RunAndGun

Unfortunately, the prices on most things keep going up. Some manufacturers have tried to maintain prices for as long as they could and others even gave very public warnings of many weeks or months before. But SD seemed to raise their prices annually(maybe a little longer…), anyway. Whether it’s the same percentage jump that you just saw, I don’t know, but I just got used to seeing their prices increase pretty much year-over-year. In the past, I’ve even bought (pre-ordered) their gear at launch and by the time it actually started shipping a few months later, they had already increased prices.

Any plans (or ability) to make it work with the 822 or something like an RF Explorer? I've been wondering why we haven't had a mobile app that could scan RF and handle freq. coord to avoid intermod.

I’m presuming you are doing this at NCCU in a few days. The description, your location and the timing can’t all just be coincidence. I was on the first two of this series of four shoots(presuming your shoot is part of it…). I was one of the cameras and one of my guys handled the audio. I don’t remember the exact way he set it up, but he ran two Schoeps 641’s, two Sanken CS-3e’s and two Sanken COS-11’s. And did multiple takes for audio, removing and adding certain sections(drum line, for instance)(it also helped that he was also in the band at a large university, so he knew what was going on). Mic’ ing was all in front of the band, some elevated, some ground level, behind cameras(more or less, as they all move around at some point), where they were playing towards. Presuming it will be like our first two, it will be in the empty basketball arena where the team plays. It’s all for camera, so no audience, but mics were kept in a static location for all performances(there should be numerous takes of each song), as cameras moved around and shot every performance for different angles. It’s a fun shoot and would love to be there, but the school kept changing dates and we were already booked when they finally nailed this one down 100%. I can reach out to my guy and see if he can talk to you about how he did it.

Just whips.

I bought one back around August(?) and have been using it mostly with some block 22 SMQV's and UH400A's. No issues, so far with digital hybrids. It's been rock solid. I used it one time with one of my audio guys that has a digital camera hop system, and even with the line out maxed(+7 vs. +5 on SR's), the levels were still a little low. Not sure if this is a "fully digital" thing or not(not sure how audio had his Tx's set, so...). So from a performance perspective with digital hybrids, it's been great. From an operational perspective, I don't like the screen itself(very hard to see, ultra tiny text/graphics and actually prefer the LCD dot matrix of the SR's/411A'S, etc.), the freq. scan or freq. set vs. the SR's. But it's great having a receiver that basically works with almost every transmitter they've made in the last ~20 years across six blocks.

I’m no expert on the matter, but have you run the freq’s/blocks you’re operating on through an intermod app/calculator like Freq Finder? I don’t know what blocks/chs you’re running, so this is completely unscientific and anecdotal (and sorta useless without knowing the blocks) but just for the heck I added an A10 Tx into my list(band A) and scrolled to a random freq and got intermod warnings for three Lectro Tx’s(two in block 22 and one in A1).

Yep. I have two 3e’s, an M1, 641 and MKH50. The 3e’s see probably at least 90% of the action. They seem to be at home in almost any reasonable situation you throw them.

Yeah... I've gotta get up at 4:45am for a shoot. Maybe I'll read it on my next ~five hour west coast flight... 😉

Can someone explain to me how they can make the reach to force these companies to disable the headphone out jacks on these recorders(in the US) while they are recording? What was the argument and was it as simple as saying, "Well, someone COULD use the headphone out jack to feed a wireless transmitter" and the US Patent Office was like, "Okie Dokie..."? It seems like IF they are able to make some type of argument for that, then they could apply it to ANY recording device that isn't Zaxcom. But my Sound Devices recorders still have functioning headphone jacks while they're recording...

I have a few well known clients that require you to be vax’d to work for them. Another network client that if you are, you submit your vax info and are then given a permanent “pass” clearing you, but if not, you must test every time before you work in the field or go into their studio. Others are all over the place with some requiring masks and/or testing and others not even asking vax status or testing. Some have hard and fast rules that are non-negotiable, some seem to be practicing “medical theater” and still some others don’t seem to really care or are operating under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” philosophy. I was on the west coast shooting last weekend and got booked for a shoot back in-town for Tue. Nothing was ever mentioned about Covid testing. I landed at home Monday afternoon and had finally received an email with details, and of course it mentioned testing and billing it back. I replied that I could not get tested before the shoot the next morning. I was not turning what was left of my day upside down trying to accommodate what was to me, a last minute request. When the PC called me they said a rapid was fine, and when I pushed and asked if testing was a deal-breaker, they said no. So I did not test before their shoot(but did provide proof of vaccination). And no one on-site even asked about testing or vax status. The CCO took our temps shortly after arriving and we wore masks. That was it…

