Jump to content

Fred Salles

Members
  • Posts

    291
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    7

Everything posted by Fred Salles

  1. Is there actually such a thing as « 1/2 wave wideband whip » ? It does not sound right since by definition 1/2 wave applies to one dipole for a given center frequency and most wideband antennas are (to put it simply) made from several dipoles with various center frequencies to be able to cover a wider range. That is the case for the bowtie and all sharkfins antennas that I know. hence the lower gain compare to a single dipole. A whip antenna is a monopole with a ground plane within the receiver to « make it behave » like a dipole. It then has a single center frequency and the range is limited around it. @Borjam I do not see the Lectrosonics SNA600a As a wide band. unless I misunderstood, it is a dipole with an ajustable center frequency. So it allows to use it with a « wide range » of receivers but once set it is limited to the band around the chosen frequency, like a normal dipole.
  2. Good writing. I read almost the 11 pages and enjoyed it! I am not sure why you considered the MKH60 a lesser choice in the industry since here in France it was the number one choice for decades for many colleagues. The Schoeps CMIT did I guess take a big place of the scene when it came out but it seems like its trend has past. Mostly for the reasons you have highlighted in your test as far as I am concerned. The “trend” now is around the MKH8060. Actually personally I still have not find a shotgun mike that would permanently replace the 416 in my kit 😅 It is not the one that has my favourite sound color but it is the one that does everything I need from a shotgun. I appreciated your mix of subjective and reasoned comments, and was not surprised your final choice would go for the MKH60.
  3. That sounds like a great combo to me. Although I do not know the sound of the VI, several colleagues use it for music recording and are very happy with its sound. You will love the M2D2!
  4. Hello. AETA was a great brand for preamp in France from the 90s till end of the 2ks. Their ultra portable stereo preamp PSP3 (and PSP2 before) was a must in our kits to go capture stereo ambiance in the field along with a DAT portable stereo recorder as most of them had poor sounding preamps. We were still using NAGRA tape recorders for synch dialog scene but on several of my first short films I use it in a combination with the EAA micromix portable mixer (by AETA engineers before they were called AETA) which had very beautiful sounding preamps, close to a Neve sound. So that was also my choice for acoustic music recording. I owned (still own) a SQN 4s for all my tv and documentary jobs as they were the best in ruggedness and ergonomics but the sound was not as musical (more flat than the EEA). Later on for all acoustic music related jobs I used the AETA mini-mixer MIXY and later their beautiful MIX2000 that had great AD converters embedded, mixing down to stereo and recorded to a DAT machine. They were very musical sounding machines. But... I have never used the 4MINX since when it came out I was already a Sound Devices 7 series fanatic. For more recent options I would second Sonosax recorder or preamp: Actually a pair of M2D2 in combination with any 4 track recorder with AES inputs would be great for what you are looking for. The preamp of the M2D2 are my favorite sounding preamps both for voices/dialogue and music. They sound very natural. I have now a sound devices 888 and the preamps are beautiful and I do all my film work with it with great satisfaction, but I still have a preference for the Sonosax sound. last note: forget about the Sound devices 6 series, they are the less interesting preamp of them all in term of sound. Unless you feed it with the sonosax preamps.
  5. Hello, no RAD suspension yet so I am slightly off topic but still about RadiusWindshield: I have received my replacement fur (windjammer) they made for my AF rycote windshield (for my schoeps ortf stereo setup). It is more than 15 years old and going strong still, except the original fur. I must say I am very happy with the fur ! It is so far better than the original one on many account - I have not been trying it in a very strong wind situation yet. The Radius fur fits perfectlty and cover fully the lower part, that was a point not adressed by rycote for years. The fur hair itself feels exactly like the original, maybe slightly lighter. The inner fabric is definitely lighter yet feels strong, and it seems to me the whole windjammer has less acoustic impact in the highs than the original (feeling only since I cannot do A B comparison with a new Rycote). Also the team at Radius was impressively reactive and quick to proceed my request as AF size wasnt in their listing yet. On the total oposite of Vitecbibendum that initially said they could provide but stayed silent for more than a year after I asked for a quote… I am glad I heard of Radius here the first time some months ago and got in touch with them. An efficient human-size business like I wish there were more. I am looking forward to try their suspension, although I am a Cinela fan. But for the Piano fur I will try the Radius replacement soon!
