I’ve been asked numerous times what equipment I carry on a doc?
Well, everything I need fits in one small backpack – for a reason. It doesn’t matter if I’m flying from Vancouver to LA or Vancouver to Dar es Salaam, bags don’t always make it. You only have to tape a camera mic to a shower curtain rod and use walkman headphones plugged into the camera’s headphone jack to learn this lesson!
Here’s what’s in the bag:
1 – Sound Devices 442/Petrol case/harness
1 – Zoom H4n Recorder/Rycote wind jammer
1 – Neumann KM150 Hyper Cardiod Microphone/Rycote Suspension/wind jammer
1 – 14′internally cabled carbon fiber Boom Pole
2 – Sennheiser G2 Wireless Systems
2 – Tram TR50 Lavaliers
1 – Sanken Lavalier
1 – Comtec system with 2 receivers/headphones
1 – Sennheiser HD25 headphones
2 – 4gig SD cards, 2 – 2gig SD cards/SD card reader
1 – 15’ control cable
1 – box of 24 AA batteries
All cables needed to hook it up and operate.
In my checked luggage I carry duplicates of all cables, a small tool kit, my bag of various tapes, clips, and scissors for hiding lavaliers, 4 walkie-talkies and charger, more batteries.
What’s in your bag?
In my bag…
Nomad 6
2 Lectro 411a’s (I have up to six)
2 Lectro SMQv’s (I also have 2 SMa’s and 2 SM’s)
Sennheiser 416 with a full Rycote Windshield kit
3 Sanken Wireless Mics
2 Zaxcom ERX2TCD IFB’s (Transmitter is build into the Nomad)
Small Kit for all my laving tricks
Warm Cards (For the camera guys)
All in a Petrol 614 bag
My travel doc kit contains the following:
Comtek M-216-op7 & PR-216’s – client IFB monitor system
Denecke SB-3 – timecode sync box(s) for camera sync
Betso TCD-1 – documentary timecode display
Denecke TS-C – compact timecode slate w/backlight display
Lectrosonics HM – plug on transmitter w/phantom power
Lectrosonics MM400c’s – waterproof transmitters
Lectrosonics UM400a & R1a’s – sound crew IFB monitors
Lectrosonics UM400a’s & SRb’s – stereo camera link
Lectrosonics UCR411a’s – compact wireless receivers
Loon Audio Loon Boom’s – 8’ & 16’ boom poles
PSC RF Multi SMA – wide-band UHF antenna distribution
Schoeps CMIT 5U – short shotgun microphone
Sanken COS-11’s – lavalieres (black & white)
Sennheiser MKH 8050 – mini super-cardiod shotgun microphone
Sound Devices 664 – 6x6x4 mixer with timecode recorder
A medium run bag with batteries, mounting, AKS and etc.
My main sound bag is a Petrol PS617 and my kit this fits in a Pelican 1620. I usually carry my kit on board unless its a military flight. I have been lucky since 1996 I haven’t had any sound gear get delayed or go missing but we had the camera case miss a connecting flight once, it showed up 24 hours later intact.
Why you always gotta steal my thunder
My bag is a PS607 Deca Mixer Bag and in it is a Sound Devices Mix Pre-D compact field mixer, a wired Countryman EMW w/ peak frequency, a Tascam DR-40 (recording a line signal through two short XLR cables), a Sennheiser G3 wireless lav kit, bright blue 15-foot XLR cable, a Rode NTG-2, a short K-tek boom pole, mints (for lav-ing), and mic mounting kit. It’s not much, but I’m only 15.
Awesome start, and from your videos you’re doing just fine – keep it up. Looking forward to your next videos.
Like Dean, I’m all about the carry on, with duplicates in checked bags. Still hunting for a great carry on for my sound gear though.
Sound Devices 664 mixer / recorder
2 x Lectro 411a, and an SRb if I need more channels
Lectro SRa / MM400c Hop
Variety of Lav mics (Sanken Cos-11 & Rode Lavs; Trams for backup)
Wiring accessory bag (lav bullet, tape, mounts and all that)
14′ Carbon boom
Sennheiser MKH60
Rode NTG3
AKG SE300b with card/hyper caps. modded preamp. nice and quiet.
Rycote blimp
1 x Sennheiser wireless (timecode feed/ DSRL scratch track)
comtek 216 opt 7 TX and 2 x RXs
8′ travel boom, internally wired.
Petrol ergonizer small (modded to fit a 664).
2 x np1 batteries runs the kit for 1.5 days.
Powerex AA to run all the wireless TXs and a Maha charger
Box of Lithium AAs as backup should the rechargeable thing not work out.
Extra cabling, butane soldering kit and such are in the checked bag. That’s about all I can think of just now.
Sandor