14 year IATSE sound mixer here. I have over$230k in my professional kit and I still don’t have everything I need. It never stops. I used to get excited about new gear, now I’m like, how much is this overpriced toaster oven gonna cost me.😂😂😂
100%. I try to buy the gear I wish I had for the last job, and then I’m good…until the next job. Haha! Congrats on the long career, hope this is a busy year for you and thanks for tuning in to my little channel :) cheers
Excellent video. I've been doing audio for corporate video, panel discussion webcasts and the occasion drama short film in Australia with Sennheiser G3 100 series and it's been mostly ok. Yes it has limitations but with careful management it's possible to get good results. I know that the producers/videographers I work with mostly do their own lav mics unless the project is bigger than two people on camera or has other reasons to bring in a location audio person. I was fortunate to spend a couple of days on the set of Furiosa in the Mad Max "universe" and got to sit in the audio van picking the brains of the guy who got an Oscar for the audio on Mad Max: Fury Road. There is certainly a step up in quality when you have the budget for it. Sadly I don't normally play in Australia's small feature film sandbox so at the moment I don't think I'd get a return on the investment to upgrade. For me the biggest bang I got for my limited buck was to upgrade mics to a Sanken COS11 or Countryman B3 from the standard ME2. That and having an auto-mixer for panel discussions is one of those things I never want to be without again.
Thanks so much for this comment! Yes production sound is often more about the archer than the arrows ;). How amazing to have gotten to spend some time with an Oscar award winning sound team! That is super valuable. I’ve seen a video of him explaining his rig and I appreciated that he had crafted a pretty unique setup (multiple bit bucket recorders and an analog board) -I wonder if he’s still rocking that in 2024? Glad you found this channel, you’re always welcome here and let me know if there’s any topics you’d like me to explore! Cheers!
Although you touched on many of the major differences such as removable antennas and power options, there are a ton of things you left out. For example, diversity receivers. The sennheiser has a single channel and a very poor diversity option. I think it only has a single radio and switches between two antennas, one of them being the output wire which makes a bad antenna. Meanwhile, the MCR54 wisy receiver has 8 radios in it for full diversity for 4 transmitters. It can also use external receiving antennas for even more gain for distant transmitters. The wisy also uses companders, but has multiple versions and they sound pretty good. It's slot-in, which allows better power and output options, but also control options from other devices. TBH, the senni sounded fine in your a/b tests, and in the best conditions is a solid wireless channel. The biggest difference is that when conditions aren't perfect, these prosumer devices drop out sooner and more frequently.
Yup these are all fair points! I plan to do more videos about external antennas, radio mics best practices etc as this is at best a broad overview. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, it definitely illuminates the subject in more depth for other folks out there who check out this video! Yeah I think the stability of high end wireless really sets it apart, but the Sennheisers have served me well on many interviews/smaller productions when line of sight is easily maintained. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Thanks for another informative video, Nicolas. I have a few questions for you: 1. Since you can't record and transmit at the same time in the US unless you're using Zaxcom or 2.4ghz Deity transmitters, are you saying that you prefer to internally record instead of recording to the mixer when you're on paid jobs? *Edit. I just remembered that you're in Canada. Lucky!!! My follow up question is, do you feel the simultaneous recording/transmitting option is worth someone going with Zaxcom if living in the US? 2. Speaking of Zaxcom, what were the deciding factors that led to the decision of Wisycom over Zaxcom and Lectrosonics? 3. Has a client every busted your chops about not using Lectrosonics, requiring you to educate them a little bit? I know that people in the audio world understand that Wisycom, Zaxcom, and Lectrosonics are all on the same top tier, but I feel like some clients are wed to certain brands and they have it in their minds that we have to record on a Sound Devices mixer, use Lectrosonics wireless with Cos-11d lavaliers (even though DPA 6060s are better), and shoot on RED or Arri. I'm just curious for your two cents given your experience. Thanks!
