3BO: Cabled or Wireless Boom? Sound Speeds

The question of whether or not you should go cabled or wireless boom isn't one you often get to make. That is usually a sound mixer's decision. Sure, a cabled boom will sound better but if going wireless gives the boom operator the freedom to go anywhere on set at any time to tweak something, listen for a sound, etc then it may be the better option. In this video I'll go thru some of the pluses and minuses of going cabled and hardlined.
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[@matthew.datcher]

As someone who cannot remotely afford the high-quality mixers and recorders Allen is used to, I didn't lose much, if anything, when I switched my boom to wireless. Losing that cable was the best thing for moving about the set. Maybe one day I'll get the gigs that will allow me to afford the equipment to make this a tough question for me.

[@SoundSpeeds]

The flexibility you get from being wireless is tremendous. I'm able to be a lot more active and get better sound on set when I can concentrate on booming instead of being tethered.

[@matthew.datcher]

Even when my kit is strapped to my chest like Dr. Theopolis, it's still nice not to have to worry about cables dragging all over the place.

[@SoundSpeeds]

The last reality show I did, we used a wireless boom too. We almost never used the boom though. A lot less of a big deal than when going back to a mixer though.

[@8lec_R]

Im on the opposite end of the spectrum. cannot afford wireless stuff lol

[@SoundSpeeds]

You'll get there.

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks for this Allen - great to hear your experience and recommendations on this as I'm getting ready to go wireless at least in some situations.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Contact me if you have any questions.

[@curtisjudd]

@@SoundSpeeds Will do. We can always do another 14 hour, zip-fizz fueled live stream. 😂

[@SoundSpeeds]

Name the day.

[@tomlebeau7921]

Love your video Allen, I’m currently saving to buy your lav course. You should be promoting that more!

[@SoundSpeeds]

I probably should.

[@Artfulscience1]

What a wealth of knowledge-you rock man

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you. :-)

[@00solman]

As always, a great video that I truly enjoyed. Thanks so much.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you for watching!

[@PazaPazaPaza]

That story about the condor shorting the power right after you unplugged your cable is absolutely WILD

[@SoundSpeeds]

Not just a story... This was going on for an hour while we waited for GA Power to shut it off: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnrTmJ1-oJl7h80

[@paulfairchild8942]

Very helpful as always.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you Paul.:-)

[@levicarter4577]

As a mixer this is great to hear a boom ops take on wireless vs. Cable.

[@SoundSpeeds]

As a boom op, I thank you for watching this. Years ago, before wireless got really good, an Emmy winning sound mixer told me "It's just TV" when I asked him why he uses wireless all the time. I then asked him about working on a movie then and he replied "It's just a movie". His point was that post will make it sound as good as they want to and nobody at home will know if a wireless or cable boom was used. I started asking post dialogue editors and mixers ever since and as long as the audio is clean, they can't tell a difference.

[@levicarter4577]

I've watched every video you've put out. I always recommend your channel to new boom ops. And yeah I totally agree with that mixer.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thanks for watching Levi, as always. :-)

[@KellyAskam_MindExchangeMusic]

Love the thoroughness of your videos! I'm usually a "bag'n'boomer" so the wireless option generally seems like more hassle, but the few times I've had an op it was interesting to experiment with an MM1/HMa combo. They were quite green so the MM1 provided them high quality monitoring and headphone control while the wireless let them concentrate on things like placement and shadows instead of wrangling anything. Ultimately I've never really liked the sound of the HMa, though I should probalby give it more chances besides the occasional plant. Thank you for sharing such an intense experience. High fidelity sound is amazing, but you're living proof of a situation that probably hasn't crossed some sound departments' minds.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Sure thing. Thanks for watching.

[@aussernllc]

The pace you keep, vocally, keep doing this. Not too fast, not too slow. Would prefer cable system over wireless, but I get it. Can't trip Jennifer Love Hewitt.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yeah, tripping talent is never worth anything.

[@alisaljic]

Great insight. Thank you.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you and thank you again for watching! :-)

[@allena3430]

Any recommendation for a solo camera work with a boom mic for interviews and filming set outside on the move?

[@SoundSpeeds]

So... you by yourself doing camera and sound? A top of camera mic like the Deity V-Mic D3 or Rode NTG perhaps depending on how far you are from talent. A hand held stick mic depending on the show. Are you putting the camera on a tripod and booming or following talent? There's a lot of info I'd need to male a recommendation.

[@NetvoTV]

If I just want a small XLR recorder and not going to use the wireless transmission, is it worth to get this? Is it suitable to just attach a pencil condenser mic to record singing vocal and instruments that way? And a MKE 600 shotgun mic to it to record elements and sound effects for game development? Should I record vocal and instruments in separate or same track? Can I record both the XLR and 3.5mm jack at same time in same and different tracks? Is it possible and should I tho to record a front facing MKE 440 stereo mic to the 3.5mm jack and a rear facing MKE 600 to the XLR port attach to a HC-X1500 camcorder to record the front environment sound and also my commentary voice at same time? Can I use it as a high res music player so I don't need to buy another dedicated music device which function just like an audio recorder that can't record high res audio but better at organisation to play music?

[@SoundSpeeds]

Too many questions...

[@ricocasazza]

ehy allen wwhat do you think about the BOSS WL-30XLR ?

[@SoundSpeeds]

Never used it

[@imark7777777]

17:00 17:06 17:09 16:58 18:07 well that's shocking. I'm getting the impression that there was a cable going into that lift from a camera up there? I didn't realize it at first but that didn't just make contact with the secondary that made contact with the primary high voltage Lines and that can do all sorts of craziness. I am really surprised it didn't blow a cut out fuse, maybe it was just resistive enough. Oh and the power company they should've been there way quicker! Worth noting the gas, power and water shut offs at any location you are at. And probably worth having utility companies in the emergency contacts. Unlike the UK electricians I like to watch it's probably unlikely that you'll be drilling through the water pipe and flooding somebody's house but the sediments still true. know where the shut off are beforehand. so to keep your pipes from freezing before you go through it like say what Texas went through. Preventative knowledge is priceless! that Whatchamacallit lift thing should really have had a powerline alert thing on it I forget what they're called but they really should be on anything that moves upwards and is metal! They are generally fitted to TV broadcast truck antenna polls and cranes by reputable companies who own, operate or manufacture them and want people to be safe. but you know at one time we had to pay extra for seatbelts, and it's just a big pain in the butt when you have to pay more for something... I was talking with somebody who did a production where they weren't allowed to plug anything in on set/sites. they had to do all their charging back at the hotel. I was thinking this might've been to limit liability but it seems more likely after talking to this guy again it was more of a cheapskate move kind of thing.

[@SoundSpeeds]

There was no camera in the lift. It was providing shade for a day exterior earlier.

[@hamishhowes1266]

Can't you still use the preamps on a mixer or recorder when using a wireless receiver?

[@SoundSpeeds]

It won't do you much good. Your first gain stage amplifies the mic up to like level and that's the most critical stage for maintaining the lowest noise floor. If you go out of your receiver mic level just so you can amplify it in your mixer, you're just adding needless noise.

[@hamishhowes1266]

Ahh okay gotcha makes a lot of sense, thanks so much for the info your vids are so helpful@@SoundSpeeds

[@SoundSpeeds]

👍

[@Prataz]

If only I could put an SSL preamp on a wireless transmitter =x

[@SoundSpeeds]

Preamps on pro gear is even better.