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on locationTECHNOLOGY FOCUSBoat RecordingI had a Schoeps MS pair on the bank, and the Production Sound Recordist(Chris Munro) was out on the jetty – the idea was that he’d get the water slap witha boom. Then we strapped a Sound Devices 442 on each boat with a DPA 4062in a condom on the rear of the boat, another two inside, one on the helm, andanother right in the bow. Chris gave us an SM58 and we stuck it on a magic armand put that over the engine. We had pretty much the same set-up on the RHIBas-well.Towards the end of the day, we had Dave [David Mackie, Assistant SoundEditor] in a safety boat, and we got the driver to do circles around him.Because he was creating a lot of waves he was able to bounce off his own waves,so we got the slaps and lands.Martin Cantwell, Sound Designer, Quantum Of Solace, Audio Media November 2008Be Equipment AgnosticIt’s great to have a favourite bit of equipment; something that you swear by instead ofswear at. But it’s also good to keep a totally open mind about what to use when outand about. Over the last couple of years I’ve recorded around 200 vehicles for differentracing and driving games. One thing I never imagined using out in the field was myAKG D3000 vocal microphone; the sort with the triangular section intended to be handheld or used in a music studio. But it can handle stupidly high SPL levels, is reallysturdy and has a crisp, sharp sound; perfect for placing near the exhaust pipe of a V8muscle car. Who’d a thought it eh? Likewise Rycote Undercovers – small sticky padsmeant for attaching personal mics under clothing – are great to tacking dpa 4061sinto the engine bays of cars or enormous trucks. Not their intended purpose, but theywork brilliantly and peel off afterwards. Also: Condoms can be useful at keep mics dry,though best of luck claiming them back on expenses.Jerry Ibbotson, Media Mill and Audio Media ContributorIn an industry whereknowledge is key and the righttool for the job often makesthe difference between an ordinaryproduction and a great production,one place many pros turn to is theservices of Richmond Film Services, specialists insound equipment hire for over 25 years.Richmond has over 2,000 items available for hireand maintains its own extensive workshop facility,which not only keeps the gear in top condition, butalso provides cable repair and construction services,and offers an equipment repair service to Richmondcustomers.Richmond Film Services now has 15 staff, coveringroles as diverse as office staff and dispatch crew, andthe comprehensive website provides an extensivebrowsable equipment list so you can peruse what'savailable at your leisure.The company also sells accessories, parts andequipment. A small quantity of its sale stock is listedin the online price list, but it can deal with any requestfor equipment, and frequently sources parts fromaround the world.The Richmond dispatch crew deliver equipmentdaily within the M25, but the company also deliversthroughout the UK via overnight courier.www.richmondfilmservices.co.ukTool SelectionPoles sound more natural, radio mics sound moresterile – mics on booms sound far more natural thanradio mics hidden on people’s clothes (very one dimensionalin that everybody sounds the same). If you cancover all the shots for a given scene using booms, thenyou can probably work faster, avoid clothes rustle, andget a much more natural result.Simon Bishop, Production Mixer/Recordist, Audio Media Feb 2010Catchin’ SyncIs there any sync sound in the shot? Look at the rehearsal, and work outwhat dialogue is actually sync sound – it may well be that there are sixactors in the shot, but many of them might be tiny (in the shot), or thecamera only sees the backs of their heads. Weigh up which are theimportant lines to ‘get’ in each shot, and concentrate your efforts ongetting them recorded well.Simon Bishop, Production Mixer/Recordist, Audio Media Feb 2010Turn Your Phone OffI was once asked to do some post production audio work on acorporate video when the camera person had clearly had theirmobile phone tucked into their pocket, still switched on.We probably all know the sound of a mobile/cell phonesending out those little pulses to tell the network where it isbut when you’ve heard them running all the way through anedit, you want to cry a little. Well, a lot, in fact. Going to silentmode isn’t enough. Turn it off.Jerry Ibbotson, Media Mill and Audio Media Contributor38AUDIO MEDIA AUGUST 2011