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Orca OR-32 bag with SD 664 fitting issue


Alan1138

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Hi folks

 

In need of some assistance.

 

Recently purchased a 664 with an Orca OR-32 bag. For the life of me I can't figure out how it fits into this bag.

I've tried all sorts of configurations til my fingers were literally bleeding. That velcro is a harsh mistress.

 

If it sits level with the bag like the image below, I can't get access to my SD card from the side because of the frame.

But if it sits at the bottom of the bag, it makes it rather difficult to access the trims and HPFs.

 

Also, does anyone use the lifts. If so, how do you get them into place.

All the velcro makes it really difficult to move the bag parts around.

 

Calling any Orca OR-32 664 users out there. I could really use your experience and valuable knowledge.

 

Many thanks

Alan

Orca-OR-32-sound-bag-6[2].jpg

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It's a balance between setting the height of the 664 so that the trims are accessible but yes the card door

can be a bit difficult to fully open by you usually access that only a few time a day.

 

Guess that does not help a lot but Orca make a fine product!

 

Cheers

 

mike

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I've been using a Sachtler 617 and heavy duty harness with my 664 for the last year or so, and I'm a big fan. The card door is accessible, but only if you don't need to see it. I don't think it's quite as sturdy as the Orca-32, but it feels a bit more nimble to me and there's a spot to put your business card in the front for some nice advertising. 😀

 

I did have to buy a Porta Brace leather handle to carry it when not on a harness, but now it's smooth sailing.

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I own an Orca OR-32 and while I admire the design and quality of fabrication, I have never actually used it. The interior space is simply to constraining for my real life needs.

 

I have been disappointed with the fact that all the latest bags are designed for tight fits that require low profile connectors and are generally optimized for scenarios where no cables emanate from the bag. For example; on board recording with wireless inputs and wireless hops.

 

In my work I need to be able to wire up a mult-to-camera cable and have the connectors protected by the walls of the bag. I can't have them sticking out unprotected. I also need to be able to mix and match connectors on my inputs and have the same sort of protection.

 

Having said that, in the past thirty years of working in the field, the only bag that has met my needs is the Porta Brace A0-4. It has never been optimal but has always been serviceable. Indeed, If I were to have a dream bag custom made it would be slightly longer than the AO-4 and have facility to bolt the recorder/mixer and wireless brackets in to the bag.

 

My gear sits a little loose in the Porta Brace A0-4 but I have worked in the midst of crowded news scrums, public celebrations, public demonstrations, out and out riots, and natural disasters with it, and my gear has more or less been protected.

 

Plus, the generic versatility of the Porta Brace A0-4 bag lets me deal with the "rigors" of sit down interviews without having to tear my package apart just to re-patch some connection.

 

I have been trying to love the new style, form follows function bag designs, but they simply don't function for me. I have yet to find a bag that seems like an optimal fit for the 552/664/688 form factor.

 

I try to not to complain on the interweb, but I sure wish some of the bag designers would provide a solution that better meets my needs.

 

Thank you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just bought my OR-34 fitting a 688 and SL-6. I tried a few things but the one I have now seems to be the best in terms of fit and side access.

 

 

On 4/25/2018 at 1:48 PM, Alan1138 said:

If it sits level with the bag like the image below, I can't get access to my SD card from the side because of the frame.

But if it sits at the bottom of the bag, it makes it rather difficult to access the trims and HPFs.

Same exact problem. What I did was move the mid-spacer back a few cm to get the access zippers to lineup (as close as possible) with the I/O. Then took the orca spacers and put one on the bottom of the bag and top of the bag horizontally to push the mixer towards the mid-

 

spacer to eliminate the space and make a tight fit. This makes it easier to get to my trim pots and 7-12 pots. The problem was when it was sitting right up against the bottom as advertised, the honeycomb is so sturdy that it makes it difficult to get my fat thumbs in there to turn the pots. With the foam spacer in between I can get to the pots easier because the foam is easy and comfier to move out the way.

 

On 4/25/2018 at 1:48 PM, Alan1138 said:

Also, does anyone use the lifts. If so, how do you get them into place.

All the velcro makes it really difficult to move the bag parts around.

The best height for my 688 to fit in the bag is with no lift/foam. When I tried the lifts, the SD/CF was covered by the honeycomb. Even with no lift/foam I can't fully access the SD/CF door through the side zipper door. I've just left the zippers on the right side unzipped so I can just pull the velcro off for a hot sec and put new cards in. Not a problem but something ORCA should take a closer look at.

 

The one drawback to not lifting the mixer is that it gets hard to get to the I/O towards the bottom of the bag...IMO the lifts are a good idea but when I use it with my 688/SL-6, it makes the fit bulky with all the velcro that you talked about and also doesnt cover enough surface at the bottom to actually hold it level. I wish they had a foam that was half the thickness of what they sent. It would give enough space to get to the I/O at the bottom of the bag. You would sacrifice the SD/CF door but even with the mixer sitting all the way down you're going to have to pull the velcro off to change a card.

 

Final thing. To get more space on the sides I pulled the blue velcro on the lining of the honeycomb and rolled it to the outside of the bag where the velcro for the side panels sit. Small change but just enough to get my 688/SL-6 to not be so cramped.

 

Good luck!

 

JB

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On 4/26/2018 at 7:01 PM, Dalton Patterson said:

Get the 617!!!!

 

 

I wrote this long drawn out speech with picture and advantages and why I went with sachtler over orca, long story short, get a Sachtler 617 on eBay. 

 

Dalton,

I'd love to hear what you use to carry the 617 bag when not on a harness. Below is the handle I've been using (it's a PortaBrace Z9-UA-LH), and I've seen others using similar handles on this bag. However, i'm a little worried that the handle is going to hit against the antennae of the SL-6 I'd like to eventually put above the 688.

 

 

IMG_2797.JPG

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