John Bauman

"If we're shooting slow motion, why are we using so much film?" - UPM on a network series who was replaced shortly after "Oh, sound, I didn't even think about sound. What are you going to do?" - Producer after we rehearsed dialogue between two actors while they were being submerged in a water tank

Bad analogy. A better way to say it would be "this kid wanted to play bass, so he asked me how to build one. I suggested he learn to play first"

Does the QRX 200 deliver 48k sample rate? I know, to my deep disappointment, that the QRX100 did not.

Plant mics tend to be much too noisy compared to wired actors, when the windows are down. I would wire them with the wind protection of your choice, and make sure the seatbelts don't foul them up. For free driving, I've had good luck with setting up shotgun in a follow van with shark fins (Zaxcom), and running a local backup per Mike West's advice above.

No disrespect to the Spanish guy, but the Hugo video shows superb technique. Smooth, fluid moves through tight spaces. That move under and around the chandelier is outstanding. These are the kinds of setups that make boom operating one of the best jobs on set.

On location, if its a portable unit rented by the production, then they usually come with someone who turns it on and off. Otherwise Prodcution (PA) does it. If it's practical AC, then I talk to locations/site rep and work out how to shut it down. Then either the site rep, or Production (PA) does it. I always ask them to test their ability to shut it off, regardless of how certain they are that it isn't a problem. In my experience, site reps mean well, but have no idea what constitutes quiet for our purposes. All other noises are my department's responsibility to locate and address. If solutions are available, like turning off refrigeration, then we work with the appropriate department to make that happen (and to undo it upon wrap). If there are no solutions available, then we make the production aware and shoot.

Yeah, updated my units with the 96k update specifically, then the latest one (at that time). No joy.

I like recording the off camera. It's always better to have and not need. I am reminded of this just about every time I try to ignore it.

​Oh Hi Todd, Never read this response, so sorry for the late reply. For whatever reason, I've been unable to get the 96k to work, Also, the Nomad manual states that "Nomad will accept any unlocked AES signal with a sampling-rate of 44.1 to 96 kHz". As we know, the QRX delivers 32k, or 96k I guess, if you can get it to work. So, I was just looking for confirmation, which Glenn kindly provided.

​These days, I have all of the shots on monitors at my cart. I know how it should sound based on the frames I am seeing. If the sound is not matching the frame, then my operator needs to do a better job. In my days as a boom operator, I was fortunate to mostly work for guys who knew the position. They would never talk me into the shot. Other guys, maybe ones who hadn't much experience booming, might try to push me too close. I admit to, on occasion, giving them the brush off. That said, there were other times when I'd push a frame line for all it was worth, sometimes forcing the operator down a bit, if, for example he held too much foreground headroom on an over. Understand, this was on a show I did for years, so the "look" was well established. It's all so situational, you really can't point to one answer. As a boom operator, I felt entirely responsible for the quality of our sound as well as the perception of our department. To pull some of the things I did, like pushing frame lines, needs to be done in the right way, else you will alienate the very people with whom you work the closest. Anyone who says you must disregard everyone else and listen to you mixer is, in my opinion, dead wrong. Unless, of course, you are a novice boom operator. The experts know everything about how to do the job without being told.

good advice

Will the Deva provide sample rate conversion for the QRX, which only deliver 32k?

I don't know who had the dweddle tone remote first, but I do remember having it with the Goldline series of zaxcom transmitters. This was back in the PocketPC days, before the first iPhone.

Congratulations! 100+ on any show is a great accomplishment, but on a musical? Well done to you and your team!

I did Batman & Robin, which is probably worse than just about any two other films I can think of.

Contraband Sucker Punch Taken Enemy Filth This Means War Escape Plan Fighting Man on Fire Power of One

I bought a ZaxPaq on consignment from Trew Audio. Shipping was over $70. Why? FedEx from Canada. It was a lesson learned. There is absolutely no way I was overcharged by Trew Audio. That is what they paid FedEx. Next time, I will make sure to specify shipping terms.

