Jim Feeley

Ha! You're cracking me üp.

No worries. I'm sure there's plenty else to criticize about the US. Like how hard it is to find surströmming here. 😉

There's plenty of battery recycling in the US (check Johnny's updated post at the top). I can take most batteries to our local city recycling center. And as Johnny Points out, call2recycle.org makes it easy to find drop-off spots with a postal-code search. Near me, it points to lots of hardware stores, some pharmacies and sports stores, etc. And they do take lithium-ion batteries up to 300Wh:

I've been happy enough with Maverick Label (and ordered more last week). And note that they offer asset tags in different materials. They write: But I'd guess that's a brand you're familiar with. Did they not work for you? And I'd be happy to hear other's recommendations and experiences.

There's also Power of Babel. I'm acquainted with the president, and they're also really solid. Headquarters in Toronto, Canada, but they can do more than French-Canadian accents. 🙂 https://powerofbabel.com

Ya, ASUS seems to be the way to go. At least, a couple TV news friends have and like them...

I reached out to Gearspace, and they replied, "Hi, forum has just been crazy busy last couple of nights. Devs are looking to see what they can do to increase capacity, in the meantime if you get the problem again please just wait a bit and keep trying. Thanks!" Hopefully it's some debate that got out of hand rather than something nefarious. Also: Gearspace seems OK this instant (as you probably already know)...

Me too. No comment from GS on their twitter or FB accounts. Hopefully it's a temporary tech issue. Though it appears their hosting service seems to be running: https://status.nim.host

A few months ago, I had some exchanges with Jay's current publisher (to be clear: they're not being jerks; it's just a matter of chasing everything down). I'll follow up and see what can be done. I also may have some around in my deep archives (I worked on the original versions of the book). If anyone else has the files handy, I'm guessing no one would freak out if they were made quietly available (for free, of course).

When sound doesn't supply the mic mounts... (hat tip to someone on Facebook) https://ascmag.com/podcasts/ac-manual-mullen-hummel-holben

My hunch is that the problem isn't your cables, but their cables. Damaged, poorly crimped, perhaps crappily made BNC connectors. Damaged or cheap consumer HDMI connectors. At least, that's my experience (which granted doesn't cover as many days as many people here). Seems like the better makers of wireless video monitoring and focus/control (Preston, Arri, Teradek, etc) pretty much have their RF act together. At least up to the connector. But I sometimes end up on gigs with people using cheaper stuff (Hollyland, Accsoon (sp?), etc) and/or rent from places like BorrowLenses and ShareGrid where maintenance standards might not be the highest...especially for cables. OTOH, I mostly work with a small circle of people so we usually have each other's backs. I carry a couple good BNC and HDMI cables, but I also try to read the room and not overshare expertise esp with people who aren't also pals. But you know, sometimes there's big piles of doodads on and near the camera and I'm stuck. Usually, we all want good images and sound (or at least no cranky clients or selves), and most of my circle wants me happy(ish). And in return, I no longer wear the mirror suit.

We listened to the 2022 mix of Revolver last night. Liked it a lot (again). But after Tomorrow Never Knows, it just didn't feel right to listen to anything else for a while. I didn't watch Mad Men, but I heard about this scene at the close of an episode, which really seems to capture something—transitions? uncertainty?—happening in the mid 60s. I'm too young to have experienced it and perhaps it's wrong or just simplified (duh). But there's something that seems to ring true. Ya? Nah?

