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Here's a very interesting video about the Audio Ltd 1010 system:

https://vimeopro.com/ipstv/ips-tv-at-ibc-2015/video/138976610

I have been very happy with the ergonomics and sound quality of the DWX system. I'm using the sled adapter with XLR outs. 10 mw is often sufficient transmission power setting. The remote gain function is very handy, although there is minor clicking while you change gain on the fly. In practice this hasn't been a critical issue for me.

I am using the bodypacks with DPA 4063, but they do work with DPA 4060 as well, I have noticed.

Zaxcom as a brand isn't as mainstream here in Europe as it is in USA. The 50 mw cap on transmission power and the higher price of Lectros compared to USA are big considerations over here.

My main reson for purchasing the system was to finally get a wireless boom solution that would provide a minimal compromise in sound quality.

​Thanks for the tip. Though cycling tools tend to have metric allen keys only? If there was one with 7/32 inch allen key and a 10 mm wrench it would be awesome. I'll look around a bit.

For my travel kit I'm looking for a super light weight and minimal tool kit with the following tools

1. Scissors
2. 1/4 inch hex bit holder (or 7/32 inch allen key & wide slot head screwdriver)
3. Adjustable wrench

Here's what I've found so far as a "base" multi-tool that could perhaps be supplemented with a single extra piece of kit (most likely scissors?) 

http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Screwdriver-Spanner-Survival-Emergency/dp/B00Q6A4Q1W

http://www.gerbergear.com/Hunting/Tools/Myth-Archery-Multi-Tool_31-002138 <- doesn't have the 7/32 inch allen key though

http://www.crkt.com/guppie

Any ideas on how to do this by buying a minimal amount of individual pieces of kit?

The heavy fur works very well in rain too, I have noticed… as a sort of an umbrella to protect the inner structure and microphone itself from water. There appears to be no damage out of water exposure. Dry it out and you are good to go again.

I picked up a DWX system to try to use as a wireless boom link.  I love the way the system sounds, frequency response and dynamic range are great.  But I keep having problems with radio hits, which I'm sure are coming from the 5-watt walkie talkies on the set.  It doesn't happen all the time, but occasionally--which is maddening.  I have worked to place the receiver unit out on the set, closer to the plug-on transmitter, and I have also fed the receiver with the filtered RF from a Lectro 6-pack (in the proper RF block).  In each situation I still get the radio hits.  Feeding the receiver from the Lectro 6-pack is better, but it doesn't fix the problem.

 

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

Ron

What is your squelch setting? Does it happen at all transmission power settings?

The bigger issue, literally, is that the Sony slot receivers are 3.5" wide while the Panasonic slot is only 2.68" wide.

Another issue that might be relevant regarding superslot and Sony DWX compatability:

I am actually getting a metering anomaly when a Sony DWX receiver is connected via analog mic level XLR to my SD 664. It works without a hitch on transformer balanced inputs (MixPre-D for example). The anomaly is there even when both devices are powered via internal battery and using starquad cabling.

AES3id -> AES3 connection to SD664 works fine though.

Still waiting for a response to my email to SD technical support.

Thanks for the tips, Tom. It is powered via a PagLink V-mount battery and Battery Bud II which is not a regulating BDS.

I tried connecting the receiver to a MixPre-D (which has transformer-balanced inputs) and everything seemed to work.. no interference on meters. Then I tried powering the receiver via it's internal Sony L-battery and 664 via internal AA batteries. I disconnected the external power cable from 664 completely.

The interference was still there.

I wonder if this issue is somehow related: http://www.sounddevices.com/support/tech-notes/technical-bulletin-664-xlr-inputs-with-unbalanced-output-devices

I am still unsure if the XLR outputs on the receiver are balanced or unbalanced. Although it's not listed in Sony's specs, this article gave me the impression that they are balanced after all: http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/sony_unveils_new_adaper_for_digital_wireless_systems/

OK, now I've been able to conduct more tests with the DWX system and my SD 664. There is a really weird monitoring issue when using the analog mic level outs of the receiver. The meters are showing a high level of interference, but it's not audible while monitoring the ISO track. When I increase the mix level of that channel, a digital interference is audible on the L and R master tracks. The anomaly is present even when none of the other devices are on. The bag is powered via a Battery Buddy II BSD.

However, the interference is not actually recorded! The recorded tracks are fine.. I've enclosed a short sample wav file. I thought that my 664 has been upgraded to fix the 80 khz unbalanced audio monitoring issue, so I I'm not sure if this is related to that or not.

When using AES3id->AES3 connection between the mixer and the receiver there are no issues with metering or monitoring.

I sent an e-mail to Sound Devices technical support e-mail address, but I haven't received a reply yet.

dwx_clean_iso.wav

One thing worth noting is that Nuendo has 5.1 support built-in, doesn't it? The price differnce between PT and PT HD is quite substantial.

I recently purchased a used Sony DWX set including two body packs and a plug-on transmitter to complement my two Lectro SMDbs. I am confident that there will be no intermodulation issues between these two systems. Still waiting for DAD6008 adapters and I don't have DPA 4063's yet either, but I'll be able to post a full report later on. In the meantime, feel free to PM me.

