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RPSharman

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Everything posted by RPSharman

  1. Oops sorry...you should be able to send S/PDIF from the Tascam to the MOTU tricking the clock and BR. Click on the TC read out window in BR and it will tell you if sample rate is 48048.
  2. So the HD-P2 will work, but you are still stuck not being able to send 30/48048 to you MOTU in order to have Boom Recorder behave properly. My suggestion is to buy the FF400. You can send it 30ND from the Denecke box, set the FF400 for 48048, which in turn will give BR the settings you need.
  3. I don't know how this will work with your TC source being a Denecke box feeding 30F TC to your recorder and your FW interface. I don't think the MOTU has the pull up option to change the sample rate to 48.048k, like the RME FF400. If you set your HD-P2 for 29.97/48k and send it 30F TC it may pull up, I don't know. Or does it have a 30/48.048 option? Boom Recorder will look for the 48048 sample rate from it's TC source, your MOTU, but if the MOTU is set for 48k, then that's what BR will see, regardless of the TC the MOTU is receiving from the Denecke box. You can check this by clicking on the TC readout in BR. It will show the sample rate. The only way I have known this to work for people with the MOTU is to get the TC from a 744T set to 30/48048, which tricks the interface and Boom Recorder. Robert
  4. Thanks. FCP is exporting a Quicktime .wav not a Broadcast .wav. We are wondering if it is possible to create a file in FCP which will do the job. If not, he has other software. He has created a file which will play on the 744T, but with no TC. We are now just curious, since the problem is solved for the specific job. Robert
  5. A friend of mine is trying to make a .WAV file in FCP with time code for a music video-type application. He sent me a file which played on my MAC but not on my 744T. The 744T sees the file exists on the CF card, including the .wav extension, but says it is an "unrecognizable file format". I called SD, and they are looking into it. Anyone have any suggestions? Robert (818) 304-3066
  6. May I suggest www.discountramps.com - $169.00 with free shipping for adjustable length track ramps. Your planks scare me. Robert Sharman
  7. I beg to differ, but I have had the opposite experience regarding range. My guys can routinely hear my BST-50b base station from very great distances. When I was a utility/boom op, the mixer I worked for used the BST-25, and the range was also outstanding. I found the IFB, even with a high gain antenna, to have LESS range. And it also "hits" in your ears, which is much more painful that the Comtek fritz. This has been my experience with numerous setups.
  8. I love my Comteks for clients and boom ops. As a boom op and utility I worked with people with all kinds of IFB systems. As a mixer I chose Comteks not just for price, but for range with the base station and battery usage. Now I'm all rechargeable, it's less important. I don't think fidelity is important for clients, for reasons stated above. And I was happy with Comteks as a boom op, so expect my guys are okay with it too. Comtek as a company are fast, friendly and reasonable for repairs.
  9. All points are valid, but with the epidemic of first-time directors getting studio films with experienced actors, sometimes I find that I can be more subtle in requesting a slight increase in level to overcome BG noise. The director I'm working with now simply said, "The sound mixer wants you to be louder." I never asked him to communicate to the actors on my behalf again. And I don't know what sets you work on, but I often see and hear camera operators, AD's, props, and other departments request things of the actors that are all part of getting the requested shot, with or without the director present. Establishing relationships with the actors is part of the job. Actors are paid to deliver the performance the director wants at the same time as hitting marks, not blocking other actors, holding props at the correct height for the lens, etc.
  10. Don't be afraid of the meat puppets... I mean talented thespians. I find there is no harm in asking for more level when you need it, but don't be the boy who cried 'wolf' or you won't get it when you REALLY need it (same goes for other problems we encounter on set). Only experience can help you know when it's better to ask the actor or the director. I was on one movie where the camera op needed comteks for panning singles, because he couldn't hear the actors. His ears were not more than 3ft from the actors. The director did not want to lose the "intensity" of the performance in the actor's eyes, so said he'd loop the scene if he had to, but would not risk the performance by asking for an audible level. In terms of what's an acceptable level, I don't set my headphones very loud, so I trust that if I hear the quiet dialog clearly without too much background noise introduced, then the level on the meters is not all that relevant.
  11. The reality is that if the film never shows up on the radar, and never makes money, you will have no hope of recovery. If the show appears, and you can show documentation of trying to contact producers, and documentation of a "deal" for which you were never paid, then the audio belongs to you and you can probably sue. But otherwise, we'll all take mental notes of the names involved and be cautious of doing business with them in the future. So thanks for that. Hope this never happens to you again, Robert
  12. All the specs are the same. As a utility/boom guy, I worked with mixers with almost all different kinds of antennae and cable configuration with varied success. As a mixer, I choose to raise a pair of the PSC sharkfins on flex arms above my cart with an expanding painter's pole. I use 15' of inexpensive, thin, 50ohm RG58 with no barrels in line, and have had very good luck with wireless reception (knock on wood), easily as good if not better than any other configuration I previously worked with.
  13. Producers will generally only offer to pay you what they have to. If your local IA rate dictates the lower rate, then that's what they'll expect, regardless of the production budget. And they cannot, as far as I know, negotiate a low tier rate with the IA for a reshoot on a one day shoot as part of a larger production. So you are entitled to your full scale for your local. That said, as a one day job, you should be able to ask for a fair one day rate. On a production of that size, a rate similar to the Local 695 daily rate of about $57/hour and somewhere around $500-$600 for gear would not be unreasonable to ask for. There's no harm in asking. If they say no, then make a deal somewhere in the middle. It wouldn't be unreasonable for them to expect you to wiggle a little on your rate considering the relative lack of experience (I would be in the same boat). But you shouldn't have to bow the 800 pound gorilla either. Good luck.
