Sound Kit

This is my personal sound kit and I use it for a wide variety of things including: formal interviews, documentary style shooting, occasional narrative work, industrials, and audio interviews. When I go on a shoot, some or all of this kit comes with me.

• My essentials all fit in an HPRC 2550W hard rolling “carry-on” case (I’ve checked this as baggage many times without any equipment damage).
• Sound Devices 302 Mixer
• Two Sony MDR-7506 Headphones (one in the sound kit and one in the camera kit)
• Rycote Softie Windshield
• Rycote Softie Mount
• Tram TR50 Lavalier Mic (a sweet sounding mic, my favorite)
• Electro-Voice RE50/B Handheld Omnidirectional Mic (low handling noise, good sound quality)
• Audio-Technica BP4029 MS Stereo Shotgun a microphone I use for both on-camera documentary shooting (using the M and S channels to capture what’s to the side and in front of the camera separately) and ambient stereo sound recording (using it as a stereo microphone)
• Two Sennheiser Evolution 100 G3 kits along with two Rycote lavalier widjammers (for use on windy days) and an additional plug-on transmitter for use with the RE50.
• Sony ECM-670 Short Shotgun Microphone (when I need a second shotgun on a second camera or on the pistol grip)
• I don’t own but will rent a Sennheiser MKH50 or MKH60 when higher-quality sound recording is required.
• Roland R-09HR digital audio recorder. I keep this in a kit along with ear buds and a pair of Giant Squid Audio Lab omni-directional electret condenser microphones which are powered using the plug-in power provided by the Roland R-09HR (this is the set up I use for audio-only interviews. I also use the Roland for capturing ambient sound on location.
• Collection of Canare Star Quad Mic Cables (Star Quad really makes a difference in terms of superior rejection of interference from power lines and other sources of EMI, however, in theory you get every so slightly better sound quality with standard non-dual-twisted-pair cables due the differences in electrical characteristics)
  
• ENG snake cable for connecting the 302 Mixer to Camcorders (2 audio, 1 return)
• Adapter cable for connecting mix out of 302 Mixer to 1/8″ input of Microtrack Recorder
• Interconnect cable for running mix out of 302 Mixer to 1/8″ stereo line input of MacBook Pro along with a return back to the mixer from the MacBook Pro’s headphone out
• MacBook Pro with Boom Recorder (when the portability of the MicroTrack is not required, this offers a much nicer recording interface with the ability to include sound notes and customize file names)
• JK Audio Innkeeper PBX Digital Hybrid Telephone Interface (for recording phone conversations)
• Two Desktop Microphone Stands
• Two Professional Microphone Stands w/ Telescoping Booms (I picked them up at the local Guitar Center, they’ve been excellent for formal, sit-down interviews)
• Two XLR to 1/4″ TRS adapter cables
• Box of accessories and adapters, especially important is the little adapter for attaching the Rycote Softie pistol grip to a standard mic stand, a.k.a. Female 5/8″-27 to 3/8″-16 Male thread adapter.
• Beachtek twin XLR to stereo 1/8″ mini adapter box just in case any additional cameras I’m using do not have XLRs (I usually work with my own Sony HVR-A1U, or the Sony HVR-Z1U, or a Panasonic AG-DVX100, or a Panasonic AG-HVX200, which all have XLR inputs)



• Pelican Case (for storing overflow that does not fit in the carry-on case)

I’m very happy with the kit at this time. While I’m not really a sound person, I find myself doing a lot of sound recording in all sorts of situations, narrative, documentary, podcasting, whatever, so I eventually put together a sound kit to compliment my camera kit. This kit has been essential for doing interviews for my current documentary film and short projects, and it portions of it as needed were used on Remembering John Marshall and The Smile Boston Project, as sound is very important to me and it’s so critical in documentary work. My goal has been to fashion an effective all around solution that can serve me in many different situations. Sound gear is a good investment you’ll get a lot out of for many years to come. Cameras come and go, but sound gear will provide you with many years of service.

This inventory was last updated on November 4, 2010.