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Audio Feeds


bperlman

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Hi All,

With the growing need to feed so many hungry devices - video assist, electronic cameras, playback etc., etc. - I am curious what others are using to split their outs.  I am currently using passive splitters but I fear that the loads are getting too heavy (I probably mean that in other ways as well, but that's another topic).

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bruce

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Hey Bruce, greetings. I know what you mean about feeding more n more people our audio. It is a real concern on HD shoots with multiple cameras. I split left and right off my cooper once and that gives me 4 feeds for HD cams or whatever, and my aux send for video asst. cause it is variable and all video guys need different levels it seems. This has worked well for me. The few times I needed feeds for more cameras than that, I came off my 25pin connector on the Deva and that gave me 6 more feeds of my mix. What a cluster F. I'm sure that there are better ways to do this, but this is the way I've been doing it. Also on HD shoots with 2 or more cameras, I've been getting a cable man for our crew, not a P.A., but a real sound guy. Production squacks but I hold my ground and so far so good. Hope this is helpfull.

CrewC

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Hey Bruce, greetings. I know what you mean about feeding more n more people our audio. It is a real concern on HD shoots with multiple cameras. I split left and right off my cooper once and that gives me 4 feeds for HD cams or whatever, and my aux send for video asst. cause it is variable and all video guys need different levels it seems. This has worked well for me. The few times I needed feeds for more cameras than that, I came off my 25pin connector on the Deva and that gave me 6 more feeds of my mix. What a cluster F. I'm sure that there are better ways to do this, but this is the way I've been doing it. Also on HD shoots with 2 or more cameras, I've been getting a cable man for our crew, not a P.A., but a real sound guy. Production squacks but I hold my ground and so far so good. Hope this is helpfull.

CrewC

Good for you on the 3rd.  This multiple feed business is a fact of life on video shoots these days.  I did a 2 cam HD shoot a week ago: 2 mics going to 11 places.  (2 ch cam 1, 2 ch cam 2, 2 chan audio backup NLR, 2 chan to recorder recording transcription MP3s, Comtek mono, director wired headset mono, PL system "program feed".)  This is not unusual for me at all anymore, and one of the main reasons I went back to having a "cart" type mixer on these shoots after swearing them off for a smaller portable rig for a few years.

Philip Perkins

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Hey Crew - Hope all is well.  Yeah, my set-up is similar, but what a kluge of wires at the back of the cart!  Also, I have had incidents of the evil buzz crawling up the lines, especially when the cam folks decide to plug their a/c power into a seperate source from us.   I would love to be able to iso the feeds (without rf hops) so that our backup discs are immune from the garbage.  Blah, blah, blah.

Glad to hear you're asking for the third person (in the first person, I hope).  I've been talking about it and preparing some prod folks for it, but have yet to make it a deal breaker.  It's especially necessary when they're using the small cams and don't pick the shot until the last second.  Meanwhile, the boomer is standing there holding the cables and not able to do their job.  As an added bonus, the utility could also help the video assist folks.  I think this issue is important enough for continued discussion, particularly among us commericial dogs where we never see a third.  

Bruce

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Hi All,

With the growing need to feed so many hungry devices - video assist, electronic cameras, playback etc., etc. - I am curious what others are using to split their outs.  I am currently using passive splitters but I fear that the loads are getting too heavy (I probably mean that in other ways as well, but that's another topic).

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bruce

I use the Sescom 1x4 line level xfmr isolated splitters. By "passive splitters" are you refering to the ubiquitous "Y" connector?

Eric

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Or try this:

http://www.varkaudio.com/accessories.htm#VMS-4%20Multiple%20Secondary%20Transformer%20Isolation%20Device

It's just a pair of Jensen transformers in a Budd box with ground lifts on the outputs.

JG

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Wow, lots of great info, thanks all. HD as it pertains to our Hollywood world is growing as fast as it is evolving. Many of the old rules hold true as far as how we do our thing, but the demands and expectations seem to change without obvious reasons as it pertains to the old ways. We all need to educate, re-evaluate, and engage and shape the way we work. Knowledge is power, and it can be fun. Seems like it is up to us.

CrewC

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Bruce,

check out the APHEX 1x4 DA. 1 space rack, volume knobs per ch. you would need to put 2 of them side by side for stereo feeds.

but they are very durable and cost effective. sales price around $350 ea. and to rent $25 per side per day.

good luck

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The Aphex 120A is bulletproof. I have three: L, R, and time code. The downside is that it is mains power only, but on the upside is that in addition to the 4 outputs it has a throughput. If it is wired into the cart and you don't need it for todays job it will still be throughputting to the Comtek even if it isn't powered up.

When I upgraded from a Cooper 106 to a Cooper 208 I removed the one I had rack-mounted on my cart because I now have enough outputs for most jobs. On a multi-camera (hardwired) job I typically place them at the DIT or Video Engineer's station and run cables to them. They can sometimes send sound to camera digitally through their fiber optic (if that works for you). The next task is confortably getting returns from the cameras.

http://www.aphex.com/120A.htm

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