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What do you use for wireless sound to the director.


nossnevs

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The BST 50b is a great transmitter. But for use with the old-style 72 receivers, I would recommend the BST-75.

http://comtek.com/bst-75/

 

It's a current product; you don't have to hunt it up used. It handles multiple frequencies (one at a time, of course), it's programmable and its output is 120 mW so it provides excellent range even with the older receivers.

 

It's very compact and, like the BST-50b, it can be rack-mounted.

 

LSC lists it for $614.95, not much more than you would expect to pay for a used BST-50b.

http://www.locationsound.com/wireless-108/ifb-115/comtek-bst-75-synthesized-base-station-transmitter---72-76-mhz-1425

 

(Similar prices, I expect, from Audio Department, Trew, etc.)

 

David

I LOVE Comtek and their customer service.... 

  I was one of the BETA testers for that BST 75 Transmitter.... The small portable one... I for one did not care for it... It performed nothing like the BST 50b... It was a world away... for me, in my world....  One was given to me....  I actually gave it back....  Who knows... I could not get the range from it....   We normally work on large sets indoors and out with a large swath of area to cover... sometimes on other sides of buildings and such...  That BST 50b almost always works.... evrey once and a while I need to remote it... but for the most part, it's good to go... That little 75?... not so much... At least when i was using it.... Maybe they made it better... who knows...

 

It is an option though for sure...

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I LOVE Comtek and their customer service.... 

  I was one of the BETA testers for that BST 75 Transmitter.... The small portable one... I for one did not care for it... It performed nothing like the BST 50b... It was a world away..[snip]

 

That's not been my experience. The BST 75 has always worked well for me but i acknowledge that I haven't made a side-by-side comparison. Perhaps I would be disappointed if I made that comparison. Using the BST 75, I had full coverage throughout a normal-size stage at Disney and Paramount or, at least, no one complained.

 

I tend to use them as an extension of my primary Lectro IFB units so I'm not focusing a critical eye. Anyway, the BST-75 is worth a careful look.

 

David

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Sennheiser make a "tour guide" RX that's compatible with G3 transmitters, but cheaper and more rugged.

Model EK1039 IIRC.

 

Comtek is industry standard though.

 

That's exactly what I'm using now. A Sennheiser SK100 G3 Transmitter and 4 EK1039 Tour Guide Receivers.

I have one IEM Receiver too, bought used.

They works very well, both models.

 

I customized the orignal Sennheiser pouches too, because imho they were very tight to get out the receivers in order to change batteries i.e., so i enlarged them a little....

 

post-1382-0-34126700-1386951835_thumb.jp

post-1382-0-32445100-1386951941_thumb.jp

 

I sewed a Velcro strip too, on that sort of little tongue on the back, for labeling.

 

post-1382-0-61389200-1386952544_thumb.jp

 

 

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AFMY: roger all you say about hifi monitor audio on comm'ls: an invitation to obsess.  BST75 has worked very well for me--just as well on its own cheesey telescoping antenna as with the heavy and clumsy Phase-Rite. BST50 is a little nicer to work, but the BST75 has worked just as well for me range wise and was a screamin' deal by comparison.  For all you folks just working just a few Comteks or whatever--the world AFMY and Crew work in demands big bucket-fulls of the things all the time--it's a major aspect of the job: commercial creatives view their work as a team sport....no number of RX is too many to have available.

 

philp

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Anyone have tried the Audio Ltd En2 MX Receiver?

http://www.audioltd.com/en2/mx-receiver/

Thought about it, but too expensive in relation to what a clients' or director's RX needs.

I'm afraid the EN2 MX sounds too "good", it's not about them hearing everything, but rather about them hearing just enough to understand what the actors are saying - and about clients feeling important with headphones around their necks (sometimes with the volume knob at max).

EN2 might be something for boom op feed. Though I'd prefer something with an additional input for a private line that's independent of mixer/recorder config. Thinking Beyer Synexis system here, need to try that wrt reach.

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AFMY: roger all you say about hifi monitor audio on comm'ls: an invitation to obsess.  BST75 has worked very well for me--just as well on its own cheesey telescoping antenna as with the heavy and clumsy Phase-Rite. BST50 is a little nicer to work, but the BST75 has worked just as well for me range wise and was a screamin' deal by comparison.  For all you folks just working just a few Comteks or whatever--the world AFMY and Crew work in demands big bucket-fulls of the things all the time--it's a major aspect of the job: commercial creatives view their work as a team sport....no number of RX is too many to have available.

 

philp

You know Phllip...    I bet Comtek re worked those 75s since I used and tested them...  People sure seem to like them... 

  Yes bucket loads... not all the time, but at least 13-15 a day... some days as high as 20.... or more..  I carry 25 of the things...  just in case...

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Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for your advice on the ol' Comteks 72. I now have 3 M-72 and 6 PR-72, all of which cost me the grand total of $200 !

I will keep my Sennheiser G3 for more critical personnel, but the comteks are more than good enough for everyone else.

 

The bst-75 is definitely in my Xmas hamper, how does it behave in a bag, Size/weight/connector wise ? (99% of my work is bag-based).

