Tom Visser

ProTools LE can support timecode, but you have to have one of the interfaces with a MIDI output and an additional software Production Toolkit (DV, DV2, or Complete), at which point you have MTC timecode. You'll probably need an interface to translate this to LTC timecode to interface with your production equipment. I'd consider going this route only if you already have PTLE and either own the appropriate toolkit or would get some additional benefit from purchasing it, but I think that many people here, correct me if I'm wrong, would probably go the BoomRecorder route. It easily supports LTC timecode via an analog audio output and the MOTU hardware interfaces support some sort of lock to such a signal too. You'll have to contact Take Vos directly, as he no longer sells the software on his website due to Snow Leopard issues, but if you can confirm that you'll use a non-Snow Leopard OS, he'll arrange the sale manually. www.vosgames.nl

I used to use a ULN-2 before jumping the Digi ship (prior to coming back) pre-Record Panel era, but have played around with it briefly... my opinion is almost solely based on 2nd hand info, but have only heard good things and it is as crash free as apps come, at least equal to Boom Recorder. Boom Recorder seems to have better metadata support and workflow hooks specifically for our industry, but for music remotes, Record Panel is just as capable. The ULN-8 does support LTC timecode and other ULN interfaces will support TC via an audio output. Sorry, long winded way of saying, no, I don't know it too well, but based upon others' experience, would sure pick up a ULN-8 and use RP if the need were to arise.

I love ProTools, great fan. When doing playback, my first method is to transfer the file to my Nagra VI and just use it as a playback transport. (Nagra added a menu option at my request to not auto increment tracks at the end of file - due to my embarrassment of playing the wrong track on set) Timecode output is used to send numbers to an smart slate via wireless transmitter. Any field recorder with timecode should work as well. If no hardware timecode support, the poly BWAV file can be prepped in advance to have an audible timecode track. If I must bring a computer on set for playback, like simple cue points aren't enough, then I might bring my 003, since I have the complete production toolkit, but more likely, I would use Boom Recorder and a Motu Traveller or a Metric Halo interface with the included "Record Panel" application, rather than something like ProTools, just for simplicity.

The AC power supply converts +/- 16VDC to the rails of the card. If you need phantom power, then +48VDC. the pinout of the edgecard... 1 GND 2 out+ (+4dB) 3 out+ (-2dB) 4 out- 5 common 6 stereo link (not normally used) 7 in- (-2dB) 8 in- (+4dB) 9 in+ (-2dB) 10 in+ (+4dB) 11 gain trim resistor 12 +16VDC 13 power supply common 14 -16VDC 15 +48VDC If you want some "phatness" be careful, the music production word of musical distortion is a bit more extreme than film/video production standards. While music engineers might gush over the euphonic distortion of a Chandler pre, for example, we might find it just a bit too wooly. For API pres, there are other options besides the lunchbox format, for example, you can get 2 channels of pres in a single rackspace unit, from the likes of the A2D. You might also find more utility in their 3124+ which is a 4 channel single rack unit, or even the 3124MB+ which includes a full mixer. You should take a look at the Lipinski preamps, both the API 500 series and their own modules. They offer independent gain settings for the individual gain stages on the non-500 pre, and transformer options, which allows cranking the character up to rock and roll, but the preamps are also suitable for clean performance and use on things such as classical (Lipinski's primary area of concern). A bit more expensive, but the Rupert Neve Portico line already runs on 12VDC power and their (his) preamps sound great. The distortion is very very subtle. I think having the option to change the character of the preamp is important as there are sometimes you want to go more on the clinical side.

There is one piece of software, well, sort of it comes with the Metric Halo interfaces, so requires investing in their hardware too. Fortunately the ULN8 is one of the most suitable interfaces out there. It is called Record Panel and supports LTC timecode. I don't have a lot of first hand experience with it, but on paper it sound interesting. I'm sure where BR excels is in metadata management, where I doubt there is much at all with Record Panel.

I'm still using wired booms for now, but am looking at untethering my boom when I can afford it. On one hand, the weight savings of not having wire might make the gross weight of the pole lighter, sticking it on the mic side, my Rycote handle in this case, but it would probably feel better with a little conterbalance and placed on the butt end. I use the Ambient poles with the side mount accessory, so I think that the leather pouch accessory would do a good enough job of protecting the unit from minor abrasions. The other option, the Zaxcom 992 does in fact look very appealing, though. My boom op would probably like HM better, but the fact that the 992 is an all-in-one device is certainly a plus. I personally would rather use 8 AA batteries or something, though, than the VPX. The new Zaxcom IFB units are also supposed to be AA too. Since my range on the Ambient ACD301RFA wireless slate is so crappy, having the TC TX strapped to my boom op, who is going to be close to the slate, would be a bonus since the Zax has the TC capability built in too and can use that to repeat the TC signal. Fidelity would just about seal the deal. I love your stuff Glenn, but damn, that is a lot of cash to lay out and that is the only mitigating factor that might make me change my mind and go with the HM. mostly unemployed and living with Aloha...