Hey hey! Happy to answer some questions. 1. The patent that Zaxcom holds for concurrent recording/transmitting will expire soon. Like in a year or two max AFAIK. So while this is a useful feature, I wouldn’t let it make or break a big decision like investing in wireless. Zaxcom is cool but it is sort of like Apple: you really have to buy into the ecosystem to get the most out of it. 2. Wisycom offers superior range to either Lectrosonics or Zaxcom. I like running with whips and keeping things simple. With my Wisys I would never use external antenna unless I was like 150 ft from talent, and 90% of the time I’m running 10 mw. When I purchased the system it was the only quad receiver on the market. Super compact which is an important consideration for bag work. Their bundles are also more affordable than Lectrosonics systems. Generally it felt like Wisy was offering a more cutting edge product (Bluetooth control vs dweedle tone etc) with wider tuning range and wanted to future proof my investment. The compromise of Wisycom is that they’re not as widely available or serviceable here in North America. Around here more and more folks are adopting Wisycom but Lectrosonics has the largest market share by far and a service centre in Toronto. That being said all the other systems you mentioned are solid and will get the job done! 3. I’ve never had a client mention anything much regarding gear, although I did miss out on a big project as a second unit mixer before I had professional wireless due to compatibility issues. When I started booking bigger budget shoots I would always rent Lectros because I wanted the stability, quality and reliability that I was being paid to provide, whether the client cared or not. It hasn’t been my experience that folks hiring care that much about brands but I’m sure it does happen from time to time. However I would challenge the claim that COS11D is a worse mic than DPA 6060. I think they can both excel in different situations and with different voices and are both useful tools. COS11 is far more resistant to wind and breath and can perform better hidden under layers, DPA sounds quite flat but that’s not always what we need. I was kinda surprised to learn that the mixer who won best sound for Sound Of Metal used exclusively Countryman B6 for the whole film. Sometimes it’s the archer not the arrows ;). Thanks for watching and for giving me an opportunity to nerd out, hope this helps and I appreciate your support with my channel. Cheers!
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices Dang, Dude! Thanks for such a thorough response! Yeah, I did notice in my recent tests that the DPA sounded more like a boom to me, but it came at the expense of picking up a lot more sounds from the room next door and the wind outside vs. the Cos-11d and Tram TR50. I can see how it would pick up a lot more wind noise outside. I did feel like it was a little better than the Cos-11d at not picking up clothing rustle. I had a chance to be the audio guy on a reality show shooting here in town, but only having my Sennheiser G4's for my wireless solution was the dealbreaker for them. I ended up being a PA and learning a lot from the sound guy over the course of the shoot. Now there is another job looking for a sound mixer here in town. I'm just worried about dropping a bunch of money on a wireless solution like Lectro or Wisycom and then having all the companies coming out with new devices in 1 1/2 years that simultaneously record and transmit, becoming a new industry standard. I wonder if the systems that currently do either or will be able to be updated with a firmware update to do both simultaneously once the patent runs out. I'm in a small market in the middle of Oregon, so to rent Lectro systems and have them mailed here costs a lot. Anyway, thanks again for the thorough and thoughtful response. Cheers, my friend!
@@jeremyevantaylor1724 Hey dude. Pretty sure with the Wisycom system it will be a matter of a firmware update unlocking the simultaneous record/transmit feature. For what it's worth, I basically just use this feature on bigger/scarier projects and just do a continuous record throughout the day and don't even use those cards unless there's an issue. Take a peek at the new Deity system coming out.
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices You sold me on the Wisycoms, especially if they can be updated with firmware after the patent runs out. I wonder if the Lectrosonics models with internal recording (24-bit, I assume) will also be unlocked with a firmware update. Only time will tell. The new Deity Theos system seems like the ultimate prosumer solution, but I'm just hesitant with them because they've had so many cool products that seem to really be an advancement in technology, but they end up failing in the field. That would suck on a paying job.
Internal recording for most people is not a good enough reason to justify going for all the cons that comes with Zaxcom, as internal recording on a transmitter is usually a very niche usage. I for instance own a bodypack recorder, as an emergency "just in case", and yet in all the years I've owned it, I've never used it!
