JonG

Interesting, but I see a few things that are red flags in my book: -2.4 gHz, and only at 30mW power. My IFB100 operates at 100mW and I am constantly fighting Teradeks and Follow Focuses. -Internal rechargeable batteries mean limited lifespan and no ability to replace batteries when they run out on a long day. Not to mention thst, though these are less expensive than a Zaxcom system, they aren't really offering up anything new that is not already on the market. My .2

I use Loon. Love them. Don bills you once you've recieved your pole, so theres no risk.

Many of our renowned field recording (for ambiance & effects) friends use Sound Devices two channel recorders. The 722, 702 and 702T are all very fine, rock solid machines that should suite your needs well. A used one could certainly be found for your budget. Even if you decide to go into production sound down the line, any one of these would be a fine and useful investment. In the event that you need more channels, you may try simply putting a mixer in front of your two channel machine and get good at mixing before spending the money on a multi-track machine. I wouldnt be surprised if the F8 is an ok machine, but I couldnt imagine mixing on it. It is really not well designed and thought out for anyone doing our job in the bag or on the cart. I would consider it probably an ok backup recorder, but the one thing I would never do is use it simply because I would never want people associating that brand with professional high end gear. You won't see low end gear on my cart and I intend to keep it that way. Just my humble opinion.

RIP

I have mixed experiences and every job is different. Many of my clients, both corporate, commercials, and even on some indie features, 12 hours means call to tail lights. Others dont include lunch, so a day is really 12 1/2 hours. Smart ADs/UPMs understand that if the day exceeds 12 hours, they'll have to push the next days call. If this is their only motivation, it's still better than trying to squeeze more hours into a day. On single day projects I dont mind if it isnt counted, but being based in Los Angeles where I have to spend a couple hours in traffic, every bit of time counts, and I need time to sleep and charge batteries. If they cut into that, then I'll be tired and grumpy.

I use my 815T fairly often. Love it!

VocoPro items are budget products sold at places like guitar center, and have a very high return rate. Nuff said.

They are compatible and a number of mixers out there use them.

Glad that worked out for you

Very cool!

Yes it was. I even saved the barrels and soldered female connectors to it so I could use them if I needed to.

I've rewired those mics to be used with Sennheiser G3s and it worked perfectly.

Aside from wiring, will the bodypacks voltage travel through the mute switch box to power the mic?

I'd venture to guess that the settings are off, and I would also guess that 24fps is not entirely correct. However, like previously mentioned, without a full list of details regarding both devices, it would be hard to say. I have never had a problem with Alexas, I find them to be among the easiest cameras to work with, but if your frame rate is off then it will give you problems, like any device. I dont know what you typically shoot at where you are located, but I would think it would not be 24fps, so that might be your issue. Remember, a lot of camera documentation will say 24 but mean 23.976. I dont think this is the case with Arrie, but double check to be sure.

Tile works best if there are more around. They bounce signal off of each other sort of how Verizon wireless technology increases cell reception the more users it has. So if you have a number of them on set they will work better.

There are many nice mics on the market, and your choice is personal. However the 416 is bullet proof and everyone should own at least one. I often use the cmit5u or the mkh50, but I always carry a 416 with me regardless of the gig.

Everyone is going to have a different opinion based on different things that are important to them. The F8 might have more tracks and features but be aware that it is a budget item, and will have budget item problems eventually. Not to mention the fact that you may get some flack for using a Zoom instead of SD, Zaxcom, etc. Personally, I believe that if you intend to be serious about your work, I'd get a more serious machine. The 744 is a tank like everyone has mentioned, and at that price it is hard to pass up. It still might not be the right machine for you though. Maybe you should ride out your DR680 a little longer and save for what is the right machine for you if that is the case. Just remember that the general rule in the pro audio world is that you get what you pay for. I wouldnt put my trust in that Zoom, even if it were made by SD. A reputable company like SD will tell you that if they have to make a product fit a certain very low budget point, they will have to sacrifice quality, and this is evident in all kinds of budget equipment, even if it is made by a reputable manufacturer. Either way, if it has to be between the Zoom and the 744, I'd go for the 744 all the way.

Ive done that as well, as long as the file size is small. But I don't like the idea of using up my bandwidth at home for that sort of thing when I probably want to use it for other activities. I have found that a lot of peoples ftp servers will disconnect if you don't babysit the transfer process as well.

I posted about this on FaceBook but since there was such a diverse response, I thought I'd talk about it here as well, for the benefit of audio people worldwide. I have recently been working on a lot of short term jobs. Some corporate, some "internet content", some theatrical. A good amount of day-playing as well. On most of these jobs over the past few months there has either not been any sort of plan for transferring media at the end of the day, or IF there is a DIT/media wrangler, they often do not have their own card readers. I have even had DITs tell me that it was MY job to provide a CF card reader for them! I have always carried a card reader because you just never know. But to have more and more people expecting me to provide one seems a bit insulting. A DIT is getting a kit fee, so a standard card reader should be part of the package. I wouldn't expect them to own any proprietary equipment like a RED card reader, I would expect that to come with the camera package rental. But any standard media like CF or SD really should be part of their kit. The other issue I am having is productions not having a plan to take the media at all. No computer was brought to set, literally no plan whatsoever. When I have brought this up, the production either assumes it can take my CF card with them, or they flat out lie to me and say something like "oh well we usually give the sound guy one of our CF cards and they record on it!". I know this is a lie because of approved media compatibility, the fact that due to liability, not many people I know would use someone else's CF card, and the fact that at no time in the beginning of the day did anyone speak a word of it to me, when they had plenty of opportunities to do so. The "it slipped my mind" plea doesn't work when it comes to handing something over to record onto if you are at all worried about anything being recorded. What are your thoughts about these scenarios, and what are some of your experiences when/if you have encountered them?

yup

Hence why companies like VER and RGear go after cut-throat reality companies: Get the camera rental, throw in a beat up sound package, your producer won't know the difference, and if anything goes wrong, it's the sound mixers fault. Everyone wins!

I use the Sennheiser hot shoe mounts for mounting lots of stuff to cameras. I bongo-tie the items to it so that I dont have to commit to any particular side of velcro.

They all end up crackly, but if you take measures to relieve the stress at the connectors, the cables will last a lot longer. Mine used to last about 6 months, but then I started bongo-tying the cable at the boom and and relieving the stress at the bag end, now I get a couple years out of them.

I dont know how I missed this update and this thread! I feel like a chump for not having this update! Well I know what I'll be doing tonight!

I still have them, but I have since moved away from any sort of bag work that requires extensive range beyond regular whip antennas. On my cart I use PSC shark fins, and they work great. But I have not used the Shure antennas probably since not long after this last post, and I think the same can be said for my Lectro SNA600 dipoles as well. But I would be willing to hoist them up again and give them another whirl. I have seen others use them, and undoubtably they work well in many situations, but I also think that one of the best things you can do to increase range would be to reject unwanted signal, so instead of using wideband antennas, try limiting them to the blocks you do use, possibly via filters. Omni antennas such as these will increase your range if hoisted in the air and amplified, like most antennas will, but the omni pattern means that it will be receiving signal from all sides, so I would venture to guess that they might be slightly less effective than directional antennae. At least on paper it looks that way.