Wandering Ear

You can use any audio interface for Skype calls. Then you can choose the mic your using on your end (and record it directly, and record HQ outputs of the very compressed Skype audio stream. I keep a small pair of iPod speakers in my kit which work great for this kind of thing or for playback when you're recording also. The software solutions sound simpler though. K

The only recorder I've used regularly without a noticable amount of RF on my scans is my 552. 788, 744, and Nomad all seem to spray in different ways.

I've owned westone and etymotic custom molded plugs, and have been extremely happy with both. I also keep a pair of the non molded etymotics on my keychain for when I find myself in a loud situation and I forgot to bring my custom fit plugs.

I'm a huge fan of these Phillips. I own several pairs and find them to be very comfortable as well as sounding good. They make them with and without the Iphone mic. http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Headset-iPhone-Remote-Mic/dp/B003DTLV8K/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1331674325&sr=8-9

Doing your own intermod calculation allows you much greater flexability than being stuck with only the factory intermod charts. Also FreqFinder allows you to do intermod on multiple brands wireless, which is something I do frequently. It's one tool in many to help reduce the number of problems that can arrise when using radios.

Most convolution reverbs will give you the ability to use your own impulses. I've been able to record a couple when I'm in a great large space, but so far I haven't been on a production where it was used in post. It seems like it could be the evolution of room tone. Now it's room tone & impulse.

Mark, I'd suggest always running the boom mic, and possibly having a room mic running as well, that way you give post production the option of tailoring the amount of reverb as much as possible, especially when running lavs. It will help them match the shots where you can't get in very close with the cu's. Thing brings me to something I've thought about doing for quite a while, but haven't broached the subject much. I was going to make it it's own thread someday, but here goes. If post is on board, you could also record an impulse response (popping a baloon works quite well). This would allow post to model the room with a convolution reverb, and make matching the different shots in the room easier. Does anyone regularly do this? K

Glad the trip went well. The only time I went to Haiti, with Jordan, PAP got shut down the day we were supposed to fly in due to riots, and we ended up having to hire a jet into the DR, then bus in through back roads. Fun times.

+1 I've always been happy with my interactions with Lectro.

Everyone I know is avoiding FCP X like the plague, so I have no idea. The reason I know about FCP metadata is because I've had to walk several editors through syncing with timecode and BWAV by educating them about how FCP calculates it's BWAV TC value. It took me a lot of digging and testing when I first figured this issue out, fortunately now Sound Devices has a very concise article about it that I can point editors to if they have any questions. http://www.sounddevices.com/notes/recorders/time-code/importing-to-fcp-and-avid/ K

I was on a film last summer where the AD, who had been around a long time, would call "Roll Sound" to try to move the production along, sometimes when the DP wasn't even in the room. Camera dept. and I made a side pact to just communicate with each other since the AD wasn't doing it for us, and I waited until I heard "Cameras Up" before I rolled sound. We all have to find ways to work with the people we're working with.

Recordist makes me feel my job is about operating a sound recorder, which in my view is only a small part of my actuall job. Operating my recorder is not what gets me good sound. It's all the other things I do that get good sound. I'd take the title Production Sound Supervisor as an alternate to Mixer if I'm on a job where I'm not creating a mix track, but why bother? The sound mixer in general is the person you look to to be responsible for the quality of sound, so it seems fitting to me. K

FCP has poor implimentation of BWAV metadata, and from what I understand you cannot read track names in FCP. This is another one of those oddities like FCP ignoring the framerate metadata and calculating the TC value from the SSM (Samples Since Midnight) incorrectly using the first opened projects frame rate rather than the frame rate embedded in the BWAV metadata. From what I've remember reading it's actually the way that Quicktime deals with metadata, and not just a FCP problem, but an issue inhereted from Quicktime.

I personally haven't experienced the phantom issue, but reading about it has forced me to make sure I get back in the good habbit of turning off phantom before plugging/unplugging my boom.

In my tests I saw a lot of RF spray with the IFB turned off. Since I don't own any ERXs I didn't test with the IFB on to see if there is a difference.

+1

I believe I'm one of those you mention with the 552 and the Nomad in the same bag. I did that for a classical music recital, and I wanted to run 2 recorders concurrently in case something happens with one. I try to always run 2 recorders when in a situation where I can't interupt due to technical problems. I've had hard drives fail on me in the middle of live concerts, and would've lost the whole song if I didn't have a backup recorder running. That being said, when I'm in a situation where I can call cut, fix the problem, and start rolling again, I take the 552 out and run the Nomad by itself. The 744/552 combo is a combo I've run for quite a while until I got my Nomad, there are a couple advantages of having the 552 in place. 4 mic pres instead of 2, slate mic, boom op talk back, and the ability to make a mix track to send to camera / IFB. If needed you could record your mix track to the 552 w/ timecode and then have ISOs on the 744, although generaly I just record the ISOs in the 744 and send a mix track to camera via a sen. g3. In all the time I've owned the 552, I haven't used the 5th channel that often, if I'm above 4 channels I usually rent a 788. K

Stacy, have you checked your bus routing to make sure you're audio is actually being routed to your cards and/or outputs?

Beautiful Simon!

If they're shooting with multiple lenses, i.e. taking all the shots at once, they could nullify the movement of the helicopter, and even using multiple cameras, you're probably far enough away that the photos will line up without issue. Maybe not the case with the guy in the office though. Cool photos.

I'll play with my location services. Thanks! K

I added the control photo to my original post.

Hey James, 1.23 fixed the crashes. The TV preview shows 0db for all channels, but that's less important to me because I can clearly see those on my scans. The intrermod calc I can't do without your app. THANKS! K

I did some side by side RF scans today with a block 21 UCR411 and a block 25 UCR401 comparing RF spray from a 552, a 744t, and a Nomad. Here are the photos: First with the whole system running on a NP1 Then with the whole system on internal batteries: And control: I'm considering ordering some cobaltex and incorporating it into my bag to see if this improves.

I don't actually own a pano head, I cheat and use this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/553889-REG/Manfrotto_056_056_3_D_Junior_Head.html I'm able to get the point of rotation very close to where it needs to be, and I only have issues with very close forground object.