Boom Recorder Software

Question

Hi all! I was offered to be "the sound guy" for a recent lo/no short film, and was kindly offered a shotgun mic and boom pole for the job. I was planning on recording onto my laptop (since I don't own a field recorder) and came across the "Boom Recorder" software from VOSGAMES.

I must say that I am very impressed with this product, as it did away with me having to write down file numbers/notes etc on paper, with the take number automatically updating after you stop recording.

The files are stored as wavs in chronological order in a dedicated simple to read file. The only problem I had with it was having to go back to the laptop to adjust levels (I was the boom op on set) and craning my neck to see the meter on screen.

I am currently running the trial version, and am giving serious thoughts to purchasing the full version, and am just wondering if anyone else has had any experience/problems/annoying quirks whilst using it?

Answer 1

I used it on three or four lo-budgets I did a few years ago. The software itself is quite good. I think I had only one or two crashes across the whole time. I was running it on a Powerbook G4 with an Mbox, which allowed fairly flexible monitoring. The downside is that you're lugging a laptop around - which can be an issue in the, shall we say, more "hostile" environments you find on a low-budget shoot. Make sure you have a Rain Cover and a sun hood if you're doing any exterior stuff. And when you're on one man duty (booming and mixing) then a good bluetooth or IR remote is a godsend.