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Ed Denton

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Everything posted by Ed Denton

  1. Thank you sound devices! From all us die hard SD fans who were thinking of wandering across to Zaxcom land: we're back! A return to products being released with a full feature set, not waiting months for features to be unlocked. And don't SD's machines look gorgeous?? Interested though, what are its temperature specs. The Nomad runs cold which is a great aspect. And is significantly lighter at 3.8lbs WITH batteries compared to 664 at 4.75lbs without batteries. Also the SD is a lot wider at 12.6" compared to Nomad's 9.9". Could be a little cumbersome over the shoulder? But I still love it! And $700 less than the Nomad 6.
  2. So after following some advice I bought the GlobalMedia Pro NP1B batteries and now I seem to have hit some problems. Help please anyone? I've just set up my new BDS v4u with my Sound Devices 552 mixer and two Lectrosonics 411a receivers in a field bag. The cables are all remote audio bought in the kit at B and H (see this link http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/522500-REG/Remote_Audio_BDSPACK_BDS_v3_Battery_Distribution.html) and the batteries are NP1B batteries from Global Media Pro (see this link for the batteries I'm using https://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A00XK8/Globalmediapro-Li65N-Lithium-ion-Battery-65WH/). When I first received the batteries they had very low power but i plugged them in to the BDS to test them. The system powered up fine so I turned it off and charged the NP batteries to full. Now I can not get the system to power up. The illuminated power switch on the BDS briefly flashes red then nothing. The batteries are 14.8V, 4.4Ah, 65Wh. Are the batteries overloading the BSD? This doesn't seem right? It should be able to handle 14.8 volt NP1B batteries surely? Pleeeeease help! I have emailed Remote Audio but I'm sure all you soundos have some experience in this matter. Thanks. Ed
  3. Stupid question but worth asking before I drop >$500 on batteries and chargers. GlobalMedia Pro call their NP style batteries NP1B batteries. What are NP1B batteries and how are they different from NP1 batteries. Will they work with the Remote Audio BDS? Assuming they will but thought I'd confirm first. Thanks!
  4. Hi Tyler and thanks for a great product. I purchased this app and I've been using it on a Bollywood film shooting here in Melbourne. A few thoughts after using it for the last week. I'm using a SD 552 and the recorder time stamps the files. After the shoot I go through the files on a computer and want to add the time of day values into the timecode field on the app. I can enter the values but they don't save. They save when I press the little arrow but not when I manually add. If its a false take or a mis-roll I would like to be able to write "null" or "false" in the scene/take fields but it when I do it changes it to take "00". Also in the "projects" list it shows the date the project was created but if you change the date of the shoot in the project details page it still keeps the date the project was created. This is annoying if you are filling out sound report sheets the next day and want the project list to show the date of the shoot. Also an optional field for "shot" number between "scene" and "take" would be useful. I would like to be able to remove the Inaudible Labs branding from PDFs. That's the sort of thing you get on free/trial versions not paid apps. Really looking forward to iCloud sync/ computer app for finishing off sound reports on a computer. Is that far off? Generally quite a good app for bag shoots. I have my iPhone in my portabrace and can work pretty quickly with this app. The "Advance take" and "advance scene" features are great. Thanks! Ed
  5. The LEDs definitely flashed in time with his speech so it was a working transmitter. But I doubt they would've been recording with that mic. The way he was holding the mic/headset it would've rustled a heap. Aren't we a bunch of nerds...
  6. Haha I saw that Lectro SM in that scene. Awesome! Think that was just scarring makeup effects? I also saw the film at IMAX and while we're picking the film apart... I think Bane's dialogue was mixed too loud compared to other voices. And the scene where Alfred says he's going to leave Bruce, as Alfred is approaching on the wide shot in the corridor his dialogue is clearly on a boom that's miles away. Also the low frequency sounds - mostly music, atmospheric rumbles etc - were way too loud and sometimes dissonant causing weird phasing sounds. But you know what, who cares. The film was totally boss. 10 points Mr Nolan.
