Eric Burge

The job has something to do with pick up artists and hidden cameras. What that means exactly I'm not sure, but if the imagination is left to run the possibilities I might suspect that instead of tuna another species of fish might be offered as additonal compensation. Hmmm...maybe it's a really good gig in disguise.

Good point. I remember being asked to teach a series of workshops for an universtiy film school professor while he was to be out of town. No problem I said, happy to help out...until I saw a number of the students soon after post shingles selling themselves as "seasoned" sound "professionals". In effect I was training my competition. I've experienced similar results from taking on interns. Now I'm not opposed to passing on the craft no more than I hope to continue learning from my own mentors, but to short cut answers to perplexing scenarios is doing no one any favors in the long run. Maybe it will create or further enforce the idea of a 2-tiered society. Rich and poor, High grade craftsmen and disposable TV equipment operators.

Sound Table Pizza? Lower The Bar & Grill? Thanks Vin! I was beginning to regret the OP, but good to see both you and Eric chiming in for support. Speaking of Las Vegas, I still think of our fun times at the LAS trap club.

Also, FWIW, I have yet to receive any PMs regarding this job so maybe happy days are here again...or the early bird only works for premium worms? Let's see what happens when the Saturday night partiers wake up mid day. Oh, maybe that's it...some people work for beer money, not gear money! EB

Thanks for ripping the general low-no budget principal and not me personally, gentlemen, for you're singing to the preacher here. I'm just the messenger on this one and like Eric said, someone might want a shot at a few extra bucks to keep the lights on (or maybe for the craps table?) No matter how strongly you hold the bar for pride or fraternal integrity sake, if you're driven under by maintaining said ethic it all becomes moot. The biggest problem I see is that other sound folks (who? I don't know. Maybe newbie trustafarians needing credits more than money?) have driven prices down so low on the indie/reality/desposable TV scene that more times than not when I get a call from a potential new client and quote my bar-standard rate, it becomes a very short phone call. OTOH, we all do have to eat. I myself have taken on other "normal business" to subsidize my sound work while relocating to a different market for I have long held to the belief that you're either part of the problem or the solution and I don't want to contribute to the former. And yes, I think my old market was becoming so saturated with new sound people that it wasn't sustainable. I'd rather work gratis for a friend with a worthy cause or altogether move than to get shafted and demoralized by some unknown producer type just because he/she thinks it can be done. just my .02 EB

If you're local to LAS and available these dates PM me for details. Pay's not the greatest, but not CL either. I think something like $400/day cash. EB

Sent PM...

Ditto that Jeff and thanks to you too for your own generous support. It's always good to see old friends and meet new ones too. IMHO, the new Satay venue works well for our group, both patio size and menu variety. Side note for those not present or anyone caught off guard by the intimidating cash demands of doorman Larry: By informal committee decision (i.e., we early birds unanimously declared proxy for all), the entry fee was bumped to $30 this year instead of the traditional $20 of years past. Sorry if this caused anyone financial hardship or embarrassment, but it was decided just minutes prior to the party. The reason for the cover increase is that in the past a few people have been left to settle the tab at the end of the night due to collection shortages and it wasn't fair to those folks. Considering the great food, drink, and phat booty of door prizes it's still a good deal. If you don't like it, take it up with Larry...if you dare! Anyone know how the tab/collection ratio turned out this year? Again, thanks to all who attended and to the sponsors for their continued generosity and support! Hope to see you next year. EB

It's always best to lightly sand or bead-blast (as Glen T. suggests) any industrial Al stock before either painting or powder-coating, to both remove the protective coating and texture the surface. A primer is also well advised as an intermediate step to painting. Coatings present on most Al when initially purchased, whether oil or varnish based are commonly applied to prevent aluminum oxide (Al2O3) build up. Like common rust, Al2O3 is corrosive, but proceeds at a MUCH slower rate and will passivate the material over time, preventing further oxidation. The white-ish powder one may notice on weathered Al is just that, aluminum oxide. If handled a fair bit, the dull Al finish won't change as much as the handler will see black transfer to the hands, which involves another chem reaction. Well prepped Al will be very bright silver. Common anodizing is a process that incorporates the chemistry of aluminum oxidation itself and leaves a nice clean finish while also preventing further oxidation. Any method works...or gojo will easily remove the black from your hands. HTH, EB

FWIW, I've had a lot better luck with "Oops" rather than "Goo Gone" for general adhesive removal. For cleaning delicate lav cables, I prefer to use olive oil, especially for stubborn grease or residue. Baby wipes and alcohol are great to have around for all sorts of stuff, from cleaning hands and cables to removing body oils prior to direct-to-skin tape application. EB

Check out page 1 of Paul Graff's discussion about his cart: Images of Interes>PG's sound cart project. http://www.jwsound.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1948.0 Got mine at LSC as well, walk-in purchase. Otter is fine and well. Thanks for asking. EB

Looks kind of like a Sof-Lock mount on steroids, or maybe it just spent some time at the gym...or maybe back paddled it's way to the re-engineering chalkboard. Hard to not draw similarities. I've been quite pleased with the standard Sof-locks for well over a year...IMHO, they're way better than the de facto bobbers. Still listening, Vin? Check out Paul Graff's thread on his cart (images of interest.) Can we bring fire-axes/extinguishers on set? Maybe this new toy will hold a shotgun! EB

Nice job on your cart, Brent! I looked at the Manfrotto "projector tray" before I built my own shelf from raw aluminum stock. The tray dimensions were not well suited for my particular application, i.e., laptop support and connector protection, plus if I rotate mine 90 degrees I lose a little width for connector protection, but gain space for a small keyboard in front of the MBP. Cost of 14" x 16" aluminum, under $10. EB

I did stop by FilmTools when I was last in LA and looked at the Noga-Arm. Weight aside, I like the Magic-Arm better because it IS larger. The extended length of the MA allows me to clamp it farther back on the cart yet swing the laptop shelf forward, right along side my console for better ergonomics. The pic I posted shows it set back somewhat, and a Noga would probably work OK for that type of configuration. I also like the lever mechanism of the Magic Arm rather than the twist knob, very quick and secure. Forgot to mention that for laptop security I'm just using Velcro "One Wrap" (I think it's called,) double-sided hook/loop and available in various length rolls. It simply wraps around the top of the laptop at the screen/keyboard joint and under the shelf, attaching back to itself in a similar manner to rip ties. This is not shown in the pic, but works well except that I can't fully close the screen. That hasn't been an issue yet. I was going to use the ol' carpet/velcro approach, but decided against it as the bare AL shelf makes a great heat sink for the Mac. Lee Ascher told me about a laptop skin type thing that attaches to a Macbook Pro base and can be velcro'd to the shelf but still provides for a little cooling space underneath. I just haven't had a chance to look into it yet. EB

Finally getting around to posting pics of my DIY laptop shelf. It's basic 3/16" 7075 T6 plate stock attached to a Magic Arm via the included "camera bracket." The relatively thin AL stock concerned me at first, but I tapped both 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 holes through the plate and used a short set screw as well as the standard camera screw to fasten the 2 together. Timing the threads was a little tricky, but it worked out in the end so both screws are flush with the top surface and the plate is very firmly attached. The way I have it mounted to the cart with a super (mafer) clamp, the inside edge of the shelf rests on the cart and helps to further stabilize it. OK, maybe it's not as elegant as a sliding shelf, but IMO it's more versatile in that positioning can be easily adjusted for preference or configuration changes and the whole thing quickly rotates inboard for secure transport or passing through narrow doorways. EB