One man band audio monitoring?

[Dave Young @ PodFilms]

I'm flying a C300 on a Scout for national news VT's, using digital radio mics. Currently I set the audio levels using headphones before shooting and check playback afterwards. Can anyone suggest a way of monitoring during shooting without having headphones plugged in to the camera (compromising balance)?

Thanks

Dave Young

[Paulius Kontijevas]

What about just having your levels up on the monitor?

Also, if there are big changes in audio levels you're not going to be able to adjust while you're rolling so maybe just set it to auto?

[Lisa Sene]

Hi Dave,

I'm not a sound person, so I don't know all the pieces involved, though I would explore how to wirelessly send a signal to a pack you could wear, then use a single-ear earpiece (so you can still hear what's around you - I use this one) to monitor. In the narrative world, Comteks are used often for the same purpose - I use them to hear dialog if the actors are physically too far away to hear and I need to move on a line. Not sure what you'd need to get from point A to point B gear-wise, though I'd try that.

As Paulius mentioned, you likely won't be able to change levels (unless it's a live-switched show and you do it while your tally isn't on), though you'll at least know if something is wrong. 

Happy flying!

Lisa

 

[Dave Young @ PodFilms]

Thanks Lisa and Paulius.

I have experimented with wireless as you say Lisa. I realised I can use a spare radio mic attached to the headphone jack of the camera to feed to a receiver that's attached to headphones I'm wearing. It works great for monitoring. 

Thanks!

Dave

[Lisa Sene]

Glad you found a solution that works for you!

Lisa