| Location Sound Audio Recorders | |
| Recording
audio on location.
In documentary or low budget situations also indicates that equipment is battery powered and designed to easily moved. |
| Audio recorders designed for location sound use generally have the following characteristics: |
| lightweight
robust, reliable battery powered headphone output with adjustable level balanced
microphone
|
accurate
recording speed (analogue)
ability to monitor playback during recording time code functions (various) |
| Filming
on location is a very expensive and complex operation.
The design of location recorders, in particular the Nagra series by Kudelski,
reflect this. Robust, reliable, with circuit boards designed for easy access,
rugged chassis, no-nonsense user interface, Pilot tone speed control, the
various models of the Nagra recorder have been the standard for location
recording since the mid fifties. Originally a mono analog recorder using
1/4Ó audio tape, one may find stereo versions with or without time
code, the tiny pocket sized SN (using 0.15Ó tape) and the recent
4 channel digital model. The current standard is a stereo Nagra (Nagra
IV-S) using time code.
|
| Portable
DAT recorders are also used for location work. They
may be equipped with time code but because of their digital accuracy in
record/playback timing, they can be used without it. Essentially a tiny
video recorder transport with a moving record/play head, there are concerns
about DAT recorders in terms of reliability and robustness. Also DAT technology
makes listening to tape playback while recording, crucial for insuring
a good recording, a complex, expensive option. Finally, unlike analogue
tape, errors in digital tape recordings are usually unrecoverable.
|
| For
low budget productions, there are two options which
are generally used: low end portable
DAT recorders and Walkman
professional cassette recorders.
Both of these usually have mini plugs (3.5 mm) as mic connectors which (a) makes it difficult to use directional microphones and (b) are notorious for bad connections. The Walkman Pro is not accurate enough for sync except for very short takes but is very lightweight and fairly sturdy. |