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TimoK

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Everything posted by TimoK

  1. John, thanks a lot for the feedback. Yes, I'm familiar with that procedure as we established that, as you might know, with our time code products and boompoles already but it takes time for special items like these since there is no high demand. Additionally dealers reduced their stock holding articles drastically in the last years and only keep items in stock which are fast and easily sold. (We did the same in Germany) Thus now the manufacturers and distributors have to hold higher stocks so they can react quickly. That's where the US availabilty problems without distributor came from. Again this makes niche products like the one we just showed rather products you won't find on shop shelves BUT of course we try to be present in shops as well. We are working on that and made some big progress as you should see in the near future. On the other hand most sound mixers in my opinion are very well aware what exactly they need and I know a lot who even know better than their local reseller. So in my opinion making professional users aware of what solutions you offer will definitely help more than any staff training or stock holding anywhere in the world. "Keep in mind that marketing isn't just about availability, but also detailed product information, dealer support, informed sales people, feedback from other users, etc. These things have yet to be established for the aforementioned products. I look forward to when they are." Well, that's why I started this very thread and I'm also looking forward to when they are.
  2. John, we were well aware of the availability problem we had since Sound Devices stopped distributing Ambient when their growing business forced them to concentrate on their own products. (Which obviously worked out pretty well) Finding a new US distributor who is well accepted by the industry and still is neutral to all pro audio resellers is not an easy task... With Redding Audio, our last year installed US distributor, we faced and solved that availability problem. They now keep most of our portfolio in stock and get deliveries on a weekly basis, so availability in the USA and Canada should be no issue anymore. Additionally, they would happily send a demo unit to any reseller if you ask for it so you can check it out. I can only encourage you to do so, as we would also highly appreciate any feedback from american sound mixers. Be it directly to me or here on jwsound.
  3. Of course it also works with Wisycom as it works with all receivers using the standard UNISLOT format. Sadly I'm not too familiar with the MCR42 while I only hear good about it. Anyway I can't guarantee whether the 5pin Lemo on the top will be cut when the unit is connected to an unislot but I strongly doubt it. That would make the connector on top rather useless for most setups... Thus I presume that you would have both outputs available as you have on a Lectro SR5P, Audio Limited CX2-S, ... .
  4. Ambient Insider's tips Recent requests from the USA and China showed that although frequently used in Europe some of our products and small workflow helpers are rather unknown to the majority of our community. Thus we would like to take the opportunity and introduce you to our "insider's tips" which have been on the market already for quite some time. VSLOT As prosumer as well as digital cinema cameras nowadays offer at least broadcast compatible video quality they mostly cut back professional audio features and inputs. With the VSLOT you can add a professional stereo slot-in receiver (of course also mono) to all cameras or rigs with a V-Mount battery. This way professional slot-in receiver from Lectrosonics, Sony, Audio Limited, Sennheiser, etc. can now be used on smaller HD cams or cinema cams, delivering an adequate audio to the good video quality. The receiver uses the power from the V-Mount battery and of course loops it through to the camera. The cables are available in different lengths to provide a slim camera rig without dangling cables while our included 20cm stereo cable works for most setups. It powers the receiver through the standard Unislot 25-pin DSUB connector... ...and delivers up to two channels on a 5-pin TA connector UMP II and QWB wireless boom solution The Quickpole Wireless Boom (QWB) is a handmade extension made out of carbon fiber and aluminum to attach a body pack wireless and our UMPII power supply to a boom tip. Of course it doesn’t matter whether it’s an Ambient pole or not as the stainless steel threads are standard 3/8”. It adds 25cm length to you boom with only 90g additional weight. The idea behind it is that plug-on transmitters often offer a worse