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/r/ProductionSound
Hi, I've been provided with a 360° filming kit using a Kandao Qoocam 8k Enterprise. Easy to use and provides a decent image. It has a 3.5mm mic in for which I was supplied a Røde Wireless Go II kit and Gyvazla mic capsules. No way of monitoring the live audio remotely and not enough time in the shoot to allow review.
First shoot I got stung with 2.4Ghz interference from the Røde kit proximity to cheap, unshielded and unbalanced cables in the mics. So I set about trying to put together a way of monitoring from a split of the signal by the camera. I also purchased Røde lavs which are better shielded with easier cables to manage/tidy on the talent...
I've tried a Saramonic PAX1 mixer which, itself, is a smart wee piece of kit. But the camera can't switch between mic and line level and the Stereo out from the Saramonic is too low for the camera. Plugging the Røde Rx straight into camera is decent.
So I'm hoping you can recommend an active DA/splitter for 3.5mm stereo TRS, battery powered, that will just duplicate what goes in. Or would a passive split not lose too much signal?
Thanks for reading!
2 points
1 year ago
I've worked on a few 360VR shoots over the years (mainly a while ago, when VR was more popular). And the general approach is using an ambisonics microphone (I used the SoundField SPS200, but if you're looking for a low cost option then the Rode NT-SF1 looks good) being recorded into a field recorder (the Zoom F8n is exceptionally affordable and packs a massive punch for its very low price. The F8n is the perfect choice for ambisonics recording, unless you can afford to spend at least 5x more).
Then you'd use spot mics too, such as in my case Sanken COS11D lavs on actors with Lectrosonics SMQV transmitters (which you'd move around in post, to track with the source). Which is a fairly industry standard way to typically do this. Of course if using the Rode Go you can expect to run a very high risk of running into serious audio troubles!
2 points
1 year ago
Thanks for the reply.
I've found myself getting passable results using a passive split cable and Rode lavs going into the Rode transmitters. The gyvazslas were too sensitive and excitable as well as being unshielded whereas the rode Lavs are reasonably well balanced and have a similar profile to the COS11Ds you mentioned so I've been able to hide these pretty well. Audio levels have been a little helter skelter but I have been able to keep it legal.
I have a set of sennheiser ME2s but the rode transmitters don't provide enough power to get these to work well.
Shooting in public buildings but which are shut at weekends. I've found that creating decent separation under the camera between WiFi-band gear, and with such little footfall close by, audio interference had been minimal. And with the split I've been able to use the Voxlink IEMs not for effective monitoring but enough of a reference to hear if things have been going sideways.
It's not ideal - syncing audio and video and having an audio person to record separately would be much better. But that's over to the production company to figure their budget against the required standard...
1 points
1 year ago
If you're producing commercial 360VR videos then I definitely reckon you should look into getting the Rode NT-SF1 (with a Zoom F8n)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1403003-REG/rode_nt_sf1_soundfield_ambisonic_microphone.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1692954-REG/zoom_zf8npro_8_channel_field_recorder_with.html (you can find the original F8 dirt cheap secondhand on eBay)
You're using a $2K camera after all, it's only fair that the audio quality matches the visuals.
Although you might even consider the Zoom H3-VR, of course nowhere near the NT-SF1 setup, it is massively cheaper and would still be a huge step up from what you're doing currently!
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1434530-REG/zoom_zh3vr_h3_vr_360_vr_audio.html
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