1 (720) 299-2084
Solutions: Location Sound Mixing & Recording.
TIPS by me & other sound recordists
These links below open in a new tab or browser window. You can copy and paste www.coloradosoundrecordist.com into another tab / window to keep this page on your list. There is almost or is always a solution to a sound recording problem, when additional audio equipment is available.
The sound person knows the problems cause and is able to apply their prior production experience to a remedy. When you hire an experience sound man or woman that can recommend alternate solutions.
I’m frequently working in Denver and other Colorado areas. I have worked in other states & counties learning these solutions to problems from applied experience. And working freelance as a sound mixer with more experience, including on feature films.
Research your problem online,
Or ask another sound recordist
You can also find a solution via forums like Creative Cow or other production communities.
You can buy the right gear from SoundDevices.com, TrewAudio.com, LocationSound.com – they have people who are also useful resources for equipment advice. They can also give advice on techniques in location sound mixing & recording, as well provide the gear to do so. They can also help you diagnose audio gear problems. They also assist on repairs.
Calling the equipment manufacturer is also another solution if you are new to location sound and need to speak with a technical support person over the phone.
If you are newer to location sound mixing & recording calling another veteran sound recordist can also be a quick fix to your problems as well – 1 (720) 299-2084. You can also call or email many resellers of equipment like the one’s listed above. And often there are tips & tricks these companies can offer you.
Or provide you with a supply or piece of equipment or refer you to a technique that will help you. But don’t forget a google search can often help you out with multiple ideas. For instance: google search: “reduce clothing rustle with hidden lavaliere microphone,” is an example.
Location Scouting
I the sound recordist can scout the shoot locations in advance or at least knows the address, this is better. RF scanning and ambient sound or noise evaluation can be done as well. Ambient noise or sounds are heard from the environment.
RF/Radio Frequency Interference
Many Wireless are more prone to unwanted RF from emergency response, cell phone carriers and TV. Other RF/radio frequency interference starts in VHF and more so in UHF. UHF, Ultra High Frequency starts at 300 mhz (megahertz). The spectrum from 400 to 450 mhz is probably the least crowded as far as finding an open wireless frequency in the USA. Above 450 mhz gets progressively worse in finding an open wireless frequency.
Newer wireless starting at 1800 mhz
Bluetooth frequency wireless starting at 2402 mhz is better. Some UHF wireless start at 1800mhz, a better use of UHF for sound recordists.
RF interference can sound like extremely loud static, white noise or static noise but can also cause other problems.
As a result of the FCC selling off everything from 600 mhz to 900 mhz, in UHF, sound people have migrated to Bluetooth or back to VHF that is less desirable. The 450 to 600 mhz spectrum is also crowded up, so it may take work to find open frequencies in larger cities. Denver, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, NY, Boston and the largest USA cities are incredibly RF crowded from 325 up to 1,000 ghz.
Bluetooth starts at 2402 mhz and wireless like the Sennheiser AVX100 have better use with less chance of interference. They also auto-tune out of interference for a sound recordist. Sennheiser AVX series have a spectrum of 1800 to 2.4835 ghz, making them superior in finding open frequencies compared to other UHF mics. These wireless also can penetrate some structures and walls better.
Many manufactures including more expense Lextrosonics and Zaxcomm are still focusing on lower UHF frequencies, that is puzzling to pay a premium, only to find less usable RF space.
No Auto-tune, then scan out of RF
With UHF frequency agile wireless, first turn the receiver on and see if there is RF interference without the transmitter on. If so scan and find an open frequency to move to. Then turn on the transmitter and tune to that frequency.
In Colorado UHF is crowded in many areas through the entire UHF spectrum except above 1800mhz, especially near Golden CO and Lookout Mountain.
Removing Buzzing, Hum Sounds & Electric Noise
Unshielded or Unbalanced Audio cables
This is usually poor ground or unbalanced audio cables most often, that include most phone cables, RCA cables, 1/8″ or other connections. And they are more prone to pick up electromagnetic interference when they exceed 3 feet. XLR connected cables have a ground connection, and also can extend past the limit where signal loss and electric interference causes noise or buzz problems common to other cables.
