Best recording device for sync sound on a low budget

Michael Lehnert · January 23, 2008

If ATRAC isn't a problem, and Cantar is out of budget, try:

Sharp MD-MS722 with 3.5-to-XLR cabling for a Sennheiser K6 / ME66 or ME67 mic on Rycote grip with pull-over Softie.

Worked fine for Super 8 and Super 16 locations shootings at ours.

Rudy Velez Jr · April 29, 2013

Has anyone used a ZOMM H4N with a super8 yet?

the film group does a mod to help with crystal syncing certain super 8 cams like nizos canons and Beaulieu

I myself own a Bolex 5120

Edited April 29, 2013 by Rudy Velez Jr

Matt Stevens · April 30, 2013

Talk about an old thread coming back to life!

I used the H4N on this. No crystal sync, so it had to be edited line by line later.

https://vimeo.com/41206470

Edited April 30, 2013 by Matt Stevens

Chris Burke · April 30, 2013

Zoom H4 is great. sound great. XLR in

Will Montgomery · May 3, 2013

Zoom H4 is great. sound great. XLR in

Also you can record both the built-in mics and the XLR inputs at the same time for 4 track simultaneous recording.

On a non-film related note, I throw the H4N up close for interviews and sync the audio and video from a DSLR automatically with Final Cut Pro X. Amazing how flawless it's been for me.

Rudy Velez Jr · May 19, 2013

So as of 2013, the Zoom H4N is the best device to use for sync sound recording on a budget, for super 8 and for 16mm

Phil Rhodes · May 19, 2013

Almost any piece of digital audio equipment will be crystal sync almost by default. If I had DAT and needed something, I'd have no problem with using it, although I'd test it thoroughly upfront in order to establish that what's by now a pretty old deck is still capable of working without eating tapes. DAT is helically scanned, and tape mishaps tend to be fairly catastrophic.

If you need to buy something, a Tascam DR-100 is around your budget, especially if you can find the Mk. 1, or get one secondhand. I've used them and they're very solid.

P

Will Montgomery · May 20, 2013

So as of 2013, the Zoom H4N is the best device to use for sync sound recording on a budget, for super 8 and for 16mm

As long as you're not talking timecode sync, yes. If you're just slating and manually syncing or sending timecode to a channel on the H4N that would be fine.

"Crystal sync" just means it's very accurate in it's speed not that it's actually "synced" with the camera per se.

If you need to jam time code to have the actual machine clock match timecode then (for the cheap way) look for a timecode DAT or something but tapes might be harder to come by.

Zac Fettig · May 20, 2013

The Zoom H4n or the Tascam DR-40 are both good options. The Zoom is the popular choice with filmmakers these days. The Zoom R8 might also work, since it's battery powered, and doubles as a mixer, and controller for ADR work. Not as easy to carry with you though, if you're going to film on the run.

CF cards are way more rugged than SD cards. Hence why Pro Cameras and Audio recorders tend to use them. I've had SD cards fall apart (literally!) in my camera. But they work well enough, most of the time.

Marantz makes fantastic recorders, but you pay for them. I've never used a 660, but I have used a 670. Fantastic recorder. But it's more money. I'll second the Marantz 201 cassette decks. I own 4 of them, and they're awesome! But no XLR inputs, and single channel (so no pilot tone). You can get adapters though. Biggest downside is that it's getting hard to find tape, when you're in a hurry.

Fernando, thank you for the circuit diagram!

Chris Burke · May 21, 2013

I second the marantz recorders. Their pre-amps sound beautiful, a step up from the Zoom H4, which is still quite good.

Jon Lester · May 23, 2013

There's a guy on Vimeo who used a miniDV camcorder to sync with his Super 16 films, and I've thought of trying that myself soon. Camcorders aren't all made the same, of course, but the JVC model I have, which I got 5 years ago for about $150, has an automatic level control function and actually delivers good results when taping live concerts. It's 12-bit sound, about on par with FM radio and open-reel tapes, but you might feel it's good enough for dialog. If you go this route, you might want to make sure whichever model you get offers analog A/V output and the ability to send A/V without actually taping, or you might decide it's useful to just use the tapes and have a video reference to go with your film.

I can understand if you'd rather have something new, and if it were me, I'd lean towards something like a Xoom, but I thought you might like to save some money for film stock.