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ronmac

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Posts posted by ronmac

  2. The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    My early working life, after a couple of years of "electronics school", was as a radio/tv tech. Zenith was a big brand in our area and, the "clicker"was the pride of many couch surfers. In fact, almost 50 years later, I still hear people refer to their remote as a "clicker".

     

    Whenever I received a service call on a Zenith with a remote problem my first diagnostic step was to dangle and shake a set of house/car keys near the TV. If the TV responded by changing channel or an audio level change, I needed to service or change the remote. If there was no response the problem was (rarely) within the TV set. 

     

    People loved the little magic trick, and I'm sure it became a party trick for their guests long after.

  3. How to record the sounds of rain without extraneous noise and not to wet the equipment?

    in Workflow

    Posted

    Intrepid traveler and nature recordist, George Vlad, offers great advice in his blogs. He often builds mini shelters out of native vegetation to mitigate rain drop sounds.

     

    https://mindful-audio.com/

     

     

    https://www.creativefieldrecording.com/2020/02/12/field-recording-gear-and-travel-george-vlad/

     

    https://tonebenderspodcast.com/121-recording-rain-with-george-vlad-and-thomas-rex-beverly/

  4. Recommendations for stand/boom and stereo cables for MKH 50 /30 rig

    in Equipment

    Posted

    I have a MS rig similar to yours, a MK30/40 combo in a Cyclone that accompanies me on scouting/hiking jaunts. The Manfrotto nano stands looked enticing, but I ended up with a Vanguard tripod that can be converted to a monopole for short boom work.  https://www.vanguardworld.com/products/veo-3-go-235ab-aluminum-tripod-monopod-with-ball-head-bluetooth-remote-spc

     

    It is a good all-rounder, although it is not perfect. Well constructed, it easily holds the mic rig (with a 1/4" to 3/6" adaptor). I always carry an empty sand bag in my kit that can be filled in the field with sand or gravel and emptied when I pack up and carry on.

     

    It packs down small enough to fit in a small backpack along with the Cyclone, MixPre 6ii, cables and batteries. For airline travel I put the backpack and personal travel items in a Pelican 1535 for overhead storage.

     

     

  6. Major Changes Soon At Rycote

    in Equipment

    Posted

    The following is a post I just saw at the SOS Magazine Forum, posted by Hugh Robjohns:

     

    Quote

    As many will know, Rycote Microphone Windshields — previously a small family-run but world-renowned business on the outskirts of Stroud in the UK Cotswolds — was sold to the Vitec Group Plc back in 2018. The management team stayed on for a few years before leaving in 2021.
     

    The Vitec Group subsequently rebranded as Videndum Plc and a little bird has told me that they have just — in the week before Christmas — informed the staff at Rycote that as of May next year (2023) the factory will close and all manufacturing will move to Ashby in Leicestershire. Jobs may well be offered to existing staff, of course, but I doubt many would be willing or able to relocate.

    I find this very sad. One of the major strengths of Rycote was that it had a family feel, and that translated into superlative levels of support. Everyone working there was fully invested in what they did and it was more than just a job for most of them. I fear that aspect will be lost in the move, and although the brand will survive much of what made it special will disappear in the same way that we have seen with other individual companies swallowed into the industry giants of, for example, Harman and Music Tribe.

     

     

    Full post here: https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84736

  7. Stereo MS Boom pole?

    in Equipment

    Posted

    11 hours ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

    Ron, I think you may have detailed your tripod in the past but could you tell us again here what it is? cheers!

     

    Being a post sound person I like to have a clear idea when MS is being used and how: whether separate M and S tracks (generally preferable) or matrixed. If the former, and I understand one's workflow (of 'sometimes' MS), I would be perfectly happy to receive tracks where the M track was always present and the S track was often mute or blank: that's easy to understand and work with.

     

    Jez Adamson

    Jez, I recently purchased this tripod as a compact support for my MS Cyclone kit while travelling via public transit. It isn't a particularly demanding task for a tripod, so low weight and basic functionality (not to mention low cost) was all I required.  It was the best cost/features/build quality I could find at that time. I would have purchased the CF version, but it wasn't in stock and only slightly lower weight. 

     

    https://www.henrys.com/vanguard-veo-3-go-235ab-aluminum-tripod-with-ballhead/5637233136.p?color=Black&style=New

    • Quote

      The VEO 3GO 235AB 23mm Aluminium Travel Tripod is an ultra-compact and lightweight aluminium travel tripod with an Arca Swiss compatible ball head, a leg that converts to a monopod (which can double as a selfie/vlogging stick), a smartphone adaptor and a Bluetooth remote shutter trigger that offers the maximum versatility for mirrorless camera kits, DSLR camera kits and even smartphones.

     

    I always record MS as separate tracks, for exactly the reasons you state. 

  8. Stereo MS Boom pole?

    in Equipment

    Posted

    I regularly use my MKH30/40 kit in a Cyclone fitted to a small (carry-on pack size) tripod for nature/city ambiences. One of the features that attracted me to the tripod I selected (beside the low weight and form factor) was it having a removeable leg that can be used as a monopod or boom pole. It is perfect for being able to reach a bit higher/lower to catch water/tree noises or get closer to moving insects.

     

    The downside is the weight and bulk of the cyclone/microphone combo. For my use case it is not an issue, as I am not booming all day, and rarely for more than a few minutes. The Cyclone, tripod and recorder all fit in a single backpack and are ready to take on the variable weather conditions in my 4 season world. Having tried to carry a variety of solutions to suit the conditions, I settled on the one, albeit bulky and heavy, configuration to insure I can setup and capture quickly and easily.

     

     

     

     

  10. Tech Scouts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    22 hours ago, tourtelot said:

    Haha.  I guess I'm not anyone's guy at this point.  I just said no to a favorite producer on a great show for a long second unit.

     

    I texted back "Thanks for you kind offer.  No thanks.  I'm an old fart."

     

    Doug T, Retired.

    Being able to say no, and not second-guess your decisions, is one of the benefits of inching towards full retirement. 

  25. Film Devices

    in Equipment

    Posted

    I agree that the picture shows it oriented the “wrong” way, but the holder can be easily removed from the clamp and reoriented the “correct” way, as you suggest.

     

    I have bought stage mic stands from well respected brands that have the boom arm oriented incorrectly, and always change to prevent the slow motion dive of a heavy mic.

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