There are cables for RED, ARRI and other specific cameras that have engineered their hardware past these problems. Shielded cables can be interfered with when to close to powerful electric sources or too many electric sources. Buzzing can be caused by a damaged ground wire in the cable as well.
Damaged Cable
A short in the cable will also cause this problem, especially the ground wire. If a ground wire is damaged in an audio cable, this will cause a buzzing noise. If a ground wire is separated from a terminal in a breakaway cable this can cause the same buzzing or hum noise as well. Or if another wire in the cable is damaged, static, pops and dropouts occur.
Wrong Power, Right Gear
Incorrect power supply to equipment – Examples if you apply phantom power to a dynamic lavaliere, or line based mic, or line level connection. Or applying T power to a non Tonader based microphone, (T-Power), it will cause line hum or buzz, and quite possibly damage the equipment.
Applying phantom power to some line level sources may also damage equipment, but there are exceptions. Poorly shielded microphone or connection cables or cables in proximity to electric cables or sources will cause line buzz. Poorly constructed light dimmers near XLR cables will cause line buzz or the 50 or 60 cycle hum in XLR cables or any other cable.
Read tips on T Powering here. Read tips on Phantom Power here. It is better as a sound recordist to stop and fix the problem or to retake. Rather than to continue recording noise, as this cannot be entirely removed and will ruin the production. Costing you among the producers, clients & crew for allowing this noise into the recording. The footage that should have been addressed immediately. But as a client, when challenges come up, let the sound recordist solve the problem, period.
Longer cable runs past 25 feet can also cause buzz or weaken the signal. Consider using lavaliere microphones or other radio transmitting sound devices to transfer/transmit your sound to your recording devices. Too many crossed audio cables or audio components that are connected can impede you. Or near dirty power sources that are un-shielded will cause these issues. Running audio cables over electric cables is NEVER a good idea.
Power conditioners, ground lifters can sometimes be used, or going to DC power of your devices (using batteries in your hard wires mics, removing all outlet / AC power to power sound gear). Always power equipment correctly. These problems occur less in ENG or EFP, or mobile recording situations, but can be common if care is not taken.
Reducing Noise
Air Conditioning Noise or Wind
WIND: Wind screens are imperative to have on any microphone except in well controlled interview situations. Aside from wind screens that a screen or foam based, there are also fuzzy windscreens for most all types of microphones that can be used as well to reduce wind noise, often nicknamed “fuzzies.”
In windy situations outside, blocking the wind with a large stable barrier that does not rustle of flap, can also reduce wind intrusion. For outdoors, hiding lavaliere heads under clothing, and using wind screen or foam protection on the microphone head can also can eliminate wind rustle in sound recorded.
For shotgun microphones, using a large zeppelin or dead cat wind jammer can also help outside in moderately windy situations as well. A dead cat is a large furry wind diffuser and a zeppelin is a large blimp like wind diffuser for shotgun microphones. Wind barriers can be made as well to reduce wind from hitting microphones as long as they are not affecting the sound. Most wind diffusing devices are designed to absorb wind, or diffuse it or direct it away from the microphone diaphragm. If none are available use a tube sock on the shotgun.
AC, White Noise & Related Sounds: Turning off air conditioning or electrical appliances not relevant to the shot or subject matter is the first step to avoid the problem. Choosing another location or using high pass filters on mic connections in air conditioning problem-laden situations is another idea.
Shielding air ducts if possible is another solution or flagging them or blocking them in the location of the shoot or shot. Other solutions include using wind barriers, or barriers to the sources that are causing the problem. As AC is the same as wind in a lesser degree wind barriers and high pass filtering are often solutions for the sound person.
Using a low cut on the mixer with an adjustable rolloff will reduce fan noise, moderate air conditioning, even city traffic noise (off in the distance), as well some other white noise sources.
Adding barrel filters / high pass filters will often work, (except with phantom powered sources), and can greatly reduce the problem. PSC High Pass filters are excellent for this task. Using more lavalieres than boom sources for audio can reduce air conditioning noise as well in some instance.
Other Noises
As an audio tech I’ve heard several noises that can be resolved with diplomacy or by other remedy. They include:
- Airplanes, helicopters and aviation: Retake the shot or find another location if heavy air traffic continues to interrupt your location sound recording.
