Tony Johnson

The Tech Scout is not just to assess the locations for sound issues they are also vital for logistics around RF range and where to base yourself relative to shooting set plus you can take an RF explorer and check out the RF spectrum. These are reasons as important as sound issues and that is why I insist on being on tech scouts. It's not a case of sound "will be what it is" there may not be any if you have RF problems. Time to sell what we do in another way.

On 9/13/2021 at 12:59 AM, BAB414 said:

The base station itself says 5v / .5A but the specs in the manual say the AC adapter outputs 5.3VDC @ 4amps so I'm kind of lost there. I was therefore looking at this https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1478529-REG/omnicharge_op2ha004_omni_20_powerbank_portable.html hoping it would work, at least just for the base station if not for the amplifier as well.

yes that omnicharge as per link should do the job it says it will output 5v@3amps so that will work

another thing is to make sure the USB power bank has a 2.5 or 3 amp rated output as although the sunhans specs say 2 amp mine has shut down with only 2 amps

1 hour ago, BAB414 said:

Tony if you don't mind, I'd love a link to your battery pack and any special power cables you're using.

Hi Ben,

Here is a link to the sunhans 2.4 booster that comes with an array of cables including a USB to DC connector, this is what i use on the booster for the roger base station, you can then power the roger base station off a seperate USB battery pack (to eliminate any potential noise from the sunhans) using a uSB to DC connector(different than that on the sunhans) but the standard DC connector as used on most gear like Lectro etc. You could get a USB power bank with 2 x USB outputs and try running the base station and sunhans off the same power bank, the base station draws very little current, I have not tried this. There is a typo in the above email re battery bank capacity but anything from 10,000mah or greater will do the job. 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/301836546691?epid=1654464704&hash=item4646dc3283:g:33AAAOSwk1JWg1-z

you can of course get a sunhans that runs on DC power like any audio root or NP style battery but I prefer my 2.4ghz booster amps run off USB power banks as they are cheaper and lighter usually

yes similar to what I have, you can get a gold coloured version on Ebay that you can power off 5 v USB, you can also power the base station off the same and a 2500mwh or similar battery pack will last months on the base station

35 minutes ago, BAB414 said:

I'm about to work with one of these systems. I've been made aware of many of the pitfalls here and have a little limited experience myself.

 

Does the Base Station require line level or will a level straight from an SM58 be enough?

 

Can the included SMA antenna be screwed off or is it part of the chassis?

 

I wanted to try replacing it with something like this. I've heard of people putting amps in-line but I'm not sure exactly which and what that entails.

 

Thanks,

Ben

 

Hi Ben I have used the phonak roger system with base station a lot. 

Yes the antenna comes off, it is stuck on with lock tite so requires a bit of effort to remove. I would then put an RF booster amp like the sunhans on to the base station and use a whip, this makes a big difference to the range. I then run it out close to set on an XLR. I am not sure its actually line level but I have found the level is too low and we have passed this on to Phonak to see if they can improve this. With the base station gain on max and some extra gain on the output of my mixer I can get enough level. The new V2 ear wig has more gain the V1 and arguably better range with better battery life. The touch screen remote is a handy device as its the only way of increasing the gain of the ear wig receiver, I think they are set to a mid range gain in the factory and the touch screen allows you to change this. I have never tried it but have heard it works. I own a repeater too but have found with the booster RF amp and placing the base station close to set is a better option.

Regards

Tony

I found this today, looks like a possible answer and a good idea IMO

https://www.gothamsound.com/product/powerstar-element

Well done Ken I think this is a brilliant idea and as a cart mixer and not bag mixer I see so many uses incorporating it into a cart so it can be released and used as a breakaway rig. You could have your backup recorder in it and use on a smaller cart or on an insert vehicle. Its not just a bag rig IMO. It looks beautifully made and I think the price is fair as having built and purchased a few carts and rigs etc the best engineered ones always cost more. 

I look forward to purchasing one when they are released.

What size would you recommend for a Nomad/RX12 system?

Thanks

Tony

18 minutes ago, RadoStefanov said:

So 3 people have already noticed.

The agent here in NZ has talked to Phonak about increasing the gain so this is more ammo to get it done.

Will definitely try the amp.

One thing I noticed with the in ear piece was ear wax can decrease the fidelity and level and its difficult to see unless you take off the green plastic cap. Easy to change but it took me a while to find.

Thats definitely a job for the utility eeeeek

3 hours ago, RadoStefanov said:

I want to try the repeater for that. I was told the repeater helps a lot with range in random environments.

The Repeater does help in certain situations but I found the best way was to remote the base station close to set. I am using them on large sets and the range really suffers. On a capture stage with no physical barriers it is very good with a solid signal on just the whip. I still think there is a lack of gain as I run my aux outs of my sonosax mixer at max and the base station on max too and its just loud enough. I also use the older style hearing aid type earpiece that has a volume control and they are better. 

I use a 26800mah power bank and I have not needed to charge it after several months use, so that is a great feature, the DC powering. I haven't tried mine with a 1w amp but that is a great idea. 

