What mic should a French person use to record interviews with a Zoom H5?

A dear old friend recently sent me an email asking which mic I recommended using with the Zoom H5. It was an old roommate of mine who had played drums in my band. She continues to bang the drums professionally to this day. This person is also an excellent sound recordist, songwriter, guitarist, and several other awesome things.

She was writing me from Ireland of all places, where she was working on some kind of audio-related job. The question about the mic came up because her associate was working on a video project Paris. The French person had a Zoom H5, and they needed to record interviews in a “live” sounding space (likely a noisy, large area). Continue reading “What mic should a French person use to record interviews with a Zoom H5?”

Hands-on review of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones

I recently purchased a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones, and I decided to share my opinion of them. Here’s the short version: they’re good, big, recording studio headphones. If you’re not using them for production, they’re nice headphones for regular use, but, they’re bulky and lack built-in controls for smartphones. In my case, this turned out to be a problem. Continue reading “Hands-on review of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones”

First Thoughts on the Tascam DR-701D Field Recorder

Tascam recently announced the DR-701D field recorder, which, at first glance looks very much like the DR-70D. Indeed, the DR-701D shares the same overall look and many of the features of the DR-70D, but it also has a number of impressive abilities that set it apart.

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These are the gifts you want for the holidays

It’s already happening. Your family and friends are asking what gifts you want for the holidays, and you’re not answering. You’re blowing it. Do yourself a big favor and supply them with solid suggestions for actual gifts you would like to receive. How? By referring to this guide. That’s it! You’re almost done. Do it…

A Fake GoPro

SJ4000 Action Camera

A great gift to get is a fake GoPro. Why? They’re dramatically cheaper than real GoPros (even the entry-level GoPro HERO), which makes them attainable as gifts. The one I recommend is the SJCAM SJ4000. It Continue reading “These are the gifts you want for the holidays”

A Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” video completed, and a lesson learned

A few years ago I shot a video for the Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” contest. If you’re not familiar, the idea is to produce an original 30-second Doritos commercial. The winning video gets aired during the Superbowl, and the person who makes it gets a million bucks.

That sounded appealing to me, but, in my case, the main goal was to make a video with fake dog legs in it. I love videos that use fake, puppet-like animal limbs to get a laugh. I’d been wanting to make a video with fake dog legs for a while, and the Doritos contest seemed like a good vehicle for it. Continue reading “A Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” video completed, and a lesson learned”

Should you buy the Zoom F8 field recorder?

The announcement of the Zoom F8 in early 2015 was big news. Finally, a field recorder existed that offered some of the same features found on professional models that cost three times as much. On one hand, it seemed like a revelation — but it also seemed fishy. How many corners were cut to get the price that low, and are the missing features going to cause you pain? Continue reading “Should you buy the Zoom F8 field recorder?”

Face to Face with the General Motors EV1

On a recent trip to Washington D.C., I somewhat randomly decided to peek my head into the National Museum of American History. A few seconds after stepping into the lobby I realized it was going to be a highlight of the trip. I was standing face to face with the legendary General Motors EV1, the first mass produced (yet extremely rare) electric vehicle. Continue reading “Face to Face with the General Motors EV1”

Hands-on Review of the Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro

When someone is speaking in front of your camera, you need specific microphones to clearly capture their voice. But what if you’re not trying to record the sound of someone’s voice? What if you’re shooting a serene nature scene with no dialog? How about footage of a busy city street? How do you sonically transport your audience into these settings? Do you use the same microphones that you would use capture dialog?

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Switching to an iPhone 6S after two years of Android

My friends and family were surprised when I bought an Android phone in October of 2013. I had long been pegged as an Apple fanatic. Indeed, I was a big supporter of Apple. All of my computers were Macs, I owned an iPad 2 and an Apple TV. I had been using iPhones nonstop for five years. Continue reading “Switching to an iPhone 6S after two years of Android”

Audio Test: Tascam DR-70D vs. Zoom H4n vs. Tascam DR-40

I just completed an audio test of the Tascam DR-70D, comparing it with the Zoom H4n and the Tascam DR-40. The test features side-by-side comparisons of each recorder’s built-in microphones, and you also get to hear how they handle several popular microphone for video work: the Rode NTG-3, Rode NTG-2, Audio-Technica 4053B, and the Sennheiser G3 wireless system with the ME2 lav mic.

Continue reading “Audio Test: Tascam DR-70D vs. Zoom H4n vs. Tascam DR-40”