What kinda of input/output cables would I need to run the wisycom MCR54 into an F8N pro? Just learning and planning for the future hopefully - beginner sound mixer haha
The MCR54 Is a slot in receiver that can be set up with different backplates. These backplates screw in to the bottom to enable different connection. You would need to order the BPA54 (I think it’s called) which has two TA5 outputs and Hirose power input. Each of the TA5 outputs two analog or four AES channels. So in your case, you would need two TA5F>dual XLR cables to input four channels via the XLR inputs on the Zoom. I will add that there is an additional “top feed” TA5 on the face of the unit that can be used as well, but you still need a backplate just to get it powered on.
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices thank you for the quick response! only about a year into my sound mixing journey. can’t wait to keep learning more from your videos
my setup is g4 with cos11d, I have just bought some wisycom mcr30 & 40s, I can't figure out which is better 40s or 30. from this video the cos11d sound more realistic and slightly open where as the wisycom sound more controlled. Do you think the 30 or 40s is better as I have 4x 30 & 2x 40s but I wanna sell 2 transmitters. Let me know your thoughts.
@@FamousJames not sure, I think the mtp40s is newer and would therefore have some enhanced features. if the mtp40s-UN then it has enhanced ultrasonic protection... these older units occasionally suffer interference from ultrasonic signals in certain environments
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices ok. I wonder about my RX MCR42 because it’s enr so I wonder if it’s too old and should sell before too late with the way things are going.
There is one more reason why the professionals are more expensive... lawyers as they have to defend patents and trademarks and in some cases preventing industry growth. And then there's the quality, range and interference rejection of the RF Radio circuit Otherwise great comparison.
100%. It’s a lot of engineering and r&d for a relatively niche user base. I think the frequency stability of the high end systems is what really sets them apart from the prosumer grade stuff. Thanks for the comment and happy new year!
Fair critique! I was just using gear I had available to try to illustrate the difference of transmission fidelity between entry level and pro wireless. I personally think this difference is audible in spite of the different mics being used. However, since making this video I have picked up some COS11s for my Wisycom TX and I plan to make a new comparison video and link to 24 bit files for folks to listen properly. Cheers!
Hello, could you please upload the WAV files to another place, because it seems to me that youtube has completely destroyed the sound here...? I would also add that I heard somewhere that Sennheiser SK 5212-II (HiDyn+ compander) has better sound than Wisycom. I don't know if that's true, but several people have told me so far. We use very old (from 1993) Sennheiser SK 50/SKM 5000 with EM 1046/EK 3241 receiver (which also use HiDyn+ compander and I am delighted with them. They still sound better than any evolution digital or analog series, although they don't have quite the options that they have). Sennheiser SK 5212-II is from 2011, so when they tell me it's better than Wisycom, I think they mean the old MTP 40/41 series, I don't know about the newer MTP 60.
Cool, never used that wireless system before but certainly have heard exceptional sounding “old” wireless systems like lectros 400 series (which also have awesome range). I’ll see if I can dredge up the original recordings and post them somewhere for ya… to my ears, the ENS compander on the new Wisycom stuff sounds amazing and does improves on their previous tech. Haven’t compared directly with other manufacturers digital systems though. Cheers and thanks for watching and commenting!
They look the same to me… Biggest difference in their wireless packages seems to be tuning range. I definitely find it a bit confusing to parse out the differences between their wireless products!
@@davidcmpeterson you re right. In the receivers g4 ek100 has unbalanced output and the ek500 has balanced output for example... but sk300 and sk500 seems to have same specs. Is the difference the RC in the 300model?
@@pbalazeiro the mW difference is the major reason why I'd choose a 500 series G4 transmitter over the 100 series Not that I'd honestly ever buy either! They're not professional grade wireless, and they're not even the best prosumer wireless either.
I get the ab comparision but i think is not fair since you re using two different mics from different brands.
Fair critique! Would have loved to use the same mic on both but I don’t have any DPAs terminated for 3.5 nor COS11 terminated for LEMO at the moment.