  7. Ed Denton

    LMA vs um400a

    I'm looking at buying a couple of extra wireless kits to use as a camera hop but also as spare talent radio mics. I'm going to get an SRa receiver but I'm not too sure about which transmitters to pair it with. The LMa seems like good value for money but maybe I could have some inter-modulation issues using them close together in a bag. I'm basing this on this comment which I read on dvxuser: "The LMa (replacement for the older LM) does actually have the circular isolator now, so this greatly reduces the level of any intermod products. So essentially, the LMa is now a lower power version of the UM400a. But I wanted to clarify this issue of isolator vs. no isolator and the potential for intermod interference. First off, transmitters have to be VERY close together to show appreciable intermod levels. Even then, transmitters with robust output designs (RF amps with headroom) exhibit lower intermods than comparable transmitters with less robust designs. We've done testing here that shows that the original LM (~50mW) shows much lower intermod levels than comparable 30mW transmitters. So in practice, this is almost moot. There are quite a few multi-channel setups out there with original LM transmitters and they work great." As it says above, they have to very close together to show intermod levels, which they would be in a bag as a hop. Anyone got other tips on reasons not to get an LMa as a hop/backup talent mics? Any other comments about the LMa vs UM400a? Thanks all.
  8. You won't have trouble with chest hair on children so my first though would be to mic the tshirt with a tram in a vampire clip. But hard to say without more specific detail of what your situation
  9. It makes complete sense to do this doesn't it? If you are sending the same mix to every camera as Mike said he was in the OP. (boom - L, wireless mix - R). Way less transmitter rf coming from the bag, less battery draw, less transmitters to fail/intermodulate, not to mention if you're hiring - less $. If the tx goes down you're recording on the nomad anyway. Can't imagine why you would run three separate TXs Rado?
  10. Everyone with half a brain knows that there isn't a method that works all the time, every time. We don't need to be told this like we're children. What the OP was after was some good discussion of different methods that people find interesting and helpful to bettering their own performance as a soundo, which for the most part this thread has done. It constantly annoys me how some users post responses that state the bleeding obvious. This is not Gearslutz forum. It's a forum for professional sound recordists and we don't need patronizing comments. There, I've had my little rant....
  11. This is true and I don't always use this rig. I find it most useful when I need to ensure the rig stays in place for a whole day because I may not get a chance to reapply or adjust it. Understand the idea that a larger surface area rig could be more trouble but I find that the big loop of tape provides greater insulation when miking a horribly noisy shirt that can't be changed. It accentuates the effect of the RM-11 by providing a bigger air gap. In regards to hiding it, the larger size actually helps. Kind of a hiding in plain sight approach. From the side there is a slight domed lump but from the front you can't notice. If it was a smaller rig you would see the definition of the lump. Again not useful for every situation but for things like the cooking show I'm on at the moment, where the camera is always in front of the talent and the mic needs to stay usable for long durations, it's perfect.
  12. Here's a pic of my rig. Yeah, I like gaffer tape... Hey, this tapatalk thing is cool! JDirckze, I'm in Melbs. We should talk. --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?s113rj
  13. These kind of Senator answers are annoying and they don't help. Please don't. When its a hairy chest I often put a piece of gaffer tape directly onto the chest, then a cos-11 in a rubber mount taped onto this. Then I put a "sticky side out" loop of gaffer over this. Depending on how much they are moving around in the scene I either stick the gaffer loop to the shirt or put another piece of gaffer over the loop creating an air gap between the shirt an the mic head. The smooth shiny surface of the gaffer tape is non-abrasive and therefore reduces the clothing rustle. If anyone could tell me how to upload a photo to this foru from an iPhone I can show you a picture. I've got a hairy guy miked up like this right now.
  14. You are a man of good taste . This is exactly my thought process about a year ago. Ended up going for the SCX1 because I'd heard the 4053b has handlings issues. Would've loved to A/B them but no one stocks them in Melbourne!
  15. I can't believe you're worried about Australia's film industry competing with California!! We struggle to get any feature films made here at all! Our film industry is in serious danger of dying out altogether. What was the last film made in Australia that made any money? Animal Kingdom? And how many of you saw that?! We need this!!!!! Don't forget that us Aussies can't just fly over and work in America, we need a green card. And how many of us have them? So think about that before worrying about us taking over Hollywood.
  16. Thanks for the tip Jesse about the G3 transmitter dynamic range. I probably have been running it too low because I thought it was getting too close to peaking. But it may be the metering on the receiver that make it look like it is peaking well before the "peak" light comes on. Marco I use many different lav mics with the transmitter and they all require different level settings. For example COS-11 red dots have a very low output so I need to bump the transmitter level quite a bit. Normal COS-11's have a very high output so they need a much lower level. Rode lav mics or Tram lavs are somewhere in the middle. Aristotle, check out the links in my original post as to why I wouldn't generally use mic level for wireless systems.
