Sound recordist - what to ask?

What questions should be asked of a sound recordist when interviewing to work on a low-budget short? What standards or equipment or ____ should they have? What should I listen for in a demo of their work? I don't really know what to expect, and sound is a problem area for me because I have tinnitus.

Feeling a little lost. Thanks in advance for any help on this!
 
Dave Pastecchi and Alcove Audio can help with that, plus, they work in NYC. I have one reference I can send you. She's great.

Dave wrote an article on it but it's in the Premiere section.
 
It's hard for a production sound mixer or boom-op to give you a reel. First, the finished product is (or should be) a cleaned up version of the actual production sound. Second, they may have been working under extremely adverse conditions - very windy day, noisy location or recalcitrant director - and got only okay sound despite all of the obstacles.

A far as gear; the more and better gear they have - and the more experience they have - the more costly they will be. A basic sound kit will consist of a shotgun mic, a cardioid mic, a pair of wireless lavs, a mixer, a recorder and the accessories such as a boom, cabling, headphones and the like. The big-time pros (way out of your price range) will have tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear in a sound cart including a "console" type mixer, a laptop as the recorder (in addition to a field recorder), headphone distribution/com system, a large selection of mics and dozens other things you would never even think of (see below, and no, it's not mine).

Your best bet is to ask for references; contact other directors for whom s/he has worked.

A talented up-and-comer with carefully selected "budget" gear can achieve amazing results, but it's your responsibility to let the sound crew do their job. Listen to what s/he has to say and give him/her the time required to do their job. I just read an article about Tarantino and Inglourious Basterds; he would re-block and/or re-light a shot to accommodate the sound crew, and would even re-shoot scenes if the sound was poor as he refuses to do ADR/looping (with the exception of the most intense action scenes).

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Hi and thanks for the responses.

Alcove, my next questions might seem really dumb, but since I've always used the sound that I recorded with my camera up until this point, I must ask... in what format does the soundperson give me the sound files they record? Do I need to let them know what editing system I have for compatibility's sake?

A far as gear; the more and better gear they have - and the more experience they have - the more costly they will be. A basic sound kit will consist of a shotgun mic, a cardioid mic, a pair of wireless lavs, a mixer, a recorder and the accessories such as a boom, cabling, headphones and the like. The big-time pros (way out of your price range) will have tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear in a sound cart including a "console" type mixer, a laptop as the recorder (in addition to a field recorder), headphone distribution/com system, a large selection of mics and dozens other things you would never even think of (see below, and no, it's not mine).
 
What questions should be asked of a sound recordist when interviewing to work on a low-budget short? What standards or equipment or ____ should they have? What should I listen for in a demo of their work? I don't really know what to expect, and sound is a problem area for me because I have tinnitus.

Feeling a little lost. Thanks in advance for any help on this!
I hear ya about the tinnitus . When mine starts , I stop wearing headphones .:director::director::director::director:
 
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