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Today, Halter Technical began posting a series of Reels that I hope uplifts and inspires working professionals, and those who are building their career. New episodes of #RespectSound will appear on Mondays and Fridays on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. I hope you'll check them out! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKnxJ6JEwFFU9_AtlyE1IYL8b_reDjV80

For those of us in the Lectro ecosystem: the digital successor to the SSM was just announced. https://www.gothamsound.com/product/dssm-digital-transmitter

The DSSM will be an excellent addition to my D2 wireless eco system. I too what would love remote control if TX’s . I’m betting that WMAS with its 6 MHz bandwidth will the be future for remote control for not only Lectro but all manufacturers in the next couple years and all those 2.4 ghz controlled systems will be outdated. And if/when we do see a WMAS compatible system with remote control Lectro’s track record shows that these D2 TX’s will most likely work with the next gen RX’s maximizing your investment.

And thanks for all you've done for us, and for me personally. Jim

We tried an earlier proto on a 17 page backwards walk and talk, it was great for that

Haven't tested the two against each other but I'm guessing it's by design. The advantage of the Lemo being lighter and more compact comes with the downside of less physical shock absorption and being more sensitive to physical impact (that's probably not how you would describe it scientifically). But cable noise is common even for XLR plugs. A really important feature of shockmounts is the isolation of the cable that is attached to the mic. If the mic itself is isolated from the boom or stand but not from the cable hanging or lying around then all handling noises will be transduced into the mic. So there's usually a short cable between the mic and another fixed XLR plug that isolates the mic from the rest of the cable length. Some shockmounts have a clip to attach a connected cable so if you're running only one cable you can clip it in shortly after the XLR plug to the microphone as some kind of strain relief. Alternatively, it should also help to fix the cable with some velcro to the stand. I'm afraid with sensitive mics and without a high-pass (low-cut) filter it's likely that you get some unwanted handling noise, even if the mic is static on a tripod. The table might even conduct the steps of the person walking in the next room. So a shockmount is always good advice and will safe you troubles. It doesn't have to be cinela but of course they're worth the money and have special mounts for the lemo version. Any other will do for table interviews.

MM1 is a great thing to have for problem solving.

Straight from the horse's mouth at Sound Devices recent Instagram post...

Not quite sure why this MKH 8030 thread has wandered into discussion of the VP-88, but, in an attempt to bring it back on subject, here's a photo of my mid-side test rig (not, I must stress, a regular set-up) for the MKH 8030 with the MKH 8020, MKH 8040 and MKH 8050 mics! Cheers, Roland

because WMAS is allowing bidirectional communication between transmitters and receivers, so in theory it can be used to control all the bodypack parameters

Just to be more specific At the end of the day, I give my card 1 to DIT or who’s in charge. When I'm back home or at the hotel, I make a back-up copy of card 2, and that's when I sort out and rename the wild tracks. I only send the folder with all the wild tracks at the end of the project, in one go.

And now I have just added part 3 of my MKH 8030 tests, probably a little more relevant here than part 2: in this case it is a series of MS tests with the MKH 8020, MKH 8040 and MKH 8050 - all field recordings/ambiences, not music. Cheers, Roland https://drbadphil.com/sennheiser-mkh-8030-part-3-mid-side-field-recordings

Some interesting insights on WMAS here: https://fohonline.com/articles/on-the-digital-edge/wmas-wireless-multi-channel-audio-systems/

Before the topic changes completely, let me just chime in to agree with Constantin that AES42 is definitely more than just a passive interface for receiving digital audio signals. Unlike AES3 it has a control channel that runs from the interface to the microphone(s) (along the same set of wires, of course), and quite a few essential commands are predefined in the standard, such that all AES42-compatible microphones should implement them. Some other commands are "defined but optional." And there's also a range of command codes available for manufacturers to define for themselves however they want, so that unique features can be offered. What you can do in Mode 2 that you can't do in Mode 1: [a] record synchronously with any given timing signals, such as a master clock, without using sampling rate converters [b] run multiple microphones without sampling rate converters. In Mode 1 each mike is independently self-clocking, and no two are ever exactly alike.

