Peter Mega

Does heat have anything to do with it? How hot are the RX's on your bag? I've seen 411's do some wierd things in extreme heat. Like the LCD screen fading away to nothing (but the unit still works) and also, a separate problem also is the audio level becoming quite faint (turned it off and back on and it came good). The receivers were almost too hot to touch. This happened in extreme conditions of 45 degrees celcius. Cheers Peter Mega

Just watched this again with my wife and she couldn't believe how amazing these dancers are too. Truly wonderful. Would love to see it live. I'll have to pop next door to Georgia when I visit my mother land (Armenia) one day and try to check it out!! Cheers Peter Mega

Thats great, thanks everyone. Now all I have to do is work out what to buy!! Thanks again, Peter Mega

Thanks John, Cheers Peter Mega

Hi, Apart from B&H and Gotham, what other stores that sell sound equipment are in New York? Also, are there any in or close to Boston? I have some family going to the US (from Australia) for a wedding soon and I'm thinking I might get them to bring some new toys back for me!! Thanks Peter Mega

Hi Jeff, I'm happy to donate also but I dont have a paypal account (and I dont really want to open one). Is there another way I can donate? I'm in Australia as you know. Let me know. Regards Peter Mega

(I posted this in another thread called "best battery to power my Sound Devices 552" but it may have gone un-noticed, anyone using these batts in general, any good?) Hawk Woods make the new stubby half size Lion NP1 battery. Its 2.4Ah and looks like a nice space saver in the bag. Anyone use these? Cheers Peter Mega http://www.hawkwoods.com/products/details/details.php?code=np-35&mainMenuItemToSlide=5&asi=mr2&asi2=npb-sqn4s

I tried to move this video from another thread started by me and called "trouble uploading funny video" because I thought it would fit better here. I'm not sure what I did and it seemed to disappear so here it is again. Sorry! Regards Peter Mega

Hawk Woods make the new stubby half size Lion NP1 battery. Its 2.4Ah and looks like a nice space saver in the bag. Anyone use these? Cheers Peter Mega http://www.hawkwoods.com/products/details/details.php?code=np-35&mainMenuItemToSlide=5&asi=mr2&asi2=npb-sqn4s

Interesting story Brent C!! I would have loved to have seen the look on your interns face!! "Hyper awareness" is a good way of putting it, thanks. I still haven't managed to A/B my mic. The guy I worked with the other day had a T powered 416, so I couldn't A/B it into my 552. I will try to A/B as soon as I can. I'm pretty sure my 416 is fine because I've been using it since the fall but will A/B just for peace of mind. Regards Peter Mega

As others have said, SVEN takes a little getting used to but is fine once you're used to it. If you put the tip of your tongue in between your teeth and talk, thats what SVEN sounds like. Its handy being able to navigate through the menu without referring to a chart. Once set up, you dont really need to get into it that often. I haven't had to get into the menu whilst on set at all yet. The 552 passes audio while in the menu, unlike the 442. The fader pots have been changed from the factory. The 552 now ships with the smooth type rather than the original "gummy" feeling ones. IMO, the newer, smooth ones are nicer to work with. I've had recent correspondance with SD and this what Nic Stage said re faders... "There indeed was a slight change to the faders on the 552 to make them a little less stiff." You'll be very happy if you decide to get the 552. Regards Peter Mega

I've had the squeak but it hasn't bothered me. Once they're on your head they dont move/squeak. Its only when folding them up or maybe when adjusting. I've never worried about lubricating them. I too, seem to replace my 7506's every two years for one reason or another. The last pair was because the cable insulation/sheath split open and the wires inside were fully exposed but they were working fine. The pair before that was because the cable broke/came out of where it goes into the driver. This is a weak point on these headphones IMO. Having said that, they go through quite alot before these minor problems occur. I had both pairs fixed and now use them for directors/producer headphones (or spare for myself)

If you choose to go with the internal batteries, I can tell you that the RX900S will run for 5 to 6 hours on a fresh set of batts using the Energizer AA Lithium Ultimate type. I used these batts for a week on a pilot shot with a HDV camera ( I hate working with small cameras but thats another story), since it had no power output for my RX900S. I changed them at 5 hours just to be safe but I think they had some more juice in them. See if you can get the production to supply them. They're not cheap but they work. Dont even bother with normal AA's, you'll be changing very hour if you do use them. Good luck Peter Mega

I've never had the problem either with my 302. I use the SD XL-14 (ships with 744T) cable and never unplug it. I think the trick is to minimise inserting and removing the mini jack as much as possible.