Wide and tight is a commonly accepted practice now. My approach is to gently suggest ideas to minimize the impact, but if the production and director are determined to shoot one actor's closeup while shooting something too wide for a boom, I will use the wires for the entire scene. In my opinion, it makes no sense to cut between two closeups and have the presence change. The exception is when changing rooms/sets or scenes. In other words, I don't think an entire episode needs to sound consistent with regard to presence, just the particular scene being shot. It is disheartening to read what you're saying, Henchman. My crew(s) and I work very hard to get a quality mix track, with consistent mic placement and no phasing. My headphones are turned up very loud, and I feel that I can hear any imperfection. I am (possibly less so, after reading this) confident that I know what sounds best, and 99% of the time that would be the mix track. The idea that it would be simply skipped over is hard to accept. I will definitely pay more attention to those iso's, thanks to your OP, and I will check in more often with post personnel on this issue.

Huh, Last I heard, it was only Zaxcom wireless on block 26 that were forbidden.

Refund his money. In this business, your reputation is worth more than money. If you want to be a douche-bag about it, you can charge him a restocking fee plus shipping.

+1 on the Deva V. Never regretted getting one, and Howy at Zaxcom provided excellent support for me.

yes, the gain knobs on the Deva work with the IFB200. In terms of practicality, I use the IFB200 to send to my ERX as well as for Zaxnet. It works well for my cart setup. I rarely work out of a bag, but others here do, and may be able to offer some insight. When I do use a bag, I forgo the IFB200.

Good point.

No, you are not required to use zaxnet. In my setup, I have some Zaxnet functions through my IFB200<->Deva, which are connected together via Timecode. I cannot change frequencies with the Deva, only with the IFB200 and therefore only one transmitter at a time. If you have a Nomad, however, you can use its Zaxnet/IFB function to change all transmitters at once.

I recently had the chance to take the RX12 with me on a job. I don’t intend this to be any sort of definitive review, just my opinions after a day spent with the device. Before I get to my findings, let me preface with a little background on my experience with Zaxcom wireless. In late summer or 2013, I decided to assemble a new wireless system. I chose Zaxcom for several reasons. Two at the very top of the list were AES outputs and wireless range. At the time, the QRX100 was advertised as capable of delivering 32k-192k sampling. The company also claimed that the QRX100 would experience very little, if any, loss in range when used in dual mode. It turned out that the QRX only delivered 32k, so the specs in the manual were inaccurate. This meant I had to scrap AES all together. My experience with dual mode has, until recently, varied from inconsistent to unusable. I write this so the reader will understand: I am not predisposed in favor of Zaxcom wireless. Fast forward to the RX12. The unit makes a very favorable first impression. It is nothing short of elegant. The buttons feel responsive and the chassis solid. Once powered on, the screen is bright and easy for me to read. The home screen has all the pertinent information easily visible. I found the menu structure to be both simple and intuitive. It is elegant, like the exterior. Features like AES normal/swapped and Dual/Single mode are easily accessed from each receiver’s home screen. The RF scanning screen is smartly presented, with the 35mhz spread clearly colored. The spread can be manually adjusted with the turn of a knob. This function, along with the zoom out feature, allows the user to build a contiguous scan of multiple blocks. Once the scan is complete, the RX12 will present its twelve frequency choices on the “Auto-Pick” screen. These will all be within the 35mHz spread, which the user selected. They appear to be given in numerical order, rather than cleanest frequency first. Users can forgo Auto-Pick and manually scroll through the completed scan. I would suggest Zaxcom add more levels to the “zoom in” function to make manual selection easier. My work day was spent on a stage at MBS, so the environment was possibly more RF friendly than elsewhere. The transmitters were inside the fuselage of a Gulfstream, with me about 20 yards away. I was using the current Zaxcom blue-fin antennas and 15’ RG58 cables. Whether in single or dual mode, the RX12 gave me clean sound. I even used an older Goldline transmitter (50mW max) with the RX set to single mode. Since 20 yards isn’t all that impressive, we did a walk test to the farthest corners of the stage. Regardless of which transmitter was tested, the signals remained strong. In all cases, I never heard a single drop out. The only missing element for me is Dante, especially with the Deva32 reported to include it. Perhaps, in lieu of a sixth QRX212, Zaxcom could offer an I/O module with Dante. Out of the box, I think the RX12 is superb. Moving forward, I think its modular design will make it scalable and extend its longevity. On a personal level, I can’t help feeling as though this device delivers on promises made of the QRX100, particularly if the digital sampling rate is greater than 32k (software rev. 3.50 introduced 96kHz, so there is reason to believe it is). I’d like to thank Trew Audio L.A., and in particular Ryan Coomer, for allowing me the opportunity to take the RX12 for a spin.