rec.arts.movies.production.sound

On Aug 25, 11:33 am, "oleg kaizerman" wrote:
> you can buy a small horita generator( or used tc slate with generator) and
> feed the tascam continues free run tc
> place the camera on free run and slate every couple of hours . later sync
> everything on nle , quit easy
> or you can just record all the interviews to the camera and use the tascam
> for music and atmosphere , I doubt if anyone ever would notice the
> difference
> for short cable runs use unbalance line outs padded for 30 db to connect
> the camera true mic level inputs
> probably would be better then push the input gain on maximum with consumer
> level .
>
> of course replacing the hdp-2 with tc recorder would be much easier for
> every one
>
> wrote in message
>
> news: @ ...
>
> > Hello all -
>
> > I have a question about the system i am planning to take on a
> > documentary film shoot in Guinea, West Africa in October. The film
> > itself will be a lot of interviews, landscapes, group shots, and a LOT
> > of music and arts, cultural ceremony / ritual practices. The "crew"
> > will consist of two main members - one for video and one for audio. We
> > will have two other people along who will be able to help with simple
> > things, but for the most part, the two of us are responsible. We will
> > be shooting with the Panasonic DVX-100. The shoot will be 30 days for
> > roughly 2-4 hours a day/
>
> > As I am handling the audio portion of the project, I have so far
> > purchased a few mics (Sennheiser EW-112 Wireless Lav kit, Sennheiser
> > MKE-44P Stereo Cardioid, Audio Technica AT-4073 Shotgun) as well as
> > the Tascam HD-P2 recorder. The audio quality is very important to us,
> > especially as music figures to play a very prominent role in the
> > film.
>
> > After running some tests and getting all our equipment together, I've
> > come to the realization that the Tascam cannot generate timecode, nor
> > can the DVX-100 output timecode. This is looking like it's going to be
> > a problem for us in post, to put it mildly. Originally, the idea with
> > the recorder was that I would be given greater latitude to roam freely
> > recording audio without having to be constantly tethered to the
> > camera. However, if i am going to be sacrificing the timecode in
> > editing, it's definitely not worth it to me. I know i can get a slate
> > that will generate timecode and jam sync it to the camera, but that's
> > puts our budget up a bit and makes me think i probably should have
> > just bought a Sound Devices module in the first place. Now I'm
> > thinking i should maybe just ditch the idea of a recorder at all, and
> > run from a mixer straight to the camera. Will this make my audio
> > suffer that much? If this is the way to go, any mixer models that the
> > cognoscenti here would recommend unconditionally?
>
> > Any recommendations are very appreciated, and my apologies for the
> > seemingly elementary questions. I am still learning my way around
> > sound production for video.
>
> > - Simon



Your main TC issue is that there is no TC output from the DVX. I sync
the HDP2 to video cameras all the time, but those cameras have a TC
output. In a situation like what you describe I'd concentrated on
getting your main sync sound (interviews) onto the camera from a small
mixer
so that they will be in sync and won't require syncing up later. You
can use the Tascam for other less sync intensive tasks (the music
recording etc) --it sounds much better than the sound tracks of the
DVX. If you won't be feeding the camera at the same time (for
mobility's sake) then leave the camera mic on as a reference. Using a
clap slate would be a good idea in this situation. The main thing for
you to figure out is how to rig all your gear into as hardy and
lightweight and simple an arrangement as possible--you really don't
want to be repatching everything for various kinds of shooting
(interview, music, verite etc) if you can help it. You'll be tired
enough just from working in that environment. The other big issue is
DC power: batteries and how you'll charge them. You may decide that
it isn't worth it to use a recorder as large as the Tascam if you
can't use its TC features, and go instead with something like an
Edirrol R09 for backup and wild sound. A friend had good luck with
these on a recent Africa shoot like yours.

Philip Perkins