JWBaudio

Just made the switch from 5 to 6 for a feature that has quite a bit of wave noise (shot at a windy beach) hovering around 4-6dB below the dialogue, and have a soft spoken actress, so it was time to get every advantage. I have been very impressed so far. The dialogue de-noiser is outstanding. One or two passes has reduced the waves by about 70% without degrading the vocals, impressive with a quiet breathy actress. De-clip seems about the same as it used to be, which is to say very good. In a few other exterior scenes a combination of the denoise and de-hum pulled out ALL of an industrial sized AC and a fountain going in the background keeping dialogue sounding natural. I don't believe in getting caught up in the 'upgrade game' getting the latest release of everything immediately when it comes out, but this is an essential upgrade for any post workflow, on several projects already it's saved me time and saved directors from calling ADR session , which keeps everyone happy.

Manage takes best you can (not the most helpful answer). I've done projects where they stop every take or every other take to cut/roll check playback, give notes, etc. and some where they roll through everything before pulling over. Stretch the importance with production that if your hands are off the mixer you absolutely need the time to check the full playback before moving on Of course make sure you've got some TC (always) & scratch (if they want it) or there may be rather exuberant call from DIT or the editor, as I've seen slating vehicle shots missed almost as often as tail slates. I'm familiar with mixing from a follow vehicle with some fins up, it's a fine setup and a good way to go, but to drop or mix in a follow is going to be determined by production size, pace, how quickly you need to be mobile, if you're in a crowded area with a lot of interference potential or distance between you and radios could suddenly increase, there's a lot to take into account. Also, look into mounting the antennae on the exterior of the follow if you can to get some additional range. My last project shot a lot in a newer Toyota Avalon and the thing was like a Faraday Cage, couldn't get a reliable signal from inside if you pointed the antenna through the window right at the Tx, so I had to do a bag drop. Did a pilot in Milwaukee last year, picture car was a Jeep, I had clean frequencies for miles around, and I could mix remote no problem. There are a lot of variables in making the choice, but it varies project to project. (for me at least). I can say that my default has become bag drops just because it is a bit quicker, it allows me to be cabled to my plant mics in the car (always a plus) and has less chance of any rf trouble going on between vehicles. And I've hear about shutting the mixer in the trunk, way too risky. There's always a safe way to get your sound. Bit long, hope it helped. :-)

I tried it as I was just on a project with a lot of car stuff. Wouldn't trust Wingman range for stopping and starting recording in that situation, I used it for monitoring levels in a follow car but I wouldn't try to push it any more than that, because even that got drop out a lot, even if though we stayed within a reasonable distance, and were fairly remote for most of it. There are way too many variables in play for it to be reliable for much else, nearby signals, follow car falling behind/pulling ahead, structure of of the car I've noticed had an impact, witch some combinations of vehicles working better than others. Drop the bag and monitor via Comtek.

Never encountered any wardrobe people that weren't willing to lend a hand, sorry if you've had some bad experiences. Get as involved as early as you can in pre-production and wardrobe will be more willing to keep you in mind during purchasing/designing , if you are trying to figure it out last minute, after costumes are finalised then everything becomes more difficult, and wardrobe may get understandably frustrated. And always remember that wardrobe knows the costumes inside and out, there may already be a convenient place to hide a Tx and mic that they can tell you about that you might not otherwise notice!

Official buy back rates: http://www.lectrosonics.com/US/images/Trade-in-program/Lectrosonics_Trade-in_Value_List_all.pdfj As for me, thankfully I only have a couple wireless kits in the affected range, but I had been holding out on changing over until the new wide band had come out.

Seconding Ed and Coleman, it sounds like something may be off in your settings? Also, about how long does it take for the drift to become noticeable? Was either device accidentally powered off for any period of time? And, yeah, if it's a rental switch it out, and if the issue persists then at least you've isolated the issue to your 744T.

Thanks Mike! Most of the stuff is driving but there are a few static scenes where I’ll give it a try!

Hello! So I have a project starting up that is around 70% car interiors. My standard setup for car interiors has been planting cardioids on consoles using some FlexiMounts, wires on talent, and some safeties up in the sun visors. I was wondering if anyone has tried any other techniques for car interiors with any success? It would be nice to audition some new setups on the project and see how they work!

Hey Alejandro, most work for me tends to come via word of mouth and on set networking. The more work you do, the more work will come!

