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Sound Kit


PelicanThis 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. I rent wireless mics on the occasion that I need them, but prefer wired when possible. Thus, wireless mics have not made it into my kit yet. I’m torn between the Sennheiser Evolution (cost effective) and the Lectrosonics (better performance). When I need a better microphone I often rent the Sennheiser MKH60. When I go on a shoot, some or all of this kit comes with me.

  • 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 and ambient stereo sound recording
  • 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 often rent a Sennheiser MKH60 when the highest-quality sound is required for an interview.
  • Two Sony ECM-NV1 Directional Mics (not as good as my other shotguns, but still useful as backup/additional mics, these are the short shoguns that came with the Sony PD-150 and Sony HVR-A1)
  • M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 digital audio recorder.
  • 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)
  • Two Pelican Cases (for everything except Microphone stands)

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 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 September 2, 2008.

 

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