Posted by Steve Guidry on 09/30/05 16:18

Well, you can't get (and don't want) studio-quality sound when the
correspondent is obviously in a storm. Some wind noise makes the video
stronger. We just used a directional cardioid and had him hold it closer.
It was an EV mic, but I don't remember the model. I think a plain ol' SM-58
would work as well.

There was some debate about whether or not to use a "lip mic". I had seen
one only once before - - just a few weeks ago. It's a very directional mic
made by a British company called electroacoustics. It has 2 elements out of
phase with each other and pointed different directions. It also has some
integral wind screens. We didn't use it, but I'm told it cuts the BG noise
even more.

More depending on the interest . . .

Steve


"TandA" <TandA@cox.net> wrote in message
news:BYZ_e.16625$mH.10241@fed1read07...
> How do you get intelligble sound with all that wind?
> Tom
>
> Steve Guidry wrote:
> > Ok, if you're not yet bored with hurricane stories, here's another . . .
> >
> > I worked Rita as a soundman for ABC in Lake Charles, which turned out to
be
> > the dirtiest of all the reporting spots. Our live footage and stories
aired
> > on GMA, as well as World news Tonight and Nightline. Here are some
> > impressions :
> >
> > - It was my first hurricane to actually be IN the storm, so I didn't
have
> > much to compare it with. However, the other guys (all 30+ year
veterans)
> > all agreed that it was the worst one they'd ever been in. Our live shot
for
> > Nightline was only about an hour before the "eye wall" hit. The wind
gusts
> > were about 80 mph. It was exhilarating !
> >
> > - Most sat truck dishes are only rated for 35-40 mph winds. But our
sat
> > truck operator (Matt with the Freebird truck) was a genius : After our
5 PM
> > liveshot, he cruised around and within about an hour and found a
U-shaped
> > cluster of buildings with the open end to the Southwest. It even had a
tree
> > in the background so we could place our correspondent in front of it.
This
> > sheltered us somewhat and allowed us to shoot out when others couldn't.
> > Now, if he could have just had time to erect that awning to keep the
rain
> > off . . . <grin>
> >
> > - Before this, I wondered how folks could be stupid enough to place
> > themselves in harms way for a news story. I've come to the conclusion
that
> > no one goes in thinking that it's going to be so bad. You go in
believing
> > that "the producers won't ask us to do anything dangerous." Wrong.
Still,
> > you don't just decide to do it. Instead, you're making a series of
small
> > decisions along the way which eventually lead to being in the eye of the
> > storm : which city to cover . . . where to set up . . . where you're
going
> > to ride out the storm . . . what time to pack up and head for shelter,
etc.
> >
> > - News producers who take care of their crews are prized. Ours had us
> > sleeping in our cars and scrounging MRE's from the rescue workers when
> > hotels were available only an hour away in Lafayette. All while the
> > producers and correspondent ate cooked meals in their RV. Grrrrr . . .
> >
> > - I've never been so wet in my life for so long. I have to believe
that
> > this is what it was like (in small part) to be a soldier in Vietnam's
rainy
> > season.
> >
> > All in all, I think I might stick to shooting the aftermath in the
future.
> > I want to live a bit more. Still, it _WAS_ exciting . . .
> >
> >

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