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New Zaxcom small transmitter - ZMT


enginufuk

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great info all around guys. many thanks. how has the unit been functioning out in the field. it was mentioned that it had already been put to the test with some beta early users, but now that the unit has been out for a bit, has anyone had any additional experience with it? seems like it's very solid not only hardware wise but also on the software front....

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9 minutes ago, ivanovich said:

great info all around guys. many thanks. how has the unit been functioning out in the field. it was mentioned that it had already been put to the test with some beta early users, but now that the unit has been out for a bit, has anyone had any additional experience with it? seems like it's very solid not only hardware wise but also on the software front....

I've been very happy with it. Seems like it is as solid as the other transmitters as far as software and the clip has worked well for me too. I've actually put a small piece of Velcro on the side so I can wrap excess lav cable around the Tx and then secure it too the side. Keeps everything secure when using a clip as well. 

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17 minutes ago, PalmerT said:

I've been very happy with it. Seems like it is as solid as the other transmitters as far as software and the clip has worked well for me too. I've actually put a small piece of Velcro on the side so I can wrap excess lav cable around the Tx and then secure it too the side. Keeps everything secure when using a clip as well. 

have you run the battery all the way yet?

 

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47 minutes ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

Well, I can see the aerial there, and when the mic's plugged in I envisage even more problems. Could you perhaps get a plant pot from props Jack and try that?

Jez x

I doubt Jack was offering that photo as an ideally hidden plant.  I think it was just posted as an interesting size reference.

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Love the use of these tiny and [seemingly] readily available third-party rechargable batteries. At the same time, it is slightly concerning that these could go out of style and stop being manufactured at any time, making the transmitters fancy little paperweights down the line. Hoping these dong go the way of the ZPX batteries on the TRX992/942. 

With that said, has anyone found a good multi-bay charger for 4 or more of these batteries? I imagine needing to keep 3-4 of these batteries around for each transmitter, and with only single or dual chargers it could be quite a mess. 

E. 

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37 minutes ago, Solid Goldberger said:

 With that said, has anyone found a good multi-bay charger for 4 or more of these batteries? I imagine needing to keep 3-4 of these batteries around for each transmitter, and with only single or dual chargers it could be quite a mess. 

E. 

it would be nice to find something that is greater than 2 bays and less than 12....:

http://www.lectrosonics.com/US/Categories-listing/product/529-chs12lb50.html

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I'm guessing there's nothing on the market (except the Lectrosonics one) beyond a 2 bay because these things last soooo long in point & shoot cameras. That's probably also why the lower capacity knock-offs are fine for most people.
I do like that Zaxcom and Lectrosonics both use the same battery, and hope a 3rd party sees an opportunity to make something targeted at our world.

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21 minutes ago, ao said:

it would be nice to find something that is greater than 2 bays and less than 12....:

http://www.lectrosonics.com/US/Categories-listing/product/529-chs12lb50.html

Whoa! Didn't see that one!  Seems very pricey, but that is a lot closer to what I'm looking for.  I agree it would be nice to have a few lower-priced and lower-capacity options.  Thanks for the link.

e.

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  • 1 month later...

Recently bought 2 ZMT3.5's. Running them via QRX200 to my Nomad. Using analog. Don't have aes cable to experiment.

Whatever mode I put the QRX in (single, dual, or Mono, XR, 96, 48... It sounds like the same amount of floor noise.

Tried different frequencies and noise seems to be the same volume.

At first I ran both mixer and QRX thru Audioroot BDS then I separated the two and used seperate power supply for the Nomad. Still noise.

Tried a second bds cable for the QRX, still noise.

QRX by itself sent to Nomad has some noise but when the ZMT is powered up the noise seems 10x's louder. When I add a lav (DPA4063) the mic is nice and crisp but floor noise still sounds like the same ugly volume. 

Fairly certain I am doing something wrong but my brain can't think of what it might be.

Any suggestions?

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Make sure the mic does not have a red band on it. If so it will be 10dB worse when it comes to the noise floor.  If that is not it give us a call and we will help you figure it out. In a proper gain configuration there will be no discernible noise floor.

 

Glenn

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9 hours ago, Piper K said:

Recently bought 2 ZMT3.5's. Running them via QRX200 to my Nomad. Using analog. Don't have aes cable to experiment.

Whatever mode I put the QRX in (single, dual, or Mono, XR, 96, 48... It sounds like the same amount of floor noise.

Tried different frequencies and noise seems to be the same volume.

At first I ran both mixer and QRX thru Audioroot BDS then I separated the two and used seperate power supply for the Nomad. Still noise.

