Top End Field Audio Recording Gear

The professional field recordist is a rare beast... a near-mythical creature that can only be spotted in the wild... or the urban... or the underground.  So it's not often that you can sneak up on one and see into their high end audio bag.  It's a specialized field with only a handful of top level practitioners, and their tools range from the common gear may video production companies use to esoteric mics only used in their line of work.  Luckily, Marcel and Libby from Free To Use Sounds are willing to share their knowledge.  

One of the first things that stands out is that a versatile kit doesn't rely on just one recorder and a couple of mics.  But it goes beyond more gear.  You have to understand the strengths of each mic, recorder, cable, attachment.  

 

Field recordists are always on the go, which means that some their gear overlaps with what you'd find in a videographers bag:  The Zoom F6 and Zoom F8, Diety V-Mic S2 and (to my surprise) the Rode VideoMic Pro are all part of Marcel's regular gear.  But then there are truly unique pieces like the DPA D:screet CORE 4060 and the AKG Pro Audio C411 PP mics.  Whether you choose to upgrade your kit or not, Free To Use Sounds provides helpful info on how to better capture room tone, foley, and ambience, so check out their channel.  And here's a list of their complete setup:

Zoom F6 Field Recorder/Mixer : https://geni.us/FTUSZOOMF6  
Zoom H6 6-Track Portable Recorder: https://geni.us/FTUSZOOMH6  
Zoom H3-VR 360° Audio Recorder: https://geni.us/FTUSZOOMH3VR  
Zoom F1-LP Lavalier: https://geni.us/FTUSZOOMF1  
Zoom F8n Professional Field Recorder: https://geni.us/FTUSZOOMF8N  

DPA d:screet CORE 4060: https://geni.us/FTUSDPA4060  
Deity V-Mic D3 Pro: https://geni.us/FTUSDEITYVMICD3
Deity S-Mic 2S Shotgun Microphone: https://geni.us/FTUSDEITYSMIC2S  
AKG Pro Audio C411 PP: https://geni.us/FTUSAKGC411pp  
Rode VideoMic Pro: https://geni.us/FTUSRODEVMICPRO  
Mogami Gold STUDIO-10 XLR: https://geni.us/FTUSMOGAMIGOLD 
Sony MDR7506 Headphones: https://geni.us/FTUSMDR7506SONY 

K-Tek KSF6 Stingray Bag for Zoom F6: https://geni.us/FTUSKTEKF6BAG  
Rode Wind Protection: https://geni.us/FTUSRODEWOMBAT