rich

for 2 core, i like the mogami 3031. it will allow you to get 4 wires into a DB-15, or 2 into a TA5. ive not found (or looked that hard) for a starquad that is thinner than the 4.8mm offerings from mogami or canare that is as flexible or sturdy.

the 8 series have limiters on all the analogue and digital inputs. it was the 6 series that only had limiters on the analogue inputs. the 833 only has 1 AES input as standard. using either the XL-AES accessory to give you 4 more pairs, or an SL2 for your slot in receivers, and 2 AES pairs. there is gain on every input. including the returns.

the 4 zone can be modified fairly easily to run on 12v. the mains supply inside it takes your AC input and outputs 12v. but it is only practical if you are able to use a rack based system. a more portable option is the Audio Wireless 2 zone distro https://www.audiowireless.co.uk/online-store/AW-Diversity-Antenna-Combiner-and-Distribution-Module-DADM224-2C-IN-STOCK-p456601672 i use two of these on my cart rig. (one for main antennas, and one to feed my crew comms)

the part number for the Lemo collet nut driver is DCL.91.516.5TK it cost me £40 when i got it, but on digging out the receipt, that was 12 years ago, so it may cost a fair bit more now. i made a tool for the redding connectors. i had something close, and widened the space between the prongs with a dremel cutting tool. you could do the same with a suitable flat bladed screwdriver and a saw and file i imagine. not for the redding connectors, but Lemo have a load of technical info on their site https://www.lemo.com/int_en/solutions/originals/b-indoor-keyed/fvb-00-303-nlae13.html

yes yes yes. i use a similar connector (probably the same to be honest, but i dont get them from Redding) it has a proper cable clamp making it much easier to assemble, and means its much less critical with the diameter of the cable (i have seen sooooo many Lemo crimp connectors that fail because someone has used the correct crimp tool which means that the crimped part doesnt really grip the cable. mostly COS11s)

the main reason i got the SL2 was, that if you put some batteries on the base of your 8 series recorder, you are able to swap your main batteries without your receivers and anything connected to the two Hirose connectors on the SL2 powering down. losing a lot of cabling is also an advantage, as well as gaining a few more AES inputs. and keeping the inputs on the side free in case you need them for something else. im not convinced that the RF distribution is as good as my Audio Wireless boxes, but its better than what was in the SL6. and less whips in your bag is a good thing. even if you are just swapping a whip on each receiver for a whip on each side of the SL2.

i got some countryman EMWs years ago as i needed something waterproof, but didnt want to spend the money on a B3 or B6. i may have read somewhere that it used the same capsule as a TRAM, but couldnt tell you where i read that, and it would hve been over 10 years ago, so be very sceptical of that info without anyone else to back it up. but, its a good sounding mic, and i ended up using them later in a scene where one actor was getting covered in blood, and everyone else was wearing a DPA 4061. the EMW matched very well, which surprised me at the time. and certainly makes them worth keeping as a more disposable / stunt mic. and worth adding as another choice for your options

i had been using a PSC tip on my Loon for many years, and it would always move slightly with a mic attached. on reading this thread this week, i took the tip out of my VDB pole and put it in my Loon. it is much better than the PSC tip, but there is still a little movement of the tip.

when fitting the mic, make sure the front of it is no further forward than the black ring where the ends are fitted so that you have enough air space around the mic for the windshield to be effective. take the fur off when transporting the mic. ive always stored my fur inside out, and have no issues with the hairs matting. and whilst i havent used my rycote stuff in over 5 years, it did have at least 10 years of use and is still in very good condition.

the EW-DP receiver has a headphone out.

i use Ultimate Ears earphones when im mixing. when i had my 788 / CL9 setup, if i ran the headphone out of the 788 into the CL9, and then plugged my earphones into the CL9, i would get a lot of hiss. but plugging straight into the 788 was fine. i think it was to do with the headphone amp in the CL9 not liking low impedence headphones so much

dont use the boost feature. it adds 30dB of gain. but. (at least on the last time i used one many years ago) it doesnt remember that you have activated the boost function, so will need to be re-done EVERY time you power up the mic. which if your mic is in a blimp suspension is a real pain. if you are able to keep your signal chain digital, then there shouldnt be a penalty adding the gain back in at your recorder. also, i generally found i was using 22-28dB of gain when i was using my SCMIT, so 30dB was too much anyway.

yeah. i got one almost 2 years ago now i like it. much nicer display than the rf explorer. and a little more intuitive to use. it forgets your last used settings before you switch it off. but you can save presets for the frequency ranges / settings you want to look at. certainly a useful bit of kit to see what else is going on rf wise around you. and much better than the scan display on most receivers available these days.

theP-11XBP wont be able to charge a battery in there. phantom power doesnt supply enough current to do much more than power a mic - around 4ma. i charge my NiMh batteries at 300ma. the battery in the barrel is there if what you are plugging the mic into cannot supply phantom power. and if you are using rechargeable batteries, put fresh ones in every day, rather than live with the anxiety that the battery will die whilst you are using it. it has been many many many years since i used a hard wired lav, especially one with the in line XLR adapter, and based on that i dont imagine many others have used them either. if you want to know how long the battery lasts, thats easy enough to test for yourself. my money is on a week.

