What is a Plant Mic? | Hiding Mics On Set to Get the Best Audio
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Can't fit a boom in your space? Lavs causing phasing? Andrew goes over 3 ways to use plant mics in this episode of Audio Academy with guest sound mixer Fletcher Alliston. No more do you have to worry about getting bad audio on set. With these tips, you have a creative solution to a bunch of audio problems you might run into. What is a plant mic?! Stay tuned to find out.
Sometimes a boom operator just won't cut it and laving two actors causes audio issues so plant mics are the only option. Here are 3 ways to hide microphones on your set that will get the best audio. How to hide a mic in a plant? Check! How to hide a mic in a pen? Check! Mic clipped onto a doorframe? Check!
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Deity Microphones produces weekly digital web content to help filmmakers and sound mixers grow in their education. Deity Microphones shares this free web series in hopes that the next generation of filmmakers grows in their video production quality and changes the world.
Deity Microphones produces free educational web content to help filmmakers, vloggers, sound mixers and sound designers grow as creatives and take their production quality (be it independent, TV, or studio) to the next level. Deity Microphones believes that budget should never be a constraint to creativity.
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Please watch: "Intoducing V.Lav"
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What's the most creative plant mic you've seen?
I'll be interested in seeing probably more techniques of plant mics, such as in busy areas like restaurants or even in loud places where a boom might not be possible.
Can't wait for the release of your wireless system!!!!!
I used a plant mic on a chandelier once. Worked quite well. By the law of average I should win a mic one of these days lol.
You guys consistently out it great tutorials and tools that help us get great audio! Can't wait to see what's next!
Nice tips again guys! Definitely not a topic covered a lot from what I can see on UA-cam.
My tip is something I haven't tried before but thought of during the video. Imagine placing a mic with a stereo pic up pattern in the middle of something that can spin freely (i.e a vinyl player) and have an actor perform a manic monologue of some sort into it from a stationary position. I can imagine listening to that with headphones (or a proper sound system) would incur quite a bit of discomfort. I wonder would your ears get dizzy! Going to try that for sure!
Enjoyed the video especially the when the plant mic went in a plant comedy 101, excellent 🤣🤣
This was super helpful. I never would've thought of using a pen. Thank you for this kind of content.
Love these audio 101 videos. Keep them coming. Subscribed.
Thanks for making this video! I suggested this topic a while back and now got tons of good advice. It's nice to see you read the comments and help us with the stuff we need help with.
We read every single comment. User feedback is what drives us.
This was the most intuitive fun video Ive ever watched on audio! Literally genius! Keep it up guys!
Wow. Thank You!!! We try to have fun. We've done a few others like this. Check out our channel.
I never thought of using a pen super cool! I would definitely watch more videos on different areas to plant mics.
You should do a video on which mic to choose for certain scenarios. Lav vs Boom...etc. Even what types of pickup patterns (cardiod, condenser...etc.).
Dinkum? I hardly knowum!
The pen trick was super slick. Such a creative solution to perfectly hide the mic. This how to series you guys have been making is killer. Looking forward to the next one.
Thank you. We are very passionate about making content people actually could use on their real shoots.
Yo Deity loving what you do. I use a lot of 2nd hand Rode mics but am excited to transition over to you. In true Aputure fashion all the "sound 101s" are fun to watch as I learn a ton as well. Thank you.
As soon as you get a Deity microphone send us pics on our Instagram and we will show you off to the world.
Hey ingenious idea on mic placement for certain type's of situation. The bathroom situation is very common because of room size. I remember using the ZoomHN4 digital recorder in a small kitchen environment at an angle while I used the boom mic at another and we cought dual audio with worked out to a tee. Being creative is the ticket at times that's why I enjoy these types of video because I apply what I learn when on location on NYC.
You can tell the game pads are still very prominent! More so than the dialogue.
A well place boom mic still reigns supreme ;-)
Yea. The Omni-directional pickup of the lav picks up the game pads. Had this been for a feature film we would have told the actors to fake the button mashing and added the sounds back with a foley pass.
Or just sweet talked the DoP/director into using a boom ;-) Often people skills can win over technical skills.
Once we planted a microphone below a table with a magic arm , the sound was quite clean without any distortion or clipping.
I like using disposable coffee cups for plant mics when it makes sense in the scene!
