Geoff Maxwell

Hello Paul! I feel like I know you now after all of your recent webinars, which by the way have been most excellent! It's been almost a year now since I posted my intitial reactions and true to your word, the "cake" is shaping up quite nicely. Almost all of my early concerns have been addressed and remedied. As you have often said, this is an entirely new platform and now, as you add more and more functionality to it, I can appreciate the design structure and the years of thought that went into the framework. It is truly an extraordinary achievement. Thank you for that and your continual support and forward thinking. I look forward to years of new and exciting updates and accessories. Cheers and thanks again! Geoff

One of the "great ones"... so sorry to hear Jeff.

My understanding from Mike Paul at LSC is that the USB power limitation lies within the required "midi" connection mode in the Android software. That's out of my wheelhouse for speculation, but hopefully there will be a work around for that sometime soon as well.

Scorpio, my initial impressions I’ve had my Scorpio for a couple weeks now. It’s definitely a nice looking box, a step up from the typical SD form factor. The colorful spinning LED lights are a bit over the top in my opinion, but they do serve a function. The machine’s display is sharp, well laid out and well color-coordinated... albeit rather small for so much information. Compared to the 788, they have distilled the 100+ pages of menu down to 16 main chapters, but that actually makes finding individual settings somewhat more difficult and time consuming until you become familiar with their specific location within the chapters. My usage perspective is from a cart application: increasing my track count for use with an outboard analog mixer and using it along with the SD Remote app on a tablet. I’m not particularly interested in the reality TV, bag-oriented features. So I won’t comment on those aspects. The good news…16 inputs/preamps, 12 outputs, Dante (for those who have the need) unlimited routing possibilities with the buss system, and the ability to hard-wire the control surface. The bad news…half-baked software, only a 256G non-upgradable hard drive Here are some examples of the software issues: 1) The folder structure or lack thereof. There is no dedicated folder menu page. With the 788 you could edit all three folder levels. The mid-level folder would reflect and correspond with the “tape” field within the Wave Agent software. Editors could also organize sound files by this “tape” number AKA Sound Roll number. On the Scorpio the correlation between folder name and “Tape” field is completely missing. You can create a “project name” like on the Mix-Pre 10 and this will name the folder within which your files will reside, but the metadata “tape” number always defaults to the date regardless of the folder/project name. To me, that is a big problem. 2) No bluetooth capability yet 3) No way to copy files between media on the machine. That’s unbelievable. 4) The SD Remote app is pathetically spartan. (using with Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1") The only editable metadata fields are scene, take, notes and track names. The text boxes for these fields are small and require deliberate and precise touch in order to access. You need to hit them just right with your finger and they don’t expand and collapse as you would expect. Another huge issue with the Remote app is that meter displays are only available in groups of eight (1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32) For example, there is no way to view tracks 1-12 or 1-16 on the attached tablet. Even though you can view up to all 32 tracks on the machine’s tiny screen, on the attached larger display you are limited to only eight at a time. That makes no sense. There is not a “recent files” list page in the app! You can only view/edit the next or last take... two takes..that’s it! There is no way to correct recent scene names or input notes beyond your last take within the app. Also there is no “routing matrix” page within the app. I think we were all hoping for enhanced metadata editing and control features included in the SD Remote app, perhaps even an ample Sound Report Tool. Instead we received a significantly less featured app than the Wingman… in fact, I would consider the SD Remote App a major step backward from even the CL-WiFi app. Some noted hardware shortcomings: 1) The second row of faders (7-12) are small and although they are designed to be “mini” main faders, they definitely require a finger/thumb operation. The main faders are nice and smooth and are one finger operable as expected. 2) The USB-A data connection from machine to the tablet DOES also provide power, but not enough power to keep the tablet from going completely dead in a couple of days. So you need to disconnect the data cable and supply a real power source intermittently to keep the tablet display charged and running….like at lunch or at wrap. Remember there is no bluetooth connection available yet, so keeping the tablet plugged into a power-only connection while using the app, is not an option. Summary It’s great to have a high track count, 16 preamps and 12 outputs, redundancy media x 3 and more, all in a small, beautiful container BUT by design, the true functionality and ultimate potential reside in the software. If SD are unable to provide adequate or timely updates to the software, then unfortunately the Scorpio's usefulness for me will be very limited.

From the commercial contract..this usually works: " There shall be no minimum staffing requirements provided, however staffing practices shall be consistent with the general past practice of the television commercial production industry"

Nice job Whitney. Building carts is a lotta fun. Thanks for all the detail.

MKH 50 with 10db pad engaged. or in-line pad(s) in the MK Schoeps. Frankly for screaming..I think I'd save the Schoeps. Having the boom op mix with the mic is nice too. Lectro SM Lav transmitters to 0 if you are looking to get a scream track on radio..you won't get much else.

I've never had experience with an amp or different antenna...and no luck with changing the channels on my 788 HOWEVER I've had a lot of success going to my iPad WIFI settings and choosing "forget this network" and then rejoining when I change locations...might help.

Position filled. Thanks !

