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De-noising is primarily a post activity, but I am very happy with the SDNX plug-in on my 888. It's great for consistent hums and drones, but it's not so effective with clicks/scratches. I use about -3db of noise reduction on the mix track and leave the ISOs unprocessed. Most of my work doesn't go through audio post, so doing some noise reduction on the delivered files can be a big deal for those who notice.

Hey Olle, thanks for the lead on Hush, I'll give it a try and report back. Supertone's Clear, totally! It's been a great addition to the kit (h/t to Jeremiah Moore for cluing me to it). Between that, RX (yep yep, @Sebi), and a few others it seems one can do a pretty decent job removing the camera's motor whir. Glad to hear about any other new additions. It's been a wonder seeing the recent sound isolation developments.

LOL

I loooooooooove my lightweight mixpre/waist belt rig. But it is "heavily" dependent on the weight of the bag. A 633 kit is pushing what I would want to waist mount. My Mixpre10T II bag is just the mixpre, 2 dual RXs, a G4 tx, and 1 NP1 battery. It's a dream not having it hang from my shoulders. But I don't use it much given the limitations of the setup, but it's clutch for when it works. My experience is with the Orca waist belt, I've not used the Ktek one.

I'm almost done with a windows version of the app that controls a single 788 via usb. Multiple unit control over USB is limited to basic CLink broadcast commands like roll and cut, but I currently have a way I could hook up the 788's CLink port to a router with a $50 RS232 to ethernet/wifi adapter so it could be discoverable by an iPad/Android Tablet and you could control multiple linked units with it. I don't currently have a Mac to write an iPad app on though. Once the Windows usb app is done, I can post it here as a basic test app for funtionality/bugs before writing the actual iOS/Android versions cause those would take a bit longer since I'd have to learn their platforms a bit more.

You should def try Supertone Clear. Supertone Clear It's the best "CHEAP" no nonsense plugin I've heard so far. Izotope is bloated I think. The other option is the plugin Hush Hush | AI-powered tools for dialogue repair (hushaudioapp.com) Which honestly I've never tried, but the demos sound AMAZING.

They don't make them look like this!?

Yeah you read that right. The part of the mixer bag hooks on the EasyRig made me revisist an idea I sent to K-tek (even EasyRig actually..hmmm) a decade ago where the general idea was a rigid waist belt with some way to hang the bag on, instead of having to clip carabiners or whatever. The idea came from me having a child that refused to be carried in any other way than on the stomach, like a Babybjörn, and I really enjoyed the satisfying feeling of attaching those hooks, so I kinda wished those hooks were on sound equipment, but I guess those hooks are super patented. Anyway, waist belts work better for me, I'm tall (6.4 feet) and skinny, so no harness has ever suited me. Small bag or not, I've always preferred having a girdle like thing on my waist to hold the bag. I can see a product from any company with this idea for a waist belt: sturdy, nice supporting belt with just that very simple hook design, the bag itself doesn't really need securing unless you know you're gonna be running frantically all day. Maybe EasyRig can create a harness that you could actually take apart, so one part is the actual boom rig and the other is the belt with the hooks. I dunno... I can dream. And most of the times I think that people using that EasyRig contraption will be taking it on and off depending on space issues. And if you're on a scripted shoot you'd have a dedicated boom operator who wouldn't also carry the bag while booming... On reality shows, sure, you could be booming and mixing, but not likely all day with an easyrig. Not even camera operators use an EasyRig for every single shot. It depends. Hah.