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices thats what i thought
14 year IATSE sound mixer here. I have over$230k in my professional kit and I still don’t have everything I need. It never stops. I used to get excited about new gear, now I’m like, how much is this overpriced toaster oven gonna cost me.😂😂😂
100%. I try to buy the gear I wish I had for the last job, and then I’m good…until the next job. Haha! Congrats on the long career, hope this is a busy year for you and thanks for tuning in to my little channel :) cheers
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices Thank you for the great content Nicolas!
great video! really good information and production quality, you should get more recognition
thank you so much! 😄
Excellent video.
I've been doing audio for corporate video, panel discussion webcasts and the occasion drama short film in Australia with Sennheiser G3 100 series and it's been mostly ok. Yes it has limitations but with careful management it's possible to get good results. I know that the producers/videographers I work with mostly do their own lav mics unless the project is bigger than two people on camera or has other reasons to bring in a location audio person. I was fortunate to spend a couple of days on the set of Furiosa in the Mad Max "universe" and got to sit in the audio van picking the brains of the guy who got an Oscar for the audio on Mad Max: Fury Road. There is certainly a step up in quality when you have the budget for it. Sadly I don't normally play in Australia's small feature film sandbox so at the moment I don't think I'd get a return on the investment to upgrade. For me the biggest bang I got for my limited buck was to upgrade mics to a Sanken COS11 or Countryman B3 from the standard ME2. That and having an auto-mixer for panel discussions is one of those things I never want to be without again.
Thanks so much for this comment! Yes production sound is often more about the archer than the arrows ;). How amazing to have gotten to spend some time with an Oscar award winning sound team! That is super valuable. I’ve seen a video of him explaining his rig and I appreciated that he had crafted a pretty unique setup (multiple bit bucket recorders and an analog board) -I wonder if he’s still rocking that in 2024? Glad you found this channel, you’re always welcome here and let me know if there’s any topics you’d like me to explore! Cheers!
great info and well said. thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the great video!
My pleasure!
Although you touched on many of the major differences such as removable antennas and power options, there are a ton of things you left out. For example, diversity receivers. The sennheiser has a single channel and a very poor diversity option. I think it only has a single radio and switches between two antennas, one of them being the output wire which makes a bad antenna. Meanwhile, the MCR54 wisy receiver has 8 radios in it for full diversity for 4 transmitters. It can also use external receiving antennas for even more gain for distant transmitters. The wisy also uses companders, but has multiple versions and they sound pretty good. It's slot-in, which allows better power and output options, but also control options from other devices.
TBH, the senni sounded fine in your a/b tests, and in the best conditions is a solid wireless channel. The biggest difference is that when conditions aren't perfect, these prosumer devices drop out sooner and more frequently.
Yup these are all fair points! I plan to do more videos about external antennas, radio mics best practices etc as this is at best a broad overview. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, it definitely illuminates the subject in more depth for other folks out there who check out this video!
Yeah I think the stability of high end wireless really sets it apart, but the Sennheisers have served me well on many interviews/smaller productions when line of sight is easily maintained. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Having AES out of your receiver is also very nice
Thanks!🙏
You're welcome!
Thanks for another informative video, Nicolas. I have a few questions for you:
1. Since you can't record and transmit at the same time in the US unless you're using Zaxcom or 2.4ghz Deity transmitters, are you saying that you prefer to internally record instead of recording to the mixer when you're on paid jobs?
*Edit. I just remembered that you're in Canada. Lucky!!! My follow up question is, do you feel the simultaneous recording/transmitting option is worth someone going with Zaxcom if living in the US?
2. Speaking of Zaxcom, what were the deciding factors that led to the decision of Wisycom over Zaxcom and Lectrosonics?
3. Has a client every busted your chops about not using Lectrosonics, requiring you to educate them a little bit?
I know that people in the audio world understand that Wisycom, Zaxcom, and Lectrosonics are all on the same top tier, but I feel like some clients are wed to certain brands and they have it in their minds that we have to record on a Sound Devices mixer, use Lectrosonics wireless with Cos-11d lavaliers (even though DPA 6060s are better), and shoot on RED or Arri. I'm just curious for your two cents given your experience.
Thanks!
Hey hey! Happy to answer some questions.
1. The patent that Zaxcom holds for concurrent recording/transmitting will expire soon. Like in a year or two max AFAIK. So while this is a useful feature, I wouldn’t let it make or break a big decision like investing in wireless. Zaxcom is cool but it is sort of like Apple: you really have to buy into the ecosystem to get the most out of it.
