Jim Feeley

Thanks Phil, Olle, and everyone. Jez, I just checked the Clear website. Clear is on sale for US$69, down from $99. I don't know how long the discount lasts. https://product.supertone.ai/clear And yes, there's a trial version: "OUR TRIAL VERSIONS OUTPUT NOISE EVERY 60 SECONDS — UNTIL ACTIVATED WITH A LICENSE KEY. YOU MAY UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME." Geez that sounds annoying. So I think I'll buy it while it's on sale...

No one to recommend, but perhaps an archivist can suggestion someone who maintains their machines? Ya, they'd be more into studio rather than field recorders, but a step in the right direction? In SF Bay Area, BAVC is still doing archival/preservation work with tape formats, including DAT. Maybe ask for a recommendation? https://www.bavc.org/programs/preservation/ And the Association of Moving Image Archivists had (and probably still has) a great email list and directories. https://amianet.org Other than that, maybe ask on a music-recording forum such as Gearspace. https://gearspace.com That's all I can think of. Good luck!

Ya, Pete used to hang out here; he might still but IIRC he hasn't posted in a while. There have been some interesting discussions about fake mics here... If you search the archives (try the search box above; if that doesn't seem to work, search on google with something like "Fake 416 site:jwsoundgroup.net"). Pete also upgraded a lot of our old Schoeps CMC4 and Sennheiser 416T mics to phantom power. Prince of a guy. Sorry to hear about your purchase. Hope it all gets sorted. 😞

I'd guess DPA wants to compete with people considering mics such as the Sanken CS-M1, and whatever else costs around US$1000 (stating the obvious is my super power). I find it interesting that in their three-minute intro video, a rather big of the time is spent explaining stuff like "you might need a shock mount and wind protection," and "don't tape over the interference tube slots." So I guess they see potential in convincing people to step up from Rode, Deity, and the like. Cool to see DPA expand their reach. Will be interesting to hear how these perform in the real world.

Thanks Raymond! Again, the current TC tools and approaches are mostly working for me. But there is something that could make GNSS syncing appealing: If you and your cohorts can get camera manufacturers to finally put stable clocks and systems into their cameras, then I'd be really interested in GNSS... 🙂 Truly: That would be a win.

I guess, but my understanding is that Ambient's ACN only uses 2.4 to re-jam devices every six seconds. The devices all have stable clocks, so if they miss a few (or probably dozens) of rounds of synchronization, it's not a big deal. Perhaps 2.4GHz isn't ideal, but the way ACN works, it doesn't seem like a huge flaw. I think Zaxcom's ZaxNet works in a similar manner: There's TC going over 2.4 that can rejam devices, but the devices still have their own accurate clocks. I defer to people here who've worked with ACN & Zaxnet; how well have they worked for you? As for improvements on current timecode systems, IIRC, Peter Symes (Grass Valley, SMPTE, etc) was working on (or was part of?) the TLX Project (Time Label, eXtensible) to address issues they saw as problems with TC-12. I recall hearing about this a few years ago, and the main preso I see online is from early 2019, 4.5 years ago. I don't know where that project stands (I dig SMPTE, but I'm not an engineer). Here's a relevant page (feel free to link me to something more comprehensive and current). https://www.smpte.org/past-events/beyond-smpte-time-code-the-tlx-project And more recently, some people at frame.io were pretty excited about the need for more modern timecode/syncing standards. I guess that grows out of their camera-to-cloud projects. Here's a long blog page from last year that I think restates some stuff they presented to a SMPTE conference. It starts with history, goes into what they see as problems with current approaches, and then touches a bit on what they'd like to see next. Long, but there are pictures ;-): https://blog.frame.io/2022/07/11/reinventing-timecode-for-the-cloud/ Again, I'm an engineering buff, not an engineer. For me, I mainly work on small simple stuff, but that can include a few cameras, dedicated sound, and an editor+AE who aren't the producer/director. The projects either have their TC act together, or they really don't. Those that do get by with current standards and tools. That don't I think would be good candidates for a better/simpler solution, but they also struggle with cloud stuff like frame.io (even though plenty of them are good storytellers), and often are trailing edge technologically so it might be a while before they'd adopt anything different. I'd be happy with something better and simpler. But I'm making do with a good recorder, good TC boxes, reasonable camera crew (when I'm lucky), and an editor who can fix (or appropriately contact me/others if there are) little mistakes. Perhaps I'd feel differently if there were 20 cameras, several different live remotes, and a bunch of other stuff. But that's not my world lutzray, at this point perhaps it would be helpful to tell everyone your real name and your involvement with syncing video and audio devices. Who are you, why is next-gen TC so important to you (ie- were you burned on a few projects) and who are you working for or with? Thanks for sparking a good, if occasionally contentious, discussion.