- Power tools, lawn mowers, noisy neighbors: Explain to the people sourcing the noise the problem and ask for a temporary pause with the operator.
- Hallway chatter: have the supervisor inform everyone in the area that loud chatter = equals audio problems. If you are not in the shot, the motto is to be quiet in almost every instance. Hallway signs on doors in corridors can eliminate the problem. Explain to everyone in the vicinity that conversation is to be heard by those directly on camera and loud chatter is intrusive & inconsiderate, in a polite way. Explain that lost time due to distraction or lost recording time equals a loss of money.
- RF Hits – radio signal problems are the common culprit. Your receivers can be getting interference from something on the same radio frequency, or your batteries in transmitters are low, which causes loss of signal. Or your transmitters are too far away from you/your receivers. Compelling you to move you/receivers closer to the transmitters. Radio hits or interference sound is like a radio tuning off of a channel for a description or a static sound.
- Popping crackling noises when you move, cables are moved or when the talent moves – chances are there is a short in a cable; either a mic cable, the lavaliere cable with the mic attached or the AF out or in/ XLR cable on a lavaliere, or a bad cable to the boom or another bad cable. If there is not a locked connection to the audio input or output, this will occur as well. Old XLR ports or cable connections can also cause this problem where they do not lock the cable in properly. You are hearing a loss of disruption in signal in the damaged cable which has a crackling sharp sounding noise.
- Hollow or Distant Sounding Mics – This can be a microphone head from a lavaliere has fallen into the persons wardrobe, or away from the persons face. If you have multiple mics, it’s best to isolate each one from the other on a separate channel and/or track on the recording. Fading down the microphone sources that are not active or picking up the desired sound is the best practice. This also takes out unwanted dialogue when someone is speaking off camera without necessity or is out of the shot, but still miced up.
- Dropouts or static. Dropouts are a sign of RF interference and transmitters out of range. When they are out of range from the receiver’s static may replace the sound coming out. This is usually another RF source taking over the receiver.
Solutions to noise can be anticipated with a location scout better by an experienced sound person. With equipment including a sound mixer as well as microphones to test the ambient noises. Surveying the probability of other intrusions to the sound recording.
Obtaining a film permit in public places, as well secluding the production from the public or intrusive elements is critical in larger scale & budget productions, especially in features. Hiring police as well to control areas or traffic can also move annoying intrusions away from your production or set. RF scanning in advance of an area is a HUGE help.
Hiding Lavalieres in Clothing
Cotton can be a better material for hiding a lavaliere mic head. To reduce or eliminate the sound of rustling clothes, it’s important if the lavaliere mic head is in contact or secured against the clothing of a person. In a way that the head will not move around rubbing against the fabric.
Hiding microphones under layers of clothing will make the rustle more apparent because it is hearing the sounds of multiple layers of fabric in contact with each other. An example would be if you have a mic head under a shirt, that is covered by a necktie or overcoat, under a dress shirt. You will be competing against all those materials on the wardrobe, as well creating muffling the sound. Here are some tips or tricks and places to hide lavaliere heads:
Nick / Mister Photon Media
A well-equipped sound recordist for any video,
film or television production
1 (720) 299-2084
Hiring a sound person well equipped and experienced ensures your production moves smoothly, instead of stopping. Me having more than one audio component as well, in wireless, shotguns, mixers among other gear, ensures a back-up or allows the sound person to scale up the size of the production when the need arises.
Along with the gear for specific cameras from various makers, I also have the experience with higher end cameras as well having the accessories.
Wireless Microphones / Lavalieres
All my wireless are UHF frequencies.
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- Lectrosonics LMA/UCR 100 (2 pairs)
- Lectrosonics UCR 211 (2 pairs) 100 mw
- Lectrosonics UCR 411a (2 pairs) 100 mw
- Lectrosonics UCR 411 MM series (2 pairs) 100 mw
- Lectrosonics SMa (2) 100 mw
- Sennheiser SKP 500 lavalieres (4 pairs)
- Sennheiser SK 2000 lavalieres (2 pairs) (100 MW power)
- Sennheiser EW G3 lavalieres (4 pairs)
- Sennheiser AVX100 (4) 100 MW power 1.8+ ghz. The best choice for wireless due to minimal frequency crowding.
