Rycote Uncovered: Thomas Gulyás Flies Solo with Rycote Microphones and Windscreens

Thomas Gulyás

Documentary sound mixer

“The Rycote HC-15 and SC-08 sound right to me. I’ve never experienced anything breaking. They simply work, all the time.”

Thomas Gulyás is among the most sought-after documentary sound mixers in Denmark and neighboring Scandinavian countries. Attending concerts as a child, he was often more curious about the front-of-house mixing console than the musicians onstage. Just out of his teens, he landed his first professional job as an audio engineer with Nordisk Film TV, whose founding in 1906 makes it one of the oldest production houses in the world. Since 2008, he has operated as TG MediaSound, and since Rycote last spoke to him, he has added HC-15 shotgun and SC-08 small-diaphragm condenser microphones to his toolkit, which has long included Nano Shield and Windjammer windscreens. We caught up with Thomas to ask how his new microphones have been treating him.

We spoke to you about a year ago about your work in outdoor conditions. What are you working on currently?

I just wrapped a TV series aimed at kids and young adults. It was about a kid who wanted to be famous. He met a singer and her producer, and the record company used artificial intelligence to write music. The kid steals the AI and uses it to make music he takes credit for, and the singer falls in love with him, not realizing he didn’t write any of his own music.  

The last time we spoke, you were using Rycote baskets and windscreens in blizzards and winter weather. We understand you’ve discovered Rycote microphones since then.

Yes, I started using Rycote mics because I had a very good first experience with them. I was working on a reality program about flea markets, where teams of two people purchase old items, restore them, and then try to sell them at a profit. The principal talent had lavalier mics on, but I had to boom-mic all the people in their booths selling stuff. This was the first time I used the HC-15 shotgun mic. 

How well did the HC-15 perform?

It was remarkably good. I sent an audio hop to the videographer, just a basic mix of the lavaliers and the boom, and he commented on how well he could hear dialogue from the sellers in the stalls. Tonally, the HC-15 was also a great match for the Sanken COS-11D, which are an industry standard go-to for lavaliers. That the frequency response of the HC-15 was so well matched meant that there was less audio work to do in post-production.  

Have you had the opportunity to try other Rycote mics yet?

I have an HC-22 which I need to get to know. For interviews and ENG work where I’m working alone on camera and sound, I mount an SC-08 mic directly on the camera. That’s the supercardioid condenser, so it’s sensitive but also has a tight pickup pattern, which makes it ideal for capturing a single subject — wherever I point the camera lens, I get clear sound. If there is a second subject or interview position, I supplement this with the HC-15.

Have you acquired any new protective gear since we last saw you?

I use the Windjammer screens regularly, and also the Nano Shield kits. I have two sizes of the Nano — one for the HC-15 and one for the SC-08 — and the system is modular in terms of being able to swap different front covers onto the rear portion that holds the mount. Between these two kits I can accommodate four sizes of microphones, in fact.

You mentioned working alone. How often are you a one-person operation?

A lot of the time! That’s why I like the flexibility of the Nano compared to a conventional basket-type enclosure of a fixed length. With just a few pieces that let me make different sizes, I can carry less equipment overall. It’s like if you’re in a home recording studio, you want your mixer, computer, synths, guitars, and so forth to all be playable and within arm’s reach. It’s similar for field shooting as a one-man-band. The most expensive gear in the world doesn’t mean much if it stays in your van. The best gear is what you’ll actually carry and use.

What’s one of the more challenging locations where you’ve carried your gear? 

I went to climb a mountain with six famous Danish hikers and two guides. We set up two-position interviews at various waypoints. I used the Rycote mics and screens we’ve been talking about, and it was like I could hear in my mind how everything was going to sound. And that was how it sounded. The mics are that consistent.

We heard a rumor you have a musical background… 

Yes, I played keyboards and worked in a music store when all the wonderful synths of the 1980s were coming out — the Juno, the Polysix, early affordable samplers like the Ensoniq Mirage, then digital things like the DX7 and D50. Because I learned all of the features of the instruments in the store, I wound up playing in bands where the next youngest member was ten years older than me. 

You mentioned that the HC-15 is a good match for your COS-11D lavaliers. How would you further describe its sonic characteristics?

The noise floor is very low, though honestly, I’m working in loud outdoor places so much, not in a studio where a mic’s self-noise would be more relevant. It’s great at handling loud sound sources without getting crunchy. The frequency response seems nice and even, though I put a low cut at 80Hz on nearly everything because I don’t do any work for cinemas that have big subwoofers. On TV speakers or even a soundbar, which is how most people listen, you’re not going to hear anything lower. 

I judge sound almost solely by listening, not by specs. And the Rycote HC-15 and SC-08 sound right to me; spoken word sounds natural. The most critical thing I can say is that sometimes in a very reflective room they’ll sound a little better if I place them slightly off-axis, but that’s not due to the microphone.

What upcoming projects are you excited about?

I’m working on a show called The Corps. It’s about 14 aspirants doing the same kind of training our special forces do, with real military instructors. They have to do things like running with a heavy backpack, crawling through water and mud, and other obstacle-course challenges. This brings up the main point I’d like to emphasize about Rycote: Their mics and baskets are extremely durable. I can have them hanging off my jacket or my backpack on any outdoor production like this, and I’ve never experienced anything breaking. They simply work, all the time.