A few hours ago, Radius Windshields sent out an email and put up a Facebook post saying...well take a look at the FB post (the email is longer, but covers the same core material: (more rambling by me below the screenshot) Simon didn't name the company, but a quick WHOIS search shows that radiuswindshields.it appears to be registered by Videndum (formerly known as Vitec), the company that bought Rycote a few years ago. IIRC, they bought Rycote from Simon (and partners, I presume). btw- I don't know Simon. It looks like at least some of those domains don't currently redirect to any other website; perhaps that's a change made since Simon's posts. This just all seems so tacky of Vivendum and makes me think less of their brand and the companies they control. But I've only heard Simon's (and WHOIS's) side of the story. Perhaps someone associated with Vivendum can explain their apparent actions.

I was going to make a John Cage Karaoke joke, but then this showed up in a social media feed. So it saved me from (more?) embarrassment. 😉 Also, this looks really fun and since my wife is thinking karaoke might be fun for her upcoming birthday, we're going to check it out.

You Shure can.

A very common topic here. Use the search function here to dig up some of the many recent discussions. Here's one, but be ready for some passion:

A nice story: ‘Birds Are My Eyesight’ For some blind birders, avian soundscapes are a way to map the world around them. Increasing noise pollution is imperiling that navigation. ----- On an average morning, Susan Glass can sit on the patio at her condominium complex in Saratoga, Calif., and identify as many as 15 different bird species by ear: a steller’s jay, an acorn woodpecker, an oak titmouse. For her, birding is more than a hobby. “Birds are my eyesight,” said Ms. Glass, a poet and a professor of English at West Valley Community College who has been blind since birth. “When I check into a hotel in Pittsburgh, I might remember the rock dove and the house finch in the parking lot, rather than the architecture.” ----- Whole article, along with pictures and audio samples here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/03/style/birding-blind-low-vision.html (I think you can access a few New York Times articles per month without paying.)

I think Rich and Paul are on the right track. See if new/more frequencies for mobile phones have recently opened up in the UK (where I presume you're mostly working). I'd guess (but don't know) that Ofcom would be a good place to start. But looks like this page hasn't been updated in a while: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radiocommunication-licences/pmse/pmse-technical-info This article from a UK installed-sound company might be helpful. https://livewiresystems.co.uk/blogs/livewires-expert-tips/radio-mics-and-frequency-licensing The other thing that (still) hits me are crappy BNC cables used by camera. Either poorly assembled, or damaged. Though that's usually hitting my RX, not my recorder. And there are a couple other suggestions in this old JWS thread:

It's about $3500US to $4,000US cheaper. So there's that. But how much nice integration do you give up? No idea. [I will now randomly think & type out loud] For me, something like the DM3 would be first for live streaming and FOH, then maybe as a front & controller to a DAW, then maybe for production sound (I don't really do big cart work...beyond sticking my back on a cart and twisting pots). But how much of a pain the theDM3 touchscreen? On some other cheap digital mixers (eg.- A&H Qu and SQ, Behringer X which I use but don't own), I press a button to select a channel, and then (usually) turn a pot...and don't always need to go to a touch screen). On the DM3 it looks like I'll maybe have to press a button to select a bank, then use the touchscreen to select the channel and function, then turn that one lone physical pot... How quickly/smoothly/etc while in a hurry will that all be? Probably not bad, but I'd want to spend some time with it. Weight seems OK; At 14ish lbs / 6.5kg that's a few pounds / couple of kilos heavier than the MIX-16 and CL-16. But a lot less than the 16+ mixers I come across (though a lot more than control surfaces than a CL-9, Aria-8, iCon thing, etc). The DM3 is narrower than the MIX-16, CL-16, and most mixers. Duh; there are only nine faders, not 16+. But how do those faders feel? That's what pushed me away from some cheaper controllers such as the iCon M+ (ya, plenty of people are using those without complaining too much)... And how are the pre-amps (remember my multi-use dreams)? Did they use the money they saved in faders to make the preamps decent? And then there's all the limitations people have already mentioned. So me, I'll try to get my hands on one and see what I think. But then probably just use those thoughts to inform what I want to see come out next. As I've already said, Audiotonix seems really well positioned to come out with something dandy.

The Dante version is US$2,000 (a bit less without Dante). There's a touchscreen and touch-and-turn knob that *might* make quick gain adjustments fairly quick, and there's a button to switch input/fader banks from 1-8, to 9-16. No idea how quickly all that could be handled in the field, but it's interesting to me. And now that A&H, SSL, and SD (and others) are under the same corporate roof, maybe we'll see something from one of them that's even more interesting. But along Dalton's lines, the "all things to all people" positioning is kinda limiting...

It looks to me like you're talking about this mic, which has a 3.5mm connection and doesn't support Phantom power (as far as I can tell): https://rode.com/en-us/microphones/on-camera/videomic-ntg No worries, but that's a lower-end mic than most people here use. You might find more uses of that (and equivalent mics), and thus better first-hand knowledge on one of the Facebook groups for the Canon C70 (and R5C, etc). Such as this one: https://www.facebook.com/groups/803699123085625 Maybe someone here will have good advice, though. I hope you can get the issue sorted.

Thanks everyone. Really helpful. I used to have what I considered a good handle on the different markets SW & VK were after. But now SW lists big $100,000+++ SSL, API, and Neve consoles in their website (perhaps just window dressing; not sure how many they move). And VK sells inexpensive non-vintage guitar pedals. Smart moves for both companies, I think. But since SW got bought, or invested in, a couple years ago, the calls from them have stepped up. Perhaps there's more pressure on their sales engineers to hit specific revenue targets. But I feel like they're trying to close sales more than help me make intelligent purchases with the added goal of making me a long-term customer. Not evil; that's business. But SW generates fewer warm fuzzies than it used to. Thanks again. Glad to hear that people's VK experiences (and most SW experiences) are good.

I have my preferred dealers for location-audio equipment (usual suspects here). But for post equipment, I don't have established relationships with any local or online dealers. Sweetwater I've bought from in the past. But I'm hearing less-than-great things about recent after-sales support. So as I get ready to make a couple big-for-me purchases, I wonder if I should check out another dealer. Such at Vintage King. I know this is more of a Gearspace question, but I don't want hundreds of responses. So I ask here: Does anyone have any strong feelings pro or con about Sweetwater these days (ie- after a private-equity firm became major owner)? And same for Vintage King: Any strong pro or con feelings about them?

That's business. But still sad. Rycote: Small factory behind big TV shows closes down A small factory in Gloucestershire that pioneered sound recording technology for the film and TV industry has been closed, with the loss of 22 jobs. For over 50 years, Rycote in Stroud made windshields for microphones used all over the world. But its parent company said the factory was "no longer fit for purpose". Production has been moved to Leicestershire. Rest of the story, with a few pictures here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-65687450

