Arnold F.

Looking for an online source for cheap Duracell Procell 9V, Lithium 9V and Lithium AA's. Thank you!

I'm the single mixer on a two-camera shoot and the producers have asked about improving the onboard audio B-cam records up front for when that camera goes off on it's own. I'm considering suggesting replacing Panasonic's stereo mic up there with a decent shotgun like a CS-1 or CS-3e. Does anyone happen to know if there is phantom powering up front and, if so, if the 5-pin input used on the front of the HDX can be properly adapted to work with a replacement mic? A.

I have used the frequency chart provided by Lectro to set the Block 22 camera hops TX's and have changed them a couple of times. Because I am using only one Block 21 system and not a pair, I did not use the chart to select a frequency, but did so after scanning. The hops TX and lav RX that are not happy are about a foot from each other. I suppose I could add another few inches with a bag reshuffle. My main questions at this point are, a) are problems with TX and RX in the same bag and on adjacent blocks a common problem (should blocks be more widely spaced?) and, must ALL wireless be chosen based on Lectro's coordinated frequency chart regardless of whether they are operating individually or in multiples, regardless of block, and regardless of channel availability? A.

I'm finding that my Block 22 Lectro TX camera hops are "killing" my Block 21 Lectro receiver, both of which are in my Petrol bag. I'm wondering if they are too close in block and/or physical proximity. I set both TX on the camera hops to frequencies on the chart. A.

Is there a tap/recorder device that, once hooked up to your phone, will automatically activate to record both sides of a conversation? A.

I would find it frustrating if an actor refused to wear a lav but, ultimately, it's not my problem and I would report it to our common supervisor, the producer. It's true, however, that this may not protect me from blame. A friend, who is a supervising sound editor, told me that he knew of a mixer who was blamed for an A-list actress' refusal to wear a lav, despite her (the mixer's) repeated warnings to the producer. The ostensible reason was that she (the actress) was too important to have people touching her, not a concern for privacy. I imagine every mixer has their method, but I try to remember to tell everyone I wire that they are being listened to - fair warning. However, if I think they are saying/doing something between takes that they may not like others hearing, I pot down and/or shut down the Comtek and take my headphones off if they may potentially see me. I suppose one could call this a code of sorts. I have to agree somewhat with Sergio. I frequently find DPs strangely uncollaborative and inconsiderate. Only G&E is worse as it now seems a point of pride to put generators as close to set as possible. A.

I would love a Cart Lite: it would be perhaps waist high, have three shelves total, have a relatively narrow footprint of 18 inches and place for a boom, headphone hook, cable hook, etc. It would be a few hundred bucks at most. No power, no laptop, non of the extras. Does such a cart exist? A.

It's Friday. Where's the Mac Mini I've been waiting for? A.

What is Pani? A brief internet search turned up a company that does lighting. A.

"I can't think of anyone at RED that would tell a major production to change the way they normally produce audio in a production." Since the other half of film-making (sound) is none of their business it's a relief to know they stay quiet about it. It would not be appropriate for Sound Devices to try to tell productions what camera to use or for a company who makes C-stands to say what brand of make-up the MUA should use. In my mind, what sets other video/digital cameras apart from the RED is that they are generally cheaper to get hold of and productions obviously don't create all the "RED production" hype with them. And I NEVER fail to tell productions that NO camera is capable of recording quality sound, although I understand that the reality is that sound recorded to camera frequently finds it's way into the final product.

I have no objection to technical advancements that result in picture and quality audio being recorded in one place - I'm married neither to the idea of double-system nor the things we do in production to make that work. It's that my bullshit meter pins when I see productions spending huge sums and attention on one half of the product and then making silly and/or transparent excuses about why it's necessary to compromise the other half. A. ----- But in effect that is already happening. The S-TWO recorder used to record Benjamin Button and the competing system "Codex" record the visual and audio information as a separate data recorder. They both can accommodate up to 2 cameras each with 8 tracks of AES/EBU 24 bit digital audio. So that that one device can capture the Picture, Sound, and can create digital dailies and do video assist like playback on the set in any resolution you want including full Hi Def projection. Also if the Script supervisor has a laptop hooked via WiFi or Ethernet to the Codex system she can do her own continuity checking playbacks from her laptop. Slating is also handled automatically by the recorder. So producers are asking a single person (the Data Capture Technician) to do both jobs of recording Visuals and Audio separate from the DP or Mixer. -----Courtney

I have to confess that, at my low level, I've yet to fully comprehend who all these producers are and what they do. Producer, Executive Producer, Associate Producer, Line Producer, Production Coordinator, UPM, etc. Any guidance would be most appreciated. A.