Many thanks for the feedback guys. Vin, I'll try to A/B it on Monday while I'm working with another sound guy. Andy, I use a SD 552, so the phantom is in the menu and is set to 48V. I thought it might have been my mind playing tricks on me. Its the paranoia of seeing it fall from the 3.86 metres (K152 at full extension) that tells your brain "there MUST be something wrong with it", weird huh? It was stupid of me to leave it leaning at full extension, I'm usually very cautious and retract the pole as much as possible. Thanks again Peter Mega

Hi folks, My 416 and K-tek K152 pole at full extension took a fall today. It was leaning in the v of a tree's branches and a gust of strong wind blew it out of the v and over it went, ouch!! It was in a K tek mount with a Koala Fluffy. It landed on the side of the fluffy, which offered some protection and thankfully and the 416 still works. The pole seems to be okay too, not showing any fractures in the carbon fibre. It landed half on grass and half on gravel road. The 416 however, sounds like it should but seems to be hissing more than usual (I think). I compared it to my Sanken CS3e (which is rarely used, in its box) and the CS3e sounded like it was hissing alot too. Is it psycological because the 416 had a fall and I noticed something thats been there the whole time. Do you think I am just hearing the inherent noise of both mics? The Sennheiser repairer told me some time ago that the newer 416's (made in the last 10 years or so) dont really go off spec, they're either working or not. Does anyone know enough about the internals of 416 to know? Sorry for such a long post. Thanks Peter Mega

are they sure the voices aren't just in their heads, hehe Peter Mega

If its a long term shoot, I ask the production company to supply a bunch of 16gb CF cards which I can use one by one and hand over at the end of the day. I make a Wave Agent sound report before I hand over. I tell them to make a back up on an external drive (or two) as well as on their main drive. They then return the CF card to me to use again. They're always happy to do this and at the end of the gig they keep the cards for the next gig. I keep the files on the internal HDD as long as possible (or till the show airs) and if need be, make a copy on my lappy too. I used to burn copies to DVD with my lappy but I got tired of that very quickly. Handing over the CF card at the end of the day is quickest and easiest method, IMO. Peter Mega

I agree as Robert points out, it is worth the extra bucks for the brand name product. One thing I dont want to have to worry about is battery power throughout the day. I use the Sony NP-F970 batts and 1 usually lasts all day recording 4 tracks (no phantom) on my 744T. The Sony charger I use is the ACVQ1050D two bay charger. As Robert also mentioned, it tells you the time remaining to charge and some other info but only with the Sony "infolithium" batts. Other brands of batts will charge on this charger but without all the info. The cells in batteries all come from just a couple of manufacturers but the difference is the grade of cell. Sony and IDX use the A grade cells in their products, then theres the lesser grade cells in all the cheaper variety of batts and thats what effects battery run time and life. If I was buying again, I would certainly buy Sony L series batts for my 744T. Regards Peter Mega

The Fab Faux guys are thoroughly enjoyable to watch, thanks. They are obviously seasoned musicians. Good to see some good old fashioned manual dexterity rather than all the synth music these days (which is cool too). We have "The Beatnix" here in Australia, a Beatles dedication band. Four guys who dress up like the The Beatles and cover all their songs. They're pretty good too. Yes, the Beatles songs are quite complicated and not easy to play. Some songs sound simple but are far from it. Thanks for the vid. Peter Mega

Hi Paul, Thanks for the info/link. I try to never let my batts go below 13.8 volts. I dont think this is considered as a deep discharge is it? I understand deep discharge below the plateau of the batt can harm it. I could probably go a bit lower than 13.8v but not much more I wouldn't have thought? Cheers Mega

fischer type boom top left of screen

this too

and this

Hi Scott, Found this on the interweb. Hope it helps. Regards Peter Mega