In July, frame.io posted a long article about the history, current state and limitations of, and possible future of timecode. The site says it's a 28-minute read. I have not yet read the whole thing. Timecode is Not Time: Reinventing SMPTE ST-12 for the Cloud Era In the world of video, timecode is everywhere. It’s the universal language we can use to describe a single frame of video. It’s easy to understand, simple to implement, and readable. Every video workflow either relies on timecode, or at least need to be compatible with it. And yet timecode is, in its current state, insufficient for the future of video workflows. [then after a long discussion, towards the end of the article:] The TLX Project being developed at SMPTE is the most comprehensive of the proposed solutions. “TLX” comes from “Extensible Time Label”. It addresses many of the limitations we discussed as well as many of the requirements outlined here. The goal of TLX is to create a time label that has high precision (solving for the “too narrow” problem), a persistent media identifier, and can be extended with custom information. TLX has the concept of a “digital birth certificate,” which provides a media identity that is unique and transportable. Additionally, it would provide a “Precision Time Stamp” based on IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol. This would give the media a specific and unique time identity. The whole article can be read here: https://blog.frame.io/2022/07/11/reinventing-timecode-for-the-cloud/ The article above embeds this 65-minute webcast from SMPTE's former Director of Standards & Engineering: Beyond SMPTE Time Code - the TLX Project https://www.smpte.org/webcast/beyond-smpte-time-code-the-tlx-project

My bad. Sorry and thanks for the clarification, @mono

In addition to star quad (used in pretty much all my XLR cables), I built a few cables with Neutrik's EMC connectors. "The EMC-XLR Series is a specifically designed version of the XX series to give enhanced RF screening for critical applications in live performance and recording where there are particular problems with radio transmission or mobile phones." https://www.neutrik.us/en-us/neutrik/products/xlr-connectors/xlr-cable-connectors/emc-series?c=audio How much of a difference does it make? Not sure, but the connectors work fine (and are less janky in the field than a clamp-on ferrite bead, imo). More than willing to hear from others who disagree...

Is that Gravitas YouTuber just pirating other people's' work? How did he get rights to films in current release? I suspect he didn't. Big f***ing frowny face from me.

Oh geez. OTOH, he owned up to it.

Johnny, I have a few half-assed thoughts. 1) I agree that the 2022 remix sounds brighter than the 2009 remix (via Spotify "very high" audio quality, but though decent NFMs). Perhaps that's due to Giles Martin's 53-year old ears (ie-- I don't know the ages of the mastering engineers—Miles Showell and a couple others—but wouldn't they have to satisfy Martin?). And/or, if we consider the likely ages of consumers of the 2022 Revolver re-re-re-re-release, maybe having recordings mastered a bit brighter will keep them from sounding dull to a big chunk of the listening audience. So perhaps more bright is a reasonable business plan. 2) Maybe there are some copyright-extension issues going on, at least for the US. I'm thinking of the ABS vs CBS case, which was a big deal a few years ago. I don't know how things ended up after the likely appeals, but here's something from 2016 from Techdirt: This Is Bad: Court Says Remastered Old Songs Get A Brand New Copyright 3) Or maybe the idea is if we sold it once, we can sell it five times. 4) The remixes sound good, but like you say, I wasn't really complaining about the earlier versions. OTOH, easier access to all the extras crammed into the Super Deluxe release is neat, though I will probably only listen to those once or twice. I am unlikely to drop $100-$200 on one of the box sets. But that's just me; totally cool if you have or will buy one of those bigger editions; they look really nice. Jim "and I read all of Mark Lewisohn's Beatles Sessions book" Feeley

A(nother) five-star review for the box set. From The Guardian: The Beatles: Revolver Special Edition (Super Deluxe) review – experimental genius in real time The Beatles’ career has been so exhaustively documented, chronicled and bootlegged, it can feel as if there aren’t many surprises left to uncover. But the footage in Peter Jackson’s recent documentary on the band, Get Back, certainly proved that assumption wrong … particularly the mind-blowing jam session where the band conjure the documentary’s title track out of thin air. Knowing the Beatles possessed unparalleled studio chemistry is one thing; seeing them nonchalantly chisel away at a musical idea and create greatness in real time is another thing entirely. A bonus disc on the new expanded, remixed and remastered box set of 1966’s Revolver offers an even more transformative experience: a jaw-dropping sequence of Yellow Submarine work tapes traces the song’s evolution from a fragile, sad wisp sung by John Lennon to its later iteration as a Ringo Starr-directed psych-pop goof. That the band steered Yellow Submarine from morose folk trifle to boisterous stoner singalong seems improbable, but the tapes don’t lie: through a combination of focused acoustic woodshedding and whimsical studio risks, the band arrived at the more familiar, upbeat Yellow Submarine. Iteration and fearless experimentation were always Beatles hallmarks, but Revolver found the band accelerating headfirst into innovation. Rest of the review: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/27/the-beatles-revolver-album-special-edition-super-deluxe-review And those first thoughts of what became Yellow Submarine:

