"The PMD 671 has proven itself as an invaluable tool to us, especially for immediate recordings. It's very useful, we could be FX editing one minute then down a tube station the next shooting trains, as on Creep where we used the PMD670 to record a lot of additonal train FX including doors, engines etc."
Art4Noise have used the PMD671 alongside their other studio gear to record in-house Foley spots - kettle boils, pot noodle slurps, plastic scrapes, door knocks and so on.
Sound editor Nick Baldock put the PMD671 to the test on Roger Michell's new movie Venus. The units 24-bit, 96 kHz capability and superior mic preamps hold advantages over the previous model.
The company recently used the unit in Camden (where the feature was shot) to record ambient sounds. These were then track-layed to further compliment the location recordists Wild Tracks. The day's recording included sounds at Camden Lock, general traffic ambience and freight trains. The director wanted specific sounds for several scenes throughout the feature. "We needed to mic the freight trains from various different perspectives to capture that distinctive low frequency rumble," explained Baldock. "This was then used to create an interior room atmosphere as Peter O Toole's character in Venus lives practically beneath a main line!"
The preamps really jumped out. "They are a real advancement on their predecessor, the mic preamp noise is absolutely minimal," noted Baldock. "As a result we have been using the PMD671 progressively more and more."
The PMD671 really came into its own on a more typical example of modern sound post when Art4Noise had to go down to the Almeida Theatre in Islington to record a couple of ADR lines for Jodie Whittaker for Venus - using the PMD671. "Armed with just a radio mic and boom, all we had to do was switch to the 48v phantom power on the 671 - and job done!"
(Chris Henry)