2. Wisycom offers superior range to either Lectrosonics or Zaxcom. I like running with whips and keeping things simple. With my Wisys I would never use external antenna unless I was like 150 ft from talent, and 90% of the time I’m running 10 mw. When I purchased the system it was the only quad receiver on the market. Super compact which is an important consideration for bag work. Their bundles are also more affordable than Lectrosonics systems. Generally it felt like Wisy was offering a more cutting edge product (Bluetooth control vs dweedle tone etc) with wider tuning range and wanted to future proof my investment. The compromise of Wisycom is that they’re not as widely available or serviceable here in North America. Around here more and more folks are adopting Wisycom but Lectrosonics has the largest market share by far and a service centre in Toronto. That being said all the other systems you mentioned are solid and will get the job done!
3. I’ve never had a client mention anything much regarding gear, although I did miss out on a big project as a second unit mixer before I had professional wireless due to compatibility issues. When I started booking bigger budget shoots I would always rent Lectros because I wanted the stability, quality and reliability that I was being paid to provide, whether the client cared or not.
It hasn’t been my experience that folks hiring care that much about brands but I’m sure it does happen from time to time. However I would challenge the claim that COS11D is a worse mic than DPA 6060. I think they can both excel in different situations and with different voices and are both useful tools. COS11 is far more resistant to wind and breath and can perform better hidden under layers, DPA sounds quite flat but that’s not always what we need. I was kinda surprised to learn that the mixer who won best sound for Sound Of Metal used exclusively Countryman B6 for the whole film. Sometimes it’s the archer not the arrows ;). Thanks for watching and for giving me an opportunity to nerd out, hope this helps and I appreciate your support with my channel. Cheers!
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices Dang, Dude! Thanks for such a thorough response! Yeah, I did notice in my recent tests that the DPA sounded more like a boom to me, but it came at the expense of picking up a lot more sounds from the room next door and the wind outside vs. the Cos-11d and Tram TR50. I can see how it would pick up a lot more wind noise outside. I did feel like it was a little better than the Cos-11d at not picking up clothing rustle.
I had a chance to be the audio guy on a reality show shooting here in town, but only having my Sennheiser G4's for my wireless solution was the dealbreaker for them. I ended up being a PA and learning a lot from the sound guy over the course of the shoot. Now there is another job looking for a sound mixer here in town. I'm just worried about dropping a bunch of money on a wireless solution like Lectro or Wisycom and then having all the companies coming out with new devices in 1 1/2 years that simultaneously record and transmit, becoming a new industry standard. I wonder if the systems that currently do either or will be able to be updated with a firmware update to do both simultaneously once the patent runs out. I'm in a small market in the middle of Oregon, so to rent Lectro systems and have them mailed here costs a lot.
Anyway, thanks again for the thorough and thoughtful response. Cheers, my friend!
@@jeremyevantaylor1724 Hey dude. Pretty sure with the Wisycom system it will be a matter of a firmware update unlocking the simultaneous record/transmit feature. For what it's worth, I basically just use this feature on bigger/scarier projects and just do a continuous record throughout the day and don't even use those cards unless there's an issue.
Take a peek at the new Deity system coming out.
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices You sold me on the Wisycoms, especially if they can be updated with firmware after the patent runs out. I wonder if the Lectrosonics models with internal recording (24-bit, I assume) will also be unlocked with a firmware update. Only time will tell. The new Deity Theos system seems like the ultimate prosumer solution, but I'm just hesitant with them because they've had so many cool products that seem to really be an advancement in technology, but they end up failing in the field. That would suck on a paying job.
Internal recording for most people is not a good enough reason to justify going for all the cons that comes with Zaxcom, as internal recording on a transmitter is usually a very niche usage.
I for instance own a bodypack recorder, as an emergency "just in case", and yet in all the years I've owned it, I've never used it!
What kinda of input/output cables would I need to run the wisycom MCR54 into an F8N pro?