range since they are using the Mic body as antenna. Now, of course the range you get from a plug-on is strongly depending how well your Mic body makes contact with the XLR or the plug-on. Thus sound mixers asked us a long time ago to develop something so they could use there rock solid belt packs also for their boom microphones. The UMP II, our latest generation, is lighter and smaller than our first box and can provide 48 and 12V Phantom as well as T-Power for older Mics. Dimensions (WHD): 57 x 92 x 18 mm Weight (unit only): 100 g It can power even the hungriest microphones, e.g. Schoeps CMIT for days from only two AA batteries. Of course one TA3f to XLR3 cable is included as well as a TA3f cable with one open end to solder your wireless connector to it. We took great care that our circuitry does not affect the audio at all. As our American customers prefer to use an internal cabled boom with a microphone power supply and a wireless transmitter on their belt we added a belt clip to the UMP II. In Europe sound mixers prefer to use the transmitter and Power source on their boom tip. Pros and Cons: The American way of course provides a lighter boom and easier access to the transmitter and Power distribution BUT Internal cable can rattle and the body pack on your belt has less range. The European way is a compact sized setup you also can use on a stand increases your boom lengths and offers the best wireless range. while of course the boom gets heavier. More Insider's tips will follow if you like Best Regards Timo P.S. we also offer an active Phantom Power to T-power cable called PTM
  5. P.S. Maybe I should add that we thought that displaying the tc which is generated right now is the best way to do it, since you will see the TC which is corresponding to the tc stored in the material... If only the rest of the world would know that we are right, not them... I think now you can imagine that this discussion comes up internally everytime somebody mentions our slate... P.P.S. We decided today to stick with that idea for our new slate, too... but now with a OLED display and a switch to confortable adjust it when needed.
  6. Hi Palmer, received your message today morning at five past midnight, maybe it was delayed somewhere... Yes, ... the user interface of the ACD 301... Nobody can be blamed for not understanding that! It is definitely mind buggling. I have to admit that our software engineer designed that interface 8 years ago so the logic follows binary encoding... (So, if you can easily see pictures when you are looking at the Matrix, it all would be very obvious...) Dip switch 8 determins advance or delay. 9, 10 and 11 are for the frame amount the tc display should be ahead or delayed. 9 always counts for one frame, 10 always for two and 11 always for four frames. The combination of these numbers add up to the total amount of frames you wish to enter. Thus if you want to delay your display 1 frame: Switch 8 should be off, 9 on Delay three frames: again 8 off for delay, 9 on for 1 frame and 10 on for 2 frames so the one frame and the two frames add up to 3 frames Five frames ahead:8 on for ahead, 9 on for 1 frame, 11 on for 4 frames and these again add up in 5 frames. ... We are very proud about the quality of the slate and that there still are a lot slates in constant use after 8 years without servicing BUT the user interface is something we rightfully got complains about and it was one of the main reasons we came up with the new Lockit Slate. 2nd problem: The Nomad has a LC Display which always have offsets when they aren't compensated by software. I must admit I never compared the Nomad display to the slate , only with products of competitors. But we will definitely check that with our Nomad and come back to you. But what I pretty surely can say is that comparing the menu screen of a recorder or a camera with the slate is never a trustworthy reference. Another reason could be that we are displaying the TC which is produced right now. (I guess that's the reason because Glenn knows of course about LCD technology...) A lot of cameras and recorders display the TC frame after generation. So if you delay your ACD301 by 1 frame you should probably be fine. Cheers Timo
  7. A rather detailed run-through our new products with Klaus... Thanks Peter from Gotham! http://vimeo.com/75065555
  8. Thank you Derek (and your friend), to be honest we are really happy how well it is perceived by the users. For us it was the first time that we built a pole so uncompromisingly focused on one particular application and we were a bit scared about the reactions and if the industry would accept the higher price for the higher quality. So thanks again for caring about quality especially in times where budgets are as they are...