I'm using the lighter version of the Orca belt (OR-37). I sometimes do small shoots with only a MixPre-6 and some TXs so there's no need for any shoulder strap and I love it. Even with small mixers on my shoulders my neck tends to strain after a long day of booming, which never happens when booming without a mixer bag. Feels way better with only a waist strap and I don't feel like the position of the bag is affecting my movement a lot. But that's a really light bag of course. It's something different with the 788/CL-8/PSC SixPack setup that usually lives on the cart. When I have to use it only in the bag I take a combination of the Orca waist belt and a Portabrace shoulder strap (the one with the crossed straps). It could somehow work with only the waist belt but it doesn't feel right and I'd have to pull the straps tight again every other minute. On the other hand the waist belt really makes a huge difference on my shoulders as compared to only the shoulder straps and I sometimes just take the weight off my shoulders and let the bag rest on the waist belt when there are short breakes. I also like the form factor of waist belt and shoulder strap when being packed away so it's much less space than always bringing a full harness on set even though I might only need it on 1 out of 20 days. I think it's worth giving it a try. Your setup is probably lighter than my 788 bag and the heavier version of the Orca belt might also be suited better. It's anyway a matter of taste but since I tried the waist belt I'm always going for shoulder-free if possible, especially doing doc-stuff with booming at the same time.

That will be a dream come true, Using 788 by app.

I quite like the Roland hand-held recorders for that style of thing. R-07 is the current iteration. You'd be going analogue in, but it accepts line level on 1/8", and it would be fine for radio if it's just interviews. Kind of a mismatch in build and audio quality, but maybe it's what you are looking for? It doesn't quite duplicate; it has build-in mics, and a 1/8" mic jack, but the Sonosax would add XLR inputs and much better pre-amps. There's quite a number of journalist or amateur musician-focussed handheld recorders to choose from. Zoom H2, Tascam has one, Sony has one ... again, none of these are remotely in the same quality tier as Sonosax, but maybe they'd suit your size requirements? I would think most would be more convenient as full replacements though.

I use the exact same case, and it's the best solution I've ever found for AA batteries.

The Rycote Nano Shields are connected to the handle via a quick-release coupling. In my case, this connection is not quite tight and when I hold the Nano Shield by the handle, the basket moves by a few millimetres and you can hear a rattle in the recording. When I put the Nano Shield on another Rycote coupling, it sits firmly. May I ask about the experiences of other Nano Shield users, is the handle firmly attached in your case? I would like to find out if I have a defect handle or if it is a design problem. Thank you, Toby.

Hey @The Documentary Sound Guy, a reasonable query. My query in this case is in relation to the M2D2's place in the workflow of radio journalist, where its proves handy on reporting trips, first in field and later in the edit and tracking. While certainly a question of technique and approach, in the field a devices small profile can assist in easing importance of the moment as a source/interviewee speaks with the reporter, it's small size a unique advantage over mixer/recorders like the Nagra 7/Mixpre/ etc. Though like both those units, when returning after a day in the field, the M2D2 has the benefit of doubling as the audio interface during the edit, tracking, and playback. As for what a field reporter might couple the M2D2 with. While using your phone in the field make sense in theory (Sonosax pitched this for journalists), there are times you are recording both ends of a sudden phone call (using both of the M2D2's inputs, recording into....?) or when you need your phone handy for incoming messages (say during a satellite two-way). That said, totally, a spare phone just for the M2D2 is an option, though seems like there'd be a simpler option? Which brings me back to Lectro's SPDR, which seems most fitting in this context (albeit pricier than a spare phone). Which is why I wondered wonder if there were any comparable alternative low profile recorders to pair with the M2D2 that maybe centered around USB or AES (such as TE's TP-7, although designed for a very different audience). But hey maybe an extra phone is the convenient option. Good to have a spare.

For quick and easy implementation, I've used prefab boards like this based on the XL6009. They have a built in trimmer to dial in the output voltage you desire, simply connect a multimeter and set to 48V. Then feed that into a typical phantom powering scheme like this: (I modified that from a shure tech article.) R1 and R2 should be 6.8kΩ. The C5/R6 and C4/R7 combos not only block DC current reaching the output, they also form a high pass filter so choose values based on what you'd like. I think I ended up using something like 100µF and 1kΩ. For better efficiency and lower input voltage (allowing using AA batteries) I really liked the LT1307B. The datasheet has everything you need to know but this is the schematic I ended up basing my design on: My notes indicate I used 1MΩ for R1 and 25.5kΩ for R2 to get the typical 1.22V feedback voltage. You can use the LTSpice software to plug in whatever components you choose. I also added two capacitors (I think 1µF and 100µF) in parallel with the output to further smooth the ripple. Different values smooth different frequency ripple. Then of course that will feed into the phantom power scheme above.

