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Lancashire soundie

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Everything posted by Lancashire soundie

  1. Just use wet and dry and sand it while damp. Of course it's still better to do this outside. Generally speaking, airborne pollutants aren't things you want in your lungs, no matter what they're comprised of.
  2. Ok well I don't have much time on location to do that, but I'll see if running on one or the other speakers alone changes anything. Unfortunately it isn't my PA kit, and the soundkit I'm using on the job isn't my kit either. They have another PA system that lacks line outputs, so as a workaround I may send their mics through my mixer and feed that PA myself.
  3. PA isn't an area I'm familiar with, but I have a simple question. I've been asked to give someone an idea of what's needed for a press conference situation. Currently, they have two dynamic mics (say Shure SM58 for example) plugged into the balanced inputs of one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-EPA900-Europort-Channel-Portable/dp/B002BZX76G That feeds a couple of speakers (via mono jacks). I take a feed via the "tape out" sockets, at line level. It's all perfectly fine, but occasionally if someone clouts one of the microphones, the system will cut off the speakers, presumably to protect them from overload. I still get a feed of the mics, but that's no good if there's an audience there. I've tried combinations of reducing input/output levels, to no avail. When it happens, I have to turn the thing off, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on again. A bit embarrassing for them really (I didn't choose the system) Is there a really simple alternative, perhaps one in a rack, or a portable mixing desk with built in power amplification? Perhaps keeping the speakers and replacing the mixer/amp with a higher quality device that won't cut out? One with multiple inputs, in case they have more complicated demands in future? I've even considered a cheap old SQN or something, feeding a rack-mounted power amplifier.
  4. Not even any heatshrink or a cable boot, that's ropey as hell. I'd also be complaining to B&H tbh. Not good enough.
  5. If that's the case then there's no point in providing a stereo image.
  6. I would put personals on the juggler and mop people (and anyone else in the shot) and record their audio while the camera is shooting. I'd also secrete microphones into the environment to record spot fx of anything the viewer might find interesting. Record as much as you can while the camera is rolling. That way, if the software is clever enough, it can pan the audio as the viewer changes the direction he's looking at. Then I'd go into each room and record atmos. I'm not sure if using MS is a good idea since ideally, the stereo image would move with the viewer, not the sound recordist or the camera, so perhaps a couple of spaced microphones pointed at nothing in particular might be better. I think you should chat with whoever is responsible for putting this footage "out there", to see exactly what is possible with the audio once it's in the public domain.
  7. Dual receivers have two outputs, one for each lapel mic. Personally, I'd get a few Zaxcom ZFR recorders, wire them up with visible lapel mics, put fresh batteries in them twice a day, and leave them rolling. You then only need to deal with your camera mic (easy), and timecode sync (also easy with one of the many cheap timecode devices now on the market). I wouldn't even concern myself with radio mic receivers, you'll have far too much work to do. And I think you should warn whoever you're working for that unless they hire a soundman, there will be unforeseen problems - not the least of which will be you being knackered at the end of every day. Working on your own with nobody to help can be extremely tiring.
  8. Also worth considering is the Sony UWP-D system, which is generally pretty reliable although it does struggle a lot in crowded, high RF environments.
  9. Yes it does, actually. I can't recall the terminology but the latest HDMI specs allow you to route the picture from the television, through the AV receiver and back again. The receiver then adds delay to the picture so that the two are correctly synced. My television does it, unfortunately my AV receiver is too old. /edit: found it: http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_1_4/arc.aspx and: http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_0/index.aspx
  10. The modern HDMI spec sends both picture and audio to the AV receiver, and then back to the television, so that the two are synced correctly.
  11. My analogue microphones come into the mixer with 0ms delay. The radio mics I also use have a 3.5ms delay. That's fine most of the time, but if you have to mix things down to mono, it's going to sound pretty bad when those sources are in close proximity (say two wired lapels and two radio'd lapels in a discussion). So I delay the analogue sources so that everything hits the mix at the same time. Of course you may have the iso tracks, but even so it's one less job for the editor - especially considering that you know how much delay is required, whereas he mightn't.
  12. I work on a world championship motorsport series, I use a boom for most interviews (for expediency) but we pause when vehicles go past. If the overall noise is still high, I'll switch to a lapel mic. If it's still no good, we do the interview at another time. The only other option is to either do the interview away from the noise, or do it with a handheld microphone on their chin. That's acoustics for you.
  13. The Guiness Book of Records says the loudest person is 121.7dB which is considerably less than 132dB (I'm presuming both are measured at 1 metre) so I'd suggest that unless your mic is faulty, the distortion may come from elsewhere.
  14. I can only hope for stuff that stops annoyances. A fully collapsible mic basket that I can shove in a pocket. A radio TX with an integrated (replaceable) lithium rechargeable battery that has its own battery dock for charging overnight while still in its leather case (seriously, this isn't hard). Stuff that charges via USB. A special audio socket on cameras, rather than the three XLRs and minijack, the audio socket also carries data so I can see the camera data on my mixer panel (and perhaps a viewfinder image). An app so I can control my Nomad remotely using my phone, including dragging audio files from it (would be nice to upload clips to Google Drive so I can email links while on the way home).
  15. No, I won't be there. It's just to get usable audio into a phone. They've decided to try the iRig for now so we'll see how it goes. Thanks for the help.
  16. Being able to stash my pole is the thing I miss most since moving from a Porta Brace bag to what I have now. The Petrol bag also has an annoying habit of falling over whenever I put it onto a flat surface. I think I'll definitely upgrade to the Orca later this year.
  17. It's basically a standalone solution, I'll be busy doing VT sound so won't be present when they're filming. It's to give to a social media person, with their phone, so that they can work alone doing whatever social media piece they need to do. Needs to be extremely simple to use.
  18. I'm just asking what the client will ask when I present them with some options. That said, there's also this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Microphone-Interface-iPhone-Touch/dp/B007534LFK?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_Q6wbxbGRP66YP
  19. http://www.jkaudio.com/daptor2.htm Sincere question, in the scenario above, what does this do that a simple cable doesn't?
  20. I have a client asking if it's possible to connect the output of a cheap radio system (say Sennheiser G3 or Sony UMP) directly to the input of a smartphone (let's assume an iPhone). The radios have a standard minijack output and can be set to microphone output levels, so that just leaves the smartphone. I was thinking of trying this cable: http://www.pinknoise-systems.co.uk/rode-sc7-35mm-trs-to-trrs-patch-cable.html Has anyone done anything similar? It's for a social media addon for a world championship series, not for broadcast. Possibly live streamed on Facebook, etc.
  21. Why not cover the grille and use something like plastidip? Easy to remove once finished, and you can coat the cable and clip too.
  22. I've used a couple of MKH40s for interviews for years, but we're talking no more than 12 inches above their heads. Any more than that and I bring the MKH60 out. They're fantastic microphones but personally, I don't like taking them too far away from the thing making the noise.
  23. I've always kept mine bare in the cables bag, never had any issues. That said, you could save a lot of money by simply stuffing them in thick winter socks.
  24. Stay in the same band. That way, two receivers can receive one transmitter. Useful if you have more than one device recording.
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