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Boom Operator Monitoring - What do you use?


Den Nic

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The first show I did with all wireless boom was in 2008. I remember being amazed at how clean my hands stayed from not rolling cables. No cable wrangler as it is usually a two person crew here in Australia. 

 

Recently boomed a job where the mixer wanted me cabled. I was horrified at how slow I had gotten at rolling cables. Took a little while for the old under over muscle memory to kick in.

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No issues with ERX. For Boom Operator monitor there is nothing better sounding in my book. We never did much wireless boom work in the past primarily because Don Coufal couldn't strand to listen to anything other than the hard-wired monitor he was used to. Wouldn't even consider Comtek, Lectro IFB was barely acceptable. When the ERX came out that was the first wireless monitor that really allowed you to hear an accurate full range monitor that rivaled a hard-wired connection.

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Many of the productions shot around my area are Western's or involve a lot of livestock.  I've been running  wireless boom for many years with very few issues. The combination of  cables and livestock are just an accident waiting to happen. I found this out the hard way some years back when an off camera gunshot spooked an on camera horse...immediatly dumping a very experienced stunt rider and the horse just bolted.  My boom op and cable man were running like madmen  trying desperatly to get out of the way but...to no avail.  The horse was at full gallop when it hit the cable which was of course strain relieved at the cart.  The cart very nearly went arse over tea kettle and the cable was just mangled...XLR still in the mixer and the cable ripped right out of it.  Luckily no one was hurt and the horse was okay...but lesson learned.  The radio technology wasn't very good in those days...the old Cetec Vega but even then we managed to make it work.  We worked that with the old Lectro 195D's for a long time and now use  a Venue rig with an Hm and an older model Um plug-on.  The only time I go hard line now is for those scenes that involve whispers to screams...because you are going to be in trouble on one end or the other ...distorted scream or not enough gain to capture the whispery stuff.  The new Zaxcom units seem to address this " problem " with their remote attenuation available on the fly.  I haven't got one yet but would love to try it out .  If it works as well as it's supposed to I'd see no reason not to give it a whirl.

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MM-1 with R1a feeding monitor line input, outputting on a line level cable to smqv. Best monitoring setup. R1a just feeds me the slate mic and comm I listen to the boom directly from my MM-1. Also great because it allows me to make fast gain changes while booming.

So much better than a cable, never any buzz, much longer range better monitoring than duplex or wireless and all the conveniences of being uncabled.

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MM-1 with R1a feeding monitor line input, outputting on a line level cable to smqv. Best monitoring setup. R1a just feeds me the slate mic and comm I listen to the boom directly from my MM-1. Also great because it allows me to make fast gain changes while booming.

So much better than a cable, never any buzz, much longer range better monitoring than duplex or wireless and all the conveniences of being uncabled.

 

This is my exact preferred setup, except substitute the R1A for Zaxcom ERX most of the time. I modified a Maxpedition thigh-mount pouch to hold the MM-1 plus my other gear when I boom for other people and I love the rig. All the benefits you mentioned are spot on. My rig below.

 

post-3713-0-48641000-1365958256_thumb.jp

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

For wireless boom (i.e. not connected to the mixer, there's still cables :D) I cable into an MM-1 then send via UM400a/UCR411a to the mixer at line level. I just set this system up in the last week for a production that wanted a wireless boom op and it seems to be working well. Pity the MM-1 doesn't have a "return" type input like you find on an 302 etc. I'd love to be able to send a confidence monitor to the boom op with one of my hardly-ever-used Senn G3 like I do when getting a wireless confidence return from a camera. Instead I guess I'll buy an R1a.

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For wireless boom (i.e. not connected to the mixer, there's still cables :D) I cable into an MM-1 then send via UM400a/UCR411a to the mixer at line level. I just set this system up in the last week for a production that wanted a wireless boom op and it seems to be working well. Pity the MM-1 doesn't have a "return" type input like you find on an 302 etc. I'd love to be able to send a confidence monitor to the boom op with one of my hardly-ever-used Senn G3 like I do when getting a wireless confidence return from a camera. Instead I guess I'll buy an R1a.

Ed it does have a return line input monitor.  It lets you send a mono feed in to the headphones.  The boom op hears the boom directly so there is no need to send the boom back to him( if you do he will hear the delay inherrent in wireless radios and it will screw him up.)  The only thing that should come down the line to the boom op is the slate mic or comm mic so the mixer can talk to him. As a boom op the best thing is that you can mix out your mixer with the monitor knob if you want to lol...

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  • 1 month later...

