usb to 3.5mm adapter.

• GoPro Hero 4 Black
• GoPro Hero 4 Silver
• GoPro Hero 3+
• GoPro Hero 3
• Sony FDR-X1000V
• Sony HDR-AS200V
• Sony HDR-AS30V
• Sony HDR-AS20
• Sony HDR-AS100V
• Drift Ghost S
• Ion AirPro 2
• Ion Speed Pro

There you have it, a rather comprehensive list of Action Cameras that all allow you to add an external microphone via a 3.5mm jack connector or adapter cable, so that you can get better audio quality while filming some awesome action shots.

NEWS UPDATE: NEW Sennheiser AVX Wireless system

Just when you thought it was safe to hit the ‘BUY’ button, Sennheiser have released a new digital wireless system to compete with Rode’s RodeLink Digital system.

Called the ‘Sennheiser AVX’ the system operates in the license free 1.9GHz frequency range (the same spectrum as wireless) which means it can be used in many countries without the purchase of a license. This may cause issues in more crowded built up areas, but its hard to know until real world testing of the units themselves.

The AVX has some clever technology built-in. The XLR plug on receiver automatically powers on with the cameras 48v phantom power, it automatically sets the correct audio level, as well as selecting the best available frequency. If any interference is detected it will automatically change frequencies.

The unit also has built-in ‘adaptive power transmitting’ which basically means that the system only uses the power needed to maintain a reliable connection between the microphone and receiver. So if you are in a less crowded frequency spectrum or the receiver and transmitter are fairly close to one another the units will use less power and vice versa.

The units all have built-in lithium-ion batteries which can charged via a usb port, with a battery indicator located on all units so no nasty surprises while in use.

The AVX system comes in 3 flavours, the first a handheld microphone set called the AVX-835 which comprises of a hand-held microphone transmitter and a plug-in receiver which connects directly to the xlr of your audio recorder or camera.

The second is Lavalier set called the AVX-ME2. This comprises of a bodypack transmitter with ME2 lavalier microphone and the xlr plug-in receiver.

The third and final set is the Lavalier Pro or AVX-MKE 2. This set includes the bodypack transmitter, MKE 2 clip on microphone and the xlr plug-in receiver.

All the packages come DSLR ready with an xlr-mini jack audio connector and hot shoe mounting accessories.

So there you have it, whether or not it will replace the tried and tested G3 system remains to be seen, but an interesting advancement none the less. To find out more follow the link below.

http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/avx

NEWS UPDATE: Pro-tools 12 Pricing

Its finally here! Avid have released their pricing schemes for Pro-tools 12 and here they are:

So what do you think? are you willing to pay $899? or will you go for the $25 a month?

NEWS UPDATE: Sennheiser and Apogee join forces

Released this last week at Music Messe in Frankfurt, Germany. Sennheiser and Apogee have joined forces to bring you 3 great new products.

The first being ‘ClipMic Digital’ the first Clip on microphone accessory for IOS that connects directly via the lightning connector with a built-in signal converter developed by Apogee. This allows you to record up to 24 bit 96kHz audio if you so wished, directly to your iPod, iPhone or iPad, making it great for on the go recordings, interviews and more.

sennheiser-apogee-clipmic-digital

The second product is the ‘MKE 2 Digital’ similar to the ClipMic Digital’ but aimed at the pro market with its higher spec condenser clip on microphone which comes from Sennheiser’s world-renowned radio lavallier microphones. Again it can record up to 24 bit 96khz audio with the accompanying app and can be used for a range of mobile audio recording and video audio solutions while on the go with no need for a wireless setup.

Now onto the IOS app, ‘MetaRecorder. Developed by Apogee, MetaRecorder is a 2 channel audio recorder specifically designed for the ClipMic Digital and MKE 2 DIgital Microphones. The app offers up to 24 bit 96kHz audio recording with some great metadata features that will help if using the audio with Final Cut Pro X. The meta data input allows you to add keywords, favourites, markers and more to your audio files while in the field. The audio and XML file can be uploaded to Dropbox (useful feature but could use a lot of your data if not on wifi) Once uploaded it can then be imported to Final Cut Pro, with your audio easy to find due to the meta data attached. A useful app and features i think you’ll agree, i just hope the meta dat xml files also work with other Video editing software.

Some great looking pieces of kit to take on Rode’s own SmartLav+.

*As an aside, MetaRecorder can also be controlled via apple Watch which could be very useful indeed.