  6. Hi. If I understood correctly, for now the only frequencies available are the 216Mhz "band" used by Comtek tx, 10 of them. Isn't that quite limited nowadays? The Lectrosonics T4 VHF band is 174.100 to 215.750 MHz, so it seems we won't be able to use it unfortunately, for now.
  7. Hello, I am back in Kenya for a few months. I was on a feature film shoot here in November and December 2023 as HOD location Sound recordist/mixer (details in pm if needed). Full kit for feature fiction film with me.
  8. It was a film written and directed by a Somali director, all dialogues in Somali language. Prod was English and most members of the crew were not speaking Somali. Production hired a translator Somali/English so he would translate all dialogues during takes from video village away from set, but also some moments when the director was giving indications. I gave him a can with IFB feed Somali (my main mix, also sent to director, my boom ops and camera, and some Somali speaking producers) and a headset mike with his TX. It had its own iso channel permanently armed in my 888 for the editors and I mixed it in a dedicated bus with ducked down main mix to send to IFB feed with eng Translation. Mostly sent to the continuity lady, first AD, the DOP camera operator and some producers.
  9. It looks a bit messy but the photo was taken during shoot so no time for cleaning and grooming 😉 it was a recent feature setup (I am the bag on cart type), here on the cart, in Kenya. SD888+ID-TF8 extension controller, SL2 with MCR54 quad and the antennas aux outputs are used for an extra receiver Lectrosonic LR for a 5th channel (live translator) 3 IFB feeds tx: Sennheiser G3 for the boom ops, Lectro SMDWB for prod without translation, T4 VHF for prod with translation.
  10. Thanks for the info. But I hope it will not translate into further development of DTT on the 470-694 band! It already took over the 700 band almost entirely in most countries and it bleeds drastically over the 600 in some.
  11. I haved use « essence F » for the last 3 years with quite good results and no damage on the cable so far. Same for all my other cables (canare, mogami, belden, sommercable…) I do not know the real translation in english (mineral gasoline F?)
  12. This question is about actual bugs, insects, and how to get rid of them when they invade our gear. i am on a feature shoot in Kenya in a reserve and we have many night shoots. Only we did not anticipate that hundreds of thousands of flying and crawling bugs would be attracted by the lights and litterally invade the set. I had to have art department cover the tin roof of the set with blocking fabric from the gaffer to avoid heavy rain noise that the bugs were making falling under the lights to the roof. now when wrapping and packing we can’t get rid of them all inside the bags and cases. I am reluctant to spray insect killing product onto my 888 and all. Any advice on how to eradicate insects and prevent nesting inside the machines without damaging them? thanks
  13. Thanks for your inputs. Mungo you must be right, I assumed the Lectrosonics were all isolated. These ones might not be. Indeed I made these ones myself, with miniature isolated dc regulators. Do not remember which brand I used but either Traco or XP power. Actually they might even be simple linear dc regulators, if I remember correctly. And linears do not need isolation isn’t it?
  14. Hello, this is the second shoot in a raw where I encounter issues with Battery eliminator from Lectrosonics from rental house equipment. Woobling noise in the receivers. Both problem solve by switching to batteries. Strange thing is that the transmitters and their problematic battery eliminator were both different models. Last month an old UM200 with its 9v batelim (rx R1a) and this month a more recent SMDWB and its SM batelim (rx IFBlue) Both almost similar noise although much louder on UM200. It happened at any voltage stage of my power system: switt VLock 180wh on vlock plate and xlr4 output. The vlock plate output is point to point here but it also provide regulated voltages on usb C and DC 2.5. I have sennheiser G3 TX and lectrosonics LR RX running with battery eliminator without problem at all. Recorder SD888, powered by the same circuit. it seems to me that some battery eliminators have switching regulator with a frequency that somehow generate audible artifact in some situation and not others. I still have to explore the issue further but I am on set on a feature for now so no time. Any idea welcome
  15. Hi everyone, I need some info urgently about the PSC sound cart, as I could not bring mine so I am renting one on location for a feature but I will get it very last minute. It is a full cart (similar to SC-4 listed on B&H but much older). The PSC website is down or not accessible from where i am. I have the 18x17 inches dimensions of the shelves but not the heights available. I want to buy tomorrow morning plastic crates that will fit and/or have some wood ones made. What are the heights between the shelves? I know shelves 2&3 might have height adjustable but between what min and max? Thank you so much in advance for those who can respond this evening... Regards Fred