Tried a second bds cable for the QRX, still noise.

QRX by itself sent to Nomad has some noise but when the ZMT is powered up the noise seems 10x's louder. When I add a lav (DPA4063) the mic is nice and crisp but floor noise still sounds like the same ugly volume. 

Fairly certain I am doing something wrong but my brain can't think of what it might be.

Any suggestions?

 post a sample

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Just to eliminate some possible confusion:

The 4063 is technically a red band mic, as it is just a lower voltage version of DPAs red band low sensitivity 4061.  The 4063 has a yellow identifier to differentiate it from a 4061, but they both have the same output specs, which are about 10dB lower than a 4060.

Having said that, the output level of a 4061/4063 pairs quite well with Zaxcom's transmitters and should work swimmingly with all but extremely low talkers -- who are a problem in other regards, too. 

There was a short time a few years back when DPA produced some 4063s that exhibited RF susceptibility issues and those can result in noise problems, but if this is a mic manufactured in the last two or three years it should be fine.  One way to listen for the RF noise issue is to move the cable and transmitter around and see if the noise hash varies.

DPA also has an extra-low sensitivity mic in the same series which has about 25dB less output.  I don't recommend that version unless you have a special need.

 

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Thanks Glenn, Rado and John! Really appreciate the input.

The DPAs are not red bands. They do have the yellow identifier. The noise is there whether lav is attached or not.

I'm posting some mp3 files as examples

#1 is with DPA4063 lav on the ZMT3 going thru QRX200 receiver (XR mode) into the Nomad.

#2 is the ZMT3 going thru QRX200 receiver (XR mode) into the Nomad, no lav, fader up

#3 is a COS11D lav running thru lectro set going into Nomad

#4 is lectro set going into Nomad, no lav, (trim up around 12db from where ZMT3 was set)

I actually had to be at a few different locations this past weekend and decided to play around with the ZMT3 setup at each location. to my ear the noise never changed 

Last night I played more with the gain structure and it got better but still the noise is an issue. (Currently have 20db on ZMT3 and Trim -10 on Nomad)

For the comparison test I had to boost the trim up around 12db and fader up for the Lectro (which is normal for me). At the moment I can't remember where I usually have the transmitter volume

I think Glenn is probably correct and it's just a gain structure issue on my part. I'll contact the good folks at Zaxcom for some kibitzing but feel free to school me on a suggested gain structure. I'm a bit self taught and usually muddle thru on trial and error

4 lectro thru nomad no mic lav.mp3

3 lectro thru nomad with lav.mp3

2 zmt3 with QRX200 no mic.mp3

1 zmt3 with QRX200 with lav.mp3

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11 hours ago, Piper K said:

Thanks Glenn, Rado and John! Really appreciate the input.

The DPAs are not red bands. They do have the yellow identifier. The noise is there whether lav is attached or not.

I'm posting some mp3 files as examples

#1 is with DPA4063 lav on the ZMT3 going thru QRX200 receiver (XR mode) into the Nomad.

#2 is the ZMT3 going thru QRX200 receiver (XR mode) into the Nomad, no lav, fader up

#3 is a COS11D lav running thru lectro set going into Nomad

#4 is lectro set going into Nomad, no lav, (trim up around 12db from where ZMT3 was set)

I actually had to be at a few different locations this past weekend and decided to play around with the ZMT3 setup at each location. to my ear the noise never changed 

Last night I played more with the gain structure and it got better but still the noise is an issue. (Currently have 20db on ZMT3 and Trim -10 on Nomad)

For the comparison test I had to boost the trim up around 12db and fader up for the Lectro (which is normal for me). At the moment I can't remember where I usually have the transmitter volume

I think Glenn is probably correct and it's just a gain structure issue on my part. I'll contact the good folks at Zaxcom for some kibitzing but feel free to school me on a suggested gain structure. I'm a bit self taught and usually muddle thru on trial and error

4 lectro thru nomad no mic lav.mp3

3 lectro thru nomad with lav.mp3

2 zmt3 with QRX200 no mic.mp3

1 zmt3 with QRX200 with lav.mp3

I will throw out Lectrosonics from this test, because Lectrosonics use SmartNR.

First and second example; have high noise, even when microphone isn't plugged to transmitter.

1. Check the output type from the receiver (line or AES) and double check Nomad input setting. Remove everything (HPF, Limiters etc)
2. Check the output level from the receiver.
3. Check transmitter dynamics settings (set all parameters to low - you can't turn them off).

 

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