Tradeshow Sound With A DSLR?

[Photo-John]

I'm going to the anual PMA tradeshow later this week. This will be my first PMA shooting video with a DSLR (Canon EOS 7D). I did some video at the Outdoor Retailer show here in Salt Lake, a few weeks ago. For that I rented a little Senheisser shotgun mic. That was sort of a test for PMA. I'm not sure it worked much better than the camera's built-in condenser mic, though. Is the shotgun mic the right thing to do for a tradeshow or should I get a wireless clip-on mic?

Thanks in advance for your help!

And for anyone who's interested, here's a video I made at the Outdoor Retailer show. I'm not great shooting or editing video, but I thought this tour video was fun and I experimented with some editing stuff that was new to me.

[j0rdanisme]

We found that directional mic's work good, but what your trying to get away from is the noise around you. After some testing we found that clip on mic's work the best. I have used ours at Interbike indoor, and outdoor and had good results.

Here are some videos we have made with our Sennheiser Wireless clip on > http://www.pinkbike.com/video/100936/


And to add a fun feel to your videos include riding/talking with the mic on :P
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/108578/

Only downside as you can see is you sometime get mic pops, and the cables are hella delicate, and not cheap.

[Photo-John]

Thanks for the reply, Jordan. And those samples are kiiiiiilllllllleeerrrrrrrr! That one of Cam at the Post Office jumps is sweet! I was smiling through the whole thing It's also a great demonstration of how well the wireless mic works. What's the range on that thing, anyway? Any chance you can give me the exact model?

What camera did you shoot both of those videos with? I know the Interbike one wasn't shot with the 7D since it wasn't out yet.

Thanks a lot. That was an awesome reply!

[Photo-John]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this Audio-Technica wireless mic system. I looked into the Sennheiser wireless stuff and I just can't justify that kind of expense for this. The Audio-Technica I'm looking at has good reviews on B&H and looks like it will do the job. Here's a link to the page on B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc....html#features

Any comments?

[Skyman]

shotgun mics are more robust but more prone to noise interference as they have a larger pickup pattern. A lapel mic as suggested has sensitive cabling that can be prone to faults although their small pickup pattern ensures less noise intereference. Lapel mics don't work so well with multiple people unless you have mixing equipment which really means you need a crew. I really like the senheiser k6 system. it is like the equivalent of a lens kit. you buy the base and different heads depending on what pick up patterns you need from cardoid (wide angle) to super cardoid (super telephoto) the advantage of a super cardoid is that it enables you to focus in on specific sound sources. the disadvantage is that they tend to pick up things at a distance (think of the audio equivalent of f32) however if you lower the gain of the mic you change the tip of the flame (focal point) and can control ambient noise that way. perhaps you should hire some stuff and see what works for you. One big advantage of prosumer camcorders is that the built in microphones are excellent and "zoom" as the lens zooms so they tend to match your soundscape with what is in the field of view nicely. I am very interested to know how the 7D goes. Work just had one of their camcorders fail and if the price is right I might be able to convince them to go with a 550d as It will fulfill multiple tasks and meets size requirements, as long as we can plug an external mic into it.

oh and I just remembered. Rhode make a nice coldshoe mic that has a few zoom settings and nice sound quality but without the $$$ of the senheiser et al. It is aimed more at mum and dad who want bettter sound than their camcorder offers, but it might be a good option for you as well.

[Photo-John]

Thanks for the reply, Skyman.

The Senheisser stuff looks great but I can't justify that kind of expense. I went ahead and ordered the Audi-Technica kit and it is supposed to be here tomorrow. I will only be shooting one person at a time so I'm not forseeing any problems. If I need to, I can always go to the camera's built-in condenser mic. For the tradeshow, I really think this is the right thing to do. The little Senheisser shotgun mic I used before was just too noisy for a tradeshow environment. I'm glad I rented it and found out and didn't just buy it, though. That $40 rental expense was a good one

[Skyman]

That $40 rental expense was a good one

It is strange that rental for photographers whilst becoming more common is generally the exception rather than the rule, but for video and production equipment it is the norm. Even if you do end up buying, there are so many options to choose from that it is really worth trying before you buy!

I can't wait to see those videos.