pindrop

Ehh! sorry I did not say I panned automix inputs L & R 'pan you automix mics on L and R' I have automix on only on inputs panned right. The cause it seems of 'last mic lock on' not working is having an inactive (not in the mix) input with automix off, panned to other inputs with automix on.

Some more experimentation and some progress, my setup when I've unsuccessfully tried automix has been - MS stereo to inputs 1 & 2 and radio mics to 3, 4, 5, etc. The mix to camera's two tracks (when using additional radio mics) is Mid from the MS to ch1 left and radio mics mixed to camera ch2 right with the Side of the stereo recorded as an iso but not part of the mix to camera. (MS both set to manual not automix) What I have found out is that the Side on input 2 (on manual not automix) although not part of the mix (fader at 0) but still nevertheless routed to the right mix track, prevents 'Last Mic Lock' from working. (Last Mic Lock works if it's set to automix) Is it obvious to anyone else that this would cause automix 'Last Mic Lock' to not work? Perhaps I was being stupid but it was not obvious to me.

Thanks Matt I did read the manual at one point and forgot that it said that. Strange that 'Last Mic Lock-On' has never worked for me. Interesting to know what could cause it to not work on one machine but be OK on another. I guess it's a software hangup of some kind? I'll try a factory reset first before contacting support.

Thanks daniel and Sean for suggestions and an example, I tried - 'decide on a main speaker and set their mix level manually' but only with three radio mics and it didn't work particularly well on the occasion I tried it. I'll try mixing a boom to the radios but to have post fader control over level (on right say) without affecting the level to the main output (on left say) with only one boom, it would have to be routed back in to another input and controlled from there. 'include a manually leveled 'air' mic to the radio mic mix down' this seems like it will be best for me, I'll just have another radio mic out not on anybody set to manual - great idea. And Sean thanks for the example I'll experiment with this next time I get an opportunity with a larger number of inputs, a great use of automix. Many thanks.

Schoeps Super CMIT certainly short light highly directional? Better than a CS3e maybe?

Yes thanks that's exactly what I'd like and was expecting. So as the 788T doesn't have a "last mic hold" setting, I'm therefore expecting too much and unless and until that's implemented it's not going to work for me?

I've tried automix on the 788T several times and it has never worked for me and I've given up with it. The problem is that the last mic opened does not stay open when the last speaker stops talking, consequently there is a complete drop in the background sound which disappears and there's silence which is very noticeable. So I am puzzled how people get it to work for them, is it just that they're on shows where there's never a gap in talking or where the background level of noise is not below a threshold where the last open channel shuts down? Seems unlikely. Or their 788T's do keep the last mic open even when there's low atmos level and there is something wrong with mine or my setup. I don't think I'm doing anything particularly unusual, ie. radio mics panned right and boom on the left usually, and automix selected on each radio mic. channel, fader at unity and appropriate trim. Anyway for me automix simply does not work for this reason.

Thanks Tom - I also came across this which is quite informative about spaced omnis and to Decca Tree - http://www.recording-microphones.co.uk/spaced-omnis-stereo.shtml

Interesting - how far apart do you tend to have the 4060's and how do you mount them? Thanks for the suggestion and information.

I find it very valuable for a boom to have that magic ability to easily half lock where there can be sufficient friction to stop say a 416 size mic in full Rycote basket with windjammer from twisting but loose enough to pull each section of the pole out without messing with the collars. It's so much faster in quick changing scenarios. My VDB's can do this which is why I buy/like them but the K-Tek I bought definitely cannot. I think Rado might be implying that Loons can do this but more quietly than VDB's. Anyone else know whether Ambient, Gitzo, Loon, PSC, Rycote, Panamic have this property as well? I use internal cabling on all my VDB's stereo and mono (except a 21 foot one) and it works very well and once again is great for speed.

Go'orn leave the poor tuna alone, hundreds of millions of people!

Ah thanks for explaining, all seems reasonable, you discussed the problem with the other recordist, and didn't need to call in the OFCOM armed response swat team!

