Outdoor Audio

Outdoor Audio

Wireless omnidirectional lavalier mic or digital audio recorder for weddings?

I'm wanting opinions of those who have actually used one or the other to film outdoor and/or indoor weddings. I've heard good and bad on both. Any pointers in using either would be great as well.
To clarify a little more, I was looking to buy an omnidirectional mic, but when looking for the best one to get, I saw responses where some people said digital audio recorders were better. I have a Canon XL1s with audio jacks. Should I get one or both? I have filmed mostly small, intimate weddings, and the microphone on my camera was sufficient. I'm getting bigger weddings, and need to beef up my audio to get the vows, etc.

OK, now I can give a better answer.

Really, you should be asking also about a wireless transmitter/receiver.
A lavalier mic is one thing, which may, or may not be an omnidirectional mic, and it also may, or may not be a wireless mic.

So, are you really asking if you should be using a wireless rig that feeds audio to your videocamera, or a separate audio-only recorder?

I'm guessing that's what you mean, so I'll give you some suggestions, pro's & cons, etc.:

1. Lavaliers are kinda a hassle.
The good thing is, they pick up where your on-camera mic can't, but you can get clothing rustling noise, etc.
A great mic to use for something like this, IF there's something to put it on, like if they're using a podium, etc., is a PZM mic.
You can get the more expensive ones made by Crown, or even use a Radio Shack PZM (It's the only quality thing they make! - a lot of professional recording studios even use these, so don't worry, they're good).
It's a flat plate, and it picks up everything from say, a 10 foot area, and what's good about them is that the sound doesn't sound far away, like most mics.

So that's one decision; lavalier, or PZM.

2. Wireless to the camera, or direct into a separate audio only recorder?

Either one is probably approximately the same cost.
I think I'd go with the wireless setup. The only down side is that you have the receiver mounted on the camera, which isn't big, but it's something to deal with while you're shooting. Not bad though.

If you record audio on the stand-alone audio recorder (like I do... I shoot film though, and there's no audio track on film stock...). then you have to go through the same nightmare I go through:
syncing up your audio to video in your editing software.
It's not going to be as bad for you, as what I go through, with a zillion takes.
But still, it's extra work, and you're not going to be slating, so you have to find some visual event that makes a sharp enough noise to find a sync point.
Kinda a pain in the keester...

Now that I think about it, if you're doing this on a regular basis, you're more likely to NOT have a podium or some other thing like that to put a PZM mic on, so that's something to think about.
However, you need a lavalier mic ON EACH PERSON.
And there are NO EXCEPTIONS to this - one mic is NOT going to pick up everyone, trust me on this.
So that means you either get 3 wireless setups (3 transmitters & receivers), or you get 3 transmitters (for each mic), and a small mixer to mix down the 3 signals before going into one receiver at the camera... but that means you now have a mixer and a receiver at the camera.
PZM's will pick up easily at say, 3-6 feet, so if you can put it anywhere facing them, that would work.

On the other hand, if you use a separate audio recorder, you have THAT audio, plus the camcorder's audio, so you can choose which one you like (or cut between them) during editing.
There are pro's & cons to any decision you make.
I HATE the sound from a camcorder though, because it sounds too distant not having the mic in one stable place, close to the sound source.
But I'm a filmmaker, so I'm really picky about that kind of thing!

PM me if you want to ask more questions.
You can get all the stuff I'm talking about at www.bhphotovideo.com