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Wireless mic heads include:
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- 4 Countryman B6,
- 4 Countryman B3,
- 4 Sony ECM 77,
- two Tram TR 50,
- Various Lectrosonics M150 & 152 heads,
- Sennheiser ME mic heads.
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Shotgun Microphones
Sennheiser & Shotgun Microphones
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- MKH 60
- MKH 416
- MKH 816
- ME 66
- ME 80
- ME62
- Saramonic DSLR Mic (2)
- Neumann KMR81IMT long shotgun
- 2 Saramonic DSLR on camera shotguns
- Simorr DSLR on camera mic (great for Gimbal support)
- K-Tek boom poles & shotgun microphone suspension mounts
- Wind Jammers
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Sound Mixers & Recorders for Video, Television, Film
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- Sound Devices Mix Pre-10 ENG/EFP audio mixer & recorder
- Sound Devices 664 Mixer Recorder with 6 dedicated XLR inputs, with other inputs as well. I use this the most out of my mixer/recorders.
- Tascam HS-P82 Mixer Recorder – Having 8 dedicated split inputs, this is a very high-end digital audio recorder / mixer for ENG, EFP, film or video production. The S/N ratio makes you feel like you are in a sound booth and not a noisy environment with AC, among other sounds. Filtering and mixing up to 10 tracks with EQ. With time code embedded from a device or to slave several devices like several different cameras or other I/O recorders.
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- Sound Devices 552 ENG/EFP audio mixer & recorder with 2 channel recording.
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Call me on a pre-production meeting and we can discuss your needs of a production sound mixer. 1 (720) 299-2084
Additional Mixers & Portable Recorders
- Marantz 660 – a digital flash recorder – records to PCM or MP3 formats. This can also be used to recorded time code format MP3 files or WAV format. This can be used as a primary or backup recorder, however the list above is a better choice for versatility.
- Tascam DR100 Mark II – A very versatile portable & capable mixer for 2-4 track recording. I can record wav or MP3 format files with higher sampling rates, as well WAV. Including with time code with adapters. This recorder can be used as a primary or backup recorder, however the list above is a better choice for versatility. This smaller recorder works well for moving audio sources or vehicles that the sound technician may not be able to fit into or be nearby. I have used larger mixers in cards as well for car scenes.
- PSC AlphaMix – a 4 channel ENG/EFP audio mixer with several outputs.
- Mackie 1404 & 1202 VLZ sound mixers with 8 inputs, EQ among other features. If you are sitting a place with power and need more control over EQ and gain, this would be the ticket.
Additional Equipment
- Lighting Grip and Camera Support Gear
- Breakaway cables.
- XLR cables.
- BNC cables.
- Camera Specific Cables (RED, ALEXA, Arri, XLR, DSLR among other cables for specific make/model cameras.
- Time code connectors including Lemo connectors for RED, Arri, BNC, Tentacle, Sound Devices, Lemo including 4 pin and 5 pin along with specific experience with these cameras.
- Time Code Slate
- Camera Audio Cables for Arri Alexa (all), RED (all), DSLR, XLR, TA3F, among other connections.
- Tentacle sync lock-it boxes with camera varied cables.
- Clap Slates & Time Code Slates for film, DSLR or video production.
- BNC to XLR connectors,
- Barrels XLR M/F or F/M.
- 1/4 inch adapters.
- Ground Lifting Barrels.
- BNC Barrels.
- High Pass & low pass filters, & other sound utility pieces.
- 1/4 to XLR.
- 1/8 Mini to XLR.
- SoundTrack Pro, Sound Forge, Pro Tools, Final Cut Studio, among other audio & video editing tools with laptop.
- Card Readers in USB as well MacBook Pro Thunderbolt.
- Laptops – please discuss this advance so I would bring one.
- Android slate.
- Barrel High Pass filters.
Major Market Proximity
Nick: I’m located near the Denver & near many metro areas. Many of the major production areas including:
- Greater Denver,
- Colorado Springs,
- Boulder,
- Aurora,
- Englewood,
- Greenwood Village,
- Sheridan,
- Lone Tree,
- Lakewood,
- Centennial,
- Broomfield,
- Thornton,
- Northglenn,
- Fort Collins,
- Lafayette,
- Louisville,
- Littleton,
- Highlands Ranch,
- Parker,
- Commerce City can be reached by me in an hour or less for rates.
