John Blankenship

That would explain some people I've met recently. John B. -- Go Colts!

I'm talking without having the manual or a camera in front of me, but check things like Time Base, Frame Rate, Drop/Non-Drop, Jam Sync setting, No T.C. Output, etc. If the camera is set at 23.98 and post is editing at 29.97 for TV, you may wish to use 29.97, in which case there is a Cross-Jam setting that needs to be activated. Wandering through the audio, time code, and frame rate settings in the manual will make it all a lot clearer. You can download the manual from red.com. John B. -- Go Colts!

Agreed. Automatic dinky-cam features are the bane of our existence. John B.

I don't recall if I've worked with the HVR-V1U, but I haven't noticed it with the Z1U. However, with a past Sony model used on a Discovery gig -- to be specific, the PD170 -- each of the four cameras sounded different. John B.

They're a good mic, and I used to own two of them, but found that in any situation where I would use the CS1, I much preferred the Schoeps 641, so I sold them. John B. -- Go Colts!

I normally attach an SB2a box to the Red, but I haven't run into the problem. I wonder if the powering up with time code feeding the camera issue has to do with what the camera is set at (or defaults to when powered down?) vs what the time code feeding it is set at. Just thinking out loud here. John B.

Hanging out in Middle-America, I normally can't take advantage of the amazing number of free screenings in L.A., so the screeners are even more appreciated. On occasion, we've even gotten a screener BEFORE it opened in theaters. And I second Philip, nice job on the magazine. All that, and the great company of other people with impressive letters after their name. Then, there's the free beer we're not allowed to talk about... Whoops! Sorry! Forget I said anything. John B.

I can relate, as my humor tends to be wry and dry. Opinions are among the few things that are exclusively ours -- own it. You'll get more respect that way -- except from those who are unable to entertain ideas that they didn't originate. ...And I'm a CAS member, though beer's not my primary beverage of choice. John B.

One slight addition to Jeff's comments, is that when you're just starting out, not being in the union will probably not affect your employment much since, until you're known, it's unlikely you'd be landing a union gig. Jeff, please correct me if I'm wrong. But, that's not all bad news because that's the time when you're learning your craft working on smaller, and lower budget productions and not being in the union at that point will actually give you a greater opportunity to try a wider variety of jobs and gain a better understanding of what you're best suited for. Also, as has been stated, the union issue depends a great deal upon the market you're in. John B.

For me, that depends a lot upon who the client is and what their needs are. My job is to give the client what they need in terms of audio to the best of my ability under the conditions they give me. It certainly varies. Usually, I'd rather have too much headroom rather than too little. This discussion centers on where to have more headroom and where it's not needed in order to maximize the use of the equipment being discussed. In that light, observing the "network standard" may be a good solution to the situation as posed. I'd certainly rather connect to the camera via line inputs and be a few dBs down, than to go in as hot as possible into the mic input. Unneeded 50dB attenuation followed by unneeded 50dB gain is something I'd rather avoid. Naturally, things vary depending upon the situation. John B.

For wireless boom +20dB headroom would worthwhile, but for a cam link, it's often overkill. Thanks for posting the results of your test. John B.

A lot of the "reality" shows require that the mic be hidden. In either case, I use Sanken either hidden, or in the open, as my first choice. After that I have several other options for when the situation dictates, B6, EMW, Sennheiser, etc. John B.

Geeky part of the post: The extra power requirements would be because of the inefficiencies inherent in a DC-to-DC converter, needed to boost the (nominal) 12v DC input voltage sufficiently for the voltage rails to allow the +20dB headroom peaks above a higher nominal signal level. But, dealing with where we're at... I'll address this from a Lectro point-of-view since that's what I use. It would appear that (and Lectro often says this) many people run their wireless systems too conservatively. Personally, I don't like the sound of the Lectro limiter and typically don't want its effects to be heard, so I'm pretty leery of that. However, often in a bag-to-camera situation, allowing for a full 20dB above nominal reference level is just, plain wasteful of your precious gain. The "network standard" is reference level at -20dB and peaks allowed up to 10dB above that. I typically set my mixer limiter (SD302 for bag-to-cam) for 14dB to 16dB above 0dB out (which is set for -20dB on the camera). I then mix so that only occasionally will I see my signal hit the limiter. I'm therefore staying close to "network standard" with only occasional peaks above +10dB (which would be above -10dB on the camera meter. I adjust the Lectro transmitter so that only on the most egregious peaks will I ever see the Limit light flicker, however, it's adjusted as near to that point as I can manage. Usually, with this setup, I have enough (although, on a few cameras, just barely) gain to operate at line level in and also to stay close to "network standard" levels. I would recommend trying a similar setup with the Zax system, and compare with listening tests to how you've been modulating. Make sure to compare with the same level driving the speakers or headphones, or you will be in an apples-to-oranges situation. Send playback though a mixer so you can calibrate the playback levels to be the same from both tests. I'm guessing you'll find that it's okay to push the wireless system harder. John B.