I still have a Lectro block 26 hop set(2x SRb's and 2x UM400a's) and so far, so good, it's still been solid. And registering freq's recently with NFL, I noticed that they still have block 26 selectable with certain Tx's(like UM400a's). But I haven't tried to use my 26 stuff in any freq. coordinated venue or event in several years. I figured they wouldn't let me register an "illegal" block. But I've actually had less(no) problems out of 26 than my A1 hops.

Un-lubricated condoms. One of my regular audio guys just said the other day, semi-joking, that you know you've lost your mojo when a box of un-lubed condoms shows up from Amazon at the house and your wife doesn't even say a word. Lol

https://www.lectrosonics.com/phocadownload/um400aman.pdf Mic termination and wiring diagrams start on page 11.

I'm running the newer iPower 800mAh batts.

Interesting. Thank you, Larry.

Base 16" 'PRO' is $2499 and 'MAX' $3499, respectively. Keep the drive to 1TB and even a max 'MAX' is only $3899.

Hey Larry. These are actually lithium batteries, not NiMH and I have the receivers set to lithium batts.

I bought the new iPower Max AA 1.5V 2600mWh Li-po’s and they seem to be good, until they aren’t. Meaning the battery meter on my Lectro’s don’t work with them(properly) and there is zero warning of the battery dying. The transmitter is there and the next second it’s gone/off. I can put hot batteries in and the Lectro meter will show 1/4-1/2 down in a matter of minutes sometimes, even though the battery keeps going for hours. But one of my audio guys has said he’s never had rechargeable’s of any kind work properly with Lectro Rx battery meters. He just sets a timer and changes them every X hours. Also said he’s considering going back to throw-away Li’s. I hope I didn’t waste hundreds of dollars on rechargeable’s…. What power setting? 50mW?

And most cameras don’t record audio when shooting high-speed, so it still wouldn’t have gotten anything from you. I often (semi) joke that my $30K-$40K+ broadcast/Cine cameras can’t record audio when over-cranking, but my $1K iPhone does.

Cameras don't run free run TC in high-frame rate, so it's not going to be locked/sync'd/jammed to anything else, anyway. That being said, its TC will be based on its base frame rate/project frame rate, which sounds like it was 23.98. And it wouldn't have accepted it anyway, because the camera would have been running in record run TC. But you would have/could have thrown a monkey wrench in the works, especially if you forgot about the frame rate mismatch and the op switched the cam back from high-speed/over crank to real-time 23.98 and then the tentacle is trying to send it 29.97(cam probably would not have accepted it, though).

Oh God…. I don’t even want to think about the possibility of that.

I can't lie, I do have my concerns. We've all seen it numerous times, when small(er) successful manufacturer gets bought up by conglomerates, things often change. And not always for the better... *Cough, cough, VITEC, cough, cough*

Yep. I'm using my SMQV's with the 822 receiver, while I "migrate" to 'full digital'. I had fully intended to buy a set of DBSMD's this month and probably a set of DPR's by the end of the year to make a complete 'fully digital' set, but I just bought a new lens, so my plans may have changed.

I've never bought any of the lower-end Lectro stuff. The L series were/are big and I never really liked the design. All of my transmitters are "old school" 400 series or SMQV's and SMDWB's. If you're going used, I'd look for a UM400a(if $ is really tight) or SMQV. Yeah, they're only single block units, but the SMQV's can run at (up to) 250mW, if you need it. And the nice thing I like about the old 400 series, the physical power switch.

The UM400 was pre-servo bias(UM400a is servo bias), so if a mic was wired to work with the 400(and also not universal), that would cause issues with a servo bias transmitter(LMa is servo bias, as well). And I could be wrong, but I do not believe the MM400C is servo bias, so any mic wiring advice applied from that would be in contradiction to what is needed/optimal for a UM400a, LMa or any other servo bias transmitter. I would definitely make sure to get a lav wired specifically for servo bias and give the system another shot.