I understand the need for this type of discussion but, when reading it, I can't help lamenting the conditions that require us to deal with recording sound to this camera with any intention other than making a crude, emergency-only back-up. That productions spend so much on this camera, spread and buy it's hype (justified or otherwise) and then ask us to treat it as a serious recorder for all the reasons so frequently heard these days (money, no time to sync double-system, editors don't don't know how/don't want to sync, etc.) is depressing in what is, in my opinion, an Orwellian irony. If the 788T had a little HD camera in it would a producer ask the DP to shoot their feature with it? A.

I had occasion on a recent job to record a girl singing and I used an MK41. However, I'm not crazy about how it sounds but I'm not sure why. It was perhaps 10 inches from her mouth and to the side and I was rolling a 744T at 16b/48K. I'm not sure if what I hear is a proximity effect or some kind of aliasing when she is louder and holding a note and it's hard to describe. In any case, I'm wondering if an un-modded Oktava MK319 would better for this type of thing (or if I was just using my MK41 wrong). A.

I though I saw a thread on this earlier but cannot find it now. I've wanted some kind of vampire for the COS-11 since I bought it and one recently appeared. I was eager to use it on a job where demanding situations sometimes arise (climbing around on old bridges, rappelling, etc.). The $20 cost stung a bit and, unfortunately, I didn't even get it on the talent before it the barrel separated from the mount upon which it had been glued. best, Arnold

job filled, thank you!

Graham: Many thanks for the fast reply. If I'm not mistaken, 470 is below Block 19. Do you have Block 19 units or were you looking at a spectrum analyzer? best, A.

Has anyone in NYC ventured down this road yet? I am considering it for my new Lectro SR based on the recommendation of the owner of my favorite sound house. A.

I'd love to learn more about this as well. If, as I understand, the difference between a UM and LMa is negligible in both design and results, why shouldn't I just use LMa's instead of UM's? I'm also thinking of getting an SR to use not as camera hops but to receive lavs. I could sell my block 29 411/UM400 kit and that would go a long way toward an SR and two LMa's. A.

I set the HVX to line and the 411 to +4 (max) and got nuthin'. Addendum: Tried it again and it worked.

Where do you hide a lav?

I have found someone willing to pay me to get a little time behind my HVX200A and, for various reaons (budget, etc.) I am having to go straight into the HVX from my Lectro 411 receiver. Because it's a hidden camera prank-type show, monitoring with earbuds was necessary so I could hardly hear but it sounded distorted. Has anyone done this that can recommend a gain structure? A.

Update on my harness situation. I purchased the old style Portabrace harness for use with my Petrol bag and it worked well. I was right in that I would appreciate the ability to quickly shift the position of the harness on my body and while there was a certain amount of understandable fatigue after a day of carrying my bag, there was no burning because of the narrowness of the straps or lack of padding, and my body was in much better shape than it normally is when I've used the shoulder strap. I should also say that while I very much appreciated the feel of the separate belt when I audition harnesses, I ended up going without it after a while. Obviously, without having tried the Petrol or Versaflex I cannot compare them but I do not regret purchasing the Portabrace. A.

Is Zaxcom's ZFR100 (or one of their transmitters with internal recording) the cheapest, small recording option with timecode? I'd like to replace my Edirol R09 which is delicate and lacks timecode and long battery life. A.

For the first time I've had trouble with a file (or perhaps files) recorded to my 702T. There are a couple of relatively unprecedented (for me) variables so it's hard to pinpoint a cause. I purchased two new 4GB Sandisk Ultra II compactflash cards this past weekend and used them on a reality show that demands a lot of uninterrupted rolling, resulting in files that can be as long as an hour in length. When uploading to my mac (via a card reader in the usb slot) errors were reported in both cards. So, instead of selecting all I transferred one file at a time. This appeared to work on all but one file. I then uploaded files to my PC without incident and was able to play that one file ONLY using the VLC media player. I re-inserted the compactflash card with the last problem file into the 702T and ran the repair utility and it reported 7 errors, all repaired, but still the file won't play on most players. Some other things I noted: - On one of the cards, unfamiliar icons were associated with the FALSE TAKES, TRASH & SOUNDDEV folders and they had wrong dates; the date of the FALSE TAKES folder was Dec 10, 1963. - The FALSE TAKES folder showed contents of almost 2 gigs but nothing was found inside when searched both on the computer and when the card was back in the 702T. - When I re-install the card into the 702T and try to play the file it tries to access the file and then the file, timecode, bit rate, sampling rate and frame rate displays on the 702T start blinking. If I hit play again they show dashes. - I have tried the file in Quicktime, iTunes and Real Player on my mac and in Window Media Player and VLC media player on my PC and it only plays on the latter. The new variables I mentioned are the new compactflash cards and the very long file lengths. I have not yet contacted Sound Devices. Any thought will be most appreciated. A.