Trey LaCroix

When I ran that we used eneloop pro AAs and changed at lunch. We ran it into a UM400a w/ ipower lithium. Never worried about batt on either.

I use Zaxcom for my booms. The preamp is very transparent and nice sounding. Noise floor is a little high. Doesn’t really bother my but after reading your post it sounds like it might bother you.

Thanks everybody! Neck loops have been fairly reliable for me. Annoying to hide but in general more stable than the RF ones. Used the "room loop" twice, once a great success and once an utter failure.

I am aware of the RF earwigs and have experienced firsthand the advantages and disadvantages with each method. The neck loop induction method is what I have decided to go with. If have any memory of what the general battery life is I would love to hear it. I have not used one for a while and don't really remember. I remember it got me to lunch but that's about it.

Hey! I have to use an earwig with an induction loop next week. Does anyone remember how long the little hearing aid battery lasts?

Prep pads on everything except lavs. I use solution of water and laundry detergent. I also spray the windscreen of booms with 1 squirt of alcohol. Dunno if it’s necessary but makes me feel better.

It was useable with fins. Just lacking a bit compared to my Lectros. But with whips I had dropouts as early as 20ish feet line of sight. It seemed to have a harder time blasting through the water bags that are our bodies compared to other wireless. I believe Moe Chamberlain (a members here) uses them and could speak in far greater detail on the a10’s performance.

On talent and boom. Yes, boom was obviously better but I really wasn’t impressed with the TX on talent.

I filled in for someone using a10s and I thought they sounded fantastic. Rage was fairly underwhelming though. “Meh” on fins, “poor” on whips. I use Lectros and rarely struggle with range and think they also sound fantastic. Just a slightly different fantastic sound. Do you love somewhere that you can compare the two yourself? Most dealers are more than happy to let you try stuff, especially if you’re planning to purchase something.

Get an SD 788 or Nomad! You can get a fantastic deal on them right now. Don’t cheap out on a recorder you don’t love or that you will outgrow. Even if the Zoom F series checks all the boxes you’re probably going to get annoyed with some of it’s “quirks” as you get better.

Thank you Paul for inspiring me to use my MK4 today. And also sorry for not sending you a sample earlier (last weeks was busy). Here is part of a recording for a doc I'm working on. Both cameras were fairly tight so I was able to get it right in there as you can see in the photo. Worked beautifully in my opinion. He was a bit of a bobblehead. It will definitely see more action from now on. Schoeps MK4.wav

I can confirm that it does not. Roll off at the mixer for CMR use.

Thank you so much for the informative and extremely detailed response! My questions are answered. Great apps by the way!

Happy to make some for you if you like. Have a cmc1 and an MK4.

Which mic? Plugging in a TX w/ digital modulation often creates a "buzz" or "hum" in a mic with inadequate RF shielding (often the case with older microphones). Sometimes a filtered cable works and sometimes it just doesn't work. I have an older Schoeps that was cured with a filtered cable and a friend's Neumann that seemingly can't be cured.

Thanks for clearing that up guys. I will use Freq finder for this.

I'm fairly new to Zax wireless and a long time user of Lectros. I have a coordinated list for 14 Lectro channels (praying to god we won't need to use that many) and was to add 2 Zaxcom channels in for booms. I have regularly heard that there is "no intermodulation" with Zaxcom Digital Wireless. Does this mean that the transmitters won't emit any harmonics/overtones that could cause intermodulation? Or are they immune to intermod from other transmitters (meaning that I would still have to coordinate them to not screw with the lectros)? I hope I'm asking this question in a way that makes sense.

I "volunteered" for a few mixers starting out as a utility or boom op and it always worked out for me. I gained a ton of experience and every person I volunteered for called me back for a paying gig or referred to someone that could pay me well. I got so much out of working for Union guys working on some low budget thing and showing me how to boom and mix the "right way." Don't do it forever and know when you're worth it and then charge for your skills and services appropriately.

A guy named Dominique Greffard started making these and I absolutely love them! Much prefer them to the SGS mount. You can change a battery lightning fast and it’s incredibly light! Great for quick plant mics as well.

YIKES! And I thought we had it bad in LA.

I used 16 lectros on 100mw for a show last year and had no noticeable intermod issues. (I coordinated of course).

I should have elaborated a bit more. I’m setting up a talkback system for my boom op and figured using one of my old um400s with a cheap headset mic would be the simplest solution for me. I’d like to keep the comm return routed to my headphones but don’t want to hear it open all the time. So I believe the only way to do this would be to put a PTT button I line from the mic to the TX.

I’d love to make a PTT for a Lectrosonics transmitter. Any idea on how to wire that?

Unfortunately, I did not. I learned to live with it and haven’t received a single complaint from post. It’s annoying but the small size and weight still outweighs the hiss. I don’t mess with the expander.

I’ve been putting this post off for a few weeks as I knew how sad it would make me, but I am sorry to announce the passing of fellow JWSOUND member John Bennet (jgbsound). John was a very talented production mixer and post mixer who loved sound with every fiber of his being. I had the pleasure of calling him a colleague, and more importantly, a friend. I will miss his contributions to this site and to my life as he made both better. Godspeed.