Thanks for the replies. One reason I'm asking: Kester no longer offers the low-cost/short-length pocket paks. For wire, just 1lb/450g (and up) spools; those cost about $50USD each. Same with MG and some other brands. NTE sells a few types of pocket paks with Kester solder, but only one type (and diameter) of lead free. I don't want to buy a few 1lb spools only to find out I don't like a certain type or brand. (And most of my experience is with Kester, so that's my first choice brand). Anyway, Kester has some good informational documents on hand soldering (as well as wave and SMT, but that's not for me). Here's the hand soldering collection: https://www.kester.com/knowledge-base/knowledge-base#4508-hand-soldering Two I found helpful: Lead-Free Hand Soldering – Ending the Nightmares Hand soldering with lead-free solders can be challenging but not if the points in this article are understood. Case Study on the Validation of SAC305 and SnCu-based Solders in SMT Wave and Hand Soldering This paper describes the work done at a contract assembler who implemented a successful process to build over 500,000 assemblies using both Kester K100LD and SAC305 solders. I had to supply name and email address to get the link to the PDFs, but the docs are pretty good. If anyone else wants to chime in, great. And I'll let you all know what I find out.

I spent enough years using lead solder in my youth. And now, even with a small fume extractor, I just don't want to use lead solder anymore. Alas, the lead-free ones I've tried are a bit trickier to use. Perhaps I need to improve and/or tweak my technique. Or perhaps I'd prefer a different lead-free solder. I'm up for trying flux-core or solid if that'll help... I'm most familiar with Kester, but have no brand loyalty on this. I'm mainly making cables, soldering basic components to PCBs, and doing some fun point-to-point stuff. (So ya, cables for work. Guitar pedals and amps for fun (and I may try a couple synth modules, too) Kester 275 No-Clean Flux with K100LD alloy is looking like a leading (ha!) candidate: https://www.kester.com/products/product/275-flux-cored-wire Have any of you used that? And more broadly, what lead-free solder have you found that you like?

I do have a line. But I'm married and my spouse's job is honorable...and provides partially-subsidized health insurance (perhaps the later is less of an issue in the Netherlands). In a few instances my turning down certain big-bucks projects caused some financial distress and personal tension. And we had kids in the house (they're all adults now). I think a factor for us was, the financial distress wasn't going to cause us to lose our house or not feed our kids. If it was such a situation, I may have made different decisions about a couple projects (though it probably wouldn't have changed my declining a couple others). But even still, the lost money was painful. So perhaps my line could move. And frankly, it's the areas just above and below the line that are trickier. In the end, I'm glad I turned down those jobs. I have to live with myself. And I don't want to make the world a worse place. Geez. Sorry I don't have more insight. Good luck, Bouke.

Thanks Phil. Anyone else have recommendations for 1200 USD/EUR per pair NFMs?

Since Patrick is all sorted, and since there's already some good information in this thread, I hope it's OK if I redirect it a little. I have some Event NFMs that I'd like to replace. So I'm starting to look around at monitors. Hoping to not spend more than 1200 USD/EUR. Just a pair, perhaps a sub. I've listened to various models and in my price range I really like the Neumann KH 80; same model that Douglas @tourtelot has (or at least had). But of course I haven't listened to everything. My needs are limited, though different from what many people on gearspace do (ie- I'm looking for basic audio post lower-end corp and doc, along with some music). So... What monitors do you think I should audition that are priced under or near 1200 USD/EUR for a pair (or 2.1)?

Nice! And bonus that PSI is (fairly) local to you.

Don't really know what they're doing. From Amazon's blog post about Dialog Boost: =========== While Dialogue Boost was built with the needs of customers who are hard of hearing in mind, anyone can use the feature to suit their personal listening preferences. ... Dialogue Boost analyzes the original audio in a movie or series and intelligently identifies points where dialogue may be hard to hear above background music and effects. Then, speech patterns are isolated and audio is enhanced to make the dialogue clearer. This AI-based approach delivers a targeted enhancement to portions of spoken dialogue, instead of a general amplification at the center channel in a home theater system. As a result, Dialogue Boost can be enjoyed anywhere the Prime Video experience is available. =========== So maybe they're doing some DialNorm-like stuff. Or maybe they integrated ChatGPT into Alexa. "Alexa, what the f...are they saying?" Maybe they really are doing some machine-learning thing (and using Christopher Nolan films as the training set). Or maybe they mentioned AI only to meet the MAISBDFU metric (Mention AI So Bezos Doesn't Fire Us). An old friend and colleague works on compression for Amazon Prime. I'll drop him a note, but no idea if he'll respond...