Field audio mixer ?

Joe999

Joe999

For short films and hopefully even producing a low budget indie feature film, would this audio mixer suffice :huh:
http://www.professionalsound.com/Catalog/DV Promix.htm
I just read about this audio mixer in the new issues of Digital Video magazine that I picked up last night at the bookstore. $500 is affordable.

I guess another fundamental question to be asked is how important is it to have a field on-site audio mixer? The DV Promix 3 allows for 3 inputs, so I am figuring it could help with preamp and mixing of signals from two boompole mics over actors for dialog, and/or wireless lavalier mics, ambient noise mic, etc? Are 3 inputs enough? Are the alternative field mixers I should consider in this price range, but that are also quality? :huh:

Any help or thoughts greatly appreciated.
 
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That's a nice looking unit, the phantom power is a nice feature for mics that require it.
I didn't see that it had a 1k tone setting to adjust your meter to 0db, that's something I prefer setting up the audio.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new by saying there's a big difference in what it sounds like in the field and in the studio, even with good quality cans. For news work we always went with the audio tracks right off the cameras with a plug in or wireless mic and cleaned it up back in the studio.

If you have more than one camera rolling at a time you could run a mic to each one, use your clacker baord for a mark and then synch it all up on your computer later.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but money invested in good quality microphones rather than a field mixer might serve you just as well. My experience has been 25 years plus in radio so I tend to lean heavily into the quality of the sound, adding the moving pictures has been new for me ;)

I do notice that most filmmakers are more involved in the visual aspect of their movies, it's reasonable, after all it is a visual medium, but a lot of times sound gets set off to the side.

I would add that you could probably score a used portable mixer with more inputs if you start haunting pawn shops in your area, I've found a lot of good (worthless now since it is all analog and tape based) audio gear on the cheap that way.

Hope that helps a bit

Neil
 
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To anybody-- go rent the recent release "Miami Vice" --oh man did the sound guy screw up on that movie, or somebody, it really showed me the power of poor audio to ruin a movie. Nobody I know could watch more than 10 minutes of that movie, the dialog was all mumbling.

georgiahoosier said:
...I do notice that most filmmakers are more involved in the visual aspect of their movies, it's reasonable, after all it is a visual medium, but a lot of times sound gets set off to the side.
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Canon XH-A1, carbon fiber Gitzo boom pole, Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic, cheap wireless lavalier mic set, single XLR input preamp mixer with headphone monitoring for the boom pole operator, quite a bit of lighting stuff from my years of 35mm fine art photography (softboxes, reflectors, stands), electronic light meter, $12 home made steadicam, acrylic slate board, zoom portable audio recorder (dual XLR and dual built in mics, can record 24bit wav); PC (dual core) with Sony Vegas, Fusion (learning edition), Sony Acid Pro and lots of music libraries (although now I am convinced I will want to hire a composer for film scores, not try and do loop music); lots of F/X makeup-- can create some pretty realistic cuts and bruises and scrapes-- fooled people looking at from 6 inches away and they were pouring hydrogen peroxide on the "wounds" :lol:

Also just ordered in last two days: ProAm 12 foot crane and stand, TFT LCD monitor kit, 3 input audio mixer, Bogen/Manfrotto tripd and 503HDV head, sand bags.

4 completed short film scripts ready to cast and film in 2008 (yeah!), a completed first draft of a feature film screenplay (supernatural thriller).

spinner said:
Joe;
what kind of set up do you have so far? Equipment I mean....
-- spinner :cool:
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Thank you. Frustrating a bit because just a few months ago-- October, I was set to film my first short film I wrote, but it was set outdoors. Well, after a record breaking streak of drought, the fricken day I was to film it rained, :grumpy: and it rained like every day :grumpy: for the next month, then too cold to film. Geez, I had actors and crew all lined up, I had scouted the location, done sound checks, etc. I was so jazzed. So now I have to wait until May/June again, although I plan to do a simple indoor short this winter. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, because now I will have a better tripod and head and a crane for the outdoor shorts, and I am really excited about using a crane for big picture look shots. :D

spinner said:
Wow! Good for you! you are definitely off and running!

-- spinner :cool:
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