  9. Hi Derek, we designed the QS series poles as thoroughgoing feature film booms. A small tube diameter as well as the four segments design offer the best balance, feedback, precision and stiffness we could achieve. This way the boom won't seesaw too much when you have to move it even at full extension and calms down really quick. The shady side of this way of construction is that the small diameter of the top segment only allows for straight internal cabling and the boom can't be collapsed too much. Whereas our QX series booms with 5 segments were designed especially for ENG use. (internal coiled cabling with XLR to the side or on bottom, high extension range, collapsed lengths to fit in a Peli Case etc....) http://www.ambient.de/en/products/ambient-recording/boompoles/quickpole-qp/qp-internal-cabling/qcsp.html I hope I didn't bore you with the details Best Timo
  10. The QS-Mini is 520€ and shipping now! For the Lockit Slate we did not nail it down completely, yet but we will keep it with the simple slate body below 1000€. The display as stand alone will be about the price of the Lockit...
  11. P.S. The QS-Mini was developed because of all the response also on jwsound! So a big thank you for your feedback! Please keep on sharing your ideas with us about new products or improvements on our recent portfolio! We want to manufacture products that help you to perform better. Thus we can't thank you enough for each and every information and experience you share with us. Best Timo P.P.S. A short video summary about our new products is still edited and will follow within this week!
  12. Three New Products at IBC 2013 Lockit Slate - Lockit Script App - QS-Mini This was the IBC, again. Time moves fast when you are busy, and our last year just passed at lightning speed. After one year of extensive development we would like to present the latest results of our work. With the new Lockit Slate and Lockit Script App as well as the integration of our time code in the Adobe Prelude live logger app we continue to upgrade our time code series to the newest Ambient Clockit Network technology. Whereas the QS-Mini boompole brings our premium range to customers who prefer shorter lengths. Since the numbers of pictures per post are limited you'll find the details behind the links... Sorry for the inconvenience. We would like to thank you for visiting our booth. It was a pleasure to enjoy a fresh drafted Munich beer or organic wine made by Chris Price with you. We look forward to seeing you at NAB! Your Ambient Recording team
  13. TimoK

    IBC 2013

    Hey Vasileios, all days after 5pm it's beer and wine time at the Ambient and Lectro booth... We would love to welcome you! P.S. it's wine made by our co-founder and ex Ambient Chris Price and beer from a wooden barrel from Munich. Hope to see you soon Cheers Timo
  14. Hi Pierre, since Genlock is also not much more than a pulse it is somehow related but Genlock is one pulse per video line (so 1080 pulses per video frame when shooting in Full HD) ppf is just one pulse per frame. So they both do the same but in a different way ...
  15. I can tell that he isn't. Thanks Pierre that's correct with one tiny addition. With firmware 3.1 the unit you chose as ACN Master will resend smaller timestamps every 4 seconds and keep everything Linesync. When you get out of range you still have the accuracy of a Lockit Box... My personal opinion is that.I never would recommend wireless record run tc as set spanning TC source. Not with our system nor with any other. I would only recommend wireless TC for display use because... well, you just never know.... That's the reason why Guenter and Chris invented the Lockit boxes some 20 years ago. But what I learned in the last years is that this is still a common workflow in several countries. That's why we implemented the generator buffered Rec Run TC mode to the ACN devices. It still runs safe on it's internal generator but receives jam commands from the transmitter. I believe our competitors do something similar but in a different way Best Timo P.S. for those who are interested: http://vimeo.com/71959025
  16. Hi Millar, ppf stands for pulse per frame. Some cameras can use these as sync signal. The adjustable electronic pulse triggers video processors of specific cameras. A Canadian company for example uses the PPF for syncing up a huge amount of industry cameras for product tests... So I suppose it won't be a feature you will use too often in broadcast but it's a handy tool for industry users. Cheers Timo