There's always the Nagra Seven. Which also doubles up functionality, but at least its preamps are better than a Zoom. I'm not totally sure what you mean by USB-centred audio recorder. You mean a recorder that accepts a USB interface as an input? I don't think it exists ... there's no reason to make one when a phone or a laptop can do the job just as easily (with no difference in quality, and probably a minimal difference in convenience). If your audio signal is already on a USB bus, a laptop is the correct tool for the job. Outside of that, I assume the main reason to use the M2D2 is for its preamps, so if you want to use the analogue or AES outputs on the M2D2, any of the usual recorders should work just fine, Zoom, Mixpre, or a top-tier production recorder. I guess I'm really not clear why you want a special recorder just for the M2D2. If you just want the Sonosax pre-amps, plug it into whatever recorder you have. If you want to use the USB output, plug it into a laptop or phone. And if you want a recorder with pre-amps, get a decent recorder and don't use the M2D2 at all. If you really want Sonosax pre-amps with an integrated recorder ... sell the M2D2 and buy an SX-R4+.

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Pardon forum lords if I've missed this answer: has anyone landed on a low profile usb-centered audio recorder to pair with the M2D2 ( other than the established iphone/lectro SPDR options). Of course you could pick up a zoom F3, but thinking even that seems unnecessary as it doubles up functions. Maybe I'm dreaming, but I'd assume there would be something else in this influencer-video era of always recording.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

I suppose that you mean the 8000 series @Werner Althaus. The MKH 8060 seems like a wonderful microphone, I'm reading... 83dB SNR and very high output (63mV/Pa at 25ohm!). Unfortunately my preamp cannot currently handle such high output and low impedance without clipping above ca. 110dBSPL, phantom power absence aside. I'm liking to keep the preamp discrete and to make it capable of 129dBSPL at those levels is very challenging (3.54Vrms input). But I'm sure it sounds beautiful for outdoor nature and details with equipment that can handle it. Thanks for sharing your wide experience on the older models. I guess I should stop worrying about versions/age and find a well maintained one.

Happy Birthday, Jeff! 🤩

happy birthday Jeff!

Nice, might check this out

50 rounds, err um, AA's or AAA's worth of storage for $5 bucks. I put a little foam on the lid underneath as AA's/AAA's are a tiny bit shorter than ammo so they would go up and down if rattled in the case but used something like this for the last 10 years with no issues. Also almost exactly the size of my 150wh V-Mount backup battery that I keep in a pelican case so I stack them on top of each other nicely in the pelican in a divided slot.

I haven't done post work in a year now and I also don't have much experience with mechanical camera noise... but I was pretty impressed by the results I got with Izotope RX9 (I think they just released version 11 now) when doing dialogue editing on a feature last year. Some new tools have been integrated over the last years since this discussion started and I thinks it's worth trying. I found Dialogue Isolate to be pretty powerful especially when it comes to preserving the natural sound of the voice when applied resonably. I think this plugin rather looks for speech and seperates it from anything else as opposed to identifying the noise and then attenuate it from the speech (which also colorates the voice too much in my opinion). For me it usually works pretty well with NR up to 6db without much coloration. With Spectral De-Noise you could easily let the plugin learn from a few seconds of only noise and then it kind of works like a spectral expander. But if you run the reduction to hard there's audible losses of fidelity in the speech and you can hear the threshold pumping. I've also had nice results combining the two with easy to moderate settings. It doesn't do wonders and you always have to resist doing a little more reduction in order to not make it sound unnatural. But with well recorded dialogue it can make the difference between audible noise and little noise that noone will hear in the endresult. That being said, RX doesn't guarantee anything and I'm always suprised by the capabilities but also the limits of this software. I wouldn't want to rely on the possibilties of post when shooting so it might be best to do some tests beforehand. If you get people convinced to do that...