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| The Azden 330 wireless system |
FRESNO, CALIF.—This past January, I decided
to stow my traditional video cameras
and move into the world of DSLR
video. I invested in a new state-of-the-art
camera, thinking that with the rest of the
gear I owned this would be all I needed to
start shooting. I quickly learned differently—
these camera bodies don’t include the
built-in sound pickup quality that’s needed
for professional projects. I realized that
I had to gear up to fit my audio recording
capability to the challenging jobs looming
on the horizon
My first move was to contact the folks
at Azden, as years ago I acquired some
Azden wireless gear and it’s never let me
down. I received some valuable advice
from the company and acquired their
330LT wireless system and SGM-3416L
shotgun mic. I also picked up their cool
FMX-DSLR mixer.
The 330LT system consists of two 35BT
bodypacks (transmitters) with EX-503L
lapel mics and a 330UPR stereo receiver. I
experimented with the new gear by hooking
up the mics on each side of my shirt
(left and right) and connecting the receiver
to my Nikon D4’s shoe mount. I also ran
tests with a Nikon 7000—a camera with
far more limited audio controls. The results
were elegant in both cases.
TESTING, TESTING…
I walked around my studio and opened
my noisy double doors. (That served as an
efficient way to test the left/right stereo effect.}
I found the audio range on this 330LT
system to be phenomenal.
I played back the recording through my
ear buds and when I heard the doors open
and close, I actually turned around to see
who came in. When I say that the sound recording was
so vivid and alive I’m really doing it a horrible
injustice. It was unbelievably amazing.
A SHOTGUN MIC, TOO
I was now in excellent shape for
mic’ing up my seminar presenters, but
what about my other needs? This is
where Azden’s SGM-3416L shotgun mic
comes in. I normally shoot events alone
and it’s not uncommon for me to have
three video cameras recording while I’m
shooting stills. Later in postproduction
I marry all the sound sources together
to produce a refined main audio source
mix seasoned with ambient sound when
desired. I often use my SGM-3416L on a
boom mounted on a light stand with a
grip head and boom bracket for my main
subject. I put my lapel mics elsewhere in
the room. This gives me this all-encompassing
array of sound that grabs everything,
and it’s very clean.
Also, when I’m on a job, I either use different
DSLRs to grab the sound from my Azden
mic sources, or opt for Azden’s very affordable
and handy FMX-DSLR audio mixer,
patching everything into the unit, which is
connected with a stereo audio cable to my
camera.
This entire DSLR conversion has really
been a new adventure in creative video
production. I’m really enjoying the clips I
produce with my new gear, and so do my
clients. When it comes to dependability and
audio quality, Azden products are providing
me with a sound we all like to hear.
Marc Blake is a professional photographer
and video producer. He may be contacted
at m@marcblake.com. For additional information, contact Azden
Corp. at 516-328-7500 or visit www.azdencorp.com.