TV Movie- ASA rates, Housing, PD , Travel. The closer the better. Home just in time for Xmas with money in your pocket. Please send resumes or IMDB link. Thanks!! Geoff Maxwell gmax@earthlink.net

Here is my 2¢..I've used Tram, Sonotrim, COS-11, DPA for more years than I would care to admit. When the B-6 came out I was cautioned by my mic repair tech that they were very fragile and unrepairable so I avoided them. About 6 years ago I bought a bunch of gear from a retiring mixer and several B-6's were included. One thing led to another and I have since purchased many more and have NEVER had a failure at the head of the mic..and this includes fight scenes and rough doc work. I attribute it to two things: 1) I think the inherent low mass of the mic head and cable allows the mic to react to stress like a cable only..instead of a cable with a mic attached and 2) The B-6 works extremely well with the Rycote over/undercovers which again will give up the mic rather than damage it. I think the more rigid mounts like vampires and rubber boots can cause a lot of stress at the mic head. When you add the Countryman's water resistance and the B-6 ease of concealment to the package, I think they are hard to beat for rough and tumble applications.

I have been contemplating the purchase of a sound trailer and wanted to get some opinions as to their practicality. I would use it for features and presumably get a rental. I'm tired of being the "red headed stepchild" on the camera truck. And when we (sound and video) do get our own truck it's usually not outfitted properly and a pain to work out of. So a few questions for those of you with trailer experience if you please... 1) How receptive is production and transpo to the sound trailer solution and what type of rental rate can you get? Along the same line, does accommodating video help the sell to production and the rental rate? Were those of you with trailers ever forced to move onto the camera truck? 2) What sort of maintenance issues did you encounter? 3) What features would you consider mandatory? 4) Did weight distribution influence your design? 5) Any size recommendations? I was thinking 16'L x 7' or 8'W with a height of 7' 6) For those of you who had space for "hanging out" did you really use it? 7) If you had AC did you also have a generator or connect to shore power? Any other pros and cons or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance.. Geoff

"Also not the best low end response" I like the absence of low end. Those freqs beat up your ears and practically don't matter anyway for speech recording. The editors can easily remove them if irrelevant or unwanted.

Still looking for ProTools playback...filled the utility position. Thanks, Geoff

Looking for music Playback operators with Protools or similar software experience. With the ability to do remixes on set (basically custom monitor mixes). Musical docudrama in the Cincinnati area. Jazz experience would be beneficial. Also a possibility of some live recording as well. Must have own gear including Software , computer(s) medium size playback package and at least earwig experience if not the earwigs themselves. Shooting in July/August Maybe 6-7 days day-playing. Ohio,Nashville, Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh would be an ideal distance for hiring and as I understand it..there are a lot of you guys in those areas. Tier 2 IA union payscale. Please send resumes to Geoff Maxwell. gmax(@)earthlink(dot)net ASAP Boom and utility positions also a possibility. Thanks for your consideration.

Thanks Aginzo...that's good news. I hope our copies are tuned similarly. Cheers, Geoff

In terms of reverb, I'd say the Sanken CS3 but I personally don't care for the overall sound of that mic. I actually don't own one but borrowed one for the test because it was recommended as a potential solution.

Hmmm... well whether inside or out The SuperCMIT is quirky. It can blow your mind either way..incredibly good or incredibly bad. I wish I could be specific as to the conditions of each occurrence but it's random. Which is why we have the unprocessed signal on the other channel. I'm no engineer but I suppose there is some sort of "digital guesswork" going on and sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don't. Aside from the amazing echo solution I've already discussed, there isn't anything the SuperCMIT CAN do that Post CAN'T in terms of removing ambient noise. But it's always nice to give them the best tracks we can...again with the safety net of the standard CMIT channel as a backup. Having said all that, I love the mic for the many occasions it excels. However unfortunately there is no "magic bullet" in any of our tool boxes.

Thanks Mike ...all good tips. Maybe I'm old school but I too like the sound of Sonotrims.

Indeed, if it's true. Thanks to everyone for weighing in. Geoff

Anybody work with these? According to the web (cameramen) blogs they are quiet. I would be grateful for any shared experience. Here's the quote: "The SR3 Advanced had a noise specification of between 20 dbA and 22 dbA. The 416 has a noise specification of below 20 dbA. This was accomplished by using rubber insulators to hold the camera body's inner skeleton and by having the internal skeleton of the magazine also held by rubber insulators. The magazine is also not driven anymore by a gear from the camera, but by its own silent motor. Running the camera containing a 400 foot load running at 24 fps, I had to press my ear against the side of the camera to tell if it was running, and even then I could barely discern a whispered purr. The camera is amazingly quiet." ?Panaflex is listed at around 25db with film. Hard to believe the 416 could be that much more quiet. Thanks, Geoff

Thanks Robert. I intend to mic them, fortunately there won't be seat belts. Just looking for all my options. Geez I hate that "L" word..

Thanks, these look great. Does anyone stock them in the US?

Thanks Jan, good advice. Where does one get armature wire? Also when you say "put Rycote hair" Do you mean canibalizing an existing windjammer? Thanks again, Geoff

Thanks a lot guys, good stuff. I am lobbying to get my hands on the car in prepro. Never used the Cubs. How does the sound compare to the Schoeps? How's the pattern.. off axis etc..Are they 48V?