Jump to content

Scott Anderson

Members
  • Posts

    69
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Scott Anderson

  1. Thanks for starting this thread Jack. I purchased most of my COS-11's years ago and haven't had any concerns about the windscreens coming off with them, but the two purchased within the past year both lost their windscreens within a few months of gentle use. Yes, most certainly a problem with the new design as the screen is very, very loose on the capsule. I need a couple more wires and think I'll wait on any more COS-11's until this gets fixed. It's risky to go without the screen as it's very sensitive to wind noise otherwise.
  2. Intriguing video from New Zealand musician Nigel Stanford visualizing audio frequencies: http://wimp.com/seesound
  3. That explains why my pre-order was canceled and payment refunded a few days ago... Zaxcom you're not making a friends.
  4. I rarely bump my SMQV's beyond 50mw finding that after scanning and setting on a clear frequency, the range is fine for the majority of situations I'm recording. There have been occasions when 100mw and even 250mw has been helpful, but transmit power wasn't the main reason I chose Lectrosonics for my wireless sets. One consideration is for the times you'll want to tune into another recordist's transmitter when working the same shoot. The proximity to service is another consideration when sending something to the mother ship and how long it will take back and forth. The wide band L series Lectro sets are expected in the wild sooner than later and are 50 to 100mw selectable, but again to say in my experience 50mw has been more than sufficient so for me anyway transmit power isn't the main consideration.
  5. Sounds as though you've done what you can with treating the room. I picked up a stack of two foot square acoustic foam some years back to use in addition to the stack of furniture blankets and the combination of the two makes a difference in acoustically challenged environments. More importantly is to use the MKH-50 instead of MKH-60. My 50 really does minimize the echo when indoors in comparison to my 60. Then again, the 60 has a better reach when outside. There is a clear and distinct difference between the two when shooting indoors or out. Also, if possible how about a Sanken COS-11 hidden as high as possible? Iso the boom and lav and beyond that, with treating the room, you've done as much as that choice of location will allow!
  6. I bill a daily rate separate and in addition to labor for the basic kit which includes the mixer / recorder, the first two wireless sets, and boom mic on pole. Each additional wireless set (lavs or as hops to cameras) is a separate line on the invoice. Comteks are a grey area in billing for me some shoots being included and some as a billable item. Always separate from the basic kit are the slate and Lock-it boxes. Years ago I was billing separately for the recorder particularly when using a 442 and 744t combination. At the time, sound to camera was most often considered primary and iso'd tracks weren't as common as they are today in sound for TV. Having the recorder and mixer combined now has made it difficult to bill for the recorder as a stand alone item, so my rate increased to allow for both combined and I now include the iso'd WAV files as part of the basic kit rate. I always make a distinction in writing with a production manager prior to the shoot as to what the basic kit rate is, and what's included. Most often for me with sound for TV, the number of wireless sets needed after the first two in the basic kit is the next question. It's extremely rare that I'd ever offer a flat rate on gear. It's all in writing ahead of time so that when something beyond the basic kit is needed during production, I just use it and include it on the invoice. Every so often I'll get an email questioning an additional billable item where I'll quote the email correspondence so we stay on good terms (don't rely on a phone conversation about rates and terms)!
  7. They are not "paying you to eat" but are paying you to dedicate 10 or 12 hours of your day to their production. Taking :30 during the production day "off the clock" means we are still on location and away from our home or office for 10 or 12 hours. The agreement should be to work sound for 10 or 12 hours with a :30 break at some time during the production day (and hopefully around six hours after call). Be clear on terms with the production manager in writing (usually by email) prior to the work. For example: 'labor is billed at $500 p/10 or $600 p/12 with :30 walk away lunch inclusive and OT at 1.5 thereafter'. (That's an example day rate for labor with an additional basic gear package rate.) The production manager is working at negotiating the best deal possible for her company, and it's up to you to be clear what terms you'll accept. You are dedicating ten or twelve hours of your day for a certain labor rate. If they use you up to the last minute of that block of time it's their choice; if they go beyond that block of time, it's billed at time and a half per hour, but you are specifying in the terms that you require a :30 break at some point during those ten or twelve hours. Besides, half an hour break in twelve is not only reasonable but minimal! Production companies could be looking for twelve hour days not so much that they expect to work all twelve hours, (although great point about producers fearful of missing something so they shoot everything) but as a cushion before having to pay OT. Eight hours used to be the standard production day then ten hours provided the pad. Now ten hours is standard and twelve provides the padding. It would appear this company is wanting to push it to 12.5 hours before paying OT. Bottom line for me when negotiating with a PM is that my ten hour rate is less than my twelve hour rate, and my 12.5 hour rate includes half an hour OT with at least a :30 break during the production day.