Chris, yes I know it has a line "monitor" input but I can't use this with my Senny G3 as return from the recorder or to take cues from the mixer because it doesn't have enough output. I could put one of my 411a's on the MM-1 and feed it line level to the MM-1 but that would be a waste of a 411a and the 411a weighs about as much as the MM-1 anyway. In the past I've used a 302 as a boom setup mixing to a 744T. This is great because I could set up a Senny G3 from the 744T to feed a monitor to the boomy on the 302 so I could talk to the boomy but also I could feed him a recorder mix because he liked to listen to the radios or second boom in split ear monitor mode.

Other users of MM-1, what do you guys use to send a wireless mix to the monitor input?

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" to send a wireless mix to the monitor input? "

I typically send a mix-minus, and I prefer a Lectro IFB,

however I have also tried: Senn IEM's, Senn EW-100, Shure IEM, Zaxcom and Lectro, and even (once upon a time) FM radios...

so: it depends...what is your preference, and budget ??

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Ed it does have a return line input monitor.  It lets you send a mono feed in to the headphones.  The boom op hears the boom directly so there is no need to send the boom back to him( if you do he will hear the delay inherrent in wireless radios and it will screw him up.)  The only thing that should come down the line to the boom op is the slate mic or comm mic so the mixer can talk to him. As a boom op the best thing is that you can mix out your mixer with the monitor knob if you want to lol...

Question would there be any set backs just sending the boom op a feed using a trx to R1a IFB? That way he can monitor his boom and I can talk to him. Does a delay always occur or is that something that "might" take place? I usually one man band it but have a project coming up where I need a boom op and want to find out the best solution. Also was just going to use a plug on transmitter for wireless boom. Thanks.

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" just sending the boom op a feed using a trx to R1a IFB? "

happens every day...

" Does a delay always occur or is that something that "might" take place? "

it depends, but is 100% predictable...

Digital Hybrid components include delays...

" Also was just going to use a plug on transmitter for wireless boom. "

happens every day.

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I am frustrated at times that my boom ops, using Comteks, can't hear the nuances in mic placement I can hear in my headphones. But I don't want to add a powered amp for a Zaxcom IFB into my setup, and range is still an issue. As a boom op, I never liked the Lectro IFBs. The improvement in fidelity didn't outweigh the range issues and painful "hits" that seemed to occur with every mixer who used them.

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I am frustrated at times that my boom ops, using Comteks, can't hear the nuances in mic placement I can hear in my headphones. But I don't want to add a powered amp for a Zaxcom IFB into my setup, and range is still an issue. As a boom op, I never liked the Lectro IFBs. The improvement in fidelity didn't outweigh the range issues and painful "hits" that seemed to occur with every mixer who used them.

I always felt I needed the second set of ears helping me nail down rogue noises, so we settled on the MM-1 feeding a Lectro body pack, then something for my talkback. The boom op I usually work with doesn't care to hear the full mix unless he needs them for cueing, but we use a G2 for talkback and it's pretty clear, and very light weight.

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Yesterday on stage we had just started a scene in a new room. We are shooting on an Epic, so the fan didn't allow us to listen for problematic noises (and there were none while blocking). We roll on the 1st take, and the mixer asks me if I could hear a low rumble. I could not. In my headphones plugged into the lectro IFB I wasn't able to hear what became a problem for us. After investigating I found 2 ballists placed right outside the set and we had to have electric move them.

I own an MM1, but find that a lot of mixers prefer I hear the mix and not just my boom. What I did discover while investigating with Chris Howland was that PR-216's differ in monitoring capability from receiver to receiver. I found an especially good comtek that gave me a great amount of low end that helps me hear the subtleties I want to hear as a boom op.

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Having a Tx hung of an MM-1 is certainly a great high fidelity solution, but there are good reasons for having a board feed rather than a direct monitoring only solution too.  When boom ops are helping me wire, I'll send the PF ISO matrix of the lav mic(s) they are working on so they can hear the results of their placements and potential clothing or cable noises.

 

I recently sold my D4 / Quadra system, but that was by far the best monitoring setup that I have ever used.  Fidelity was equal to hardline and range was incredible.  Also, dropouts, were accompanied with soft digital artifacts, and not harsh analog hash.  The fact that the system was on the 900MHz ISM band was great too, kept clear of all talent wireless.  It is a real shame that Lectro discontinued the Quadra bodypack receiver.  I wish they would reintroduce a single channel version of the Quadra receiver.  I would love the ability to have a 4 channel TX that can send any combination of mix, IFB, boom PL and then hand out single channel receivers to different people / cameras as the situation dictates.

 

I'm purchasing an IFB200 and giving the ERX2TCD another try, if that works well, would consider giving it a go for boom op PL too.

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As a boom op, I never liked the Lectro IFBs. The improvement in fidelity didn't outweigh the range issues and painful "hits" that seemed to occur with every mixer who used them.

 

I cheat by using a 250mw SMQV as the IFB transmitter, and rarely do we run into hits with the Lectro IFB receiver. 

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