Understanding how microphones work and the way to decide on a microphone for a selected scenario is essential. However remember about easy methods to transport them safely. On this tutorial, you may study instances, easy methods to transport audio gear, and a few equipment you may need to have on a shoot.
Circumstances for Audio Gear
Transporting audio gear would not must be difficult. If in case you have a small package, possibly a single wi-fi system or a shotgun microphone, you may in all probability get away with transporting it in your digital camera case if it is sufficiently big. As your audio package grows, it is perhaps time to consider getting a devoted case to retailer all of your microphones, cables, and equipment.
Now, the factor that is going to dictate what sort of case you are going to want is the place you are going to be capturing and the kind of journey that is going to be concerned. Are you flying? Are you going to be using on the again of a camel or a horse? These types of issues must be thought of when selecting a case.
In case you’re going off to distant areas or if you are going to be out in nature’s parts, you may in all probability need to get a tough case for each your digital camera and audio gear. These varieties of instances, particularly from Pelican, can take a ton of abuse and have been time-tested. They’re an incredible choice, however they do value a fairly penny.
What works for me is much extra easy. I exploit a Pelican case for my predominant digital camera gear, however for my audio gear, as a result of I am not toting it round within the Sahara or Siberia, I exploit one among my previous comfortable backpack-style digital camera instances. This works nicely for me as a result of I am not very laborious on my gear. The entire audio gear that I put in right here is pretty mild, so it would not put a number of stress on the bag, and there is ample padding to guard the gear. I additionally like photo-style instances as a result of they’ve a number of adjustable compartments with little velcro containers that may be made to suit your gear very snugly.
One of many keys to getting case resolution is ensuring all the pieces matches and has a spot, so it isn’t unfastened and sliding round in all places. If all the pieces is unfastened and bumping into one another, that is when harm begins to occur.
I am going to typically use the bag a microphone got here in when it was bought as a bit of additional layer of safety, as nicely preserving away issues like mud and a bit of little bit of moisture. These types of luggage work nicely for audio gear, and one other nice profit is that they’re very cheap. I feel once I purchased my bag about eight years in the past it was about US$40, and you’ll find offers on these—they’re all the time on sale. Plus, you need not get a high-end bag to get nice safety.
DIY Circumstances
You do not have to exit and purchase a case. If you’re a bit of bit artful, if you’re of the DIY mindset, you may make your individual case, and that is precisely what I did with my case.
I took an previous wi-fi microphone case that was simply mendacity round. I took out the froth within the backside and changed it with my very own foam, the place I lower out actual shapes for various items of audio gear. Then I scorching glued it in place and added a bit of froth beneath, and this labored out nicely.
It is a laborious case and price me virtually nothing to place collectively. If you wish to go forward and purchase a case, that is OK too. No matter you do, although, a case is essential to guard your microphones, particularly while you begin stepping into nicer microphones. It is  straightforward for gear so as to add up, and swiftly your case is carrying gear price round $2,000 that you just need to defend.
What Equipment to Maintain in Your Audio Package
As I mentioned, the compartments in my case make it very straightforward to retailer issues and maintain them of their place. I’ve a bit of space the place I maintain my wi-fi microphones, and I’ve the centre part the place I prefer to maintain my shotgun mic.
There are little sacks the place I maintain cables and lavaliere equipment, after which I’ve a bit for a condenser microphone in addition to some shock mounts, energy provides, and generally additionally an exterior recorder. I additionally prefer to have a few XLR cables starting from 15ft to 35ft within the bag in order that my audio package is full and full.
Gloves
One other factor I prefer to have within the bag is a pair of primary gloves. I exploit a cheap set of knit gloves which have been dipped in some form of rubber. I like them as a result of they provide my palms a little bit of safety—they are not a heavy-duty leather-based glove that you’d use to rig lights, however they provide me sufficient safety and maintain my palms good and clear. That is one thing I feel is fairly essential if you’re a solo producer since you’ll be establishing all of your gear. You will be establishing lights, the audio, and the digital camera, and you don’t need soiled palms while you return to the digital camera and begin making changes.
The overall rule is that you do not need to get filth in your digital camera or glass, though it is generally avoidable. Now I am a bit of loopy about my gear. After I get residence from a shoot and my cables have been on the bottom, I am going to clear them with a moist rag to verify they’re good to go for the following shoot. I am not saying that it’s a must to try this—I similar to having my gear clear always, and having gloves on a shoot will help with that. Â
Thread Adapters
It is a little thread adapter. It is used to adapt a 3/8 inch coarse threading that you’re going to discover on a number of microphone stands, tripods, and even some increase poles. On the skin, you’ve the usual microphone clip threading that’s 5/8.
That is useful to have, and I prefer to have an additional one among these in my components bag once I go on shoots as a result of if for any cause the one which’s on the tip of my increase pole is misplaced or will get broken, I’ve a backup. I can even take this thread adapter and put it on a tripod if I must.
2-to-1 Adapters
That is an attention-grabbing little gadget. The thought is you thread this to a microphone stand or increase stand. Think about you are at a shoot the place it’s a must to file a couple of individual. You solely have one increase pole, however you have to get two microphones hooked up to the tip of it.
A primary two-to-one adapter can be an incredible choice on this case. It really works nicely with extra directional microphones: tremendous cardioids, hyper cardioids, and shotgun microphones. You may get it to work with two cardioid microphones, however I would suggest you level them away from one another, someplace round 90 levels.
Tape
One other factor that is nice to have readily available is tape. You possibly can come up with gaffer tape or professional business tape, which is a cleaner tape than the usual gaffer tape discovered on units—it leaves much less residue, which is a matter for me.
No matter you do, please don’t use duct tape in your gear. It’s not the identical as gaffer tape, and I do know it is cheaper than gaffer tape and it seems comparable, but it surely’s not the identical. It can gum up your package, and that is no good.
Double-sided tape is nice for labs and simply one other useful gizmo to have round.
Tongue tape has adhesive on the skin edges, whereas the centre has no sticky property. It is made with the identical easy-tear cloth-style materials as gaffer tape, and it is good for laying cables down the place individuals might be strolling to stop tripping hazards and extra.
Then you’ll find skinny roles of tape known as spike tape, that are nice for “spiking” or marking a location that you just want the expertise to face, in addition to many different makes use of.Â
Multitool
Final however not least, my prized accent is my multitool. After I say multitool, I imply the Leatherman Wave—that is the top of multitools. However you may get away with any device that has the fundamentals: screwdriver, pliers, a knife.
That is It
Now that you just’re in control about instances and equipment, you are able to study setting ranges, and that is arising subsequent on this sequence.
