berniebeaudry

Hi Glen, Thanks for responding. I'm glad all is well at Trew now. I may have overstated the volume of the whine, but there is indeed an acoustic noise being emitted. The first time I heard the whine was on a shoot where I had two rx's powered by a common battery plugged into a two channel ac powered Mackie mixer. The output of the mixer was plugged into an SD 302 so I could have all four 211s going. The interview was three people over 90 years old being interviewed by a journalist. Before we rolled, the camera guy and I both noticed the whine. It was definitely in the audio path but I was also thinking I was hearing it in the air being picked up by the mics because we had all four open. We had to roll, so in trouble shooting I pulled the external battery feed to the two receivers that were in the Mackie and went to internal power. That problem solved. The other two rx's were externally powered from my central battery that was also powering the SD mixer. I've since listened to two rx's plugged into the common battery and the whine is present and can be heard by ear but perhaps not as loud as I first thought. This is without any audio cables attached and no connection to the mixer. If you unplug one of them the frequency changes to a lower pitch. All of the units operate fine on internal power (silent) and make no noise when using the wall wart power individually either. I tried using two different battery packs just to see if that was a factor. One was a twelve volt AA pack with fresh batteries, and the other was the Tekneon laptop battery I usually use, and that was set to 14 volts. How would I measure the input voltage as you described? Does the Mackie scenario offer any clues? Best, Bernie

Last Wednesday afternoon I worked A2 for a Fox Sports North Minnesota Twins pre and post game show. It was the final game in a series with Detroit. We swept them. Its a beautiful stadium, but it'll take some getting used to working outside after all those years in the Metrodome. Check out the resolution on that scoreboard.

I know what you mean. Any product no matter how well made will suffer if not treated with care. I used to be on staff at a PBS station and tried to keep all the blimps, mics, mixers, etc. maintained so when I needed to use something it was ready to go. It was a frustrating exercise because no one else seemed to care about the gear and treated it accordingly. Its gotten worse since I'm not there full time, and as a part timer I'm more inclined to use my own gear and avoid having to put together a package from the mess that is the gear room. End of rant. Take good care of your tools and they will take care of you. Bernie

Hi John, I'm not sure, but I don't think so. The main thing is the whine is audible in the air if you put your ear to the receiver. Its not in the audio path but its being picked up acoustically by the lavs. Also the whine is present when powering two receivers by a AA group (12volts) of batteries and not connected to anything. I first discovered this when I tried to power two receivers from one battery for a camera hop. Best, Bernie

Thanks Glenn, I wish it were that easy. The whine emanates from the receivers even when they are not plugged into the mixer. You can put your ear up to them and hear the sound that way. Plugged into the mixer I hear the whine in the open air, but it doesn't seem to be in the audio path at all. I first noticed this when I was powering two receivers from one battery for a camera hop. It doesn't have anything to do with being plugged into the mixer and/or having phantom power engaged. Bernie

Thanks Jeff, My work around has been what you said. Either use separate supplies or the internal batteries. I'm contacting Lectro today to see what they say. Best, Bernie

I've tried powering two Lectro 211s from one battery source and it causes them to emit a high pitched whine. The noise is there whether of not the receivers are plugged into the mixer and is not audible in the mixer if plugged in. You can hear it in the air like a television set with a bad flyback transformer. I would like to power all four of my 211 rx and my mixer from a common source but this sound can be picked up by the mics and is really annoying. Any ideas? I'm powering two of the rx with two separate leads from my BDA with caps installed on each lead and there is a faint whine with that setup. I tried tapping in two more and the whine gets much louder. Thanks for any help you can offer. Bernie

I've had the five pin return be really hot back into my SD302 or 442. I don't know if the camera has an adjustment for that but the headphone peak lights were coming on periodically and I had to turn the volume way down. I'm guessing that the five pin audio out is default to +4 line level which is a bit hot for the headphone return. Bernie

The Marantz is pretty good without the mod. For an extra $70 I thought why not go for it.

Hi Tom, Pasted from the Oade website:http://www.oade.com The Marantz PMD 661 Super MOD upgrade rebuilds the XLR inputs using very high speed, very low noise and super low distortion op amps that dramatically improve low level detail and clarity. Input PCB capacitors are also upgraded. Super low THD+N op amps allow for a very wide SFDR even with signal levels down 50dB. This preserves the signal quality of the highest grade microphones when recording soft signals, like voice, un amplified music, nature sounds and FX. The preamp chips used for the Super MOD have lower THD than the stock ones (about 30db less). The Super MOD chips do a bit less hiss than the ones for the Concert and Warm MOD chips. This is preferred for very soft signals as there is less signal to mask the noise. The Concert and Warm MODs also use chips with much lower THD than the stock chips but the gain structure altered to accommodate the much higher signal levels found in a Concert setting. When high output mics are used in a high SPL concert both the stock and Super MOD machines can overload. All upgrades dramatically enhance clarity and low level detail in recorded signals by significantly lowering the distortion in the preamp. To sum up, the Concert and Warm MODs optimize the preamp circuit for clarity and detail in higher SPL settings while the Super MOD optimizes it for more common signal levels like nature sounds, voice and Acoustic music. Also, the Warm MODs preamp chips use FETs so they sound very much like a tube preamp with the warm sound that offers a fat rounded bass tone, a sweet silky high end and the expansive soundstage found in high end tube circuits. Unlike the Concert MOD which is transparent or uncolored, the Warm MOD does add euphonic coloration to the recorded signal. Here's another paste regarding upgrading machines not sold by Oade: Oade Brothers Audio now offering upgrades for your digital recorder. Please e-mail Doug Oade to obtain an RMA number. Turn around time is approximately 10 to 12 business days plus shipping time. We do NOT service decks that were not sold by Oade Brothers Audio, any deck sent in for an upgrade MUST be in good working order or it is not eligible for the upgrade. All PMD 620 are available only on machines we sell, sorry but no exceptions The OEM warranty is voided by the mod but Oade warranties the units sold and modded by him. Probably quicker and easier to get service from him than the manufacturer. Bernie