I dug the pink felt. But it stayed dusty even after vacuuming. So I replaced it with a section of dark gray indoor/outdoor carpet. Boring, but at least we can scroll up a few posts here and revel in its past Barbiecore glory. I kinda miss it... Codyman, I'd for sure consider a Magliner (or similar) over a RnR'r... Yes, there's extra weight. But also extra stability, more panache (but not the snobby panache of Inovativ owners), and zillions of useful accessories from Backstage and others. As I'm sure you already know. Ya, finding one is a challenge. Phil's the one who connected to me to the seller of the cart I have. Worth the wait and weight...

I have a pretty small circle of people I work for and with. But when asked to crew outside that careful circle, I ask about how they're handling COVID-19, and if they say "masking" I ask what sorts of masks? It's kind of a Van Halen brown M&Ms thing. If they're hip to the efficacy of different masks (see CDC image below), we're probably going to be good. We're asked if we're vaccinated, and sometimes I'm asked to show my card. Pre-testing only sometimes. Talent/subjects are less often masked, at least when we're rolling. The stuff I'm producing now revolves around some people with compromised immune systems. So we're KN95 or better masked, vaxxed, and just careful. Pretest when request by the facility/agency/people we're filming (just rapid, not PCR at this point). Outside can be different, but we're paying attention. I bring extra KN95 masks to every job. For me and to share. I get them here. Reasonable prices, available in slimming black, fast delivery, and apparently not bogus KN95 masks. https://bonafidemasks.com/powecom-kn95/ Seems like the main issues are covered, so I'm trying to be brief, not vague.

Perhaps the Deity people who post here can point you to a document or a support person? @Andrew From Deity @Vincent R.

Roland's posting about Rycote's new mics. Info, but no prices, here: https://rycote.com/microphone-windshield-shock-mount/pencil-condenser-microphones/ Some pricing here, in Euros. Basically in range with the HC mics Codyman lists: https://pinknoise-systems.eu/Microphones/All-Microphones/?manufacturer=1af48ecebc864fc78d229dad55c32e7d&order=stock&p=1

I have a couple Line Audio CM4 cardioids. I've mainly been using them to record music in various configurations. Rather flat. Small! Overall, seem pretty nice, especially for the price. Discussions here and on gearspace influenced my decision. I'll link to a couple of those below. Looks like $125US or so right now. Line Audio page: (they don't/didn't sell direct) http://www.lineaudio.se/CM4.html A/the main dealer in Belgium: (but they ship to the US, and rather quickly) http://nohypeaudio.com/lineaudioproducts.htm A discussion here from a few years ago (Note @Olle Sjostrom's mention of using CM3s for crowd recording). Line Audio CM4 for location sound https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/34441-line-audio-cm4-for-location-sound/ And a typically really long multi-year discussion on gearspace: CM4 Is Here. Let's start a thread for it and let the CM3 go on https://gearspace.com/board/mobile-amp-location-rigs/1268518-cm4-here-lets-start-thread-let-cm3-go.html No idea if they'll do what you want. But hopefully the above links will help you figure that out.

I *think* Pete Verrando hasn't started doing the conversions again. But what do I know. Perhaps reach out to him here @pverrando or on his CMC4 T to P site: http://www.cmc4upgrade.com/cmc4upgrade.com.html And a year or two ago (after Pete bowed out for at least a little while) someone here mentioned that Bill Thompson is doing conversions. He certainly has the background to do a good job, imo. He's a co-founder of Ashly Audio. But I have no personal experience with him. https://billthompson.us/bt/schoeps-mic-conversion/