by Bernie Goldbach in Clonmel
If you follow my Instagram or my Flickr photos, you'll know that I have a lot of old equipment along with some new stuff. I talked about both of those types of equipment and also about how we are setting up behind the scenes recording "Heritage and Stories" with the Tipperary libraries. This is important because I'm hoping that some of the people who join us--young kids on the youth media team and the librarians that are part of the staff--might listen to this Topgold Audio Clip and learn what's happening behind the scenes.
Wireless Rig Number One
We're trying to put mics onto the lapels or onto the collars of people who want to share stories about heritage points around Clonmel. We're using square Rode Wireless Go II microphones. They can send audio hundred of metres away to a receiver that is wired into my Android handset. I call this setup "Rig Number One". I can make this rig work with an iPhone as well.
On Android, I use HiQ MP3. On iOS I use Voice Record Pro. As soon as a clip is recorded, it goes up to a Google Drive location where someone can edit the file or catalogue it with the name of the file, the date the people talking on it, and anything else that provides context.
So Rig Number One was just using the wireless mics clipped onto the lapels of the people and then the receiver for the wireless mic is cabled into the bottom of either an iPhone or an Android phone. The cabling and the 3.5 mm jacks make this setup work. We use a cable with two 3.5 mm pins on each end. We need a 3.5 millimetre pin to plug into the Rode Wireless Go receiver. We need another 3.5 mm pin to plug into the phone. Because iPhones don't have the 3.5 millimetre hole, we use a lightning-to-3.5 mm adapter cable.
This cabling can confuse people. And cables can get lost. They can break. Or fittings might become loose. Fortunately, the Rode Wireless Go receiver shows the signal strength. You can see a blue light on the transmitter that appears when the unit is communicating. The Rode Wireless Go Receiver shows green and yellow moving lines when it receives a good audio signal. And the recording app on the handset displays lights or levels.
Rig Number Two
We use a Zoom H6 field recorder with a X-Y module on the top of it that accepts the cables from the Rode Wireless Go II receiver. In my experience, it is easier to record with traditional gear such as Zoom recorders. You just push cables into fittings, press the record button, and monitor the recording as it's underway. We have cables and mics for two other positions when using the Zoom H6. This means we can record two people with the Rode mics, and two more people with the mics stored in the field case with the Zoom H6.
You can hear how all of this sounds by following Tipperary Heritage and Stories wherever you listen to fine audio.
Listen to "Lessons In Wireless Recording E605" on Spreaker.
[Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business on the Clonmel Digital Campus.]
