soundtrane

Phil, we're brothers... I started off with a 52 minute long single shot for a video installation by a Dutch artist. 4 takes a day, 4 days. total 16 takes. phew. by the time it ended i did not know whether I was entering the stage or leaving it. Kronos quatret - I hold in very high esteem, i'm glad to be able to talk to the mixer who recorded them. Keep it comin' !! my best -vin

Looks like the ultimate source: www.tente.com -vin

Many thanks... Now - fastening the shelves to the frame - that is a mystery, isnt it? I racked my brains and found a way. There is a belt material available for diamond cutting machines - nylon on very hard plastic. It is pliable, but quite hard - you can cut across the band with a pair of sharp scissors, but it will NEVER break! I got a few feet of this material from a hardware store close to my home. I have been to that very same store before. This time, the moment I laid my eyes on this I asked the owner what was this all about. I came back home with a few feet of this material, and cut a piece and shaped it like a copling around the aluminum tube frame - it worked. Now the shelves have an embedded epoxy-fixed nut and an allen bolt goes through the belt strap into the nut - fully tightened. I can use the same allen key for both the speedrail fittings and these. best -vin

Thank you Eric, hope you get down here to India sometime, when we can meet! warm regards -vin

Dear Crew, I wish I was born earlier. There's too much purity in our craft and other crafts as well, not to mention film making. I yearn for that level of integrity. Many thanks for your appreciation of what I am trying to do - it is just a small way to prove that there is that level of professionalism in production sound available here in India - without the appreciation of it in any which way as of now. But I am a perfectionist and an optimist! I will keep working and taking it ahead, inch by inch.... warm regards -vin

that "rich wood" is proably 40 plus years old! strapping the Cantar - two options - one as specified with the 3/8" socket, and two - with the KT bag skeleton, then there are many options. best -vin

It replaced rental gear with many problems. Before this I had a pair of headphones. I turn out to be the first sound guy in India to stick my neck so far out! I am confident I will make it through... -vin

Hi Scott, Thanks! Yes, I am running 09b... Will go on the field with it tomorrow night. best -vin

Sorry, I forgot to add a description. pic 1. obvious - the boom pole holders pic 2. one speedrail for the antenna mast (i'll post a picture from the field with the mast erected) pic 3. the LCD monitor fitted onto the small boom pole as of now. I am waiting to get a magic arm. I will try to weigh the cart and post results tomorrow. best regards -vin

Hi Everyone, 99% finalized. Ready to go for the shoot tomorrow - 6 PM - 6 AM shift...

Dear Crew, Thanks! I hoep it works out well in the field, I have a good feeling that it will... Almost all done but for some small things... best regards -vin

Hi Paul Many thanks for the inspiring words! Here's the next stage. I have to finish this cart by tomorrow evening. My shoot starts two days from today! best -vin

Reporting some progress... best -vin

Tom, saw your email after posting the message above - it was sitting in my junk folder. I have replied to you already. Don't hesitate to ask for any more info, help, assistance, et al. best -vin

not always and not in every country. otherwise known as production manager or location manager, names vary, but someone well-versed with localized norms and conditions of work, and with experience in dealing with film crews and their specialized needs. -vin

Hi Tom, I have used 22 & 23 from rentals before, and now I just used my own lectros on 25 & 26 in one city - no major problems. I am starting off on another feature in Bombay very soon, and don't think there should be any major problems. India is not yet indundated with digital television. as if it were better than analog tv! Write to me on vinod@soundtrane.com and I am sure I can give you a whole load of info depending on where you are going... best regards -vin

Dear Tim, Many thanks.... Yes, I thought about 19" but I really don't see myself using any rackmounted gear. Also, to make it 19" rack compatible, the overall width has to be 22" or so, which then beats the purpose. The maximum width of gear to be on this cart is the width of the Cantar, 12". best -vin

Hi Paul Yes, I think it should be great, main purpose is to keep it light and easy to erect/dismantle and also to make it look good! Yes, the wheels were not drawn to scale - that drawing was more to display the tube frame and build of the cart. So I did not bother to draw the wheels absolutely right. I am working on the actual weight of the cart, typical teak wood density, weight of tube and couplings, et al. Since I am already on my way to get it all ready (I have a feature shoot coming up very soon!), I may be able to post actual unladen weight specs here very soon. Thanks for the heads up, I was wondering how come there was no response to my post for a long time! best -vin

Here is the next stage - SHELF OUTLAY and tube lengths. The shelves are going to be in old Teak wood, handmade and varnished. All shelves - 1/2 inch thickness. Boom pole holders to be in wood as well. I am aiming for the cart to be completely ready by 19/20th. best -vin