There are real-world situations in which a digital microphone can offer an audibly lower noise floor than a comparable analog microphone. For years I used to think that digital microphones were just a rearrangement/refactoring of the same set of components (capsule, preamp, a/d converter) as in a digital recording setup with analog mikes, and yes, that is true for the most part. But the hitch is analog mike preamps (whether outboard or part of a mixer or recorder) and their noise levels and headroom in relation to their gain settings. Mike preamps, contrary to what some people apparently assume, are nearly all at their quietest when set to the upper range of their gain settings. If the sounds that you're recording include very high SPLs (even for brief intervals), you can't leave the gain of the preamp (or analog recorder or mixer input) set very high, or you'll clip the analog electronics. As a result, you have to set the gain for the loudest sound that you expect to pick up, which raises the noise floor for the quieter parts of whatever you're recording, compared to what that noise floor would have been at higher gain settings. Sometimes this raises the preamp's noise floor above that of the microphone or the recording environment. And that's a compromise that you don't have to make with digital microphones. As a result, every now and then people with real, professional experience find to their astonishment that digital microphones are quieter or even (as some have said) much quieter in certain recording scenarios than the comparable analog microphones had been for them before. I used to think those people were tripping--but now I realize that they could very well be describing their experience accurately, though perhaps not understanding that no, the microphones themselves aren't any quieter; it's the benefit of working without the occasional limitations of analog preamps. The effect isn't extremely common, but I think it's 100% real when it occurs. Does that explanation help? There's a video in German that Helmut Wittek from Schoeps posted on YouTube that goes into this; I could provide a breakdown of it in English if anybody wants. --best regards

Now that sounds sketchy to me. Yes sound is pivotal, but calling it that as part of the hiring process screams fake to me. Come to think of it, the whole thing looks like it's written by ChatGPT to me. Lots of words that say nothing.

Sunday, March 24 at noon Mountain Time (UTC -6) This will also be available afterward. Link:

I think the more (potentially) consequential debate is to ground the shell or not.

I'd tell them to pound sand then. What's next, you need to pay them for the catering too? If production doesn't want liability, then they shouldn't be creating a production.

50 rounds, err um, AA's or AAA's worth of storage for $5 bucks. I put a little foam on the lid underneath as AA's/AAA's are a tiny bit shorter than ammo so they would go up and down if rattled in the case but used something like this for the last 10 years with no issues. Also almost exactly the size of my 150wh V-Mount backup battery that I keep in a pelican case so I stack them on top of each other nicely in the pelican in a divided slot.

If I attached my Easyrig Minimax, which supports up to 7kg (15.4lb), to a mixer bag instead of a camera the bag would feel almost weightless. I’d be able to guide the bag with a couple of fingers. The Easyrig for boom poles is designed differently, but Hellsten appears to be saying that it has a positive effect on the apparent weight of a mixer bag.

I'd advise against putting anything at the 180 degree spot/ back of the microphone, especially a bucket which is a very non-linear sound collector of sorts, especially when agitated with wind. The common misconception is that directional mics have a null at 180 degrees or various other angles , depending on the polar pattern. In practice microphones, especially shotgun microphones hardly ever have textbook patterns across the entire frequency range. Schoeps is probably the best at achieving as close as possible a textbook pattern but one quick look at the graph of the MiniCmit shows that at lower frequencies you have a significant rear lobe, meaning that this mic hears a lot of what's going on in the lower mids and bass behind the mic . 500 Hz is only down 8 dB and 250 Hz is only down 7 dB from its on-axis response. It is very important to consider what is happening "behind" the mic.

Indeed, as I mentioned a few posts previously David! As I also said then, to coincide with NAB 2024 Sennheiser has issued more info, including the full specs w frequency response and polar pattern graphs, which are now available via the website: https://www.sennheiser.com/en-gb/catalog/products/microphones/mkh-8030/mkh-8030-700251 Cheers, Roland

For a Fig.8 with single membrane, the perfection of the polar pattern is something natural, whatever is the frequency (except for the highest end). For a cardioid, it requires the manufacturer's knowhow.