  8. A well equipped kit with Sound Devices, Lectrosonics, or Zaxcom, and Denecke or Ambient, etc. cost tens of thousands but will last many years and has the potential to make you thousands in return. You're hired for who you are on set, but also for what gear you bring to the table. Technical skills are somewhere in that mix, but minor compared to the impression a producer, director, or DP has of you. Good gear is part of the impression you will make; where knowing the technical aspects is necessary to do the work, you either have the skills or not, but a big factor for who they call is whether they like working with you and see you as a pro with the right gear. Put the money into a Denecke (TS-C) or Ambient (ACN-LS) as well as a Lock-it box. The SB-3 has been standard, but the Q-28 is likely to make friends with camera and his assist for it's diminutive size and weight. Multi-track recording (poly WAV files) with timecode jam sync to camera is most often expected. Sound takes care of timecode as we have a vested interest in doing so for post to drop our audio files into an edit timeline. My TS-C and Q-28's are always billable items (having talked about it before the shoot) but I also carry a dumb slate in the same Pelican that doesn't get billed if it's ever needed along with dry-erase and permanent markers, and 1" white gaff as well as BNC and Lemo cables etc. Coordinating prior to the shoot with the AC about what he'll have on hand is rare, so better to just have all the adapters, cables, and markers on hand than leave it to chance.
  9. I own three M-216 Option 7 transmitters, sixteen PR-216 receivers, a BST 75-216 transmitter, and a Mini-Mite 216 1/2 wave antenna. Day after day year after year they work flawlessly with a range that can't be beat. The M-216 Option 7 with PR-216 is a solid, reliable, IFB system with exceptional range and clean clear sound (especially when using the wide band frequencies). Keep in mind that the receiver uses the headphone cable as it's antenna so the more straight and higher up in the air the headphone cable is the better the receiver will grab the signal. Coiled up and jammed in a pocket will affect the reception. It's simple and just works. Power and volume for the producer who just wants to hear the sound when they put a pair of headphones on and fine reference sound for a boom op. Go with a M-216 Option 7 using the rubber ducky. One last note, I put a 9v battery eliminator in the two I use in bag work to run off the BDS saving changing 9v's out. That may be something to look at for cart use as well. Definitely get the transmitter higher up on the cart for best range but you'll probably find that there would be very few (to no) times that the signal isn't strong and clean.
  10. Also interested in the show function with a picture of the opposite side of the unit. Is there a small (LCD or OLED) display for the show function? The two pictures I found so far feature the front with switches.
  11. Mixed on skis in the Swiss alpen for a PBS travel show a couple years ago. Lavs (with Rycote Fuzzies) on host and his guest with an MHK-60 into a SD 302 rigged in a waist pack situated in front. Wireless hop to camera and back up recorder in bag. No poles of course as in another comment. My biggest concern was if I were to take a spill and get jabbed by the boom, but gladly neither happened. The host and his guest were both experts on skis with the guest having been an Olympic competitor so keeping up with the two of them turned out to be the bigger challenge than getting good sound throughout as the gear and set up worked just great. It was super fun "work" even getting paid to do a sport I've loved since I was a kid. These kinda days balance out those spent working a boom on your feet in the sun all day. A bunch of sound from the slopes got used in the show which was gratifying as well.
  12. Thanks for the responses and quotes from the manual. I was on a shoot earlier today but should have loaded the PDF on my iPhone from the Sound Devices site before posting the question... Does make me wonder though why not allow the return signal to be routed to X3 and/or X4? For now then looks like making up a cable to split the HP as you suggest JD may be the thing to do.
  13. I hooked up an amplified speaker to X3 and a Comtek transmitter to X4 of my SD 633. Often, when camera is doing playback, I'll want to amplify the sound recorded on camera through the speaker (using a hard wire break-a-way cable with return) I haven't been able to figure out how to get return audio out of X3 or X4. Got it just fine through the headphones of course, but want to keep the speaker connected to X3. It's helpful to use the sound recorded to camera as often a director will want to watch playback to check if talent said the line right or something and as the return's already plugged into the camera headphone jack, or likely the director's already wearing a Comtek, it would be quick and easy to have sync'd sound ready for playback at any given moment. How do I get sound sent into the return 3.5 TRS jack on the right side to feed out of the X3/X4 3.5 TRS on the left side of my SD 633?
  14. Take a look through the "show me your bag" thread to see what others are using.
  15. Have both older and newer versions of the chargers - putty metal and blue plastic case - and they both charge my IDX NP-L7S just fine.
  16. Mine's been rock solid for several months now with zero issues doing about 20 shoots per month. I haven't used an external keyboard and have only used the same few "approved" CF and SD cards.