After my recent bad experience with fabricators, I decided to catch the bull by it's horns. Here is the preliminary info on the cart building project. Photographs will come soon as the building process begins. CART DESIGN WEIGHT BEARING CAPACITY Bottom shelf - 20 kg max (10 kg typical) Top shelf - 10 kg (5 kg typical) Sliding shelves - 6 kg (3-4 kg typical) Fixed shelf - 20 kg (15 kg typical) Drawer - 10 kg (5 kg typical) DIMENSIONS overall height - 38-40" 18"x16" width x depth cart (without wheels/castors) - 31-32" wheel dia - 14" pneumatic tyre with spoked rim castor height - 7" with 5-6" wheels PIPE CHARACTERISTICS Aluminum Alloy HE30 (6082) - cold-hard anodized Outer Dia - 1" Thickness - 3mm (16 gauge) Weight characteristics - 183g/ft SHELVES/TRAYS Aluminum Alloy 14000X - ends deburred and cold-hard anodized - 2.5 mm (12 gauge) Fixed shelves - perforated with lip on four sides to sit on pipe curve & fixed on to pipe by press-on pin fasteners Sliding shelves - lip only on two sides, front and back with .75" upward fold. With long notch to accommodate spring-loaded lock-key. Will slide on UHMWPE plastic strips (friction coefficient .08) mounted on underside of tray. Bottom-most shelf - to be made out of 3 mm foot plate for increased friction and strength COUPLINGS Holleander Speed-Rail slip-on fittings - IPS 0.75" Pipe Outer Dia - 1.050" mill-finished Aluminum Alloy 535 with set screws - http://www.Hollaender.com Any comments, suggestions most welcome. CAD drawing will follow which will include shelf design to scale. -vin

Any alternative to SpeedRail fittings available? best -vin

Hello everyone, It has been a long wait to get my own gear, and even now it has not been easy. I spent 2 weeks sleeping less than 4 hours each day working on setting it all up, and have made each and every cable i need, my own Pelican SLA battery, and also designed my cart (though the fabricator screwed it up quite badly, so I have to remake it with full personal supervision after my current gig). RECORDER AND MIXER Aaton Cantar X2 (with blutooth module) Cantarem 8 channel linear fader system for the X2 WIRELESS SYSTEMS Lectrosonics SIXPACK Lectrosonics UCR411a x 4 Lectrosonics LM x 2, UM400 x 2 Lectrosonics SNA dipole antennae MICROPHONES Shotguns – Sanken Cs3e and Sennheiser MKH418S microphones Sennheiser MKH50 Lavs – Sanken CS3e, Countryman EMW MICROPHONE SUPPORT AND ACCESSORIES Boom Poles - 21ft Ktek, 12ft Loon audio (internally cabled with XLR for Tx), 8 ft Ktek Windshields – Sennheiser windshield and teardrop foam & Windtech foam (for MKH50), Rycote System 4 x 2, Windtech foams x 2 units for MKH418S and CS3e FOLDBACK (AUDIO FEED FOR DIR/SCRIPT SUP) IFB – Sennheiser IEM Foldback feeds to 3 persons, with 2 Transmitters (one for cart and one for bag), with SNA Dipole Antenna rig POWERING PSC CARTPOWER BATTERIES: SLA 18Ah battery (Pelican case with powercon connectors for DC out and charging), 3000Ah NiMH (proprietary Pelican 1100 rig) x 2 with Remote Audio BDS, Aaton Li-Ion x 2 , iPower LI-Ion 9V rechargeables x 12 CHARGERS: Aaton, SLA smart charger, NiMH, and Ipower x 2 UNITS of each CART, BAG AND CASES Sound cart Custom built aircraft grade aluminum sound cart, dimensions 16x16x30” expandable to 21x16x42 inches, weight approx 20kg (with wheels), completely dismantlable to fit into waterproof case Bag KT Systems Cantar bag Versaflex harness Cases Storm 2975 case (Sixpack, Shotguns, Chargers, Antennae, et al) Storm 2400 case (Cantar plus Batts) HPRC 2400 case (Lectros, Sennheisers) HPRC 2800 case (SLA batt, cart, cables) Pelican 1600 case for daily use CABLES and ACCESSORIES Denecke PS1 and PS2 Sommer/Belden/Mogami/Draka cables with Neutrik/Amphenol/Switchcraft connectors best regards -vin

Thanks for the heads up Rob. This fabricator was not smart enough to have his own interpretation, he simply mucked everything up. It surely looks good from ten feet away. I am only hoping it stays together until april, after which i will find another fabricator and actually SIT with him all through the building process. best -vin

Thanks Jeff, and thanks Crew, it was a prelim setup, really a mockup, i had to dismantle and pack the gear in two hours flat after the pic. as of now, obviously and as you stated, the recorder is above the cantarem. best -vin

I must confess - i designed the cart on paper, FULL diagrams to scale, all hand drawn and to scale, even figured out the Aluminum alloy# to be used and gave it to a fabricator highly recommended to me by a reliable source, and even visited his workshop a number of times before I left for Singapore, had my boom op visit the workshop while i was out, worked around his delivery dates, took 3 day delays in delivery and yet got a cart that is hardly even close to what i envisaged. I had no choice but to put it to use right away, in fact changed the wheels and the sliding shelves' mechanisms myself, spent a whole day with a lathe & drill machine, and yet it is not perfect only because it was not fabricated properly in the first place. i am getting my XXXing money back from him, even if i have to pull a XXX on him, because he has given me something that took many hours to reassemble, whereas my design would have taken max one hour to dissassemble/reassemble. not only has this guy given me a bad cart, but he has also taken from me valuable hours on location before the shoot started. I am booked all the way to April 08. I will build a cart with my own hands, just as i have with my cables, and my Pelican battery, and I will ensure i have a cart that is superb for my use. I promise myself that. SHXX, XXCK, MEXXE!! However I have to make do with this cart for two months, and i will try take some more pictures on the field, today was the first day of shoot. -vin