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

You could always requisition a value-size box of condoms and/or surgical gloves with your expendables, red Trojans preferred. No lube. No endcap receptacle. It of course requires bit more effort to swap out batteries on a gloved Tx, but then it's a lot cheaper than replacement if one goes under. I've had a good number of UMxxx swim in both fresh and salt water with no issues at all. Tip: Trojans are cheap. Double up. Seal well with quality electrical tape across the latex/cable junction. EB

Swivel LED light. AAA powered. Costco, 2 for $12. Have seen them elsewhere for much more. Not the greatest light ever made, but works pretty well and hard to beat for the price. EB

David, Check your email. Replied OG EB

I agree with you Phillip and as JW mentioned the trick is in minimizing connections between the 2 modules. As it stands, it takes me about 10 minutes to bolt the 2 mods together and connect power. I don't have to do anything with the board except apply power. (Since the off-the-shelf 01V96 requires AC I have need for both AC and DC feeds coming from the bottom.) I use a BDS up top for the receivers and 744T so get pretty good mileage from that single patch. If I were to relocate my p-max ultra to the top it would help even more, but I don't have room as it is now. Maybe after I move the Rx's and multi-coupler to a separate case I'll find the space. Someday... Presently I'm installing a connector panel on the back (top mod,) mainly for Audio I/O, but incorporating DC I/O as well, which may help to cut the setup time a bit. I want to keep my DC runs as short as possible however for voltage concerns so I'll have to play with it and find a happy medium. Originally I planned to build a case-based cart, as a number of members here have done recently. I suppose there are pros and cons to either approach and a case style may provide more environmental protection. OTOH, dust is dust and it tends to find its way into every little crack anyhow. I just like the open architecture for greater accessibility to all sides. If it's a sand or snow storm, a furnie or space blanket provides a good hasty shield. If it's super nasty, I'm running for my Easy-up! EB

A handy one for the producer: "Problems can not be solved with the same level of thinking that created them." A. Einstein Disclaimer: this might not be the exact wording, but pretty close nevertheless. EB

There was supposed to be another pic attached. Don't know why it was omitted. I imagine the error was on my end. Here it is. EB

A couple of folks asked me to post pics showing the current setup of my cart, which Mr. Stalder built for me last year, the original SU01V or "the SU-V2 unit" as it's known on set. Admittedly I'm kind of slow getting it fully configured, but hey, if I ever finished, then I'd have to start over and I don't want to do that quite yet. ;-} After toying with the idea of adding a slide-out laptop shelf, I finally decided to go with basic 3/16" (5mm) aluminum plate stock attached to a magic arm and super clamped (mafer) direct to frame. I'm working on that now. Will post pics one of these days. My macbook pro running BR will velcro to carpet once attached. Also considering long velcro strap(s) wrapping at the top/bottom of keyboard for added security and peace of mind. The nice thing about the arm is that it allows the shelf to cantilever out and sit right next to my board, easily adjusts to various heights and tilts, yet can swing in for tight doorway moves. It can be removed altogether in a matter of a few seconds, no drilling required and essentially non-committal. As it's shown here, I've got 4 411s, multicoupler, and traveler in the top 1/2 rack. I have ideas of moving the receivers and multicoupler to a separate ATA case that will latch to the top 1/2 shelf where the macbook presently lives. that will allow easy addition/removal of more receivers. The new rack space will bump to holding twin monitors, comtek tx, etc. EB

Not to completely digress from Lee's OP, but this might be a good time to note that while Star Case seems to own the aluminum drawer market and many of us appear to go to them for such, be forewarned about their hefty shipping charges (I recently paid around $50 for a 2 RU drawer shipped UPS Ground). After playing around with various 2RU placements, I thought I had found room on my cart for a 3RU instead. I called to see about exchanging the NIB drawer and they told me there would be a restocking charge. That on top of my return freight and another $50 to ship the replacement would have made the 3RU drawer beyond expensive so I quickly decided that 2RU was just fine. IMO, gouging for shipping and restocking charges is greedy and bad business. EB

I've done well with 27 & 28 in New Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai (Bombay). Lots of bandwidth in both blocks. If the high-end crunch becomes a big problem in the states, moving to India may be cheaper than resourcing new Lectros. Hmmm. Vin, got a spare couch? EB

Count me in, for both party and plinking. Worst-case scenario for the latter is to find a vacant BLM parcel and bring our own clays + launcher. EB