Interesting, how did you go about doing this? How was the other shoot closed down? What happened to the other recordists equipment he was using?

Hmm! Yes on the one hand I see what you mean but on the other I am genuinely interested to read something of an antidote to the endless list of problems that tend to accumulate on discussion forums. I am also genuinely grateful that a complex and expensive piece of equipment I have bought has given me very reliable service and like to take the opportunity to compliment the manufacturer. However a direct request from your venerable self made, I will of course refrain from this in future.

Likewise I've given my 788 a good hammering eg.128 days on one diverse project alone since last year and it has never frozen once.

Yes I think we should, we seem to be talking at cross purposes, and I think I understand how but having just done two 16 hour days I probably shouldn't be trying and everyone else must be nodding off

Ehh I did quote Chris and then you quoted me - posts 20 and 21? You might be in danger of seeming to enjoy a little condescension with your 'See, the way it works is ......' and so on, but please be my guest and thank you for explaining your point of view.

No no it's not like cars going uphill or downhill. I was responding to Chris's comment "So I am of the opinion that heat is not really a major issue that we need to worry about" with the fact that I do worry about heat as the best batteries available give me much less run time than I'd like and that it's possible to have a recorder which achieves something broadly similar but uses less power doing so, as you've pointed out with the Nomad, so power consumption and heat production are not one of SD's strengths. My 788 gets hot and where does the energy come from - my batteries! Is that heat something useful - no it is not! That heat production uses quite a proportion of battery power. Would I swap my 788 for a Nomad no I don't think I would as I like the speed of knobs! That's it really.

So what's Intel been doing with huge increases in processor speed whilst running cooler and cooler, fitting in to smaller spaces so that we can have practically better machines which do more for us and make our batteries last longer (be more environmentally friendly) with heat production being much less of a factor and waste of electrical power? We get more of what we want to get done without a hand warmer, or whilst making hot chocolate might be useful it's not what I bought my 788 for ....

Not in terms of reliability perhaps but that heat comes from the electrical capacity of my batteries and shortens their run time not doing anything useful. My guess is that heat production in a 788T eats maybe 30-35% of the battery. In comparison a Fusion gets barely warm but of course it doesn't have a hard disk. I'd much rather my batteries weren't used to generate heat. When I'm running a lot of extras with a 788T I'm worrying about my next battery change much more than I want to be. It's disappointing that an SSD makes little difference. Of course there are many very nice design features of a 788T but heat production is not one of them.

It's interesting what ones brain can do with processing sound. With headphones on a delay of only a couple of milliseconds in one ear with identical material to both ears will make the other ear sound around 5-8 db louder. Somehow the brain focuses on the leading sound and you'll swear its significantly louder when it isn't!

Yes true I haven't answered the question because I'm unsure with an 816 with one row of slots only about a quarter of the circumference open down one side, but lets imagine a scenario - We're filming at a noisy country fare in which there is ploughing competition being conducted, we're trying to interview one of the competitors who has just jumped out of her tractor and we're glad she's turned her engine off as the tractor is directly behind her, however unfortunately the next competitor has started and is ploughing in their noisy tractor at ninety degrees to the left of the axis of our interview, now intuition might suggest that having the open slots facing away from the tractor ploughing might help reduce the level of the unwanted noise getting to the capsule, on the other hand the phase cancellation might not work as well, or it might be swings and roundabouts and not make any significant difference. I've never experimented with this myself so I don't know whether it makes any difference.

Ehh you might want to try understanding the question or you could come across as trying to be rude? Are you trying to be condescending? He's asking whether the direction in which the slots face makes any difference, up, down, one side or the other in relation to off axis incoming sound ... pretty basic reading the question, really ...

Schoeps Super CMIT Latency ch 1. 3.4 ms (processed) ch 2 1.6 ms (unprocessed output of front-facing capsule)

Could you explain in a nutshell what the problem was caused by if possible please?