Directive Studios Blogs

As we begin to get more involved with audio, we decided to grab this Stingray Bag for our Tascam 70D audio recorder. The fact we can easily access the battery and media compartments can really speed up time on site. This allows us to get inside of the bag without even taking our recorder out of it. The additional features such as it's straps to attach accessories and receivers, as well as keeping the camera attached to the recorder while it is still it the this case, really gave us the extra bump with wanting to purchase this item.  B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1200016-REG/k_tek_kstg70_stingray_bag_for.html

Designed for your broadcasting and voice over needs, the Rode Procaster can produce high quality recordings with its internal shockmount that will minimize the unwanted noise. It's small, all metal constructed body allows us to bring the microphone just about anywhere while reducing the amount of ambient noise the microphone could pick up. A great microphone that can help with any of the voice overs you may need for a company or personal video!  B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/470257-REG/Rode_PROCASTER_Procaster_Dynamic_Vocal.html

Some people have bad experiences with wireless devices. There's a lot to worry about when it comes to trusting your audio equipment without anything attached to it. This is why we recommend the Sennheiser ew 100 ENG G3 wireless kit. The EK 100 receiver is not only reliable, but durable. This features 4 preset memory locations which can be customized to any of the 1,680 frequencies. This kit also comes with the ME 2 lavalier microphone that is capable of capturing audio in the most demanding environments with its sensitivity and frequency response features.  B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618735-REG/Sennheiser_EW_100_ENG_G3_A_Evolution_G3_100_Series.html

The Rode on camera shotgun mic is our choice of audio backup in the studio. It's a great safety net for us so we don't encounter the worst. We simply mount and plug it into our camera's mic input, check our levels with it's 3 way positioned level control, and we're on our way. Nice to know we have have this pointed at our talent just incase.

As our number one audio recorder, we use the Zoom H4n to capture the sound from our Rode NTG-3 mic. By simply running off of two AA batteries, the back-lit LCD display helps us determine where our audio levels should be. Even though we connect our Sony headphones to this recorder for monitoring, it also has an integrated speaker that allows us to quickly check our recordings just in case something were to ever happen to our headphones. It is extremely portable, and at the end of the day all our audio files are put on to a SD card which we can easily move to our computer. B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?N=11116977&InitialSearch=yes&sts=pi

Whats a good video without good sound? Here in the studio our source of hearing is the Sony MDR-ZX100 headphones. We could be filming for hours and hours, which is another reason why we recommend these lightweight, very comfortable set of headphone for your audio. Just like almost every other headphones, the stereo mini can plug into laptops, cameras, ipads, ipods and almost anything else. We love making sure our audio is at its finest, and these headphones help us do that. B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/757685-REG/Sony_MDRZX100_BLK_MDR_ZX100_Stereo_Headphones.html

We're looking forward to start using the Tascam DR70D. This sound recorder can record up to four channels as once. A really nice feature it also has, is the audio output. This allows you to connect the recorder right to the camera's mic port. Which essentially means the audio and video will be synchronized for us! B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086798-REG/tascam_dr_70d_4_channel_audio_recording.html

We have the Rode NTG3 Shotgun mic in our studio for our clients when we shoot talking head videos. We have had our share of background noises around the studio, anywhere from trains outside to phones ringing. Surprisingly, the NTG3 Shotgun has been killer for not picking much of those noises while our talents are talking. The audio has shown great waveform when we bring it into Adobe Audition and has worked tremendously. Highly recommended mic! B&H Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/573977-REG/Rode_NTG_3_Basic_Shotgun_Microphone.html

The RØDE Boompole is a precision balanced professional boom pole for location recording, machined from high grade, lightweight aluminium. The Boompole allows you to mount your microphone securely and swivel it in a range of directions that will allow you to easily change positions and follow your sound source. Extends from 0.84m (33") to 3m (10')

The RØDE VideoMic Pro is a true shotgun microphone designed for use with camcorders, DSLR cameras and portable audio recorders as a source of primary and reference audio. At the heart of the VideoMic Pro is a high resolution 1/2" condenser capsule that provides broadcast quality audio via a 3.5mm minijack connector (outputting the mono signal to both left and right channels). A super-cardioid polar pattern ensures that surrounding audio is minimised, and your recording is focused on the subject in front of the camera. An innovative suspension system separates the VideoMic Pro capsule and electronics from its mount, providing isolation from external physical factors that may cause unwanted rumble and vibrations in the microphone. A lightweight and flexible yet robust multi-strand cable provides significantly lower noise transference than traditional audio cable while ensuring a high definition signal. Easily accessible on the rear face of the microphone are the power, filter...

The H4N 4 track recorder is great. We use this for just about everything. Check out this review: http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/zoom/h4n.htm Manufacturer site:http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/h4n