  17. What company would notice a picture and offer service like that?! Then again, maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise in that the few times I've called them over the years with something (always minor) that needed attention, each and every time they have immediately and above and beyond expectation taken care of me. Just have to say K-Tek makes fantastic products that work year after year and when there has been a need they've been right there with support that amazes me. PM sent and seriously, thanks for the fantastic support.
  18. Sure, I can see using that space for a spare NP1. I've been using a couple NP-F570's below the 633 for back up power and hadn't thought about stacking NP1's. Thanks for the clarification and suggestion. Also to mention, glad for the belt option. That tends to be my first choice vs a harness. Looks like the best bag for the 633 and K-Tek's thoughtful work on development's appreciated.
  19. Glad for the thoughtful design! Just wish it weren't so cavernous below the mixer. I understand accommodating straight XLR's if used with the MAXX but I'm looking for a great bag to fit my 633 and don't want the wasted space put there for a different mixer. Accommodating straight XLR's sure does make it a tall bag and is the one thing that has me on the fence about it at this point.
  20. I started freelance location sound mixing ten years ago and my kit has changed over the years becoming more capable with new products from several manufacturers in particular this past decade. As I've been a bag and not cart mixer since the start, saving weight and being mobile but still being able to say 'sure I can do that' when a producer or director wants something in particular (with little to no time given for set up) is often necessary. At the heart of any kit is the mixer and I've followed Sound Devices products over the years fitting a 302 then 442 and eventually 552 into Petrol bags with each new product release. Likewise, when Lectrosonics came out with their SR receivers and SM transmitters, the 400 series sets went up for sale as smaller and lighter but still capable is the over-all goal for the kit. After the 552, Sound Devices came out with the 664. What a flagship! But what a beast for a bag mixer to cary over the shoulder. Finally a mixer and multitrack recorder in the same box meeting production needs that the 788t wasn't designed to. But then in late 2013 they released the 633 - a 644 cut in half (I cringed watching the SD video of a band saw slicing a 644 in half.) The 644 is still the flagship with additional capabilities of the 633 and I'll probably keep mine for a wile yet, but for 90% of the work I do the 633 is the ultimate tool in my current kit, which ten years in the making, I think is nearly perfect. The Perfect Kit? (For the sound work I most often do anyway!) Sound Devices 633 - Compact and lightweight yet capable with ten tracks and timecode. It's rare that I need more than five lavs with the sixth channel for the boom so just the right number of tracks in a compact package for bag work. It's the little details and having a 3.5 TRS to feed the Comtek and two TA3's for sound to the SR's for wireless hop to camera then two XLR's to keep a break-a-way cable hooked up as well is just right. No more swapping wireless and wired when getting up from the sit down to go grab some b-roll set up shots of the person just interviewed like with the 302. Petrol PS614 Bag - At first I was thinking it was a bit wide having been designed for the 552 originally, however, it fits three SR's in a row very well and the extra inch on either side of the 633 allows for an extra safety margin for plugs sticking out on either side with the inputs and outputs. The main advantage to this particular bag is a huge front compartment which accommodates six SM's and a Countryman pouch to hold a bunch of lavs. Then, there's the very front pocket for lav accessories like Rycote's Undercovers and Remote Audio's elastic straps. An IDX NP1 (NP-LS7) with Remote Audio BDS v4 fits well in the back pouch and flipping the on/off switch on the BDS is simple with access through the left side zipper. An addition to the bag to get everything to be more solid was to pick up a right angle aluminum piece from the depot for home stuff and cut it in two sections both the width of the bag. One piece got a notch the width of the 633 for it to fit snugly then the other in the top section of the bag with slots cut for the SR's to drop in and have a platform to rest on. I covered both aluminum right angles with Velcro for appearance. Doing this provided structure for the bag allowing all of the gear to fit together as a unit. (Using Velcro to attach gear together in a bag has been a regular part of every kit over the years.) Lectrosonics SRb & SMQv - They just work day in and day out. They are reliable and do one job - to send and receive clean audio in a lightweight compact box. I haven't had any concerns with a lack of front end tracking that the 411's can boast of and have a couple shark fins with SMA to BNC cables if extra range is needed. Most often though, like the number of lavs, I'm not that significant a distance from talent or camera and if need be, I'll split the difference going half way between talent and camera. I purchased four SMQV's and four SMV's. The main four wireless lavs are put to use first with their longer time between battery changes; then, channels five and six have less battery time using a couple SM's but are lighter for kids or places where the smaller transmitter is a better fit. Also using a couple SMV's for the wireless hop to camera helps with a smaller transmitter for weight and a Lectro battery eliminator is one AA tube anyway. A couple HM cube transmitters