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stephane

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Posts posted by stephane

  1. I take a different approach to bag power. Rather than have a power distro box in the bag, I make up a wiring harness (I wanted to say "harnesses" as I've done many of them over the years, but only one per bag). The harness includes a push button switch as a master power control. I turn off individual receivers via their front panel switches when not in use.

    A harness is actually easy to build and adds less weight and bulk to the bag.

    Just thought I'd add an alternative to the discussion.

    Really nice work, BTW, Mat.

    Might try the harness idea. Seems simple, but never thought about it until now. John, with yours, do you include a resetting fuse on each output? Anything else you think I should consider?

    As always, love seeing custom work. Thanks Mat for sharing.

    Stephane

  2. Does anyone know if the current crop of Nomads have resolved the phantom power issue. I just receive my Nomad last week and read on page 40 of the user manual that I need to turn off phantom power before plugging in a mic. I've also read on the forum that some people have had a mod done to their unit to resolve the issue. Should I assume that the latest Nomads being built don't have this problem? I don't know if mine already has the mod built in, and I'm hesitant now to plug in a mic with phantom power turned on.

    ...btw, I did see a topic on the Zaxcom forum entitled "phantom power issue", but after registering myself on the forum today, logging in and clicking on the topic, I am told I don't have permission to access the page. So I'm posting here in the hopes that someone can give me a quick answer.

    thx

  3. The french version sounds more intelligent. In english, "the portable dream team for indoor and outdoor" is a bad translation of the what was intended to loosely say "all the necessary resources for mixing and recording over-the-shoulder". Funny how a simple thing like this can hurt a company. That, and making a product that looks plasticy and takes forever to get to market and you have a failed effort. Too bad.

  4. Just did the opposite. Went from a straight cable on my HD25 which was catching on every door handle, c-stand, pony-clip that I walked past, to a coiled cable. Now my headset doesn't fly off my head like a bad comedy skit.

    http://www.customcans.co.uk/ccstore/cables/41-leightweight-curly-cord-for-sennheiser-hd-25-35m-12-black.html

  5. He'll be missed. When I started doing sound about ten years ago I had the chance of meeting Rick when he had his shop at the back of his house. What a great place that was. Most of what I learned about sound comes from those days when I hung out at his place. It was wonderfully informal. Even when he was busy you always felt welcome. Just like going to a friend's place. Nothing but good memories.

    Stephane

  6. I second Mike's recommendation for Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement Handbook. This is a great all-around book that will give you a good fundamental understanding of the technical side of sound. Don't let the title fool you, it's not only for live sound engineers.

    I read this for a course in an audio engineering program quite a while back. Still relevant.

    Stephane

  7. A few months ago I bought myself a pair of custom earphones from Alien Ears http://www.alienears.com/C1000.htm , so that on days when I'm working outside in the rain with a hoodie, or in the cold with a tuque, or in the summer with a wide brimmed hat, well it's not awkward. I've used them a few times indoors just to see how I liked them in that setting, but I still prefer my HD25's mainly because they're easier to put on and take off multiple times a day and I still find them more comfortable. But sound quality, they're almost the same. Just a tad bit less bass in the earphones. The model I got was the single driver version.

    I also do the occasional over-the-shoulder type work but I haven't had a chance to try them out yet in that environment. For now it's been tv series only.

    I'm glad I have both

  8. Ok, I know the cinela is great. But does it perform well with softies or are you talking only of indoor use with a regular foam?

    I've been utility/2nd boom on a show where the Cinela mount is used with two MKH50. One of the mounts has the old metal spring wire and the other has the newer thicker plastic isolator. For regular booming with a typical light weight foam windscreen we usually use the mount with the thin wire suspension, but then we opt for the newer plastic suspension to compensate for the extra weight if we need to add a furry. Both work really well.

    I really wish they would make one with an adapter for a zeppelin

    Stephane

  9. "The Ambient QX looks great but I need an internal coil cable and the way their version exits the end of the pole seems really awkward (XLR male just hangs out the end of the tube the same way a straight through cable would)... seems very odd."

