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Zaxcom Nomad - It's Alive.


Jack Norflus

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Notch filter is under channel setup. Press the setup key. Then scroll down.

Glenn

Slightly off topic I presume but I still don't want to start a whole new thread about it:

How does the Nomad perform in cold weather? Like -20 c and less (0 F and less)

Have there been any testing made for this?

Sent Glenn a PM, no response as of yet.

Thought it might be interesting for other people to know as well how the nomad performs in these conditions..

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They are not released yet. Soon.

CrewC

I am aware of this, just wanted to know from Zaxcom if it's been tested in some kind of freezer/cold storage area (don't know how you do cold tests of stuff...), or if Jack had tested it in other harsh conditions. It is a critical aspect for me since I live in a cold country, and so it should be an important aspect to consider for Zaxcom as well, before release even.

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" Someone tell me these are shipping soon "

Let me offer some perspective:

Zaxcom has spent a lot of time and effort (both = $$) as well as a lot of plain old $$$ to develop, design, build, test, program, test, refine, and promote their new product. Until after they begin shipping production units to dealers, for delivery to paying customers, the product is nothing but expenses...

I'm rather certain Zaxcom is pretty anxious to get some money coming in to begin offsetting all the $$ that have been going out.

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" perform in cold weather? Like -20 c and less (0 F and less) "

Glad to have our members from the really cold places here...

While we realize that you have particular concerns about the climatic conditions for equipment, we also trust you understand that these are not typical, and the first users of the gear may not be putting the equipment to these extreme conditions for a while...

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we also trust you understand that these are not typical, and the first users of the gear may not be putting the equipment to these extreme conditions for a while...

Yes I do. Extreme cold is plain stupid for anything and anyone to be around in. So I do understand fully. I also figured that while I know the Devas and Fusion recorders do well in cold, I just assumed the Nomad would do so as well. BUT, as I actually consider buying one of these in the near future and winter being 6 months and freezing all the time over here, I don't feel like buying a product only useful in the summer/warmer periods. So I guess I'll have to wait, or move to LA. :)

ADDED:

Oh and I forgot to say: I was just checking to see if there was any testing done, thought maybe Glenn knew, and if he doesn't and noone else knows, that's AOK. Just want to see if there'd been any testing in those conditions.

Point:

I don't wanna buy a Cantar.

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Nomad is fine in ultra cold conditions. Since there are no moving parts it will work without any issue down to extremely low temperatures.

Where Nomad will outperform is on the hot side. Power consumption is a low 500mA. This is half the power consumption of the competition. It will allow Nomad to record in the hottest climates without fear of lockups or other problems common to machines that get very hot.

Glenn

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Hey Jack Norflus, have you used the Nomad in an intense reality type gig yet? Example; running around with 5 to 7 people booming and mixing lavs at the same time panning L and R since the cam will be primary audio.

No I haven't.

Thats mainly because that is not the type of work I generally do. The little reality work that I do would not be considered "intense reality" more like reality lite. So I have used Nomad while running around to to mix 3 wireless and a boom. The audio was mixed down to 2 channels and was recorded in camera. And I experienced no real issues with it. At this point I am quite familiar with Nomad and its menu structure - so on the fly run and gun operations come quite naturally. But please keep in mind there is a lot going on in nomad than is why I have stated and will continue to state before you go into an "intense reality" show with Nomad take some time to familiarize yourself with the machine. While everything is quite intuitive you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you are looking for a specific menu or function while holding up production. Something that is retaliative simple to perform can seem quite difficult when the heat is on.

Neil I am guessing that your question is referring to reality two channel mixing with the lack of hardware pan pots, and the speed of panning on the fly. Before getting Nomad I had a concern about this as well. But what I can say is Zaxcom did a really nice job when they designed and added the two channel pan menu. This feature was created and added specifically for the reality mixer who will record two channels directly into camera. It make L / R panning quite simple and it also give you visual indication of which channel is panned where.

Is it as simple as reaching down and a flipping a switch? No it's not. But it is quick and easy - plus the routing of Nomad gives you so many more options for other shoots then if they simply put in a pan knob.

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or if Jack had tested it in other harsh conditions.

No I haven't - I live in the New York and we are currently enjoying a nice mild fall - so cold weather testing has not happened on my end. Though there was another Beta tester who mentioned that he wanted to stick his Nomad in the freezer for a few hours to see how it fairs (no lude remarks necessary). But I have not followed up with him about this so I'm not quite sure of the results.

I know Zaxcom does extreme conditions testing on its products so I would take Glenn's previous posting as the answer you are looking for. Though I can say -20C is damn cold and I don't know about Nomad but I personally wouldn't operate well at that temperature.

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Is the Switchcraft power connector identical to the one used on the Sound Devices MM-1? It looks as if it is, maybe someone can confirm this?

It's not the same, which can be confusing and can cause big problems if not paid close attention to. The Sound Devices MM-1 uses a 2.1mm center (as does Lectrosonics devices, while the Zaxcom uses a 2.5mm [except for the Nomad, which uses the 4-pin HRS]. You cannot plug a 2.1mm plug into a 2.5mm receptacle because of the larger center pin, but you can plug a 2.5mm plug into a 2.1mm receptacle, with intermittent results.

Glen Trew

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There has been such huge interest in this machine that I'm sure they will be everywhere soon and our questions will be answered by the only sort of research and testing that matters: real-world field use. Let's hear what the early adopters say before making any more pronouncements about what outperforms what where and how, I say.

phil p

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One of the fundamental complaints of the Nomad is the multiple/dual controls necessary for some functions. How does it compare to the complexity of a Cantar? My understanding is once mastered the Cantar is easy to work with. Is the Nomad inherently more difficult to control under stress? Even with practice?

..and

For those of you working with these more complex routing and mixing structures do you think the Nomad (with its small screen and many options) is to vulnerable to making mistakes. I know this is subjective to the extreme but I have found some times a cockpit is built for trouble.

( I have never worked with a Cantar but understand the controls are not intuitive but are very functional. )

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" My understanding is once mastered the Cantar is easy to work with "

all those happy customers can't be wrong.. ::)

" For those of you working with these more complex routing and mixing structures do you think the Nomad (with its small screen and many options) is to vulnerable to making mistakes. "

remains to be seen

" this is subjective to the extreme "

and could certainly vary greatly from one person to the next.. :mellow:

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