you can set the transmitter to resume record on power up. so as long as you have sent the transmitter a record command previously, it will start recording when you switch it on. you have about 2 hours of timecode battery backup without a battery fitted. but you should have much longer with a battery in, but with the unit powered down. and you will need to manually jam each unit with timecode if you dont have a Nexus. but you should only need to do that once a day. there is no nexlink control in the A20 receiver. you will need a Nexus or Nexus Go for that. but you can group record all transmitters that are in range via the app. and the transmitters can be paired to multiple devices. though only controlled by one. and things sometimes get a bit tricky currently if you are in a busy area with lots of other bluetooth things about.

how does automix / ai know the difference between dialogue and someone thumping their chest for emphasis, or putting their coat on and making their radio noisy for a bit where they arent talking? or know when to dip the radios and raise the boom level a touch for a hug? there is still a need for a mix to be done live on set. and for that mixer to understand the need to make the mix sound like it looks. fortunately now, post has the opportunity to rework all the elements we give them down the line, rather than only have the 1 mix track. and whilst that may take some of the pressure off of our job, i would hope that doesnt lessen the relevance and importance of our job.

that isnt a fault of the battery eliminator. thats because of the background / competing rf on your transmitters frequency. that said. i do tend to leave my IEM transmitters running over lunch to avoid the potential occurrence of that issue, because its easier to do that than retune 15 receivers.

and the script supervisor. and the AD and the producers and their pals and your team and the editor it aint getting to sound post for months. i like that i dont need to ask to go again because i missed a fade. but if i didnt nail it, they are listening to that mistake for those few months until it gets to the dialogue editor, so i still need to get it as right as i can on the day.

the EW-D will power itself back up if you pull the batteries without powering the unit down. also, beware that the battery eliminator for the G3 / G4 wont work with the EW-D because the batteries are oriented differently for the two systems. Evolution wireless have the +ve terminals both facing the same way. EW-D have the +ve terminals facing in opposite directions. so the terminals of the G3 battery eliminator at best wont line up with the terminals of the EW-D, and at worst, may short out.

i have only used the Sony BX1. at 10mw they get at most 4 hours continuously. when i first got the A20 mini, i tried some other brand batteries, and nothing got within half an hour of the Sonys. i have no intention of using non rechargeable batteries unless in an emergency situation and have never tested them. you'll get a bit more run time out of lithium AAA's. but if you need more runtime, then either the battery doubler, or the full size A20 are the way to go.

i have both units. though my A20TX are intended to be used for booms. only on talent as a last resort if you are using a Nexus too, you can power down the A20 mini in between setups to save battery life. though that depends on what format shows you are working on. or you can get a battery doubler to extend your battery life. for cast micing, there isnt much you will be missing function wise with the A20mini compared to the A20TX. though the A20TX has a display, and removable media. though everything on both units can be controlled via the app and the nexus. i havent put the A20TX next to an SMWDB to compare size, but the specs are easily found on both manufacturers websites. sound wise, i am very impressed with mine. not needing to adjust gain at the transmitters is pretty damn cool too. on my last job, the systems handled gunfire and lots of shouting without issue - i just brought the gain down on the recorder and it held up fine.

i dont own a Nova, but since this is the internet, i'm going to answer some of this anyway. for the DB15, i'd recommend getting a custom cable made up to suit what you need. i've no doubt your usual equipment supplier can sort you out. unless you are in the UK, then send me a message. your recording media is one of the most important parts of what you do. can you be 100% sure that an adapter wont cause you any problems at some point in the future?

many many years ago, i made up some cables so that i could get a timecode feed from camera on my umbilical to my 788T. because i used the 442 spec of wiring for a 10 pin Hirose, i used pin 7 for the timecode signal. because i had, initially, used an SQN umbilical, which was made on the assumption of balanced audio returns, i had timecode bleed on the right return. i then bought some VanDamme 4 pair cable (and subsequently Mogami) , and wired it so that it still had the same pin outs as the 442 spec, but - and here is the important bit, the audio return (pin 5&7) were on a pair of cables, and the timecode was on a pair (6&8). this significantly reduced the timecode bleed on the return. i then modified my SQN umbilical by swapping pins 6 and 7 at both ends of the cable, which made that cable usable with a timecode return as well.

A lot of their rack mount gear can be ordered with an XLR4 input instead of mains. Email them to check wether what you are interested in can have this done. though, for some reason, some of their units that come with an XLR4 use pin 2 for +ve rather than pin 4 and they claim not to be able to change this. thoigh it’s easy enough to open them up and make a connection between pin 2 and 4 of the XLR so you don’t need to use a specific cable for it.

i have everything in a Peli IM2300 case with some trek pak, and some zip up pouches in the lid held in with velcro it has the mics, transmitters, belts and pouches, batteries and my assistants accessories box. the lid pouches have a load of fluffy and sticky bits the case does not live on my cart. it goes on the follow magliner so it is ready for the 2nd assistant sound (who mostly takes care of the radio mics in the UK). the idea is that it should have pretty much everything you might need to mic someone in one place and one box. and none of the boom transmitters are in that box! i'll try and take a picture next week once i am back with my kit.