Hey Constantin, no worries! Yes, I'm aware that the KM A/D range is more current and offers the interchangeable capsules, and I auditioned one on a project a while back and was very pleased with the results, but with the thread discussing well prices mics I though I would throw in something at a slightly more budget friendly level, especially with the Mk012 being the first mic mentioned at a very low price point and with the A/D range being at a higher price point I though I would focus on the older 184. chrismedr, I can't speak to you're having a defective unit or not but I can tell you I've been able to keep the gain fairly low, about the same as when I have a Colette out, and that I haven't had any problems in quiet situations.

I don't use that particular one, but in a bag situation I still run with some NPs distributed through a PSC Powerstar Mini Triple Play. http://professionalsound.com/specs/pwrStarMiniTriple.htm I love distribution boxes, they're small, simple, and power whatever might end up in my bag on a shoot.

+1 I still have my old Mk012 around somewhere, but I do remember that it was prone to handling noise. 416 I still keep as my outdoor mic and main mic on docs where it's a lot of run an gun, because its been an industry 'go-to' for decades that just seems to handle any conditions thrown at it, cuts well with most other mics, and is what I would recommend if you could only afford 1 mic, and 1k new and 700-800 for a good condition used is hard to beat for something still being used by pros. For interior dialogue lately I've been playing around a bit with a Neumann KM184 that was recommended to me, not a typical choice, but it's a great sounding mic, has a nice response, and to my ears at least sounds a bit more natural than the CMC5/Colette, does very well with rejection in more reverberant locations. Matched stereos run around 1200 and singles can be found for around 500, so not cheap, not expensive, but it really packs a punch and sounds like it should cost around 3x more. Only mark against it is the lack of interchangeable capsules, but I haven't had this be a problem yet and have been getting some stunning results with people asking what mic it was.

Good to hear a lot of the different view points on how the mixer is being perceived on modern productions. I feel that a lot of his has to do with how little they explain sound to the other departments in school, I was talking to a great gaffer last week, who had recently graduated, and he was telling me that unless Production Sound was your focus the classes given were basic explanations of what a microphone is and some of the terminology, but nothing close to being in depth enough to allowing others to have a handle on what we require to do some good work. Additionally it seems that post classes are teaching more and more to go straight to the iso tracks. I had the editor on set for a project and I was going through how I deliver my mixes and she asked why I was delivering a stereo mix, :-o and then went on to say, "yeah, I don't really use those, might use it for the first edit, but after that I'll go to the iso's". I am curious why it's seeming to become more normal to ignore the stereo mix and redo a lot of the work in post. I see more people trying to bag and boom as a "one man band" where it's almost impossible to get a good mix, or if some mixers just aren't actually 'mixing' anymore and are just hitting record and going 'eh...it's good on the iso's, assuming that post is going straight to using those, and if post has started to go straight to the iso because they assume a less than perfect mix....and there's sort of bootstrap paradox that has developed... As far a socialising and not being the 'guy off in the corner', if I feel the production needs it (and I can get by without a cart), I'll walk in with everything in a bag and sit down right in the room and mix from my chair and the bag. I've gotten some looks from time to time, but every time I had perfect days for sound, getting everything I needed and everything clean, in part to good location scouting, but also because I had a more natural socialisation with the cast and crew during the day, they got a better understanding of what I was doing and what I needed, I didn't have to go through a com system when I needed to talk to a 1st AD about when I could grab wild lines, and best of all, before making the call to move on, they would always remember to look over to me and double check if there was anything else I felt was needed, which I'm sad to say doesn't always happen when you're a bit removed from set. My favourite is when I have production holding for an aircraft or something and all of a sudden I hear the green director shout "seems like we're clear, ACTION!" and then I have confused departments heads when I say that take was no good for sound. :-)

Yup, in NYC I would go through Gotham. However I would look to sell internationally given that they will probably be difficult to sell here given that news of the FCC ruling has spread to most US based mixers by now, making it harder to unload the gear. Internationally you may want to consider selling with Pink Noise Systems http://www.pinknoise-systems.co.uk/, I haven't put anything on consignment with them before, but being UK based they to more business in Europe, where I think that band is still useable? Also, there's a place to sell gear on this forum where you may more easily find an international buyer. If your lectro gear is newer and still in good condition (UCR411a /um400a and up) it's worth considering a re-blocing. Lectro will re-block the units for you, expensive but still cheaper than selling and purchasing new, especially since Tx and Rx in that band are starting to resale at significantly lower prices. I'm sending a couple kits to them next month. You can email them for a quote and turnaround time.