Tony

On 10/28/2019 at 5:45 AM, Lids said:

Lately I and a few other colleagues have encountered some strange distortion issues in the dialogue recordings of recent film jobs (we are in sound post using protools). The one common denominator seems to be that the recordists have used Zaxcom recorders and the "neverclip" function. I can't pretend to be very literate about recorders, but we're wondering if there might be a transfer issue from the recorder that is preventing us from hearing that extra headroom and is thus causing the clips to sound distorted/compressed? I guess my question is can someone explain the details of Neverclip and the export process to someone who doesn't know the equipment so we can ask the sound recordist the correct questions. 

Any help is appreciated, it'd be great to get to the bottom of this!

Thank you! 

HI Lids - By process of elimination try the following.

Contact the recordists and ask what wireless systems they are using. The distortion maybe in the transmitter or even microphone or simply too hot

If it is zaxcom wireless then check the SD card recording against the iso track on the recorder to see if there are differences.

Most Recordists would have their contact details on their sound report. They would be able to answer many questions and probably remember the scenes in question.

Without confirming all of the equipment used on the scene's affected, its unwise to assume its the recorder. 

Tony

6 hours ago, RadoStefanov said:

it still needs: mixing surface ala MIx-8 but a lot smaller “so I can take all my gear on the road in a small backpack and lock everything in a hotel safe” 

Great review Rado and I especially like this quote. I too am keen to see a small mix surface and one that will also work with the Deva 24 when a breakaway option is needed. Great to hear about the MRX 214 as well it just gets better.

Thanks

Tony

22 hours ago, KGraham045 said:

The URX App mentioned in the initial release videos would be appreciated. As entering frequencies into presets manually is a bit taxing/clunky.

 

Also, Stereo Audio out the TA5F would be much more ideal than unbalanced 3.5mm. And would then allow for that extra 3.5mm antenna!

I find the freq presets a great function and you shouldn't need to change them often unless you always re freq your wireless.

The URX100 has been an amazing addition to my kit and the ability for my crew to listen to individual TRX's is a genuine improvement to our daily workflow. They sound amazing and the walkie interface is a permanent set up on the sound cart. I used to use Lectro R1 a's with a seperate lectro xmitter and referee switch for my crew as a monitor and talk back to me. That was a lot of hardware, it worked but nowhere near as well as the URX which is purpose built for that application plus has other features and functions as well.

The fact i can use it as a camera hop too is a bonus. 

On 7/7/2019 at 8:40 AM, Gene Martin said:

Sound Guys Solutions available in all analog and AES options. 

Hi Gene, i have searched the sound guys solutions website and cannot find this.

Tony

13 hours ago, Geluidloopt said:

On top of the pole

Hi, Do you have the model number of these please/ io cannot find the adapter part on the neutrek website

thanks

tony

classy, i must look at those

13 minutes ago, Geluidloopt said:

Neutrik Locking XLR straight onto the mic mount

They look great what does the other end look like?

2 hours ago, Matthias Richter said:

 

Do you mean a 743 OR a ZMT??

its a 743 and there doesn't seem to be an elegant solution that i have seen

Hi,

has anyone found a good solution for securing a zmt743 to the boom. I have a home made velcro option but it is hard to get on and off to change batteries.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

I am using two of these on a movie for my crew. I can confirm the range is incredible and so is the audio quality. The presets are a fantastic feature and as mentioned in the video my utility uses this function to check radio mics at trailer park before the actors come to set. A little trick i do is because i dont like the sound of a walkie with the PTT thumps you sometimes get on transmit i eq'd the input on my deva 24 to a very narrow freq band and removed these and it also made it easier to understand in noisy environments.

Great piece of kit.

TJ

That looks great Rado. Do they have them for the DPA 6060 yet?

Tony

8 hours ago, vale said:

The GUI is very simple and intuitive, like the old Deva/Fusion one. If you used one of these old recorders you can use the Deva24 even almost without reading the manual. 

Sorry Vale i meant an external GUI like a windows or mac iPad. I have one for my nomad and am hoping that it it is just a plug and play works well. 

Tony

1 hour ago, glenn said:

I think the trim may come up as active when you enter the input page.

 

That would be good, i am reading the manual and can see now that it will be quite easy to trim on the fly when needed and especially if the trim comes up active as the first option when entering the input page.

Can i connect a mix8 to the deva 24?

On 11/25/2018 at 8:14 AM, vale said:

If you have other questions feel free to ask.

Hi Vale,

How do you find the touch screen? is it easy to enter things wth fingers? I know it is fractionally smaller than the Fusion but would like to know how well it operates.

How do you find the GUI? is it plug and play? as in does it just work when plugged in and operate without crashing?

Thanks

Tony

yes it was called auto trim, such a great feature. Oh well then can you go into input page and highlife "trim" then change its gain with menu knob whilst in record?

Hi Glenn,

Yes i get that but if i were to use faders 1- 8 as zaxnet control then i want to use 9-12 as additional mic/line inputs after i have exhausted my 8 channel sonosax mixer then how can i easily trim faders 9-12. Do i have to go into the input menu and trim or is there a way like the Nomad where i can use say the menu knob once the fader is operated? 

Thanks

Tony