External audio recording

[pan-modo_pictures]

Hi, Im doing a short film this summer, and decided to invest in some decent audio equipment. I'll be picking up a shotgun mic, and a boompole or something along those lines, but I want to record the audio seperate from the camera, since I will be using two cameras. Now, I barely have a budget, so I need something cheap that will allow me to record audio, and hear what Im recording. Now, Im talking cheap, not a mixer or anything. Anyone know anything that will do the job, and do it decently for cheap?

[windog]

i wanted to do that once,

now i just feed the audio into one of my cameras direct, it saves a world of trouble, not just in the editing stage but also when actually recording.

I have some equipment for sale that i have not used, for £160.00 would sell to you for £110.00.

[UFProductions]

Get the cheapest laptop you can find. If you have decent computer skills there are plenty of free ones out there that can be made operational for less than $50, it's often just a dead battery.

[BrownCowStudios]

Perhaps you should consider a mini disc recorder.

[Themovieman44]

Just recently got a minidisc recorder for the same purpose. Picked up the Sony MZ-N1 (you can view the item here: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-N1.html ) on EBay for about $75. The recording quality is impeccable, even with the crappy test mic I used. The MZ-N1 is really intended for playback of digital music, and recording audio without intent of a digital upload. The software that comes with the player is Sony's SonicStage, and it works great. But of course you can't upload your recorded audio. In order to do so (and this works with all recordable minidiscs with the exception of Sony's HiMD line):

You must set the minidisc to line out and connect it to the mic input on your soundcard and capture using Audacity, Audition, or some other program. If you don't have a mic input, I believe there are A/D converters you can get that will connect to the USB. There are desktop units with digital outputs you could use to the transfer if you wanted to get around the quality loss of an analog transfer.

Now the analog transfer works fine. Slight quality loss. So it's tedious but the quality is okay. Now as mentioned before you can get yourself a Sony HiMD minidisc, which does have a digital transfer, but no external mic input, rather a little bulbous mic that hangs off the side of the recorder. So if you do go with minidisc, get an older Sony model, I would recommend the Sony MZ-N1 or the Sony MZ-N10 both great models. Best wishes in your ventures. If you have anymore questions let me know.

[windog]

fuss!

[UFProductions]

Most of the score for Passion of The Christ was recorded in a Toronto hotel room on a mini-disk recorder. So yeah, they definatly have potential.

[pan-modo_pictures]

Yeah, I already did research on minidics. Being cheap I was actually looking for a cheaper route, but decided to settle on it. Check out http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servle ... 6922n32123
Im just wondering about uploading the audio, will I run into problems?

Also, I need to find a suitable replacement for a boom pole. The microphone I will be getting is supposed to go into the hot shoe, but I'd rather use it as a boom. I was thinking about a microphone stand, but how would I attatch it?

[UFProductions]

Got to a RV or boating store, and buy an aluminium extendable handle for a wash brush. They are lightweight, collapsable, and can extend quite far. From there it's just a matter of figuring out a way to attach the mic, even duct tape will work.

[pan-modo_pictures]

Well tape wouldn't cut it, since you would get too many shakes. I have found some reasonable deals on the internet, so hopefully I will be in buisness

Thanks for all your help!

[Themovieman44]

Yeah, I already did research on minidics. Being cheap I was actually looking for a cheaper route, but decided to settle on it. Check out http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servle ... 6922n32123
Im just wondering about uploading the audio, will I run into problems?

Also, I need to find a suitable replacement for a boom pole. The microphone I will be getting is supposed to go into the hot shoe, but I'd rather use it as a boom. I was thinking about a microphone stand, but how would I attatch it?

The only problem with the MZRH910S is what I stated above about the HiMD....

Now as mentioned before you can get yourself a Sony HiMD minidisc, which does have a digital transfer, but no external mic input, rather a little bulbous mic that hangs off the side of the recorder.

Your recording quality will be crappy, because you can't use an external mic, rather the small mic that comes with the minidisc.

[pan-modo_pictures]

Actually I decided not to go with mini disc. I have heard the quality is not tremendously better than what my camera can record. Im spending that money on a better mic.

[Adam]

Yes the main problem usually with camcorder recording is that you get camera and whind noise. If your camera has an external mic input, almost all have, then this a good way of recording. You may also want consider a a boom as well. I have also used an area microphone, design for lecture theatres, which you place on the floor out of view of the shot.

[Epsilon]

Most of the score for Passion of The Christ was recorded in a Toronto hotel room on a mini-disk recorder. So yeah, they definatly have potential.

Somehow... I doubt that...

I have the soundtrack CD and there is absolutely no way any MD recorder can compress that nicely.

[UFProductions]

My statement isn't entirely correct, the dominant instrument used (I can't remember then name, it's an archaic instrument similar to a lute, the guy was one of the few poeple in the world who play it) was recorded this way, vocals and lots of other stuff was added in a professional studio environment. And the recording in the hotel wasn't just like "sit on the bed and play", they made a makeshift recoding box out of matresses and stuff. Really odd how it was done, why they just didn't use a recording studio in Toronto I don't know.

[Epsilon]

That doesn't make any sense... Mel Gibson spends $60,000,000 on the production and records the music in a hotel room on a MD?

[UFProductions]

It sure sounds nice in the movie though. It was a Canadian artist, and I saw this on a Canadian science TV show, filmed in Toronto, so his full role in the production of the score may have been exaggerated. But it is a reputabe source, Discovery Channel show called "Daily Planet".

[Themovieman44]

That doesn't make any sense... Mel Gibson spends $60,000,000 on the production

Actually if you want to get technical, he spent 25,500,000

[Epsilon]

Erm... right. lol I'm thinking of another production!

[UFProductions]

I looked long and hard for a refernece to this on the internet, and have come to the conclusion that I am more than likely insane, but I swear I saw it! I do! Don't let the men in white coats take me...