And to add, Sennheiser have given me the thumbs up to use the polar pattern now (the specs sheet will be published in conjunction with the mic appearing at NAB 2024 (13-17 April), so I have updated my original blog post on the mic accordingly: https://drbadphil.com/sennheisers-new-fig-8-the-mkh-8030 Cheers, Roland

Yes, I know a great repairman, but he's in Ireland, so postage, Customs, etc may be pricey ..but if it's worth it to you he'll do a brilliant job (did for mine last year, anyway!) ..he's Paul Carrington (a radio veteran) and email him first instead of just sending it: paulcarrington@btinternet.com He may need a bit of persuading, and he may say that he's not doing them any more. But if you're friendly, and give him lots of background info, he may do it. (It may be something just as simple as a stretched loading belt; that'll prevent the tape being loaded, and thus nothing else will work.) Tell him what the "..weird message on the screen.." says, and he may be able to diagnose it immediately.

Seems like a great piece of kit per usual with Lectro. That being said, at $2449 USD and no remote capability (that we know of other than dweedle tones), starting to really pale in comparison to the competition at this price point.

FYI, the store is called "Hieber-Lindberg" and "Instrumente-Noten" refers to Instruments and sheet music. I remember the Lindberg mail-order catalogues from my youth. I assume this is that company.

There you are

As said earlier no one can predict what future of UHF will be, that is precisely why manufacturers are now coming up with extra wide range system like the Lectrosonics DSRx. If in the US the Wisycom symphony system (MCR54 rx and MTP60 or MTP61 tx) will give you the choice within: 470-663 and 940-960Mhz. At least it gives us the appearance of future proof investment.

You think it would be possible to make Cantars for the masses and copy paste them like software?

It’s fine. Not as simple as using a Rycote but there’s no comparison with wind and shock mount performance. The pianissimo has gotten easier to use than the older piano since they did away with the annoying rubber O-rings that were used to hold the thing together I hated those o-rings and most of them are lost now.

Vasi is suggesting that Schoeps will announce this at NAB. Presumably it will address the issue you raise, which is going to be on the minds of a lot of people.

Is there a more advanced interface for AES42 than what my Nova provides? How are those advanced features accessed? My understanding is AES42 is a spec for transferring digital audio (sometimes with self-power), not a control spec. Schoeps has a list of AES42 interfaces and what features are included, and most of them do not provide more than power and sample rate conversion. https://schoeps.de/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload/Downloads/Kataloge_und_Broschueren/Prospektblaetter/AES_42_interfaces_for_Schoeps_CMD_42_and_SuperCMIT_-_Tabellenblatt1.pdf

For DIY you need AX5FB 5 Pole Socket (Female) Plug.

Just want to pop in and say thanks to FM borjam! I've been hunting an RC-F82 for way too long and ended up getting this one.

You can find all the latest firmware and documentations at www.cantarx.com . There is also a "Cantar X3 User Group" at facebook with all documentations and repair guides.

Vac cleaners use high power slip rings and are kind of crude for a mic signal and difficult to isolate from EMI. Their systems are quite big, for longer and thicker cables. Some even only have 2 "channels". The better ones come with constant torque springs rather than power springs. Over all, they are not made to be taken apart and I have given up attempts to harvest them from old units before. A DYH-1703 may have the right dimension, though also not small and the breaking system would probably need some modification to be quite. I do not have or have used one. I do use a DYH-1816 without the break on the boom but 3m max is probably too less for a bag to boom scenario.

https://www.thomann.de/intl/stairville_cs_160_black_cable_strap_160mm.htm

Agreed that it doesn't matter which color conductor is "hot" and which is "cold" as long as it is the same on both ends. If they are different then you will have a polarity reversal. Which will also (generally) sound indistinguishable by itself but cause problems when combining coherent signals. As for me, "established conventions" is as simple as, there were about a hundred star quad cables in our inventory when I arrived here, and whoever built them chose to wire them "blue is 2." So I wire all new cables that way as well. I leave the shell unconnected. The cable shield is still connected to pin 1, so the cable is still shielded for most of its length. But where two cables meet, because the shells are not connected to anything they cannot act as a true shield. As a result there is a small unshielded area that is susceptible to RFI/EMI and is a potential source of noise. In practice, I have never encountered a situation where I think this is significant. On the other hand, a shell that is connected to shield is susceptible to introducing ground loops into a system if it touches "grounded" objects that are at slightly different potential. The most notable example I have encountered of this was when a microphone had a significant buzz every time the shell touched a metal part of a building. In that case, floating the shell made the noise go away.

