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I haven't managed to thank everyone personally but the last few days have seen an amazing amount of support donations from our members. Maybe my birthday, April 18th, triggered this, I don't know, but it is so appreciated! We have such a great group of sound people here who participate regularly on site and so many of our veteran members have generously offered so much good advice and help to many of our newer members. It is amazing that we can keep this all going considering how much "competition" there is from so many social media websites. I am aware that the legacy forum format is showing its age a bit but it seems to be still working quite well. So pleased that there is room in your lives for JWSOUNDGRIOUP. Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for all the generous support donations.

I think he means how the Easyrig has rigid hooks that hold the bag, so it is easy to take the bag on and off instead of unclipping 6 carabiners. I have always wanted something like this as well. I have both the Orca and Ktek waist belt and I find both of them super uncomfortable. Even the smallest bag, I found the mixer sat too low and kind of prevented me from being able to walk properly.

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.

And thanks for all you've done for us, and for me personally. Jim

We tried an earlier proto on a 17 page backwards walk and talk, it was great for that

Haven't tested the two against each other but I'm guessing it's by design. The advantage of the Lemo being lighter and more compact comes with the downside of less physical shock absorption and being more sensitive to physical impact (that's probably not how you would describe it scientifically). But cable noise is common even for XLR plugs. A really important feature of shockmounts is the isolation of the cable that is attached to the mic. If the mic itself is isolated from the boom or stand but not from the cable hanging or lying around then all handling noises will be transduced into the mic. So there's usually a short cable between the mic and another fixed XLR plug that isolates the mic from the rest of the cable length. Some shockmounts have a clip to attach a connected cable so if you're running only one cable you can clip it in shortly after the XLR plug to the microphone as some kind of strain relief. Alternatively, it should also help to fix the cable with some velcro to the stand. I'm afraid with sensitive mics and without a high-pass (low-cut) filter it's likely that you get some unwanted handling noise, even if the mic is static on a tripod. The table might even conduct the steps of the person walking in the next room. So a shockmount is always good advice and will safe you troubles. It doesn't have to be cinela but of course they're worth the money and have special mounts for the lemo version. Any other will do for table interviews.

Hi all, I think it's a good idea to have one place for all news coming from NAB, including live streaming links, interesting products outside from production sound world etc. Looking forward to see what NAB has to show us this year. There will the famous party, right? Thank you, Vasileios

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.

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.

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 a 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 the casual nature of the moment as the source/interviewee speaks with the reporter, it's small size being 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.

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+.

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.

An additional question: Were you ok with having the bag low on your body? I prefer having the bag at chest level; I find it is easier on my back. But I'm curious how a belt rig would change the weight distribution.

I can't say enough good things about TXAdvance. I have been using it for 2 years. It is instrumental in scanning and finding clear frequencies, coordinating my 8 wireless transmitters and troubleshooting RF hits in LIVE active mode when some new RF source walks onto set. I have used several RF apps before using this one. For a location sound mixer there is simply no better product. I know several Apple device users who have purchased Android tablets just to use TXAdvance. Plus Grégoire is very responsive to feature suggestions. I highly recommend his app. In its current version it is very mature and feature packed.

If I attached my Easyrig Minimax, which supports up to 7kg (15.4lb), to a mixer bag instead of a camera the bag would feel almost weightless. I’d be able to guide the bag with a couple of fingers. The Easyrig for boom poles is designed differently, but Hellsten appears to be saying that it has a positive effect on the apparent weight of a mixer bag.

I just liked the way the mixer bag hung off of the hooks. Imagine a thick belt or girdle you wear around your hips, and you'd hang the bag on that instead of having straps over your shoulders, so no harness per se. I don't know if it'd actually work but it seems like a nice solution. I think I'd buy it

I'd advise against putting anything at the 180 degree spot/ back of the microphone, especially a bucket which is a very non-linear sound collector of sorts, especially when agitated with wind. The common misconception is that directional mics have a null at 180 degrees or various other angles , depending on the polar pattern. In practice microphones, especially shotgun microphones hardly ever have textbook patterns across the entire frequency range. Schoeps is probably the best at achieving as close as possible a textbook pattern but one quick look at the graph of the MiniCmit shows that at lower frequencies you have a significant rear lobe, meaning that this mic hears a lot of what's going on in the lower mids and bass behind the mic . 500 Hz is only down 8 dB and 250 Hz is only down 7 dB from its on-axis response. It is very important to consider what is happening "behind" the mic.

Thanks for the thorough and helpful answer @Sebi!

Neat ... that's the first armature I've seen that doesn't look totally impractical and bulky. I might keep an eye on this. It's still a pretty big item to be carrying run and gun, but they've clearly put a lot of thought into the specific needs of sound and boom. I'd try it.

Indeed, as I mentioned a few posts previously David! As I also said then, to coincide with NAB 2024 Sennheiser has issued more info, including the full specs w frequency response and polar pattern graphs, which are now available via the website: https://www.sennheiser.com/en-gb/catalog/products/microphones/mkh-8030/mkh-8030-700251 Cheers, Roland

Does your boom pole have an internal cable? Simply bypass the boom cable with a temp 12ft cable wrapped around the exterior of the pole and see if the problem goes away. I have to resolder the wee wires at the base connector of my K-tek pole occasionally for this very reason.

Yes, thnx, I already edited my post. The German Referenzhandbuch v1.32 p28 only mentions on the option for switching it on and the warning: "Manche Kondensatormikrofone funktionieren möglicherweise nicht mit einer Phantomspannung von 24 Volt. " meaning "Some Mics may not work with 24V phantom power."

Radius Windshields posted this to its Facebook Group on December 4th. The post includes three photos and a video showing the fur being applied to the fabric Cosi. You have to apply to join the Radius group, but Radius welcomes new members. We recently had a pretty challenging request come in to create a pattern for a fur windcover for the smooth fabric Cinela Cosi… looking at it, we genuinely didn’t have a clue how we were going to achieve it. But Donna (the star that she is) worked over the last 2 weeks to perfect this pattern and it fits like a glove! Thanks [name] for challenging us here 😅 this certainly was the hardest project we’ve had so far! If anyone’s in need of one, just let us know. We’re not sure if we will list it as an official product, but if the demand is there - we might 😄 We can do short black, short grey and long grey fur

I'd tell them to pound sand then. What's next, you need to pay them for the catering too? If production doesn't want liability, then they shouldn't be creating a production.

From my experience withe the CSS-5 in the mono shotgun mode it's a wide cardioide with no reach and very handling sensitive. For 5.1 work I bought I bought a Soundfield SPS-200 In post you can adjust many things using their plug-in software mike sps200-manual.pdf