Also if anyone has any insights on how best to position or what settings are best used for recording w/ the DR-100 PLEASE feel free to lecture! Right now we have to record on level 6 w/ the input level on H (High) which is about as close as we can get before we get any background noise. But I think that it shouldn't have to go up so high if we're just recording the talent in a closed environment with the Tascam relatively close to the talent.
1. Beyond what Alcove has said regarding 24bit and 48kHz, there are NO best settings for the mic-pre gain level. The best setting on one occasion will likely not be the best setting on another, even if everything appears to be the same or similar. Variables which affect the gain setting are: Distance of mic from the sound source (actor's mouth), frequency content of the sound source (the tonal quality of the actor's voice), volume of the sound source (how loud the actor's voice is), mic type and polar pattern and acoustics of the recording environment . Even relatively small changes in just one of these variables can have significant effect on the mic-pre gain setting required. In other words, the question you have asked is pointless because any answer you receive cannot take into account all the variables listed above.
2. Recording for example outside, you have the problem of background noises to deal with; wind, traffic, animals/people, etc. Recording inside obviously gets rid of many of these problems but introduces new ones, for example the problem of sound reflections from all the hard surfaces (walls, ceilings and floor). Even without the potential problem of interior environmental noise, from the talent or crew, creaky floors, air con or other electrical equipment/appliances (lighting for example), the problem of sound reflections is always a difficulty and consideration at every level of filmmaking. So when you say you are recording in a "closed environment", which may get rid of some/most of the noise problems experienced in an open environment, it introduces a whole new set of problems!
The last recording we did we used the UNI setting since the sketch just uses a Voice Over for audio, and it seemed to create the least amount of background noise. Most of our scenes are dialogue driven. Did UNI just work well in our last sketch since it was one actor recording separately? And in the future I should use OMNI for actual dialogue between characters?
Uni and Omni are polar patterns, effectively the direction from which the mic is most sensitive to sound waves. Uni is actually a group of different polar patterns but as the name implies, means the mic will be more sensitive to sound from in front of the mic. Omni means the mic will be equally sensitive to sound arriving at the mic from any direction. A uni setting will therefore pick up more of the actor's voice when pointed at the actor and less of the room reflections and other noises. However, a uni setting is obviously going to be a problem if you have two actors because you have sound coming from two different directions. This is why the job of boom operator exists, to change the mic position every time an actor moves or a different actor speaks. As you can't do that, you are going to have to set your DR100 to Omni but that means you are going to pick up far more room reflections and any other unwanted noises in the room. For a school project you
might get away with this but you will not be able to achieve a recording quality which gets anywhere even vaguely close to professional standards.
Alcove can give you far more well informed advice on the best boom mic for your budget than I can but you are obviously going to have to give him some idea of what your budget is.
G