In my experience mic inputs should only be used for just that -- microphones. Otherwise, I always prefer line inputs whenever possible. With mic level inputs, you're taking stray junk the camera generates, along with any stray noise the cable has picked up, amplifying it all by 50dB, and including it with your program signal. Unfortunately, camera manufacturers have been known to sometimes pad down the line input to mic level before actually using the same gain stages as the mic input. That's really poor product design and bad things should be said about any camera maker who does this. John B.

Naturally, it depends a lot on your budget. If you have the bucks, I've heard only good things about the Sankens. If you need to be really cost-effective, the Rode NT4 is a good choice. Since I only seldom use stereo, the Rode has been a good choice in my case. It handles high SPL and can be powered by either phantom or a 9v. I made adapter cables for each end to go from 2-channel 5-wire balanced to 2-channel 3-wire unbalanced. That way I can keep it dressed in its Rycote and use it on a standard, internally-cabled pole. I power it with a 9v and since, for running around capturing SFX, it's a short cable run to a bag, being unbalanced is not an issue (the connections, not me -- me being unbalanced is still an issue). John B.

"We're from the government and we're here to help you. You need to understand that we know what's best for everyone, so just do what you're told and we won't have a problem." John B.

One of the parts that caught my eye: Matthew Nodine, chief of staff in the FCC's wireless telecom bureau: "We're going to do everything we can to help out customers." I'm guessing he means helping us by kicking us out of airways that are supposed to belong to the public. Once again, "We're from the government and we're here to help you." Anyone who trusts those words has a sad awakening on their horizon. How about a "bail-out" for wireless users. John B.

Usually, the cleavage is a really good place -- hidden, but open to sound reaching the mic, the blouse is kept from rubbing, etc. -- all good. However, I recall one time when I realized too late that the cleavage was so low that I would have been better finding a place further up the side of the blouse to hide it. I came to this realization after I heard how much room noise there was fighting with her soft delivery, which, unfortunately only then, made me aware of just how low the cleavage was. John B.

I find (just like you did) that it is very situational. You really need to play it by ear. Of course, you need to keep in mind set protocol which typically varies relative to the size of the production and the individuals involved. In my opinion, the key is to convey respect and that you are sensitive to their needs. From there it gets much easier. Generally, younger women are more "body sensitive" but that certainly varies with the person. Experienced actors tend to be more matter-of-fact about wardrobe issues, but that isn't always the case either. For instance, an 18 year old dancer with quite a bit of national TV experience was surprisingly guarded while I've had a 40-year-old first-timer yank her blouse up and say, "I've had three kids. Do whatever you want." Usually, the older the woman, the more they flirt and have fun with me "fiddling about their body." Interestingly, every once in a while, a guy with no media experience is at first put off by the notion of another guy fishing cables through his clothes. Even in those cases, the trepidation usually goes away after the first time. Bottom line: Be respectful and don't assume. John B.

Don't you mean Audio Limited, not Audio Developments? John B.

The F35 was used on a regional commercial I worked on. The production wanted the sound direct to the camera's deck and I ran a backup on Deva. The DIT had a hassle sorting out some issues. He tried docking the deck both on the camera and remotely so I was shuffling cables along with his moves. The main issue we ran into was the camera shutting down due to the heat. We were in a small, warm area and they finally decided to run the camera with the fan on a low setting and we took frequent breaks to let the camera cool down. Yes, the fan was noticable, but the director had been a sound person and he understood the compromise (sometimes sympathy helps). The commercials are still running and sound fine. If you're cabling sound to the deck, allow some time to dial in the settings and adjustments in the complex menu. John B.

Sorry to hear that, Jeff. One of the trades said that Raimi backed out due to the delivery date of May 2011 and that with him went Tobey. They reported that the studio then began putting together a new creative team with a new focus of going back to Peter Parker's high school days and a release date of 2012,

Philip, I haven't used this particular board but even their less expensive boards are decent. Also, my location mixer, a GP1 is quite good: Discreet preamps, low crosstalk, and lots of headroom. You can download the K2 manual and power supply manual here: http://www.soundcraft.com/downloads/user_guides.aspx John B.

Justan, Keep in mind, complication can be your enemy in situations such as this, whereas, simplicity can be your friend. Simplicity would aim you toward the 788 combo. John B.

I imagine the reason they scrambled the jets was to avoid the possibility of a terrorist taking out a major "target of opportunity." We do have precedent of that happening. John B.