Other popular areas include:
- Central City,
- Black Hawk,
- Vail,
- Cripple Creek,
- Breckenridge,
- Silver Thorne,
- Dillon,
- Telluride,
- Durango,
- Aspen
- Crested Butte Colorado
Being the most common areas for production with local personnel. If I am already booked, I can assist in locating you sound people with comparable audio gear, and experience based on my referral system. As I’ve been an audio tech (production sound mixer) for decades, including in the freelance capacity.
Call on my years evolving from the days of film production to broadcast television, along with the audio gear popular at the time, to today’s location sound technology.
Contact Nick Teti by telephone at 1 (720) 299-2084 or use my contact page.
For these services or other resources referred & provided in Colorado for video, film or television production.
Skype: Nick Teti or misterphotonmedia in Colorado
Video, Film and Television Samples
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- In the persons hair if appropriate.
- Under or inside the collar of a dress shirt between the skin inside is a good place to tape or vampire clip a microphone head.
- Underneath the collar or if there is room between the mic head and the fabric place the microphone head in the gap under a shirt collar. But don’t put it under a necktie. This is best in the gap between the shirt and the skin, near the top or top button area in this space.
- Hidden in the necktie loop.
- In-between two layers of necktie, high up protected with tape on both sides.
- Protect the mic head with a rolled tape barrier against the skin. Avoid underneath layers of clothing.
- In the valley (a woman’s bosom if permitted), but away from clothing.
- Using Rycote Stickies to stick the heads to a less noisy portion of clothing can help.
- Foam protectors around the lavaliere head then taped to the inside of a shirt.
- Slightly exposing a lavaliere head in a necktie knot or pocket near the talents head & mount is also a solution.
- Using a Rycote Stickie, or protected tape barrier inside a roll of tape that is under the collar, between the shirt or underneath a shirt without layer contact from other clothing will work as well.
- The mic head through a buttonhole.
- If you have disposable wardrobe, cutting a tiny whole and slightly exposing the mic outside a jacket pocket, or other garment nearer to the person’s mouth or as close as possible will work as well. Secure the head with tape just out of view, behind the fabric. If you have colored tape, use this to match color of the wardrobe or use a colored mic head if you have the budget. Countryman makes several colored choices for B3 and B6 microphones.
- Moleskin from Dr. Scholls can be used to secure a lavaliere head to clothing, underneath clothing and can also assist in reducing rustling from clothes, caused by mic heads hidden as well if it is properly taped securely. You may need to use tape just under the portion of the mic head condenser or diaphragm to secure moleskin to the clothing. Moleskin protecting the entire outside of the lavlier head, affixed by tape underneath clothing is a great trick to reduce the headaches of hidden lavaliere heads contacting clothing if you keep the microphone head from moving inside the moleskin, as well secure the entire portion to the underside of the garment working with male or female talent.
- Lavalieres can be suspended right on shotgun mics for interviews to almost completely eliminate all clothing rustle which is caused by the mic head rubbing on the clothing). This will work when the person is not moving distances over a foot, and better if they are sitting or standing in the same spot. This can be used as a backup mic to the use of a shotgun microphone.
- The best mic heads in my opinion for hiding are Countryman B6 heads, that fit Sennheiser & Lectrosonics most commonly. They also have a hard wired version that connects by XLR cable as well.
- The editor can also rely on a good use of a shotgun microphone and a good sound persons placing techniques making the shotgun the primary source, pending the ambient noise conditions), and using the lavaliere as a back up. The editor can also rely on another lavaliere if in reasonable proximity when clothing is slightly or not noisy), say for instance, 2 separate actors are talking to each other with 2 separate microphones, with assignments to separate channels or tracks in the audio recording. You can use the lavaliere of the other talent if needed if the sound is par or use the boom if one can be used for the preferred audio track.
- The smaller the surface of the mic head, the less noise it will pick up from clothing. Clothing rustle can be made more by silk, polyester, or other fabric combinations.