Hi Greg, I too think a lot of people have a moderately informed opinion, but sometimes are lacking on specific facts or scientific backing. DIESEL - when crude oil is processed and refined, we get different products. Some of that is jet fuel, some automotive gasoline, some diesel. Diesel works now due to economic controls. If we made every vehicle run off of diesel, the cost of the fuel would go up, perhaps to the point where it makes the economy (more) dysfunctional, and there are limits to the quantities of crude that can be converted to diesel. It doesn't fix the environmental impact as a diesel I.C.E. exhibits many of the same traits as a gasoline I.C.E. I'm not an expert on which is better or worse, but even if better, it might not be enough. AL GORE - is a politician borderline entertainer. I don't know him, don't know how much of what he says is truth, but I certainly would not use him as a reliable source. MEAT - I'm sure much of what you say is truth. "Big Corporation" is simply the evolution of "corporation" in the context of the industrial revolution and subsequently, the information revolution, and the ridiculous size of our country. Our government and economy simply doesn't create a large number of small collectives that are self dependent. Even the Kibbutz in Israel is struggling as ideological entities, which is probably the closest example I can think of when it comes to communities trying to live in a self-sustaining way. Our government creates highly competitive corporate entities that eat other entities, a corporate Darwinian process, that at the end gives you Costco, Microsoft, The Gap, California Pizza Kitchen, GM, etc... I think it is just obvious to me, all these issues that we see have a high correlation to population growth. Technologically, we as humans are able to procreate and survive to a much greater degree than animals. We simply don't foresee the issues that our growth creates in a proactive way, but react to it. The challenge will be is if our government can legislate change fast and effectively enough to accommodate our consumption and waste challenges. This is not a problem that can be solved by corporate entities, because even though they hold the key for technological progress and invention, at the heart of the matter, they are ultimately invested in their own self-interest. This is not an "evil" aspect of large corporation, it is simply the reality of it and how our nation has sustained its massive growth. As an aside, I took a few sampling of world population and population growth (rounded) of certain countries... AREA 1960 2005 % increase world 3B 6.5B 100%+ more or less linear escalation Australia 10M 20M 100% more or less linear escalation Bangladesh 55M 160M 300% more or less linear escalation Belgium 9M 10.5M 10%+ sort of an S-curve, but such a small increase Bos+Herz 3.25M 3.75M 10%+ reaching almost 4.5M in late 80's, huge decrease and gradual rise in 90's Brazil 75M 190M 150% more or less linear escalation Congo DRC 15M 60M 400% logarithmic escalation Denmark 4.5M 5.5M 20% sort of S-curve Ethiopia 22M 75M 300%+ logarithmic escalation France 46M 60M 30%+ more or less linear Iraq 7.5M 28M? 400% hard to tell, data ends at 1998 linear / logarithmic behavior Japan 95M 128M 20% inverse logarithmic Kenya 6M 40M 600%+ sort of log, more recent linear Netherland 11.5M 17M 50% sort of inverse log

I got another solution, mandatory same-sex marriage. Looks like Jeff and Ken can be the fist experimental couple. It doesn't have to involve anything funky, just two dudes hanging out, it that's not your thing. Hypocrisy is not automatically a disqualifying factor when attacking one's argument, by the way. "I know now why you cry. But it is something I can never do. Here. I cannot self-terminate. You must lower me into the steel." -gov

