Comments on: Sunday Sound Thought #76 – Your First Rig

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:36:21 +0000

I’m currently in this situation at the moment! I’ve been sound designing for a couple of years now mainly with sound libraries but I want to get out and get my recording skills up to scratch! I have a budget of £400 quid at the moment due to me being unemployed! Any suggestions would be great!

By: Andy Martin

Andy Martin — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 05:13:37 +0000

I agree with Tim is that “good” and “bad” are difficult concepts in audio gear these days.”Appropriate” or “inappropriate” for the subject my be of better use. The most important thing is to know the gear you have, and the only way to do that is, like Tim says, get out and record record record. Get to know your gear. What does it sound like or not?
No gear will automatically make a new recordist good, only the experience that comes from listening to your environment, recording it, and comparing that to what you hear back later.
When people ask me about gear recommendations these days, I usually start from a list of things no one ever thought to tell me about, things that are vitally important parts of my field recording kit that weren’t on anyone’s gear list: tents and tarps, sleeping bags, water and food supplies, National Forest/ BLM/ DNR passes, backpacks, hiking boots… the list goes on.
It seems a little facetious, but in truth this can all cost just as much as IF NOT MORE THAN a decent recorder and microphone. And yet, no matter how great my gear, I couldn’t do my job/ vocation/ follow my passion without them.

By: Tim Nielsen

Tim Nielsen — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 18:51:17 +0000

The thing I would caution people, is that ‘bad gear’ and ‘good gear’ don’t’ necessarily have price correlation anymore. The Zoom H1, for $99 is a fantastic little recorder. Would it replace a multi thousand dollar Sennheiser MS rig? No. But for 1/40th the price, you would be amazed what you are able to get with it. I’m routinely using sounds gathered on my H1s in all of my film projects.

Truth is, quality across most brands is improving quite a bit. The new Zoom F4 and F8, and the new Sound Devices MixPre 3 and 6, quite a bit more affordable than the older sound devices recorders, and just as usable.

Microphones still hold their value, but things like the Rode NT3G can compete fairly closely to a 416 for example, but what, about half the price?

The most important thing is just to get out there and record, with WHATEVER gear you can get together. Being there, and actually hitting record on anything, is 90% of it all. If you have a big elaborate rig, but you are never going to carry it around because it’s too bulky, then how does that help you. A variety of tiered gear is probably the best. One high end setup if you can afford it. I also love MS, Schoeps, Neumann, Sennheiser… And one decent handheld recorder, the H5 or H6 Zoom, or the D50 or D100 Sony. That’s a great start for most people.

By: Simon James

Simon James — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 18:12:15 +0000

Thanks for this, I’ve been thinking about this recently.

I currently use the D100 and have been starting to wonder what my next upgrade will be. I think firstly the Rycote suspension kit is a must, then beyond that I’m all ears for mic recommendations if anyone has any?