I've had some luck with Nite Ize Gear Ties. I like the fact that you can lock those, so the cable doesn't untie itself which almost always happens when you don't want it to. I've dreamed of taking my vacuum cleaner's cable winch out and putting it on my bag.. but.. weight and noise.

I have lost jobs due to not being willing to provide insurance for the production company. All of these companies were very big on telling me that "this is just how the industry works". I replied that in nearly 50 years in production I had never provided insurance for a client and would not be starting now. And yes, feel free to download any contract and cross out anything you don't like and add anything you want. That's the way lawyers do it. If they don't like your changes then can push back. Mostly they hope that you either won't notice what a fuck their contract is or will be too intimidated or desperate to push back on it.

Yes, note that Matt Price was clearing this with airline desks during baggage drop-off and before going through security. Airline practice may be unpredictable, and indeed may have changed since his video was made. Personally, I’m content with putting a pole in my checked roller bag, and I know that the Panamic Mini poles will fit in it.

That is pretty impressive on headphones. Good job! I always marvel at how good binaural directionality sounds. Your in-ear rig worked well! I'm still not convinced by the effect through loudspeakers ... it sounds hollow to me, as if you were breathing into a box. But that's wearing my picky sound-guy hat ... I doubt a casual listener would object. Thanks for sharing your work!

For production sound I highly recommend Patrushkha Mierzwa's two books. There's no more comprehensive resource I think: Behind the Sound Cart: A Veteran's Guide to Sound on the Set (All Art is Technical: Sound for Motion Pictures and Television): Mierzwa, Patrushkha: 9781736290002: Amazon.com: Books Beneath the Boom Pole: The Art & Science of Boom Operating for Movies & TV (All Art is Technical: Sound for Motion Pictures and Television): Mierzwa, Patrushkha: 9781736290040: Amazon.com: Books

This is great info as i myself have been struggling with air travel and a boom pole that works for me. I have a shorty ktek aluminum traveler that i dread using but it fits my carry on

OMG...so annoyed. After both of your responses on a lark, I did a web search for best pitch & time shift plugins and Izotope was one of the first hits. 🤦‍♂️. Pulled up the alt playlist with the original audio, applied the "Variable Pitch" tool, and the results were night and day. Was sitting in my toolbox the whole time. Thank you for the extra brain that I evidently needed. Cheers.

Nevermind this mic, I want the 15 year delay pedal they keep hidden away somewhere or perhaps: better late than never

This has already been posted to some effect on a couple of FB groups, but there are folks here that don't journey into the meta. My cart for the last many years was much larger as it housed a much heavier and extensive amount of components. I kept using the rig even as the gear became smaller and was capable of even more functionality. I decided it was time to re-think my set up and look for a more ergonomic and smaller footprint. I wanted a standing rig (yes, I sit during set ups and when not mixing), and something that would be more nimble in getting into tight spots. Looked at several different manufactures and custom cart rigs and settled on the Inovativ Deploy as the base structure. Needed some covers and extra bits here and there to fulfill the demands of production, travel and safety. Photos below are what we've ended up with. Always a work in progress but so far happy with the results.

I suffered the same issue for several months. Other fails would include the unit locking up and/or going into update mode. Lots of messing about, replacing aux usb power cables, etc, etc. -- Nothing worked. I replaced the USB cable from the 688 to the CL12 and the problem is solved. No more need for the aux power input, no more weird errors, no more shutdowns or lock-ups. I suggest replacing the factory USB cable with a good quality cable first, and seeing what shakes loose.