    Derek, I also didn't think that flow-through system would work for me. Thankfully Ambient has started to make a coiled cable kit where the male XLR is now screwed into the bottom of the pole very much like the K-tek ones. Sebastian Fell from Ambient was able to send me the new kit after emailing me photos of the prototype last month. Not sure if they're in full production yet.

    Stephane

  10. I've been following the discussion on the forum www.perchman.com about this mixer/recorder. http://www.perchman.com/phorum/read.php?f=3&i=17554&t=17505

    So far only a few people have gotten their hands on one and, so, no thorough review as of yet. I got to play around with the 4Minx at nab. The hardware was complete but the software was still being worked on. My impression was that it was well built, and from the opinions on the perchman forum, aeta as a company seem to be well known for making good quality products. They appear to be highly respected in France. I do remember, however, that I was a bit frustrated with the tiny, difficult-to-read, screen. I don't know if the final product will be any different.

  11. I have a ZFR100 instead of a TRX900, but the solution I found may help you come up with an idea for your own situation. The solution I found kept the unit safe and secure inside the bag but also made it easy for me to pull it out to view the screen. I simply bent a piece of metal to the same shape as the back and bottom of the ZFR100 and covered it in neoprene for grip and insolation I then velcroed the piece of metal onto one of the spare dividers in the bag and placed it wherever I wanted. So far I'm happy with it. The bottom U-shape that cradles the ZFR is tight enough that the unit won't move inside the bag, but not too tight that it is difficult to remove.

    Stephane

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  12. Hmmm. Not to stir the pot but my understanding is that it's downright impossible for any US crew person (except a DP) to work in Canada (UK too), how come all that's needed is a "carnet" and Canadians are good to go here?

    Dan Izen

    A carnet won't allow you to work in another country. Like Rich pointed out, it's really only meant to help gear cross the border.

    As to the claim that it's impossible for US crew to work in Canada, well, I know of a US sound mixer that worked on a feature film here in Vancouver a few years back. Although unusual, I'm sure this sort of hiring happens in many other countries as well.

    Stephane

  13. Mine also turns red during initial boot up, but then reverts to green a few seconds later once it's initialized. It's normal.... unless you mean to say your ZFR100 stays red throughout. That would definitely be problematic.

    Stef

  14. Here's my 2 cents:

    - Comteks. Plenty of used ones for sale (older model), and so not a big hit on your bank account. Maybe one block for your boom, and another for director / script / etc

    - If you'll be doing a dailies mix, what about a mixing surface/board?

    - Extra wireless. Not sure about your particular feature, but trying to cover a big scene with lots of actors can be a challenge without plenty of wires. This one would obviously be a big hit on your bank account. Also the next logical step with the extra wires would be a multicoupler, antennas, stands, and long bnc extensions.

    But I think the most obvious absence in your kit would be the lack of Comteks/IFB that you would definitely need, I think, on any feature regardless of budget.

    Stephane

  15. Possibly.... I was hoping for a single 9v battery unit for the smallest practical size, but if a 5 x 9v setup is a simpler design then I may just go that direction.  I'm assuming a single battery unit would increase the complexity of the design, and (from what I've read on the web) the s/n noise as well. Is that right?

    But simpler is better. So, if I do go ahead and try to make this 5 battery phantom power box, how would I wire the caps and resistors?

    Stephane

  16. where is the zaxcom sta150 power connector in relation to the sra receivers? its possible, though i would hope unlikely that the sta's regulated power supply could be emitting rf. does powering the zfr100 from its internal battery make any difference?

    I also have a ZFR100. Unfortunately, The STA stereo adapter only works with external power; The batteries only power the stand-alone ZFR100 as a mono recorder.

    However, my experience with the ZFR and two 411 in a bag hasn't been a problem. They're all fairly close together as well. Maybe I'm lucky.

    Stephane

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