  14. Stick with the 416. It will handle all environments without problems. And you already own it. You can send my 10% commission for your savings to my PayPal account! Robert
  15. I want to be clear that I fully support labor unions, and I understand what the WGA membership is looking for as a whole. In no way am I trying to vilify writers. They have every right to pursue fair compensation. The question I am pondering is... what IS fair? Perhaps a one year interim contract would aid both sides, and allow more time to figure out what sort of revenue will be lost/gained as more people skip Crew's commercials on their DVR or elect to watch TV/Movies on-line or wait to buy/rent their favorites on DVD.
  16. I'm not really sure how I feel about this strike. On one side, I think it's important for a union to finally stand up for itself. On the other side, we in the IATSE have been getting shafted for years. Most of us, with the advent of the new "low budget" agreements, have experienced working longer hours and more days for the same annual pay. Over ten years, our salary has not kept up with the cost of living, and has gone from a very good living to a just about average one. With the exception of the few of us out there who still care, our industry has turned from film making as an art form, to spewing out product to fill hundreds of channels, thousands of Blockbuster Video stores, and millions of websites. While the good writers will continue to earn and deserve well beyond the standard wages, should the average working writer expect an increase in wages for mass producing poor content for millions of viewers who seem to be willing to watch just about anything?
  17. I like it how it is, but I do favor the idea of reducing categories. For those that use the "open envelope" technique, it'll reduce the number of sections to browse. I think that "News" - "Equipment" - "Workflow" - "Photos" - "General Discussion" - would cover all bases. I don't know that "Available for Work" has proven all that popular or useful, but you could leave that in too, or perhaps change it to "Work Leads". I think that we could post jobs we were called for, but were not available to do. It would allow folks looking for jobs to target productions they know have not yet hired a mixer. Robert
  18. I go with the 4-part reports still, and I have a pretty heavy hand, so all are at least reasonably legible. I keep the bottom copy, and have referred to it at least on several occasions in the last couple of years. It's nice to know it's there. The pink to production. I send the first two out together with the disks.
  19. This is interesting. I think we blew a few SM transmitters using a CMC-5 with a wireless plant setup with the Denecke power supply. This was in the very early days of the SM. We just stopped using the schoeps with the SM. But I do remember some occasional low end noise problems that really powered through on several other occasions over the last couple of years with both SM and UM400 transmitters. This was using an MKH50. I wonder why this is intermittent and not a constant problem.
  20. Hmm... That's interesting. Thanks for the info, Take.
  21. To those who know... Are there any post/telecine problems with .WAV polyphonic files containing only ONE track of audio? I was recording a single track on my 744T to save space, but was still set for .WAV poly. A friend of mine told you that you can't record a single track polyphonic file (although the machine lets you) because it would confuse the post machines. They would expect more than one track, thus the polyphonic terminology. I hadn't heard from anyone regarding any problems, but they don't always tell us. So from that point on I recorded two tracks of the same thing for a .WAV polyphonic file with only one mix channel. Recently, I was filling in for another friend with a Deva II. His machine is set for .WAV polyphonic, but sets the machine to record one track most of the time to save space. He hasn't had any problems. I know that some older post systems have trouble with an odd number of tracks, but that aside, can I record one track on the 744T keeping it set for polyphonic so I can easily switch track numbers and stick to one file format? I'd also like to record a single track poly file simultaneously with my ISO track files on the Boom Recorder. It's just that from what I know, the polyphonic file is the expected format. Thanks, Robert
  22. You are not out of line at all, and I am also baffled how this mixer managed to get through over 60 features this way. But as you mentioned, this is a low budget indie recorded on an FR-2, so perhaps this is a clue as to why the unnamed mixer is still on these small projects after 60 features. I have heard stories of another unnamed mixer who hands script supervisors blank sound reports to fill in, but that's another story. I am a new dog, but I learned the old tricks. I always turn in a sound report (one copy with each DVD). I always head ID each sound roll, including tone, and I usually read off some TC too. I do enter scene numbers in the metadata for the ISO/Boom Recorder files, because it's easy and you can change it even if you are already rolling. On the 744T, I usually name the file DVDXX or EPXXXDVDXX for TV and note the "T" number on the sound report with the corresponding scene. Boom Recorder does provide a detailed sound report on the DVD, and I know some mixers who have mutually worked out with telecine and post to use these, so no paper report was turned in. You should email him again, cc the producer, and explain his practice is increasing your time in the bay.
  23. Conditions and tasks identical. Tried multiple tasks and modes with no fluctuation in power consumption. Both the RME and the Mackie seem to have little or no additional power needs depending on what it is asked to do.
  24. Okay technical wizards. Help me with this... I put a meter on my two pieces of gear I run off AC (Mackie 1642 & RME FF800). When plugged directly into AC at 118v the FF800 by itself metered 21w, 31vA, .26A - The Mackie metered 30w, 38vA, .34A. Together they were 52w, 66vA, .56A. So about 6A @ 12v DC. The watt rating of the units were accurate per manufacturers specs. 20w for the Fireface and 30w for the Mackie. The draw seemed to not be affected in any way by any settings or bandwidth changes in the FF800, and did not vary in any significant way on the Mackie when additional inputs/outputs or p48 or any other functions were used. I then plugged the units into my inverter. This is a high-end and efficient 125w pure sine wave inverter. The voltage readout was about 116v. The Mackie numbers were exactly the same 30w, 38vA, .34A. But the RME FF800 read 22w, 41vA, .34A. Together it was 53w, 75vA, .65A. Closer to 7A @ 12v DC. Does anyone have any thoughts as to why the Mackie power consumption remained consistent when powered through the inverter, but the RME FF800 amperage consumption increased?
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