  16. Hey, so no one in here does own or use the IFB T4 in VHF band?
  17. Hi, I received the T4 and the IFBlues, VHF band. The antenna is actually flexible enough to fit in the bag (stingray junior) without trouble nor sticking out too much. Any advice for a spare antenna that could be either more flexible (breaded wire?) or a coiled one with larger diameter but shorter like on some walkies? PS: Hey I love the red color of the T4 !
  18. In France all TX regardless brand and band are restricted to 50mW output. In Kenya (where I work regularly) as well. I sometimes push my MTP60 to 100mW but never for too long... I do have dreaded memories of the Comtek tx antenna that was huge and long, not flexible at all, totally unbalanced with the small tx 😉 That's why I need some inputs on today's VHF antenna provided with the T4.
  19. Hello, I am about to purchase a set of IFBlues and a T4 transmitter. The seller (JBK audio) has rightfully convinced me to buy the VHF range rather than any UHF band. We are not used to it much in France but everything he said makes sense (eg: superior range than UHF, no worries about crossing band with my UHF wireless mikes, etc..) The only drawback for me seems to be the length of the antenna: 38 cm. On cart it is fine but I always have my cart set in a way that I can switch to bag very quickly, and I do most of the time features that require that. How really flexible is that antenna and can it and would it fit "circled" in the front pocket of my stingray bag junior? I would not like to have the antenna stick out from the bag - I already have the Betso Bowties for the SL2 !- I do not find photos of this antenna online. Thanks for your inputs Regards Fred
  20. Interesting point. You mean the length of the tube and the number of slots and their positions are the same on the MiniCMIT and the CMIT5 ? I have not done field A-B testing and comparison of both together, but I have worked with both on different features and the mini sounded less efficient to me in several ways but particularly I thought it lacked off side rejection, compared to the longer brother. It could be due to a different environment but I would be curious to explore furthermore. We did test the MKH416 and MKH8060 side by side and the off-side sound rejection difference was quite obvious to both of us.
  21. Hello. The last decade has seen the rise of "compact" (=shorter) shotgun microphones on the professional market: less than 18cm/7inch length in size condenser mikes that are supposed to match the directionality/pickup pattern of "older" much longer microphones: Schoeps MiniCMIT, Sennheiser 8060, Sanken CS-M1, etc... As we all know the laws of acoustic at the basis of the shotgun microphones technology have not changed and phase cancellation of off-axis frequencies is still in use for these "new" mikes. (The only real new technology for an improved directionality that I know of is the Schoeps SuperCMIT digital mike but that does not enter this discussion as its length is 28cm). Now that we have been using them on the field extensively, could we share our thoughts, remarks, enthusiasm or disappointments? So far I personally have used the MiniCMIT and the MKH8060 on feature film shoots and I have been very disappointed by them. Not by their sound quality / timbre that is not defaulted in controlled environment, but by their lack of efficiency at rejecting unwanted off-axis sound, when compared to their "older" brothers like the MKH60, MKH416, Schoeps CMIT5, etc... Especially in urban environment with traffic, so at the low-mids and low frequencies. When you look at the specification sheets of these "new" mikes it is claimed that they are meant to achieve an off-axis rejection equivalent or even better than their older brothers, but my ears are telling me that is not true. Are we being conned -as an article on sound-on-sound pointed out ten years ago?
