What quality of headphones are needed (i.e. how cheap can I get by with?) for boom audio monitoring? Also I am not clear how that works if the boom operator is using a boom and shotgun microphone that attaches to the camera (in this case a Canon XH-A1 HDV digital camcorder); do I need to buy a preamp box of some sort to plug the microphone into, then run a cable from that to the camera XLR inputs, and plug the headphones into the preamp box? Forgive my lack of knowledge, I have yet to film actors and such, just got my camera, boom, mic, etc a few weeks ago and I plan on learning the equipment this summer.
The main thing I would suggest is getting headphones that fully cover your ears and hence block out the exterior sound. It's a pain when you're recording sound and can't tell whether the background noise you're hearing is being recorded or just coming through the headphones from outside. I think my Senheissers retail about $100, but I've used cheaper headphones before.
If you have an XLR phantom power mike and an XLR camera which provides phantom power, you can just plug the mike straight into the camera. However, you're better off using a mixer, as that way the sound recordist can adjust and monitor the volume while recording.
quote:
Originally posted by MarkG
If you have an XLR phantom power mike and an XLR camera which provides phantom power, you can just plug the mike straight into the camera. However, you're better off using a mixer, as that way the sound recordist can adjust and monitor the volume while recording.
Mike does have built in and also phantom power, as does camera XLR inputs. But what I am worried about is if I connect the mic direct to the camera, and then the headphones direct to the camera (it has a headphone jack), the camera is at risk of getting moved or yanked by the boom operator by cord movements. Any way around that danger? Is there some box/preamp or whatever that could be a go-between between the mic cord + headphone and the actual camera?
Get a mixer and long XLR cables. The mixer will usually have a headphone socket you can use to listen, though that will only tell you the volume of the sound coming out of the mixer, not the sound going into the camera.
The mixers I've used do output a standard tone though, so you can set up the volume on the camera to record that tone at the correct level, and then know that if the sound doesn't peak on the mixer it won't peak on the camera.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones?sku=443954
I have those headphones and they work great. The have great sound reduction, i think around 24db. I use them mainly for when i am recording bands, the drummer uses them to record with. I've used them several times while shooting and they've always worked for me.
To answer your other question: A mixer will solve your problem in most cases. Of course, if the camera is moving then you'll have a bit of a problem unless you've got a really long cable and someone to pull it for you. Or if your recording to an external device like a digital recorder or even ADAT. A limiter is what you really need along with the mixer. The limiter will keep the audio from ever clipping, but those can be expensive. For a while, i used a small, hand held digital recorder...i think it cost about $150. It had a limiter on it and i ran the sound out of that and into the camera; that way the boom operator could monitor through the mixer, and i could monitor through the camera headphones output while i was filming. Experiment around and you'll find what works for you. I would suggest to have at least two options so you'll be prepared for anything. I've even recorded the audio with a little tape recorder, and then filtered out the noise and synced it up with the video. It was a lot of work but it still worked out ok.
Mixers usually have built-in limiters, though you want to avoid hitting the limiter if possible as it starts to distort the sound.
not all limiters. Built in ones dont work as well as external ones. A stand alone limiter will allow you to really crank up your gain on the mic without worrying about the peak. It's really helpful on low speaking parts. Of course, cheaper limiters will distort. But the good ones, (and you can still find them cheap), when cranked, will not only limit, but compress the signal giving a rich thick sound. Analog is usually better than digital when it comes to distorting. Of course, if the threshhold is way too low and the gain is too high, its gonna distort no matter what. But after you spend some time getting to know the equipment, you will find out what works best.