From a historical perspective, it was the advent of agriculture and the move of societies from hunter / gatherers to an agrarian society that was the genesis for massive population explosions, the disease that comes with city dwelling, slavery or serfdom of peoples to work land, drastic class structures, formal borders, and organized war. The modern methods of meat "cultivation" is merely applying agrarian methods of reaping yields to animals in a replenishable method and maximizing the yield per area of land. It would be foolish to accuse meat consumption as one of the prime roots of the problems with our society, as it is really the fact that our civilization(s) has expanded several factors above and beyond the normal resource / survival model of the animals we live "with" and once were. The grain and vegetable is the root of all our modern carbon issues. Of course this statement is mostly ridiculous too, but I strongly believe that we are overpopulating our environment. True that there are scientific methods to address certain side effects of our overpopulation, such as making more efficient internal combustion engines, but most scientists' jobs is not to evaluate the effect of their invention in the context of the global system. Perhaps if we had continued to burn coal, it would have been better for the environment in the long run. The air would have been visibly polluted, animals around us would have died, we would be coughing from the soot filled air, and suffering from the diseases that accompany that. At some point, the problem would become so obvious, that privately owned vehicles would be banned or heavily restricted, the government would be forced to legislate some sort of control on childbirth, and we simply would not live as long. As it stands now, we have more vehicles on the road than ever, but at least they don't emit visible pollutants. Instead they emit invisible chemicals that blow into our atmosphere and some people drive hybrid or electric vehicles which require expensive and heavy batteries (weight is counterproductive to making efficient vehicles) which require toxic chemicals and heavy metals, manufactured far away, the side effects of the pollution to manufacturer invisible to us, and of course consuming electricity that has to be produced remotely. We are quickly polluting our oceans, huge bodies of water than account for most of the surface area of our planet, with tiny in size but massive quantities of plastics and other man made pollutants. In other words, we legislated and invented things to keep the problem as invisible as possible, but until we come up with a long term strategy to control our population, I feel any scientific solutions to our problems are either just holding the real issue at bay temporarily, or in some cases, actually detrimental from the perspective of the planet. Coal pollution and residue would disappear after a decade or so and eventually naturally return to the earth in balance, EPS and other plastic materials in the ocean are not going anywhere for a very long time. If anything, or current strategy with respect to ecology is to "double down". We're still in the game, the stakes are higher, but we haven't won anything yet. At the very least, the first step would be to eliminate incentives for people to have kids. If we are going to medically extend our lives, then at least we also have to acknowledge that we should extend our time of being productive members of society. Scientific / corporate inventions should really be more critically evaluated to determine their real impact on the environment, and not simply remote the problem somewhere else. Here in Hawaii, we don't have an air pollution problem, except when it blows from the Volcano, and get VOG. But I wonder if Hawaiians would feel the same if our islands were 10000 times the size and we still emitted the same amount of pollutants per capita. Its not a problem to us, because it simply blows off the island and we never really see any tangible evidence of our air pollution. I think the parallel can now be drawn to first world countries and the global community as a whole.

What's with all this "winter" thing that you all speak of? Isn't that just the season where the North storms send lots of big surf?

now they just need a 48V phantom powered XLR cigarette lighter so you don't loose any functionality...

What do you use Eric? I have a Nagra VI, which is right on the borderline of being too big. Fortunately, I am a strong strong man and have no problem hefting the VI about. But seriously, I would be interested in a Sound Devices unit that had full size connectors for at least the inputs and the main outputs, rather than TA3. TA3 is good for IFB sends, tape inputs / outputs, etc... but would rather see real XLR cables for those OtS moments. In fact, addressing the "weaknesses" of the Nagra VI, I would actually like to see something like a 766t (either from Nagra via firmware / hardware updates or Sound Devices). copied from my Gearslutz post... CONNECTIONS 6 full size XLR inputs, would mean the unit is slightly deeper than the 788t. 6 mic preamps, switchable to line input, 48v phantom (no T) 6 direct out + stereo mix + WC I/O on DB-25 switchable between balanced analog and AES Stereo unbalanced Tape output on TA3 Stereo balanced output on full size XLR IFB output on balanced TA3 Private line output on balanced TA3 TC I/O on Lemo-5 FW/USB for keyboard, PC link, DVD burners, etc... 1/4" headphone output with pot CF or dual CF slot FRONT PANEL 6 gain / trim pots (single row across, not two like the 788t) maybe get rid of the LED ring and make it a dual concentric pot for gain and mix Nagra style hardware monitoring switched (enable/solo + LCR) all other menu / displays / buttons the same keep 8 sets of LED meters, 1 for each input channel and a pair for main mix out signal/clip LED for IFB out signal/clip LED for private line out I firmly believe that any location recorder that I use for non-reality TV based shoots should be 8 tracks, no more, no less. 6 ISO + 2 MIX. The main problem that I have with my existing recorder is that I can do 6 ISO, 5 ISO + 1 MIX, or 4 ISO + 2 MIX, but unlike the Zaxcom, Cantar, and Sound Devices 788t, it sacrifices input tracks when recording a mix, so can never record more than 6 tracks. Although I don't need something as small as the 788t, it would be nice to have something a bit more compact. The above unit would be perfect for OTS use. For cart use, an accessory panel mixer that had 6 linear 100mm faders, IFB send, PL send, pan, mute, solo, input trim (these override the main unit controls) and units should be able to be linked so that one could use dual 766t for situations that required more tracks (reality TV). A master section with master fader, IFB and PL main level, talkback, TC display, numeric keypad, maybe build in the DVD burner accessory into it too... all would be cool stuff and make me seriously consider jumping ship. There are just too many ergonomic issues with the 788t that would make it hard for me to convert over. I'm not saying that any one way is better or worse than another, it comes down to personal preference based upon what we have learned to use and become accustomed to over time. Sound Devices has a little bit too much buried in menus for my personal taste. Although the CL8 accessory does address some of these, I understand it is slow and seems a bit awkward to use. Having a mixer in the bag is less important for me and I'd rather see a single unit that had the controls all laid out like I want rather than strapping extra controls right onto the box... save the accessory mixer for cart users and make it a panel format.