  17. Hi all, I'm setting up a Sennheiser G3 wireless system and I'm wondering what the optimum output to my Sound Devices 552 (or a camera for that matter) would be. Based on this discussion and here I thought I should output at the receiver's max of +12 and input to my 552 mixer at line level. When I do this however I get a really low signal and I need to boost the gain on my mixer to almost max just to get a good level. The same goes when plugging the G3 directly into the camera at line level. I have to turn the input level to max and it is still a fairly weak signal. With my Lectro 411a receivers I run +5 and line in on the mixer and get a great signal. How do others set up their Sennheiser G3 receivers for optimum output. Does everyone use a lower output on the receiver and input to mixer/camera at mic level. Surely you would want to avoid to not-so-great camera preamps? Does anyone know what unity level is on the G3 receivers? What I mean by this is, for example, on a Lectrosonics 411a the +5 setting is the un-boosted/un-attenuated signal. What is the equivalent on a Sennheiser G3 wireless receiver? Many thanks! Apologies in advance if this has already been covered in a thread already, numberous searches yielded no relevent results. If there is then please let me know.
  18. I have a 552, I want more tracks but it pointless getting a 744t, now that the Nomad is here. I want to stay with Sound Devices but the 788t/CL8 is too damn expensive. SD need a direct competitor to the Nomad or they will lose me and many other soundos. Please no auto-trim though!!!! P.S totally agree with adapting the CL-wifi idea to other SD products. It is so useful having remote control from your iPhone!
  19. Very happy to announce that this issue has been resolved! As usual it was production cost-cutting that was the problem. After narrowing it down to an SDI BNC cable problem I noticed the cable in use was a thin, cheap-looking cable. I pulled out a good quality shielded BNC cable and swapped it and voila, RF spray gone! Cheap, unshielded cables bought on eBay caused me hours of researching, emails, talking other soundos, camera tests and production delays. Really, producers, is it worth it to save $20??
  20. Excuse my ignorance Chris Harris but what is this forthcoming Lectrosonics WM? Google search provides no details of any forthcoming announcements from Lectro.
  21. We have done some more camera tests and further narrowed down the source of the RF spray from the camera. We unplugged every cable from the camera and turned it on. No RF spray. We then plugged in each cable individually; DC power, sound hose, monitor split. As soon as the BNC monitor cable touched the HD/SD SDI connector, my UCR411a started picking up the RF spray. I tried it with a different BNC cable and the interference was still there. So it appears the BNC port is the source of the problem. It would be great if someone else who is using a C300 could test so I can work out if it is just our camera that is faulty or a problem with all C300's. Really easy test, just turn the camera on, plug in a BNC to the HD/SD SDI port then scan with your receiver. If there's RF spray like I'm getting you will notice straight away. Other people's experience would be most helpful. Many thanks in advance. Ed
  22. Here is a picture of my UCR411a after doing a scan right next to the C300. It shows the huge amount of RF interference coming from the camera. http://mooseaudio.com.au/images/RF.jpg
  23. TimPitot, according to the C300 manual the review recording button plays back without audio. Strange, I know. Especially seeing that a common reason for playing back a clip is to hear what was said.
  24. I would like to share my current experience with the Canon C300. I'm working on a cooking show feeding sound to the C300 XLR line inputs from my SD 552. 3 months ago we recorded another almost identical show on the same set with almost entirely the same gear except the camera was a Canon 5D. I recorded all sound on my 552 and had no troubles. I expected the same condition with the added benefit of having sound direct to camera which avoided sync issues. However when I came to my first day on set I found that there was a huge amount of RF interference coming from somewhere across the entire spectrum of my block 28 UCR411a receivers (see picture). I then tried block 24 receivers and same issue which hugely surprised me that the interference was across the entire spectrum from block 24 to 28. I walked around the building scanning on my 411 working in smaller circles trying to locate the source of the interference and I found that it was coming from the camera. Turning off the camera removed almost all the ambient rf interference. We tried it with the camera running off batteries and off a DC power supply and both caused the interference. My workaround to avoid blips and dropouts was to hide the receivers on set right next to the talent and run mic cables to my mixer to ensure a clear signal. This is ok on set but what if we were on location where I couldn't get the receivers close to the talent? So I have not got very good things to say about the C300. Anyone else had similar experiences or other issues?
  25. I thinking of getting some IEMs. Would you guys recommend the Westone 4 over the Westone UM3X? From what I can gather the Westone 4 is more of a "personal listening" monitor that is a bit more coloured in its frequency response. The UM3X seems to be more of a true monitor with a flat frequency response (btw I'm basing this on what I read on the Westone website). I would've thought the UM3X would be better suited to field mixing/monitoring? Also how do these compare to the Etymotic ER-4S? These both seem to be the most accurate monitoring earphones from what I've read. Ed
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