Sound quality on DWX is on par with Zaxcom, probably even better. For all practical purposes it is indistinguishable from a wired connection. Build quality is great, but battery holder is a bit flimsy. I bought spares just in case. Remote control including remote gain and re-freqing and sleep/unsleep works very well, a re-pairing proxedure is required when switching between bodypack and plug-on transmitter. Receiver adapter has AES out on a bnc connector and backup power on a L-series battery, btw. Interference resistance of the codec is very robust too, no dropouts whatsoever in my tests so far.

A friend of mine (whose wife runs a neighbourhood art house film theatre) is operating a small scale DCP mastering service. A lot of his work is actually quality control and standards compliance monitoring.

 

If the video file is 23.98 instead of 24.00 and you want to play back the package at 24 fps, I think that the DCP server can be instructed to "auto-conform" the audio files on the fly by re-interpreting the audio at a different sample rate, if needed.

Just to clarify, I asked about this and I found out that it is not possible to conform the audio file from 23,976 to 24,000 on the fly while the DCP package is being projected. Changes to picture aspect ratio and playback volume are the only adjustments available at that stage… at least with their projector. So, as far as I understand it, the .1% pull-up during mastering is mandatory if the source material is 23,976 and the film is destined for 24,00 fps DCP projection. I am not sure if such a thing exists as 23,976 fps DCP projection.

The projectors will run anything...23.9,24,25,29.9 etc.

A friend of mine (whose wife runs a neighbourhood art house film theatre) is operating a small scale DCP mastering service. A lot of his work is actually quality control and standards compliance monitoring.

I am not 100% sure, but I am under the impression that audio and video files stay as separate file structures all the way to the actual playback and projection. If the video file is 23.98 instead of 24.00 and you want to play back the package at 24 fps, I think that the DCP server can be instructed to "auto-conform" the audio files on the fly by re-interpreting the audio at a different sample rate, if needed.

Anyways, 24.00 fps is indeed a standards-compliant frame rate for DCP packages.. 23.98 fps is not.

As Tuomas mentioned, 24.00 fps / 48 kHz is a tried and true workflow for theatrical release films here in Europe.

As a side note, I had a strange 23.98/24.00 issue with a PIX240. Even if the PIX240 was set to 24.00 timecode (freerun), it would drop into 23.98 TC mode if the SDI signal from the camera dropped (during battery changes). Luckily I found out about the issue during tests before the actual shoot.

Mark, which sync box were you using and what was the project frame rate?

Below is the quote from Alkor Technologies. The antireflective coating on both sides adds 16 USD per piece to the price. Someone would have up with a way to securely attach in the the mixer as well. Delivery time is 6 weeks. The size of the window is specified as 40mm x 50mm just to give a ballpark idea for a consignment like this.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I contacted Alkor and asked for a rough price estimate for this. 50 pieces of 2 mm thick sapphire windows with anti reflective coating in the visible spectrum.

They are preparing the quote for tomorrow.

I stumbled upon this russian company while trying to find a general price range of custom consignments like this. Minimum sum of their orders is 500 USD. Lead time 3-4 weeks for windows. Not sure if they can do AR coating or not.

http://www.alkor.net/Sapphire/sapphire_windows_catalog.html

Ahem, please let me rephrase my question:  If there is no other timecode gear available for the production and a timecode cable between 240 and 664 is out of the question... How would you maintain timecode sync between these three devices while using 24P timebase on all three of them?

I've come to the conclusion that the only feasible way to do this is to switch to 23.976 timebase. The final deliverables are a 24 FPS DCP file and a 25 FPS file for broadcast, so the issue will have to be dealt with in the post. It seems to me that working in 24P is just not worth all the trouble as you are likely to run into all sorts of unexpected hiccups like this during the production. Staying in 23.976 all the way to the end and time stretching the audio during mastering is way simpler and more reliable way to do it.

I really am quite optimistic about this fan upgrade. The often overlooked issue with running the fan at 25% and waiting for it to kick in at 100% is that the noise on the CMOS sensor increases significantly as it heats up. This is especially evident when shooting in low light. Therefore, you only have two choices on long takes: either you increase the noise in your image or you increase the noise in your audio.

If indeed after the fan upgrade the camera can run at 35% fan speed all the time without ever reaching overheat treshold, I think it's a huge improvement over the current situation.

pix.MOV

I've been searching high and low for 6 channel AES out via USB, but RMEs ADI-4 DD with Fireface UC is the only affordable solution I have found so far.

As far as I know, for external audio interfaces on the Mac Metric Halo's LIO-8 is the next step up and it only does Firewire.

For European folks, I can highly recommend products by Be-Ge from Sweden. They make driver seats for vehicles and special chairs for use in "24h" environments such as surveillance centers and air traffic control towers. I've had one for more than 20 years now and it has seen tens of thousands of hours of use. I've only had to replace the arm rests once and the wheels once. I've had zero issues with back pain or RSI symptoms even though I've always used a regular mouse and a keyboard. I think that this chair has literally saved me from burn out, not to speak of early retirement! And I agree, a chair has to fit like a shoe.. once you find a perfect one, you wonder how you ever managed without one like that.

http://kob.be-ge.se/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=3&Itemid=120&TreeId=2

I had a positive experience with https://bongous.com/

They are not cheap though, but if you consolidate multiple orders into a single shipment, it's not so bad.

I have the Piano and I love it! I'm using it with a Sanken CS3e. It's super light and very durable too. I bought it in Paris from Areitec.

Nowadays there is a rain cover available for it too: http://www.cinela.fr/catalog.php?language=en&pid=82