what is that mixer your using?

Does this AES modification also offer a wordclock input or output?

I too find it hard to believe that she is having problems mixing and matching 16 and 24 bit audio, unless she is really using an ancient AVID system. Maybe her problem is with poly or mono files? I sometimes use Wave Agent to mux/demux files as necessary for some people. I also use a Nagra VI.

What is the best procedure for micing up a cow? Which lav? Are these union cows, and if so, any special considerations to make? Do you add cowbell in post or try to capture production tracks? Or is this all just a moooot point?

Something like this looks interesting, never used it, but happened upon it while looking for something else... It comes in a 4' or 7' length. http://www.audixusa.com/docs/products/MicroBoom.shtml The M1255B capsule is designed for "distance micing" and has a hyper capsule http://www.audixusa.com/docs/products/M1255B.shtml In tight sub quarters, a boom longer than several feet would be pretty unwieldy, and this is light enough that it could be quickly jammed or velcro'd to an overhead or bulkhead. Last time I was on an Ohio class sub, I think I slept for about 48 hours straight, I just remember it being incredibly comfortable knowing that no one could come down and wake me up. There is summing about the hum of nuclear machinery that is soothing.

Remote Audio is a good source for Hirose power cables, I use a Hirose to XLR-4 to power a small mixer. Matt - I think your confusing the Nagra VI with the Nagra IV. The VI is a 6 track HDD recorder. It is sort of "low tech" compared to the SD and Zax units, but it does what it does very well and without any complexity.

I like M-S a lot but have been dubious about the quality of M-S based upon a shotgun as the M component. Best results are had using a cardioid and decent results can also be had with an omni. I've never tried M-S with my 8050 before. Using such a directional mic will give you an odd stereo space, sure it will have stereo content, but it won't have an accurate stereo image, which might not be important unless you are recording an acoustical music performance on a stage or something. I do some double M-S as you are proposing, but with a pair of MKH 800 Twins (which I have been trying to sell). They are 2 capsule dual output mics that I just ISO on 4 tracks and then process in post as needed. For your setup, I would actually recommend flipping the 418S to the rear and then clip on a MKH8040 facing forward if you have one. If you don't, go ahead and use the 8050, as I suspect it would give you better ambient sounds than the 418S facing forward, but that is just my theory.

When I hear Yamaha and sound that is "beyond reproach" I think of the DM1000 or DM2000. I believe they are discontinued, but have a more flexible I/O card capability than the "O" series. They also have a meter bridge option and support LTC timecode I/O... something worth looking into...

The Iconoskop does have a 5-pin Lemo for timecode, so looks like a perfectly suitable solution for double system. Another interesting render... http://picasaweb.google.com/yolklab/YOLKY2# I think it is more of an industrial design exercise than something that is close to being a product, but interesting nonetheless.

I wonder if Ron would do one with Red anodized cheeks and a silver aluminum finish with black text for the panel surface...

Thanks Whit. I figure some day when I can afford a Chindha, I'll keep this for my boom op, as a little video assist monitor stand / battery cart and a place to store the booms and some cables. I'm going to try to figure out if there is some way to intelligently integrate a step stool where the load is not born on the all terrain wheels as an assist for the boom. The Nagra MX is one of the most high quality pieces with shockingly limited functionality that I own. It is great for small direct to disc music recordings, but its limitations make it sort of an odd duck looking for a job. As a straight up preamp, it is of course super flexible, as a mixer, very "unique". I'm thinking of trying it as an ORTF pre using the line inputs to mix in some low end with a low-passed LDC to help fill in the bass fed from a separate preamp, a traditional weakness of the ORTF method.

Invite the circus... they can pitch a tent over the top of the Quonset hut to help with the rain. The sounds of the monkeys, bears, and clowns will have to be dealt with, but it should be an improvement.

Hi Charlie, would you care to share your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the Solice, especially as it pertains to sonics? From a utility perspective, I think I have a good handle on it's scope. Thanks, Tom Visser