Bash

Ambient now have their 'Clockit' App, the basic TC reader version of which is free!! Jumpsart is a dead cheap TC generator app for iPhone. I agree that the long term 'clock' stability of any of these is bound to be questionable.... but - if you need to set a start of dat TC, and squirt it into a bunch of other things, over the space of a few minutes, then I would suggest that the accuracy of an internal IPhone clock is probably insignificant!!! Kindest regards, Simon B

The simplest answer, which applies to all of your questions, is YES. With the Zax you can route any IP track (i.e. M, and or S), to any disk track, or OP track, or to any ear of you HP feed, either in phase or out of phase. So, you can have MS as IP, and record either/and/or MS/LR, plus monitor M, S, L, R, MS, or LR. In this respect, Zax really does do the lot!! Kindest regards, Simon B

The DVD drive on my Mac Book Pro has been getting more and more fussy of late. It sucks the disk in, fiddles around for a minute or so, and then ejects it. At first it was just on DVD-Rs, then on CD-Rs, then until today on almost every disk. So - I did a little Google work, and discovered that the disk drive lens is probably dusty. I could take the machine to lots of pieces, ......or insert a credit card into the drive slot, covered by a thin (think spectacle cleaning ) cloth. Two or three swipes, and.... hey presto - drive and MBP working like new again!!!! So - my strong suspicion..... either one drive or the other are a bit grubby. Glad that you are working Malcolm, dont supp ose you are in London? Kindest regards, Simon B

Better still, move it to RAMPS, they do that grubby hate thing rather well there!!! Please, spare us this public self humiliation!!! Kindest regards, Simon B

where to get it? sb

Bad luck Greg.... but good timing - the new SD USB Pre Mk 2 is out very soon - and looks awesome. I know what I would ask production to replace my lost unit with!!! Kindest, Simon B

I know that Peli make a neat little case, with an insert to take 4 x CF cards. I have just worked with a stills photographer and she had one. Neat, strong, low profile, clamshell style, 2 cards in each half, very cool. But I cant find it on the Peli website..... Does anyone know the model number? Kindest, Simon B

Also done!! Kindest regards, and thanks Jeff, Simon B

pictures please Zack!!

Hi Damien, you havent done yourself that many favours - you have chosen the least most busy sector of the entire sound recording business in which to ply your current choice of trade !! Docs, UK based, currently will use any role, runner, producer, director, researcher, camera assistant, to record the sound, 'for free' rather than an actual trained, dedicated, sound recordist. My advice, go and look again at drama - the weekly 'package' is better, the hours are generally shorter, and the job will probably book you by the month, as opposed to by the day. Apologies, this is not a very positive reply, but it is what I see/feel. Kindest regards, and good luck, Simon B

Joe, who I also know from his SADiE days, sent me a demo unit a few days ago. I am due to be taking a good look at it this week. As I understand it, it is a fairly simple, and basic, 24 track recorder. Plug in your own HDD, and it will create a project and tracks and record when you hit the button. It can PB as well, with (to my knowledge) the track you recorded coming out of the same channel that you recorded it to (i.e. track recorded on IP/track 4, will be played back out of OP 4. Joe's idea by way of sales is that you can use this recorder in live sound rigs in order to do 'virtual' soundchecks, by plugging the recorder into insert points on your desk. He is aware that we film types are looking at it, with various thoughts in mind. I think that he is fairly pragmatic about what we want, and what he can afford to give us... so - if it is software tweaks, like telling it to go into 'film' mode, where a song title might get replaced with slate or scene number, and we gave him a list, then I am sure that he'll be able to look at that list, and come back to us with what might be possible and what not. He is a very approachable guy, so it might be wise to take a look and see what you think needs tweaking. As to TC, and 23.976 rates - I dont believe that the JoeCo box has any form of TC generation, just a reader that it uses to grab an incoming TC value, and stamp a file. That suggests to me that it should be just a software tweak to enable 23.976 TC - I will put it on my list of things to ask Joe. As I say, he is pretty pragmatic about things, so if we convince him that by doing another version of soft, or adding to the current, then it will open up more market, then I am sure he will have a good and serious look at it. I'll get my demo unit out this week, as I am between blocks of shooting, and I will report back asap. Kindest regards to all, Simon B

take a look at www.jfmg.co.uk who deal with all Fz allocation and licensing in the UK. Ch 69 is not free to use, but there is a system whereby you can get a license to use any of about 6, maybe 8 channels in 69. Ch 38 is similar, but is a new one, so there are less Fz available. Many other Fz are available, from JFMG, on a per site, per day, basis. As an example I took a day license out for a commercial last week that used 8 Fz that were something like Ch 67. It cost under UKP60 and was arranged by the hire company that supplied the radio mics. JFMG are quite happy for you to suggest Fz, and they will work out if they can work. JFMG are extremely helpful, more so than their website suggests. Call them on an old fashioned telephone - they really are very helpful. Kindest regards, Simon B

Who has been, and what caught your eyes or ears? What we those of us who cant get there have liked to have seen. Kindest regards, Simon B

www.mojoproaudio.com Discuss? Kindest regards, Simon B

Jeff, thats a picture of your dad (who I once had the honour of working with) looking very comfortable with an Alexa camera, in handheld mode. I'd be fascinated to know what he thought of the camera, as an 'on the shoulder' camera. Is this what we will all be shooting with in the future perhaps?? Kindest regards, Simon B

Well, I am rather enjoying the new Gil Scott-Heron CD!! Incidentally, I have bought tickets for 3 of his gigs, but he only arrived at one, when I happened to be shooting a drama for the BBC in Oaklands, Calif. Happy days, and a brilliant gig!! Kindest regards, Simon B

Looks like a very young jp to me, Jeff. Though of course these days he usually seems to have a scarf and a hat!! Kindest regards, sb

a spare Sanken, for when the wire gets pulled! sb

try www.fostexinternational.com it seems to have all the pro products on it!!! Kindest regards, Simon B

Fascinating stuff indeed. I have always, jokingly, referred to the different 'sexes' of Velcro as 'Vel' and 'Cro'. Now I realise that in fact this is precisely the case, where the Cro(chet) is the hooks. Kindest regards, Simon B

Rycote showed a new product at IBC that should do this more than adequately. I would contact Rycote in the UK directly and ask them, if I were you. Kindest regards, Simon B

Lapsed drummer here also - used to play for about 4 hours per day when in my teens. Nowdays I keep looking at the Theremin, and the electric cello - both late night buys from ebay!! I really ought to do some practice. Oh, and there is an as yet unplayed by me Stradavarius Saw that my Mum passed on to me> Hey ho.... Glen T - my sister is principal French Horn in the Irish Symphony Orchestra - small world!! Kindest regards to all, Simon B

Does she still have that really long and bent nose? sb

Try devaII@yahoogroups.com or it might be devall@yahoogroups.com or email colleen@zaxcom.com and she'll put you on the group. Stay away from that other place - its full of weirdo ;-)) Kindest regards, Simon B

Many drives dont in fact actually wipe the files off when you format them. In fact they simply write that those areas on the drive are available to be written over again. So - the only way to reliably wipe a drive (and there may well be security applications where this might be most important) is to write a load of zeros across the whole drive. I have a program at home, with which I have retrieved entire drives before, and yet on first investigation they show as being completely blank! Glad that you clawed your way out of the hole though. Kindest regards, Simon B