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sarcanon

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Everything posted by sarcanon

  1. I shoot with a 5D MkIII, Panasonic GH4, and a Sony FS5. For the budget range you've mentioned, I think a GH4 might suit just fine. Lots of flexibility with millions of lens options, either MFT, or just about anything else with an appropriate adapter.Plus it's got 4K if you want it, though one can be perfectly happy with HD. And it's much smaller than the 5D or any Canon DSLR for that matter. I second Patrick's recommendation on the Rokinon lenses. Very good value for money if you can live without auto-focus, which may be a bit harder to do if you're one-man-banding. The only caveat is with the GH4 is that its low light performance is not nearly as spectacular as that of the a7s (Mark I or Mark II). Of course, with fast enough lenses, it may not matter that much, unless you're consistently light-deprived. If ultra-low-light performance is your primary consideration, then Patrick is right on with this recommendation for the a7s. It is phenomenal in low light.
  2. My thoughts exactly. I mean, it's so obvious, it hurts to say it, but good production audio is good production audio. If they're getting anything less, the odds are extremely low it's due to the gear alone. I realize the OP is in a difficult position, but if it were my good friend who was asking for assistance, I would use all my persuasive abilities to talk him out of this misguided plan to "save money". But having worked for multi-national corporations before, I know how their finance people think, and I'm sure this whole hare-brained plan is the product of some pencil-pushing bean-counter who thinks he's smarter than everyone else.
  3. That may have been true once. But all the MP3 patents have expired in most of the world outside the USA, and MP3 will be completely patent-free in the U.S. sometime next year. But I think for all practical purposes, almost all of the MP3 patents have expired world-wide. Ask your lawyer if you need a genuine opinion. Wikipedia has a decent summary of the current patent status.
  4. If I'm not mistaken, Tesla makes its cars in Fremont, California. Never having owned one, I'm not qualified to say whether Cooper was the Tesla of its day. But based on reputation, it doesn't seem too far of a reach.
  5. Wow, that's a lot of steps.But I'm glad to know it's possible. I'm using an RME RayDAT on my recording rig, and I've got the Time Code Option board on order. Now I'll know what to do when it arrives! Thanks so much for the very thorough description.
  6. How did you get it to work, if you don't mind my asking?
  7. Excellent work. Beautifully done. I'm also very envious. I just did my first live musical recording of a local student chorus, who, while earnest, were not nearly of the caliber of the musicians you got to work with. A couple of questions, if I may. Were all of the live musical performances your recordings? On some of the staged pieces, I saw spot mics (e.g., at 2:17), that, obviously, were not part of the recording configuration you describe. Also, the M/S stereo image was quite wide at points, which I found slightly disorienting (e.g., 3:36). Clearly that was a conscious decision to mix it in that manner. I'm curious what your thinking was.
  8. Concerning the alleged asymmetry of the MK 8 capsule, there have been a couple of heated threads on Gearslutz on this topic (which should surprise no one). This is a representative one. I think a fair bit of mic manufacturer bigotry undergirds a lot of opinions expressed, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. And while not as pretty as the Cinela, Rycote have a slightly less expensive option in their WS AE ORTF Kit.
  9. These bozos likely went off the reservation. Many film schools have strict policies concerning prop firearms in school-sanctioned films. E.g., here is NYFA's policy (paragraph 7). Plus, I don't think Moorpark College qualifies as a "diploma mill". It is part of California's Community College system, and is a reputable school.
  10. You just proved John's point.
  11. Of course, one must be careful to avoid pedantry when it comes to grammar, lest there be another occurrence of The Pedants' Revolt: Let history be a lesson.
  12. No kidding about having options. Even a single camera can be a nightmare, if you're not prepared for all possibilities, remote or otherwise. I just did an ENG-style shoot at the LA Auto Show. An exec from a German car manufacturer was going to do a demo of the new electronics and smart phone integration in a new model. I wired him up with a COS-11D and planted a DPA 4098, each on a Lectro UM400a Tx. Checked levels and listened for RFI for a good long time in advance, as there were several other crews in the vicinity. Coast was clear. He gets in the car and starts his demo, and all of a sudden RFI is spraying all over the place. Tout suite, I swapped out his radio mike for a wired TR-50, and even that started getting hard and frequent hits. I then quickly pulled out a wired shotgun on a pistol grip. Fortunately, it was a tight shot through an open window, so it worked out in the end. But only just. I spent the next hour beating myself up for not anticipating that an _electronics demo_ would queer the pitch. Doh! That was a lesson I won't soon forget.
  13. Agreed. I just wish the system was not so heavily biased toward protecting the intellectual property of mega-corporations and patent trolls The underlying rationale for the entire system has lost its moorings. It no longer seems to be to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" but rather to encourage the massing of portfolios, stifling of innovation, and keeping the intellectual property bar fully employed.