  22. Hi, I rented a MKH8060 for a feature I am working on these months, to complete my old trusted MKH416. It is a very urban film and we shoot a lot in the streets, in uncontrolled situations, pretty much like a documentary environment except with actors... I have been trying several mikes to pair with the 416, with a better sounding feature, and so far have not find one that equals its versatility and efficiency in the streets (I do not want to go the long shotgun way like 816 and newer 8070 etc...). I was happy with the Shoeps CMIT5 for some films, but was very disappointed with the miniCMIT. CMIT5 sounds so different than the 416 that it is hard to use both on 2 boom situations. I really wanted to love the MKH8060, but... My boom op and I ended up using the 416 more. The 8060 sounds much better yes, in controlled situation and quiet environment. It is close enough to the 416 to use both. But as soon as you need to get a voice out of surrounding traffic, the 416 still performs better. We encounter strange behavior with the 8060. The off axis pickup of low end freq seems way different than advertised. It is supposed to cut 10db at 90° but I really think that is not true. At least not with the unit we have rented. The 416 -that is supposed to cut only 8db- sounds like it cuts much more low ends at 90°. We are careful not to block the side gills (do not know the english word for the holes on the mike so thats direct translation from french) inside the Cinela, as the mike seems very sensitive to that. Anyone sharing the same disappointments with the 8060 or we have a faulty unit?
  23. Hello, after some research and reading I came up with more questions rather than conclusions: 1- I see now why I am never happy with the results of recording with an LCR portable setup, like the Cinela Albert Tri, the only one available afaik: the mikes are way too close to each other to make a proper LCR without phase issues. Adding a center mike to a ORTF setup is actually a non sense in term of phase correlation. Cinela themselves acknowledge or rather warn on their page that it is not an LCR setup per se but an ORTF with an extra center mike... https://www.cinela.fr/gammes-de-produits/albert-windshields/albert-windshield-for-ccm-ortf-xy-tri/ All test and reviews I could find agree that the L&R mike should be 80 cm apart from each others or a minimum of 35 cm with an angle of 160°, with the center mike being placed a bit forward, not aligned with L&R. Anyway that calls for some tests that I have not done yet. In any case nothing practical on set seems to be possible. 2- It seems a post-production solution from a LR recording is actually more suitable, with a software that create a usable center channel without phase correlation. Apparently very few soft/plugin are capable of that and not just a basic M/S process that always brings crazy spacial issues. So far I found only Waves Center and this one, AOM Stereo Imager D : https://aom-factory.jp/products/stereo-imager-d/ The latest has good reviews on forums. Any of you post-prod guru friends are using it or tried it? Just your thoughts would be welcome as well 😉
  24. Do you know the year of production of the seller’s III? the older series with germanium transistors really give the 3 a unique sound that i do not know the E to be close to. i might be wrong but i think later production of the 3 were with silicium transistor. From the 4.2 all analog Nagras used silicium. The 4.2 is my favourite on all account as it is versatile, piloted, and beautiful. But the sound of the 3 is quite unforgettable. Even if you use a preamp in front for phantom powered mikes it still stands out as very characteristic. I do not know the E well as i have never used it on the field but I tested and listened to one once. Do not remember anything outstanding. Plus they are not piloted as they were made for radio reporters if i am not mistaken. anyway best for you is to try them and decide according to what you want a Nagra for.
  25. Thanks guys for your inputs. Yes it is conducted power at the output antenna connector that I am trying to measure (not radiated). The gadget I got is supposed to be a RF power meter, so it is giving me dBm and milli or micro watt. It allows to add an offset, either attenuation for strong power over 1 watt or booster for low ones. It is a cheap chinese stuff so I have no trust in it but since I do not know what the measures are actually supposed to be I cannot be sure that I need to invest in something better like this one: https://www.bs-rf.com/en/products/rf-power-meter/ So apart from guessing it should be reading 50mW (+-17dBm) when the transmitter is set to 50mW, I still have no clue. Also I got Constantin's point about measuring differences rather than accurate mW, but for now adding longer cable gives me higher mW !! 😂 it does not make sense, yet. Borjam, insertion loss is what I am most interested in measuring, and I understood the RF power meter to be exactly the tool for that.
×
×
  • Create New...