Just learning and planning for the future hopefully
- beginner sound mixer haha
The MCR54 Is a slot in receiver that can be set up with different backplates. These backplates screw in to the bottom to enable different connection. You would need to order the BPA54 (I think it’s called) which has two TA5 outputs and Hirose power input. Each of the TA5 outputs two analog or four AES channels.
So in your case, you would need two TA5F>dual XLR cables to input four channels via the XLR inputs on the Zoom. I will add that there is an additional “top feed” TA5 on the face of the unit that can be used as well, but you still need a backplate just to get it powered on.
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices thank you for the quick response!
only about a year into my sound mixing journey. can’t wait to keep learning more from your videos
Awesome. Thanks for watching!
my setup is g4 with cos11d, I have just bought some wisycom mcr30 & 40s, I can't figure out which is better 40s or 30. from this video the cos11d sound more realistic and slightly open where as the wisycom sound more controlled. Do you think the 30 or 40s is better as I have 4x 30 & 2x 40s but I wanna sell 2 transmitters. Let me know your thoughts.
Do you mean MTP30 and MTP40?
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices yeah sorry 😂 mtp30 & 40s
@@FamousJames not sure, I think the mtp40s is newer and would therefore have some enhanced features. if the mtp40s-UN then it has enhanced ultrasonic protection... these older units occasionally suffer interference from ultrasonic signals in certain environments
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices ok. I wonder about my RX MCR42 because it’s enr so I wonder if it’s too old and should sell before too late with the way things are going.
There is one more reason why the professionals are more expensive... lawyers as they have to defend patents and trademarks and in some cases preventing industry growth. And then there's the quality, range and interference rejection of the RF Radio circuit Otherwise great comparison.
100%. It’s a lot of engineering and r&d for a relatively niche user base. I think the frequency stability of the high end systems is what really sets them apart from the prosumer grade stuff. Thanks for the comment and happy new year!
On the off chance you didn't just do this to get people to comment. How can you have a sound comparison with two different mics?
Fair critique! I was just using gear I had available to try to illustrate the difference of transmission fidelity between entry level and pro wireless. I personally think this difference is audible in spite of the different mics being used. However, since making this video I have picked up some COS11s for my Wisycom TX and I plan to make a new comparison video and link to 24 bit files for folks to listen properly. Cheers!
Hello, could you please upload the WAV files to another place, because it seems to me that youtube has completely destroyed the sound here...?
I would also add that I heard somewhere that Sennheiser SK 5212-II (HiDyn+ compander) has better sound than Wisycom. I don't know if that's true, but several people have told me so far. We use very old (from 1993) Sennheiser SK 50/SKM 5000 with EM 1046/EK 3241 receiver (which also use HiDyn+ compander and I am delighted with them. They still sound better than any evolution digital or analog series, although they don't have quite the options that they have). Sennheiser SK 5212-II is from 2011, so when they tell me it's better than Wisycom, I think they mean the old MTP 40/41 series, I don't know about the newer MTP 60.
Cool, never used that wireless system before but certainly have heard exceptional sounding “old” wireless systems like lectros 400 series (which also have awesome range).
I’ll see if I can dredge up the original recordings and post them somewhere for ya… to my ears, the ENS compander on the new Wisycom stuff sounds amazing and does improves on their previous tech. Haven’t compared directly with other manufacturers digital systems though. Cheers and thanks for watching and commenting!
@@nicolasfieldsoundservices Thank you for your reply
I found that the g4 transmitter sk500 and the sk300 are the same in specs. The sk300 is a bit cheaper. Can you confirm?
They look the same to me… Biggest difference in their wireless packages seems to be tuning range. I definitely find it a bit confusing to parse out the differences between their wireless products!
They're not at all the same, in neither number of frequencies or mW
@@davidcmpeterson you re right. In the receivers g4 ek100 has unbalanced output and the ek500 has balanced output for example... but sk300 and sk500 seems to have same specs. Is the difference the RC in the 300model?
@@pbalazeiro the mW difference is the major reason why I'd choose a 500 series G4 transmitter over the 100 series
Not that I'd honestly ever buy either!
They're not professional grade wireless, and they're not even the best prosumer wireless either.