JonG

I used to use the Ambient ones but sometimes they lock up, and it’s always go-time when they do. I switched to SGS and like them a lot. I have them on all seven of my poles. 

I wish this thread existed when I got into Wisys and 6060s. I asked around about 6060 vs 6061 and got crickets. So I went with 6060s. Most of what I do these days is corporate/commercial work, but I did do an extremely long feature earlier this year using this setup, with lot’s of yelling and screaming. The 6060s did just fine, I’d just turn the gain on the tx down when I knew it was going to get loud. Everything worked out great, I just hope that whomever gets stuck doing the post work can deal with the snow machines that you can hear in every scene!

I know that I’m late to the game on this show, but I just started watching “Medici” on Netflix, and the dialogue is just plain terrible. I can’t understand half of it, and it is muddy and phasey, as well buried under other things in the mix, such as the M&E tracks. I’m sure that it was recorded well, I don’t detect much ADR, although with those outfits I’m sure there is plenty, but I haven’t NOT understood more dialogue in a show in I don’t know how long. 
 

I have excellent hearing, an above usual hi-fi setup, and I understand accents quite well, having lived abroad for many years and speaking more than a couple languages. 
 

What is with this mix? Yes there are whisper actors but all the dialogue is buried in one way or another. I don’t get how this passed QC! Back when I did restoration work and surround mixing we would have never let this through. Why do streaming companies that do original content cut such crucial corners? I know that camera has been put on a ridiculous pedestal lately, but really, sound is 51% of a show at the least. If we can’t understand what people are saying, what’s the point of the show? Come on people. 

I imagine that would be rather complicated since each brand of wireless mics has its own compatibility mode, not to mention encryption, digital vs. analog, etc. 

Yes. Read more about time code

16 hours ago, Derek H said:

Thanks Jon, do you know what band they were operating in? 

I believe it was block 27. And from what I remember, it was a wireless service provider van that picked it up while driving by and hunted it down. 

It was in the US. They received a warning, and were told that if they continued using it, there would be a fine. 

On 7/12/2022 at 7:42 AM, Derek H said:

I’m not sure I agree with this statement. I have yet to hear about a single case of a production sound mixer getting in trouble for operating on illegal channels. Not to mention there are gaps in block 24 and 25 that are legal to use with limitations. 

I know someone who was busted for using illegal blocks. It is real. 

The setting always depends upon the source. Structure your gain accordingly. 

SMQV, HMa

You know what, I think I remember now that I bought the connector at LSC and soldered it to a BDS cable (Dave was aware of the size being different and they kept them in stock), and you’re right it is slightly different. I didn’t use those monitors for very long, they were too fragile and cr*pped out on me within a year, then BM took several months to replace them under warranty, and I decided that they weren’t worth doing business with, and went with Marshalls, which have yet to fail, eight years later. 

I’m pretty sure it’s just a standard 2.1mm barrel plug, just like on a 411.  I used to have these and powered it from my power distro. 

8 hours ago, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

So, I would suggest requiring students to take small business courses in programs that already exist as a requirement of graduation, but not try and develop a curriculum specifically to teach business skills.  Students need to understand that, as audio professionals, they will likely also be running a small business; how they prepare for that should be up to them.  There are *many* types of audio businesses, even within the PSM world.

Yes this is more ideal. A requirement for graduating. The problem is that nearly everybody that chooses to work in “media” doesn’t bother to learn the business side of things, and literally go about re inventing the wheel instead of seeking out the right kind of guidance and education to become successful, which prolongs success in their own career, and hurts our overall industry. I go out of my way to coach inexperienced mixers and crew members so that they have a better understanding of how to run their business, because nearly all of them end up making the same mistakes. 

Following up on what I said earlier, I think a good mic to use for a doc would be a stereo shotgun. Sennheiser and Sanken both have decent mics for this sort of job. 

A lot of good advice here. I will add that I’ve worked with red cameras a lot and can say that in my own experience, I don’t think it’s the correct camera for the job in the first place. Yes people use them. But I don’t think they’re good for anything but music videos. They are noisy, they overheat, they have bad preamps, they have nothing inside, you have to “build” the camera and put all the guts on the outside in a tangled mess. What you need is a robust, quiet camera that won’t need to have everything that should come inside the camera hanging on the outside, and if you intend to get useable audio, the camera itself needs to not generate noise. This is your number one obstacle. After that, a camera mounted mic is inherently in the wrong place to get much useful audio other than POV audio, which can sometimes be useful in a doc scenario, but of course, as we all know, does not replace a professional sound mixer. But I honestly believe that if docs are your ambition, you should start with the right tools, and not try to make the wrong tool fit into your goals just because you already have it. 

One thing that so school seems to teach is how to navigate the world as a freelancer/business person. 
 

Everybody that wants to get into media makes the exact same mistakes, which is to make no effort into learning what going rates are, how to ask for them, and charge less than everybody else due to their lack of experience, even after working in the field for many years. Knowing how to do the job is important, but knowing how to run a business may be even more so, because it affects the industry for others as well. 

Similarly, I use two of these mounted together in a small Pelican case with a four-pin XLR output for my “on the go” bag cart. 
 

https://www.swit.cc/index.php?c=article&id=276

you can also just put them on a dual charger and use it’s XLR4 as an AC/charging/DC power source. 

https://www.swit.cc/index.php?c=article&id=492

As long as you’re not also charging batteries with your mixer, hirose is fine. 

4 hours ago, DSatz said:

JonG, "correcting" the blue dot (now known as "+5 dB") setting involves nothing more than disconnecting one solder bridge on the circuit board and connecting another, adjacent one instead. The CMC 3--, 4-- and 5-- amplifiers all came with schematics showing where in the circuit these bridges were.

--best regards

Yes I understand that it’s a simple procedure. Nevertheless, it was something that he offered to do while he was converting the power. 

Unfortunately he isn’t converting 416s either. I’m not sure what Pete did to convert them, but it sounds like it’s a lot more of a process than with Schoeps mics. 

On 4/20/2022 at 1:59 PM, JonG said:

I did and he’s no longer doing them. I found someone else who’s been converting them since Pete stopped doing it: https://billthompson.us/bt/

I just got three of mine back from Bill and he has done some exceptional work. He was even able to undo the blue dot that one of them had, as well as make a minor repair another had on the interior. Highly recommended. 

I did a show where there were a good deal of non TC cameras rolling on and off  quite often, so I had the ACs use the Denecke app so the caneras could catch the TC and I’d have them verbally call out the TC so that the cameras audio and my audio had some sort of reference point. It made piecing together what would have been a nightmare in post pretty straight forward. 

8040s are great. Mixpres are adequate, though you could pick up a used 702 or 722 for less. You do need to consider all the other stuff tho, which includes power, and all the accessories. But your budget should allow for all that if you’re resourceful. 

Audio Department in Burbank make a dual Np cup that works rather well. I used it to power my cart when it was stripped to a more basic rig. 
 

there is also the BDS made by PSC with multiple power sources that one could use. 

Regarding question #2. I see a lot of people, usually using MixPre or Zoom recorders, trying everything in their power to not buy a Battery Distribution System (BDS) and use common broadcast batteries like eSmart or NP1 style batteries. Usually after configuring some such setup they eventually realize that whatever they’ve come up with is inadequate for their system, especially as they expand their bag, and have to go and buy a proper power setup anyways. I’d save myself the hassle of going through these steps and just get a purpose built BDS with broadcast batteries. 
 

PSC, Remote Audio, AudioRoot, Sound Guy Solutions, are all great companies that make excellent power solutions designed specifically for sound bags.