  17. http://vimeo.com/71959025 With firmware 3.1 for the Tiny Lockit and the Lockit we added a few exceedingly powerful features. "Use your Lockit to send the camera time code to your recorder without the fear of wireless dropouts!" The new software integrates a TC transceiver mode to the units using the already existing ACN network hardware. So without additional equipment your Lockit is now a fully functional time code transmitter or receiver. Thanks to the internal generator running in the background, TC dropouts are a relic of the past. "No need to tune your Lockits with the rental ones anymore!" Using the already well accepted ACN sync broadcast we added a nifty invisible feature. The new sync broadcast doesn't stop after the first broadcast but it will resend smaller timestamps every four seconds. All receiving units will compare their internal generated time code with the highly accurate timestamp and pull up or down the generator speed until they are completely matched. This is done imperceptible and without having to press extra buttons. The only thing you’ll notice that you never get bothered again by post about drift or offset problems when using Lockits from various sources. Even more this makes the system now suitable for line-sync online editing. "Sync your Pro Tools system with all cameras during a concert shot!" When you connect your Lockit or Tiny Lockit to your PC or MAC it will be recognized immediately as Audio/ Midi device. Just select your unit in your DAW as time code source and you're ready to rock. Now you get the camera TC into your software or you can use your Session TC on your cameras. If you own a Lockit you can even wordclock sync your Audio Interface to the camera video sync. This means that you can shoot a whole festival and trust that your cameras and your audio stay in sync. Lockit Firmware Tiny Lockit Firmware Installation Guide Video Enjoy your new features Your Ambient Team
  18. Apple needed some time to change that obviously. Now it's set to free. Sorry for that confusion.
  19. Ambient Lectromote now for FREE We won't continue to develop our Lectromote App. As our software engineering team is beyond their capacities already with our hardware products and New Endian is doing a good job with their LectroRM app we decided to stop development of our Lectromote App. You can now enjoy the basic functionality for free. Best Regards Your Ambient Team http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lectromote/id429924228?mt=8#
  20. Hey Derek, shorter lengths: ... internal coiled cables: No. Like the QP poles the top segment is too thin for internal coiled cables. Hey Dave, We polished yours about a week longer so it's not only stiffer than the one you saw on NAB but so smooth that it will become one with your hands the moment you touch it. You will get the impression that the QS is following your thoughts. Finally you will think you are a yedi knight but without annoying humming when moving your weapon... Now seriously, as far as I know it will reach you within the next days, if you really ordered one. We already managed to catch up with our US backorders with our last shipment on Friday. I hope you like it. Please share your thoughts. Yes, that was our primary intention but people keep demanding it from the very first moment we introduced the QS...
  21. Thanks Jeff, our central in Munich with our electronic factory wasn't affected at all but boompole production had to be stopped for weeks. For those who are interested, some more flood impressions and videos can be found for example on the CNN page or just type in Germany and flood to google... Compared to some countries in East-Central Europe Germany was well prepared and still nobody could imagine that dimensions could ever happen.
  22. It was rarely so relieving to post that we are finally shipping... After our first production line (incl. the 3 QS poles shown in the USA) failed our quality tests because they were not as stiff as the prototypes but "only" as stiff as a QP, we suffered from the biggest flood in history. All streets to and from our boom factory were blocked for weeks. Luckily our facility is on a hill near Passau, so it was not directly affected by the flood. Today we finally could start the assembling of the first QS poles and start shipping. We are very sorry for anybody who had to wait and we do our best to catch up with our backorders asap. Your Ambient Team
  23. Hi Teamrawfish, We never had that issue before that a segment got stuck completely. Did I understand it right that it was the QP120 which was stuck? It's the only segment with no velcro inside and there is only 0.1mm space between the two tubes so it might have been just dirt. You should be careful with a heat gun because if you heat it up too much it might melt the glue of the velcro and then you have got one nasty mess inside the tube when you pull it out while the velcro is still hot... If anything like that occurs again you can always call your dealers, of course us +49 89 360 5510-0 or send it to our maintenance centers or just drop me a mail. timo@ambient.de Best Regards Timo
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