I need to find out from anybody some quick tips on using the Nagra or Dat decks to recording location sound. And any good or bad experiences while using either. And tips on a good shotgun mic. And if there are any books and or videos, where to buy. Thanks!

-- David Steed (btprod@earthlink.net), October 10, 1999

Answers

Get a sennheiser model #416 shotgun mike $1000 new, cheap to rent, and a shure FP 32, 33, or 35 mixer. If you do not have experiance at DAT or Nagra you may have a hard time. If you use a mixer that supplies power to a mike, get good headphones and turn off refrigirators, flores. lights, air conditioners, heaters and any machines you should get good sound. What you will hear in the earphones is what you will end up with. Get good earphones like Sony MDR7506 Also; turn down the mixer base knob to about 10:30 AM counterclockwis. Keep the shotgun mike out of camera's view and 1-2 feet from the actors mouth. This means get a good boom man who has experience. Note: If you do everything else right and have low quality sound you have a HOME-MADE Movie. People will not like your movie and will not even be sure why, unless you have VERY bad sound they they will know why :)

Hope this helps,

Doug King Writer/Director

-- Doug King (calldoug@networld.com), January 14, 2000.