Thanks Deity, I was literally wondering about this the other day 👍 Love how I could hear ever button mash too from that plant plant 😂 Does make me wonder what would have been happening on screen had those SNES controllers actually been hooked up and SFII on ➡⬇↘➡🤜
Great video, I have never thought of using a plant for a plant mic 😊
Fake plants are great on tables. For scenes in diners and fast food locations you can also use ketchup bottles or napkin holders.
Really great info, thanks!. You mentioned dual mics on two people capturing both of their dialogue and going out of phase. If you only have onni directional microphones, and have two people close to each other so you’re going to get that mix of dialogue on both channels, and can’t boom them because they will be moving around too much, what is the best solution? I’ve had good luck with directional lavs, however of course if the talent moves too far off axis, you lose a lot of volume.
nice one, really good advice
The mic in the plant reminds me of the scene in Singin in the rain. No school like the old school
What do you think about piezoelectric mic to spice it up?
Fun fact, one time I saw a music artist using piezos in plants to make music, the signal was going to a sinth, fun art 😊
3:50, wouldn't an Electret mic be better?
I'm going to use these ideas in my espionage.
In your opinion what are the most natural sounding plant lavalier mics you've used? Both in interior and exterior locations. I've only experience with planting Sennheiser ME-2, as most of the shots where I had to plant a mic involved some type of rough/large movement (action sequence) where I feared the lav mic might get damaged. Also, any other alternatives to the Rycote lav windjammers and Overcovers? Thanks.
I still don't understand why using plant mic and for what is good? Communication between the sound team or for what?
If you can't get the boom in tight enough, if the lavs aren't good enough for a shot with important dialogue, or if the shot involves work where actors need to pass out of the boom operator's reach; if there is a changeover between 1st and 2nd boom for example
Whenever I use shotgun mics the sound is just too tinny. I’m using an NTG2...one day I want to get the smic 2 but it seemed a little tinny in this episode too in the confined bathroom mirror scene?
1) we didn't use the S-Mic 2 in this episode
2) the tinny sound you refer to in the bathroom is the natural reverb of a small space with hard surfaces. That bathroom may only be 4ftx5ft max... in rooms like that, theres almost nothing you can do but work with in coverage with ultra closeups and work that microphone as close as possible in the coverage and try to do some lip syncing on the wide. We also could have used Izotope RX7 and cleaned up the audio a bit too if we had the time.
Oh wow. I know izotope r7 aren’t you guys. But maybe a short tutorial in how sound guys would fix things like this in post. Cos it does happen...would love to see this scene fixed in post!
@@DeityMicrophones the tininess is more likely due to comb filtering that results from using a shotgun (interference tube) mic in a confined space, better to use a pressure gradient hypercardiod. Rule of thumb, shotguns don't work well indoors.
Everything was cool except for the last scene in the bathroom. The sound was legible but sounded tinny. I would have either mic-ed her with the lav hidden underneath her clothes, maybe mic up a toothbrush or even make a fake bathroom fixture with the mic in it. Good stuff though!
Nice pen hack
Couldn't you just localize and plug into the mics that the NSA have already planted?
This will definitely come in handy for my next drug bust.
Shh... Don't tell anyone.
I really hate to be "that guy," but I have to ask. The suspense has been killing me since my comment was highlighted.
How does the free mic thing work? How do we know who wins and is There a procedure for claiming it?
I only ask because my comment is highlighted, hearted, and free gear makes my heart soar...
once i planted a mic on a field, then it grew and later i could gather ten of them.
How do you think we started our company? We were planting lavs 3 years ago and now we have the S-Mic 2.
Plant mic in the plant
This Plant Mic video is super RAD, my pandering for a prize is well, kinda BAD!
...Dreaming of a V-Mic Pro 🛌🎥🔊
this is the best comment :D
Another way that I know to hide a lavalier is to use those adhesive stickies pads for the skin of the actors, the problem I see with that is if the actor is hairy, or if it's a lady and have a cleavage, at least that way you can hear the sound clearly from the chest.
How to be the best comment here? I see everyone are great and deserve winning the mic, plus me!! 😆
The scenes made up just for the examples really need to be written. The acting and dialogue is so bad. The advice and audio tips are great but I always have to skip the “acting” segments.