I have the 661 as well. Mine has the Oade super mod. Very intuitive menus and operation. Headphone amp is a little weak, and the input level controls need to be protected from bumping. I've used it line in from a mixer (SD 302) for vo and sfx. With my Schoeps CMIT5U into one channel for sfx with the phantom power and the sound was good. I've also used the internal mics to record orchestra and sfx and they're not bad at all. Bernie

Is there a way to power up the 744t with internal power while still connected to the Battery Bud and then switch over to external power via the Bud? If the 744 stays powered up that would indicate its start up is causing the fuse to pop. Best, Bernie

Again, Did you check the the Battery Bud internal circuit breaker? If you haven't and you suspect the Bud is the culprit that is the most obvious place to start troubleshooting. Best, Bernie

On their web site they say there is an internal circuit breaker. I would look at that first. Bernie

I notice that when I run my Lectro 211s at full line level (+9 or +10) into my SD 302 I end up with the trim pot around two oclock or higher with the fader at 12 o'clock or higher. This is with actual voices. If I turn on tone from the receivers the trim pots are around noon, and the faders are around noon to get a zero reading on the 302 meters. The 302 inputs run through the same circuit whether its set to mic or line and in the Lectro information they say if going mic level into a mixer they suggest a -30 level. If I do that, I'm able to use less of the trim pot to get the level I'm looking for on actual voices. I always run my meters on the peak/hold setting and I like to see them range from +8 to +12 on the mixer. This corresponds to around -6 to -9 on the digital camera's meters. For the transmitter I always start between one and two o'clock on the mod knob. So in this situation and this gear, is it better to go line in or mic in? Discuss. Bernie

I would think you would be first in line called location sound recordist, or production sound, whatever they call it on the given project. Then the other person would have the word additional in front of the sound credit ie: additonal production sound. That's the way I've seen it done in documentary type situations. Best, Bernie

It sounds like you need to be a bit wider to show the beautiful location, but your MKH50 doesn't have the perceived reach to get the dialogue as far above the ocean noise as you would like. A longer shotgun like the 816, or MKH 70, or Neuman 82 would help that, but as you said its a lot of weight for a long shoot. Give this a try. Make a boom support out of a monopod. Rig a padded v on the top of the monopod to rest the pole in. You'll be able to hold the pole in position all day long because your arms won't be over your head and the monopod transfers all the weight to the ground. You can still move with this setup, and actually keep your mic position more stable moving or stationary. You simply keep one hand on the end of the pole for counter balance and the other hand is on the monopod keeping it steady in an upright position. To move just lift up on the monopod and go. There are other more sophisticated (expensive) systems available but I've used this method often and it works well. I'm not a very tall person so it really helps me. I've even done it from a ladder. Boomed a roundtable discussion for two hour straight from on top of a ladder. Hope this helps. Bernie

Sides are referring to the script I'm guessing. How come they're called sides? Haven't heard that term before. Bernie

Jeff, Thanks for the invaluable resource you provide here! I read every day if I can! Bernie

Sorry to bring back an old thread. I recently used my B6s in a typical sit down interview outside the clothes and had a lot of problems with popping. I even tried turning the mic upside down and putting it on the opposite side from where the person was talking and still got some nasty plosives. The studio I was in has B3s and they don't have that issue. Is it the small diameter of the capsule that makes them more susceptible to popping? I usually use these for hiding so its been a long time since I put them out in the open. Do any of you that own B6s have any tricks/tips for me? Putting the windscreen on takes away the advantages of the smallness of the mic, and the screen is poorly designed too. I know part of it is on the way the person speaks in the first place but I'm usually dealing with non professional talent and sometimes you just get someone who can't talk without blowing a lot of air. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Best, Bernie

Welcome and enjoy! Its a great resource and good place to hang out! Bernie

I've got the B6s and have the same issue with the viper clip. I carefully stretched them open a bit more. Can't remember what I used, perhaps the straight end of a large paper clip. You want something that is round and not too large. I think they have the same clip for the B3 and the B6 so its probably even tighter on your B3. Not a great design anyway IMO . Bernie

Sorry for the bad news Jeff, I'm sure you were looking forward to the gig! Best, Bernie

Totally agree! My wife and I are hooked. Way to go Phillip! Hope it stays around for a long time! Best, Bernie

Very nice job Phillip! I was curious to know what mic you used. I was hoping/guessing it was a CMIT5U, since that's what I have but nice to hear a good representation of what the Sanken sounds like. I noticed a bit more reverb when they were singing and was wondering if that was added in post or if that was the natural sound of the space? Either way it was very pleasing. Best, Bernie