Six things your sound mixer needs to know

Hiring a Sound Person?
Here's what they need to know first.

Once you've done the right thing and decided to hire a sound mixer for your shoot, you need to prepare some information for them. There are a few things that we, as sound-people, need to know right away in order to commit to the project and prepare for the shoot. Have this information ready when you call/text/email us and we'll be able to respond quickly and efficiently:

1. When and where are you shooting? First thing is first. Are we available on the days that you need us? Are you ok with substituting a mixer on single days if the shoot is multi-day? Be specific and tell us how long your shoots will be. Some sound recordists have a different fee if your days are over 10 hours long. If travel is involved, what are your allowances?
2. What is your daily budget for labour and equipment? These should really be two separate numbers. You can expect an experienced mixer to charge $500+ for their time and $250+ for a basic equipment kit, which includes the mixer/recorder, two channels of wireless audio and the boom microphone. Be professional and please don't ask for a half-day rate, unless you're a very regular client. We simply can't book two half days to make a whole day. If you are on a tight budget, ask for a discount and most of the time we'll give you one.
3. Will there be more than two people on camera at once (with dialogue) and if so, how many? Key question. This question informs us how much wireless audio we'll need to bring, and if we have to rent more than we already own. Expect to pay an a-la-carte price for anything over and above the basic kit of two channels. A pro-sumer wireless rental will be around $30/channel (per day) and a professional wireless around $75/channel. For unpredictable conditions (fast action/rain/dust/winter), choose the professional grade wireless. Remember that an extra wireless channel might save you a $2000 of re-recording and editing the dialogue you thought you could get with the boom and two wireless. So be smart with your dollars and let us help you by capturing it right on location so you don't have to remedy a headache later.
4. What camera(s) are you using and how many are there? One of the first things we do on set is to connect with your camera. For a fast turnaround, you might want your audio to be delivered to you directly on the camera. To do that we need to prepare the correct cabling. Perhaps the camera is hand-held, and you would like us to set up a wireless audio connection between mixer and camera, for mobility reasons. Again, a discussion we should have before the shoot as it requires additional cabling and wireless equipment. If you have multiple cameras, we need to discuss how you will align the footage, thus, #5.
5. How will you synchronize the footage? What is your post team expecting? These days, audio recording is almost always done "double system" which is another way of saying that sound is recorded independently of the camera. This is the safest, most hi-fidelity method, and gives you the most flexibility. We use a small gadget called a "sync box" or "lock-it" attached to the camera to synchronize the timecode with the audio recorder. That clock will also match the timecode slate (clapper) if you require one. If you do not have a timecode-enabled camera (e.g. DSLR) we can use a wireless guide audio feed to camera, which your editor can use to match with our recorded audio. Speak to your editor and make sure he has the software and the time to do the synchronization.
6. How many people need to listen? We have a few methods of distributing audio to the crew on set. A personal wireless beltpack and headset is the most common way. Make a conservative estimate of the number of crew and executives who would like to be listening to audio on set. I say conservative because the sound mixer who runs out of headphones can get a nasty stare! 

Enjoy these sound tips and good luck with your shoot!
Adam

Author

Adam White is a recording engineer, music composer and the owner of Bloor Street Sound, in Toronto Canada.