- Double stick tape / double stick / sided gaffers tape can also secure a mic head to a person and secure the garment to the skin (without causing pain) and reducing any clothes rustling sounds as well.
- Also recording isolated tracks with referenced time code is more ideal with all microphone & wireless sources separated from each other will allow the editor more freedom. Also, if the actors or talent are close to other microphone sources, using another mic off the person can also work when wardrobes are not cooperative. So lavalieres in proximity can be used to back each other up especially when talent is close to each other.
- Reduce the size of your lavalieres mic head (the condenser element or diaphragm.
- Use microphone cables/heads that are the same colors of your talents apparel or camouflage the head & cable with colored tape that is less adhesive.
- Slightly exposed microphone heads secured by tape can be very successful at not conducting noise from clothing or skin.
- Most importantly test out the hidden mic before the person(s) go on camera and troubleshoot if necessary. This is critical for any production, and commonly done with feature film production. Using stand ins to test audio beforehand wearing the same wardrobe will also help you get cleaner sound, as you take to to prepare and solve any wardrobe issues disrupting your sound recording before the Money Shots.
- Use a shotgun microphone as a backup to your lavaliere microphones or visa-versa.
- Or you can in some instances neatly dress the lavaliere outside the talent either out of camera frame or to the clothing in interview situations.
YouTube.com on some ways to hide lavaliers on people: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Hiding+a+Lav+mic
Syncing Methods
Dumb syncing or slating
Using the slate clapping method, or hand clap started in film production before video production. For the sound engineer, including early days of television production, or adapting to recent technologies. Like use of DSLR cameras or other cameras that don’t have a time code ports. Or lack audio input ports or limited audio input. Or cameras without internal mechanisms that are not as sophisticated to record good, clean sound. It’s still widely used today in a method of clapping a slate or hands together in front of camera before “action”.
While rolling sound & camera before the slate is then clapped where the editor can later look up the frame where the slate or hands makes contact between the separated top & bottom. Then matches this to the waveform on the recorded audio file. The loudest part of the waveform at the beginning of the recording typically matches the video or film that has the slate in the picture clapping or making the first contact. To help the editor, it’s critical to see the slate clapping before action occurs to see the match between video or film and the audio files.
The video file or film roll can be referenced in the audio recording before or after the slate clap, at the beginning and end of the file as well if critical, this also helps the editor. The camera operator informs the sound recordist the take # or name. A slate mic on the mixer will assist in recording the referenced video or film take for the sound recordist or sound crew.
Time Code Sync or Sync
Film
Using time code embedded into the audio file, referenced from the time code out port of the camera enables the editor later to sync these time codes from the video, as well the audio together. This also applies to film production in instances of 16mm, Super 16, 35 or 70mm formats if the camera has a time code port. The sound recordist can also get time code from a more recent film camera, with most either being 35mm or 70mm formats.
Most all film all stocks do not have a way to embed time code physically onto the film so the DP or camera operator or other person in the camera department must coordinate with the sound recordist or crew to set matching time code. Sending time code out from a film camera to the sound recordist is the easiest method to reference the film picture to the sound recorded.
Video
Time code can be sent from the sound recordist into the camera making the time code match the recorded audio files from the sound recordist or the camera operator can send time code to the sound recordist to embed time code into their recorded files.
Audio Directly to Camera
Audio straight into the camera recorded simultaneously with sound & picture is synced.
Free Run Time of Day
Setting the recorder or mixer recorder’s frame rate to the cameras frame rate by jamming time code is best. Starting the recorder and camera at the same time code start then letting them free run in non-drop frame (NDF) will also work but not as accurate.
DF/Drop Frame time code will drift from sources as each device will drop frames at varying intervals, and not consistently the same rate. DROP FRAME drops randomly from device to device. Each second or x amount of minutes from device to device.
You can send time code from camera to recorder or recorder to camera to sync them initially then let them free run on the same frame rate. It’s good idea to check this frequently, but the drift will be fractional over days with these methods in NDF (Non Drop Frame).
You can use a non-drop frame rate like 24, 25, 29.97/30, 50, 60 to avoid drift after you jam timecode camera to mixer or other device. Free Run TOD timecode is another less accurate solution when the sound recordist and camera person cannot stay connected together during recording. With no lock-it boxes or tentacles available to keep time code in continuity. As a sound man, I use tentacles when disconnected from the DP or camera operator or videographer.