  14. Copyright and patents are not always analogous in this respect. Two songwriters working in complete isolation can compose substantially the same song, and yet both would be entitled to copyright protection. On the other hand, two inventors working in complete isolation can put an equal amount of effort into substantially identical inventions, but it is the one who wins the race to the patent office that acquires exclusive rights. Possession of patent registration does not necessarily imply having the moral high ground. P.S. This is NOT intended as a comment on the current circumstances. I'm speaking only in an abstract sense.
  15. On the other hand, it may not have been the NSA's eavesdropping (directly) that he was especially worried about at the time. Many intelligence agencies in Europe and Asia routinely engage in espionage in large hotels frequented by foreign nationals, hoping to listen in on, among other things, CEOs and senior corporate executives transacting company business in their rooms, and pass on any juicy tidbits to local well connected business concerns that may be interested in any information obtained. Perhaps Snowden was concerned about his interviews being swept up in this sort of industrial espionage dragnet and subsequently being passed onto the NSA.
  16. Just in case anyone is in the market for VocAlign Pro or Revoice Pro, Synchro Arts are currently holding a 30% off sale on all of their products. Through 26 November, I believe.
  17. True. A major limitation in Premiere Pro. But, if I understand your problem correctly, there is a hack you can use that might save you some trouble. Read this, starting at post 36.
  18. That should be your first clue to proceed with caution. If I owned any gear in those super-700 MHz blocks, I would be unloading them now. However,if it pencils out after assuming you will only get a few years of useful/legal life out of these units, then go for it. But I would think your first step ought to be to acquire an FCC license, if you don't already have one.
  19. I wish I could add something useful in the way of advice. But as you've probably forgotten more about FX recording than I can ever hope to know, I won't. But I will say this. If you don't make at least one ToneBenders podcast about this project, I will never speak to you again. :-)
  20. Thank you, Jeff. Your reply prompted me to make a closer examination, and it is indeed there. The first time I looked, I thought I got two TRS 3.5 mm cables. But, in fact, one was TRS and the other was the TRRS I mistakenly thought was missing. For anyone who is interested, the app looks great on my iPad Mini (iOS v 9.0.1). I tinkered with some of the configuration options, and they appear to function correctly. My only note would be that several of the dialog messages and user interface elements refer to the user's "phone" rather than the more generic "device". I noticed only because I was using an iPad, not an iPhone. Well done, Tentacle folk!
  21. So the iOS setup app is finally available in the App Store. I downloaded it (as well as the required firmware update). I got the Setup running on my iPad, but I'm told I need to connect using "the included iPhone Setup cable (4-pin minijack)". I see no such cable among those included with the kit I purchased. There is a 3-pin 3.5 mm mini (TRS) to 3.5 mm mini, but no 4-pin cable that i can see. Did anyone else get one of these buggers in their Tentacle kit? Thanks.
  22. Two stands is clearly optimal, but if you have to do it with one, I'd make sure it was a C-stand (well sand-bagged) either with two grip heads on the arm, each with a baby pin adapter to 3/8" (or 5/8") thread, which you could attach your shock mounts or mic clips to. The other option which gives you a little more flexibility would be a couple of UltraClamps (Trew carries them). They've got ball heads, which makes positioning them much easier. The problem I foresee is getting the stand close enough to cover the talent yet still be out of frame, since grip arms are typically no longer than 40 inches. Two stands on opposite sides gives you a lot more reach. But if they're right next to each other, it might work.
  23. I think there are a lot of people who've grown up in a culture of being told over and over "there's no such thing as a stupid question" (Millennials, I'm looking at you). While that may or may not be true of the OP, there are certainly questions that reveal one hasn't done their homework or hasn't read the room before asking. And some people consider those questions an affront of sorts. While I don't doubt I've asked my share of ill-considered questions here and elsewhere, I do like to think I do some amount of research to demonstrate I at least tried to find an answer myself before asking. To do otherwise conveys a sense of entitlement that rubs otherwise well-meaning folks the wrong way. Bottom line: with a little bit of effort, search engines can answer all kinds of questions very quickly, and should be one's tool of first resort. If you strike out there, then ask the experts. Try this: http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=sound+recording+iso+tracks
  24. According to the manual, there are no ports on the brain itself apart from EVF/LCD. The audio ports are located on the various available port expanders. The Base Expander has dual 3.5 mini jacks, while the Redvolt Expander has dual XLRs. Here is a link to the manual. See pp. 162-3 for diagrams.
  25. Camera? It looks like a deep sea ROV for exploring hydrothermal vents. Interesting mic placement, though. Wondering whether they're for capturing audio or for cushioning impacts.
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