for handhelds or the occasional boom op shoots are on the same frequency block as the SMV's. With eight plus wireless sets on at times, I didn't want to have to think much about inter-modulation so I skipped a block (or two) every two sets starting at block 19 up to block 26. Break-a-way Cables - Peter Engh. I like the seven-pin Neutrik connectors he uses as well as Mogami cables. Also, looking inside the the connectors, every solder joint is always perfect shiny silver with heat shrink on each lead. He just makes good cables. For feeding multiple cameras with returns, as often is the case for news magazine sit downs for example, Engh makes a box he calls the Splitmon 3 which works well with the 633 to feed and get a return from three cameras - correspondent, guest, and lock down wide shot. Comtek PR216 for Interruptible Foldback - I had eight Lectro R1a's but went back to Comteks for several reasons. The Lectros were heavy and ate 9v batteries. I also got tired of a producer / director saying 'I can't hear anything' because they had mashed down the blue volume knob sending it into scan mode. In this case it's not the Lectros but the Comteks that 'just work'. They have a much better battery life and a simple on/off switch with volume knob. The Comteks are simple and effective; lightweight and cost less to replace; the 216Mhz is a plus too with a fairly clear band so range is always great even with less transmit power. SONY MDR7506 Headphones - There's a reason they're often used for location sound. They fold up compactly and sound great and are fairly durable. Only thing is how the tissue paper thin vinyl coating on the outside rim of the earphones wears away so quickly but a terry cloth cover takes are of that issue. K-Tek Klassic Six Section Traveler Pole - K87CC is a lightweight carbon fiber pole at 1.36 lbs and goes from 1'10" to 7'3". That allows it to fit in a Pelican case or hooked to the side of the bag with a Cable Clamp (Home Depot for orange or Lowe's for blue or order off CableClamp's website for other colors) and not get in the way in and out of cars or when putting the bag down but then extend to a good length for most ENG or EFP scenes. I've carried a K-Tek Traveler pole in many different countries and onboard many domestic and international flights. It's a great pole for all around use. The K-Tek K-SM shock mount is great being smaller and lighter than other options. If there were a quick release out there that would be nice, but I haven't found one to help when changing between the MKH60 and MKH50. Boom Mics - Sennheiser MKH60 with Rycote Softie for outdoors or a MKH50 with foam for indoors. They sound great and are durable. Temperature doesn't adversely affect them as often I'm in A/C then out in humidity and they work inside and outside day in day out. Lav Mics - Sanken COS-11's most often although sometimes a Countryman B6 is useful or a Countryman EMW if a situation is hazardous to a lav's health. I used to keep a few TRAM TR50's around but got tired of replacing them when inevitably they would short at the base of the capsule. COS-11's sound super and are durable lasting years (and outlasting TRAM's for years). Support Case - I've been using a Pelican 1520 case with mesh bags inside for the support gear for the past decade. I find that often I'm hopping in a DP's van or a production rented Town & Country, and after the amount of gear it seems to take to make pretty pictures, most of the space in the van is taken up, and there's just enough room for me, a 1520, and my kit. The 1520 stays in the van sometimes or goes to the gear room or interview room, but for batteries or XLR cable or other support gear on a run-n-gun shoot a smaller back pack has served well with the kit. All this relates to the kind of sound work I do most often of course and over the years I've tailored the gear to be the most efficient but capable set up possible. Location sound is often challenging work with producer expectations (and curve balls), less than ideal environments, and the myriad of technical details it takes to get it right the first take and every take thereafter (or as with ENG where there's one chance to get it recorded well). We rely on our gear for our reputation and I appreciate companies like Sound Devices and Lectrosonics; K-Tek and Comtek; Sennheiser and Sanken that make some great products.
  21. Wow that's one of the most bazar things I've heard of. I have two 416's and two 60's and agree with others that between both models my preference is for the 416 for many reasons. They may be doing you a favor where you're better off not dealing with an off the wall client like this. Better to find out about their bazar ideas now before the work is done than when they find something to complain about on your invoice to them.
  22. Hey Matt - thanks a bunch will do!
  23. Thinking I may be able to work the threaded ring off the plug and put a small thin washer on it to hold it out at the panel instead of falling inward. Just hate to jury rig when the mixer is only a couple months "old". I'm using it daily on a show that runs for another month so won't be able to send it to SD for bench time until the season wraps.
  24. I've been using my 664 for a couple months and it's been what I'd expect from SD - a solid reliable machine day after day. I've encountered my first issue though and wonder if anyone else has had the same thing happen. I was using the 3.5mm headphone jack and it broke off from the casing and is now loose. It's clearly not that a threaded ring worked it's way off but that the jack on the case broke away and it's now dangling by it's leads inside the case. I don't recall yanking the headphone plug or dropping the bag on it's side at any time.
×
×
  • Create New...