So since this is my first post I’ll take 2 seconds to bring you up to speed on who I am and why anyone would take my advice. Well, actually let me tell you who I am not.
I am not an expert, or an engineer, or a tech guy. I’m not unboxing anything or explaining stuff or giving a “this versus that” dissertation.
Okay… so why keep reading?
I am a professional. I have over 15 years experience. I worked in a rental house for years and learned what gear works and what is complete garbage. I am opinionated and I am passionate about production. I rarely read instructions or know a piece of gear inside and out but I know what works for me and what tools I have used to keep food on my family’s plate while freelancing for over 15 years.
Okay, enough with nice ya meet ya’s. Let’s get on to something actually interesting….
Let’s talk audio.
I have a love hate relationship with audio. I am not an audio person nor do I have an understanding of it, although I have faked my way through it with limited success (sorry Kevin…) But for the most part it is an afterthought or something I would hire out to ensure results. But in reality a lot of the stuff I shoot does not have the budget for an audio person, so I have a handful of gear to make it work.
I started my dreadful audio kit, as most do, with the Sennheiser G3 transmitter and receiver ($649.00 on Amazon) with the mediocre mic it comes with. And this was my staple audio solution for years and years.
I must have been doing something wrong because these piles of hot garbage never once worked properly while shooting. I would get static pops and dropouts all over the place. It was so bad that I would have to consciously think about how I was going to cobble an interview together.
My focus was nearly 100% dedicated to listening and taking mental notes wherever a big static hit happened and how I could chop up the interview to make it work. Oh and forget about placing the unsightly belt pac behind whoever was wearing it. The G3 only somewhat worked when the transmitter and receiver were in actual line of sight.
For the longest time I believed this was the only solution. Of course there were worse wireless lavs available but I thought the next step up was having to spend thousands on a high end Lectrosonics kit ($2498.00 on Adorama.com) or even more on a Zaxcom setup. But I could not WAIT to get to a point where I could burn these things and send them back to hell where they came from.
So my research began… to find a wireless TX and RX for a comparable price to the awful G series from Sennheiser.
Then I saw a set of used Lectrosonics UCR100 mics for sale on Borrowlenses.com used gear section.
These mics are discontinued but you can find used ones all over the internet. I was so over losing great sound bites to static that I took a chance and picked them up.
Best. Decision. Ever.
These things are phenomenal, they have the build quality of the higher end Lectro’s and tune in a similar manner, rather than the endless menus on the G series. My quality and fear of audio subsided instantly.
So much so that I purchased two more sets and some Sanken mics ($416.00 on Adorama.com) to make a perfect pairing.
If I had one complaint it is the total lack of mounting options with lectrosonics stuff. But I guess it is technically supposed to live inside an audio bag. So my solution is to marry the receiver with the SmallRig power bank mount kit. ($23.98 on amazon.com) You’ll need a cage or similar cheese plate for the two ¼ 20’s it has but it is just perfect to grip those impenetrable metal boxes from Lectrosonics.
