- Hey guys, my name is Matt Johnson with WhoisMatt.com,
and this is the Tascam DR-10L,
my favorite audio recorder of all time.
Out of the box, you get everything you need
to record high-quality audio,
but, after using this recorder for a few years now,
there are some accessories that I've bought for it
that I would highly recommend having
in your gear bag as well.
Today, I want to share with you four
of these pieces of equipment,
but, if at any point you get bored
of listening to me ramble,
all of the equipment that I talk about is linked
down in the video description next to the like button.
First up, let's talk batteries.
The DR-10L takes one AAA battery, but you should know
that not all batteries are created equal,
and there are two types that I recommend.
If you only need to record about four hours of audio,
rechargeable NiMH batteries should be fine,
and are a great way to save money
because you can use them over and over.
I've had a great experience
with Amazon Basics high-capacity batteries
and Eneloop Pro batteries.
But, if you need to record longer,
say you're filming a wedding
and you want to put a mic on the bride and groom
as soon as they start getting ready,
and not take it off them
until after the ceremony is complete,
which could be half a day or longer,
in that case, I would highly recommend investing
in lithium batteries.
I've been using Energizer lithium batteries
when filming weddings,
and these last an entire wedding day easily,
recording 10 hours straight or longer.
I've never had one die. They're amazing.
The only con is that these are not rechargeable.
So, I replace them after every wedding,
and use the partially-used one
in electronics around my house.
Moving on, let's talk replacement parts for the DR-10L.
Specifically, I see people online fairly often
asking for help because the lapel clip
for the stock lav mic the recorder comes with
gets broken or lost.
Surprisingly, Tascam does not sell
a replacement lapel clip for the DR-10L.
I've looked everywhere. But I have good news for you.
The Tascam DR-10L lav mic capsule
is actually the same exact size
as the very popular Sennheiser ME 2 microphone capsule.
And guess what. They use the exact same lapel clip.
You can buy the Sennheiser MZQ2EW,
and it will work perfectly.
I've seen anywhere from eight to $11 online,
which, let's be honest, is frankly ridiculous
for a tiny piece of metal
that probably costs two cents to make, but, I digress.
Having this in your bag as a backup can be a lifesaver
if you manage to lose it or break it when you're filming.
Keeping on this lapel clip theme,
let's talk about the third accessory
that I recommend for the DR-10L.
Sometimes you'll be filming in a windy environment,
let's say an outdoor wedding ceremony.
In this situation, I would not recommend
using the standard lapel clip the DR-10L comes with
because then the mic is going to be
directly exposed to the air.
Instead, I would recommend investing
in a set of Rycote stickies and overcovers.
The way these work is instead of using the lapel clip,
they will let you attach the lav mic to a shirt or jacket,
and these stickies are sticky enough to not come off.
Then you take one of the overcovers,
and place it over the other side of the microphone.
This helps insulate it from clothing rustle,
and results in even more wind protection.
I bring these with me to every wedding I film.
This brings us to the last accessory
that I recommend for the DR-10L,
and this one has the potential to save you the most money.
You could almost call it a hack if you wanted it to.
People love hacks, right?
A while ago, I made a video about
how to mic a bride on a wedding day.
To do that, I recommend buying the white version
of the Tascam DR-10L,
because it comes with a white cord
that should easily match the color of most brides' dresses.
Here's the secret though.
If you don't want to pony up the $200
to buy a specialized Tascam DR-10L in white
that you will probably only use
for that specific scenario micing the bride,
Tascam actually sells a white version
of just the lav mic and cable for 90 bucks.
This cable works perfectly with the regular black DR-10L,
so if you already have one of those, you can save $110,
and mic the bride with a white lav mic and black recorder.
The recorder should be in a thigh strap too,
so it will not be visible.
Want to save even more money?
This may require a bit more patience on your part,
but I've commonly seen both B&H and Amazon
have the white version of the Tascam DR-10L
on sale for as low as $129.
Now, I usually post about these deals
in my Facebook group, which is linked below.
And this discount means you could get a Tascam DR-10L
in white for $129, and then you could add on a black lav mic
that Tascam also sells for 90 bucks,
and have a super versatile DR-10L setup
that works for both brides and grooms for $219, not bad.
With that, those are four accessories
that I always have in my bag when using the Tascam DR-10L.
Thank you so much for watching.
It would be a huge help to me
if you would consider liking this video,
and subscribing if you want to see more videos
for wedding filmmakers in the future.
Also, if you happen to be a wedding filmmaker,
you probably want to book more couples
and film more weddings.
To help you out with that, I've created a free guide
that's gonna walk you through some practical steps
that you can take right now in your business
to book more couples and film more weddings.
It's a completely free gift to you.
You can download it at the link
down in the video description.
Thanks so much for watching, and have a great day.