 

I worked this week on a road safety Ad whose production executives are known to be really picky and rented a Lectro IFB kit for the occasion. They do sound much better out of my HD25 but, honestly, with cheaper headsets, the difference does not justify the price tag (in my humble opinion).

 

Anyway, thanks for directing me towards the 72, I bought six of these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JRYLG4/ref=cm_sw_su_dp and couldn't be happier.

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Sennheiser make a "tour guide" RX that's compatible with G3 transmitters, but cheaper and more rugged.

Model EK1039 IIRC.

 

Errrm... less rugged in my opinion. The up/down button sticks out a bit and is very prone to getting stuck, which means you won't be able to change frequencies. Had this problem on at least three of them within a year. Maybe they changed it now? I use 1038s but from what I hear the button is the same as in the 1039.

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Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for your advice on the ol' Comteks 72. I now have 3 M-72 and 6 PR-72, all of which cost me the grand total of $200 !

I will keep my Sennheiser G3 for more critical personnel, but the comteks are more than good enough for everyone else.

 

The bst-75 is definitely in my Xmas hamper, how does it behave in a bag, Size/weight/connector wise ? (99% of my work is bag-based).

 

I worked this week on a road safety Ad whose production executives are known to be really picky and rented a Lectro IFB kit for the occasion. They do sound much better out of my HD25 but, honestly, with cheaper headsets, the difference does not justify the price tag (in my humble opinion).

 

Anyway, thanks for directing me towards the 72, I bought six of these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JRYLG4/ref=cm_sw_su_dp and couldn't be happier.

You don't want a BST75 in a bag.  It's ext power (DC) and the connectors are on the back.  It's a pretty solid lump of metal the size of a paperback book.  On the other hand, the small Comtek TXs work great in bags....

 

philp

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Hi,

 

A decent cheaper alternative are the sennheiser G2 / G3 systems. Whilst I wouldn't use them for talent mics, they provide more-than-acceptable monitoring quality. You can use the dedicated EK300 IEM receivers or simply a regular EK100 with a homemade stereo-to-mono summing adapter and volume control (in a nice small enclosure and stashed with the receiver in a pouch).

 

Hope that helps,

Dave

 

 

Hi:

 

This sound nice, if you don't mind, can you put some photos of the pouch with the homemade stereo-to-mono summing adapter and volume control? I'm interested in making a system like the one you describe but I can´t find how to make it small and manageable for ifb use (mainly nervous directors and unestable commercial creatives)

 

Thanks for the advices!

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You don't want a BST75 in a bag. It's ext power (DC) and the connectors are on the back. It's a pretty solid lump of metal the size of a paperback book. On the other hand, the small Comtek TXs work great in bags....

philp

I agree that it's not ideal but I use a bst-75 in my bag regularly. The M-72 was not cutting it for range occasionally so I bought a "dangling wire" antenna from Comtek that I plug in and let hang down out the bottom of the bag. Works well.

It is heavy but if you think of it like just a monster 411 it's not so bad. You could also mount it upside down in the bag but you'd have to watch your eye with the big antenna!

I like that it has external DC input and a balanced XLR input. Adapting input cables for the M-72 is a pain.

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Hi Alberto,

 

Check this older thread, it is pretty much what I have been doing (Thanks to Mark Leblanc's idea)

 

 

The difference is that I make my own HP amplifier based around a LM386 integrated amplifier and a simple Prototype strip board. It can be easily powered by a 9v battery or a combination of AA's

 

http://www.ti.com/product/lm386

 

the circuit is very simple, just google "LM386 headphone amp", a lot of more competent people than me have designed excellent circuits.

 

Just a quick precision :

 

I haven't been in this business for very long and this has been an acceptable cheaper solution so far. However, as I slowly move up to greener pastures, I start to feel a little embarrassed handing those to more important clients. I recently bought a set of older comteks 72 which will do until I get enough cash to eventually get the Zaxcom stuff. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just bite the bullet earlier on and get quality systems from the start (I say that not knowing your professional status and experience)

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Hi:

 

This sound nice, if you don't mind, can you put some photos of the pouch with the homemade stereo-to-mono summing adapter and volume control? I'm interested in making a system like the one you describe but I can´t find how to make it small and manageable for ifb use (mainly nervous directors and unestable commercial creatives)

 

Thanks for the advices!

 

For volume control on regular G2/G3 units I've been using this 

http://www.ebay.es/itm/Koss-VC20-In-Line-Headphone-Volume-Controller-Level-Adjustment-1-8-Jack-/350815001415?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item51ae341b47&_uhb=1

The only thing you need is to open the box and mod it for Mono operation, Another way would be to change the mini jack to a locking type and do the necesary soldering for Mono operation

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  • 1 year later...

Going back to this thread, and specifically talking about the bst-75, would anyone argue that there was a distinctive difference between using a bst-75 with pr75 RX vs a BST 75-216 and pr216 rx? Assuming both were using appropriate antennas, and working from a cart. I have the opportunity to purchase a nice set of the 75s, and although I use a BST 75-216 with pr216s, this set is a good deal and will put me closer to the "bucketloads" category for commercial work, which is something I seem to be doing more of.

I think I would likely be running both systems side by side: one for clients, one for my sound team on private line. Anyone see any major pitfalls to look out for that I may have overlooked?

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