Glad this is being brought up and I agree with jhharvest and afewmoreyears. The mixer in us wants to always get the best audio we can, and that sometimes means using our full kit. And production obviously wants us to get the best possible, which could also mean using our full kit. But at the end of the day we have to remember that most of us have invested heavily in out own equipment and putting it out on a production for free or at very very low cost means you're constantly eating the expense of your gear. (the initial purchase cost, maintenance, cases, accessories, etc.). It's like throwing money out the window. As harsh as it sounds, sometimes you just have to draw the line and compromise with a production and say "I know you'd love 8 wires up, but your budget really only allows for 4, and we can make it work with that many, so thats what we'll use," Now, I may carry everything with me anyway and if it turns out we need something extra thrown onto the rental I'll bring it up with the UPM and/or 1st AD before brining it out. And if they genuinely don't have the extra in the budget I might still consider brining out something like an extra radio or different type of lavalier, but only for 1 shot where I felt there was ABSOLUTELY no other way to get the audio. It's all at the discretion of the mixer, but "All in" is a very dangerous trend. Additionally, here in Chicago, I have heard stories of a few mixers who are renting out brand new top end gear and UNBELIEVABLY low rates like (.01% of the cost of the unit, to use that rental gauge). I know it's a strong pull to charge less and work more, especially for green mixers, but things like that not only hurt the mixer renting at those rates, but also the rest of us who charge normal rates for kit.

The receiver should only be able to scan block 26? What do you mean by letter group? The settings for the hex switches or possibly lectro's pre-coordinated frequencies? Please clarify if you can and we'll do our best to get you sorted!

+1 for the b6, they've been an invaluable addition to my kit. If wardrobe is willing to adjust to help you out and make an adjustment, then button mics also would become option in a scenario like this. Otherwise on the b6 front yes to mounting to the bra, or for a t shirt I find that mounting the capsule right at the collar line helps isolate from significant chest hair, though this does move the mic above the desired placement area I've also had actors wear a thin undershirt (if they're in a good mood) to solve the chest hair and sweat issue. Dealing strictly with chest hair, placing the capsule in moleskin also helps quite a bit. Transpore has always worked very well for me, but vampire clips are very helpful as well, just remember to inform talent so the don't prick themselves!! And always mic them before they start to sweat if you can!

It is a bit surprising, but most ACs I work with have told me they were taught that since it's an audio signal, leave it to the sound dept. to sync up to camera. And yes, I have had problems (only on some smaller shoots) when camera suddenly decides to change frame rate and neglects to inform me wondering later why that affects me. Then even later wondering why things aren't syncing properly. Another reason I just have my team take care of guide and TC as soon as camera says they're built.

Satisfied with my Ambient as well, feels like it locks in more securely than the SGS. I've had each colorured differently for the different length poles, helps my ops pick the correct pole quicker in dimmer environments. Thanks Zach for that tip on the beeswax! I'll keep that i mind as they get some more years on them.

As far as boxes on camera, I typically let the camera determine. Shooting on Alexa, typically not if it can be avoided (trying minimise on camera weight when possible) as the hold TC very well, anything from RED drifts VERY quickly so those are an always. I've found Sony, Panasonic, BM's new Ursa, etc. hold alright, but I'll still throw a box on to be safe. And I always have my op or utility go put it on camera, just because I prefer my crew to be handling my gear as much as possible, because they tend to know by sync system better than another dept. would and then I have someone to troubleshoot any issues on the spot rather than having an AC run over and ask about issues jamming TC. No complaints from DIT so far.

Excellent question, and as Douglass pointed out, this is where lavs typically come in, and while very useful, cause modern television to lack a that realism that perspective can bring us. Ideally if I get a shot list and see a lot of potential situations where it will be hard to get coverage on all the talking heads with the boom (for instance a lot of mediums or MCUs at the same time as wides), I will push to bring on a second boom/utility sound, unfortunately I'm told more often than not to 'just mic everybody up' (which I try and avoid, but sometimes there's no other way to get the dialogue), then I watch eyes glaze over as I try to explain to production why a second boom is still needed if they want to shoot the way they do. Unfortunately, since a lot of productions have various limitations or sometimes can't compromise, my typical workaround is sending my boom op both the boom and wires so he can hear how everything is mixing together (this is where a good op comes in), then trying to find a balance between the boom and wire in my stereo mix. Something where boom is providing the main for some ambiance/perspective and the lav is proving just enough presence to be able to hear the lines. It's nowhere near ideal, but for me it seems to mimic perspective well enough on a project where I know they won't have/take the time in post to cut presence and add perspective on the lav's iso. So get a second boom if you can, partake in some cross-department diplomacy, try some trickery in the mix, and make a note on your report for post to adjust the iso in post. That should about cover it, but it's one of those things that I think we're still adjusting to as more and more productions become faster paced, just like more mixers having to make the switch to a wireless boom (but that's a whole different discussion haha!). If anyone else has a different workaround I would be eager to hear! JB