Another solution if your camera does not have a time code port is to use a cell phone time of day and match the camera. As well other devices to free run time of day in a matching frame rate and start them running at the same time.
People have argued that drop frame time code is not consistent from device to device, but I can only comment that no frames are DROPPED in DF TIMECODE, just the numbers are dropped according to what I have read. Drop frame free run can drift from device to device if no jam synced.
Drop Frame was invented for master control operations, and may not be as necessary on the production side on time of day time code, as it can be converted in post-production or your final program. Read more about DROP FRAME timecode by this wiki search link that opens in a new tab or window.
I can do all frame rate recording for audio sync in NTSC or PAL. from 23.98 to 60. Under and overcranking typically is not a function of audio sync and many cameras when over or undercranking do not record sound, that is typical over 60 fps. 59,94 frame rates are closest to 60p in many mixers/mixer recorders. I can also record sound of course if you are under or overcranking the camera because I’m that type of sound guy.
Lock-It Boxes and Tentacles or Wireless
Tentacles
Tentacle’s are a simple wireless lock-it box device that are easy to operate. You can sync from Tentacle to Tentacle or from Tentacle to camera and or mixer recorder or phone app. Tentacles have a very low drift factor and battery life making them ideal for longer shoots.
Tentacles have adapter cables to sync to phones, Andriod devices, mixer/recorders, BNC ports, cameras and Lemo connections, as well the mini port allows them to send time code into DSLR or other devices that have a mini connection. My personal choice as a sound guy is the Tentacle over a Lock-it Box for wireless syncing.
Lock-it Boxes
Lock it boxes are varied in manufacturer but are a reliable wireless method to get time code, but some do not have the syncing interface ease of mobile devices like iPhones or Androids without applications help. Some are better suited to direct time code ports like BNC or Lemo to BNC for connections.
Having less diversity between common or uncommon time code connections like an iPad, iPhone, Android or other mobile device. Tentacles have an advantage in you can set them up with these mobile devices as well, as cameras or mixers.
Lavalieres with Adapted Cables
Wireless microphones with a transmitter and a receiver can send time code to an XLR channel input or other audio input, effectively giving the other channels a reference signal where an editor can use editing or syncing software to match time codes later in post-production.
The wireless system needs to be able to input and output a LINE LEVEL signal to match the characteristics of SMPTE time code. The sound recordist still needs an adapted cable in certain instances to send the timecode into the camera or mixer or recorder. Use the AF out connection from the receiver into the camera or mixer audio input. Sending time code to an audio channel.
Or adapt the AF out of the transmitter to the input of the mixer or camera or other recording device time code port. You will probably need adapted cables from the camera or mixer into the transmitter. Adapted cables from the receiver to input and output to the time code connections of each. As a location sound mixer, I’ve done this before, but have other methods and hardware I use before doing this.
Editing Software & Audio Software for Sync
Video Editing Software
Newer versions of software are great for Syncing non-time code sources more easily.
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut X
- Davinci Resolve
- AVID Media Composer
Have syncing capabilities as well, but remember that it’s better to sync with all the methods in tandem mentioned above. Audio directly into camera, time code referenced recording and slating if you have the time.
Audio Sync Software
Among others are common applications I have used to sync audio together as well many other video editors.
Adobe Premiere CC & Final Cut X have an easy use synchronize function as well.
There are also Android Apps, IOS (apple) and other maps on phones, tablets and touch enabled laptops.
Damage Control in Post-Production
There are several filters & techniques in editing software like, de-noise, noise printing, notch filters among others that can help with lesser problematic sound recordings. RF interference is not easy to fix, sometimes not fixable.
Some problems will not be able to be scrubbed in post, so just hire a sound person to audio the challenges of location sound.
Contact by telephone at 1 (720) 299-2084
Skype: Nick Teti or misterphotonmedia (Colorado)
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These articles are provided by Nick Teti, a freelance sound recordist; local in Denver or Colorado. Nick provides sound man services, also known as a sound or audio guy, audio tech, sound recordist or mixer services and other related services in all CO, as well, traveling for video, film, television & radio productions.
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