Kriky

Hey Jeff, I stopped using Movie Slate after purchasing the Cantar X3. I have been very happy with the results. I started Season 1 on This Is Us with Movie Slate then transitioned to the X3 generated reports after checking with post and they were completely fine with the transition with no push back at all. And no the Cantar X3 and Movie Slate do not communicate with one another. Not yet anyway. Not saying that there is plans for Aaton to but knowing the folks at Aaton my guess is they will not have a firmware version update letting the two communicate. I added a page from one of my X3 generated reports. Kriky Just to add the report can be customized to your liking not unlike a spread sheet. Cantar X3 Report.pdf

I'll be looking forward to seeing one. I have a Cantarem 2 on order. But would most likely purchase a Cantaress once they are released.

We like that indeed! :-) To clarify on when I mention $20k I was also including the Canteram II as part of the pricing. I still don't think it's expensive for what the machine can do. Folks will spend that much on a Sonasax mixer alone. We have options into today's market and plenty of choices for all levels of sound recording which is a great thing. Kriky

Great review and yes I read between the lines. It is exactly what I was hoping for from a user of the X3. I appreciate you taking the time to write up a well detailed description of your experience. Your review confirms my perception of the X3 and I suspect I will be placing an order for one in the near future. Thanks! Kriky

Hey David. I used to have an X1. I'm currently using a Cooper, Deva 5.8 and a 788t. I want to move away from the cooper and the Deva 5.8 for higher track count. I'll replace the cooper and deva 5.8 with the a X3/Canteram 2. Looking to the future I would like to ultimately have (when and if they are released) a Dante enabled Lectro Venue system with a X3 and 970 for a back-up system. I will keep my 788t/CL8 for those small over the should moments or as a SFX recorder. I think the 688/CL12 is an impressive machine for the $$ but to be honest $20k to me, if I get 10+ years out of the recorder, is really only one week of equipment rental per year for the 10 years. It's the initial cost that makes it seem so steep. Kriky

I'm aware of the delivery options out there. I'm just curious what users are experiencing. What they like and dislike about it. From what I can tell there is very little to dislike thought I'm sure there are folks that might have a difference of opinion. Anyway, was hoping to get some pros and cons on the recorder from its users. Thanks Kriky

I'm considering purchasing a X3 in the near future. I was wondering if X3 users can give some of their feed back on real life experience with the X3. Pros and Cons? It would be greatly appreciated to know how people are getting along with it. Thanks! Kriky

Wow, Tom! That sure was a mouth full. Very helpful tid bits I didn't take into consideration. Thanks! Kriky

Thanks all!! Any and all info is helpful and I appreciate the replies. It does help! And thank you Jeff for the email. I live in Burbank and Burbank Water and Power still offers an incentive program that has to be applied for by July. I'll start there. I'm still undecided if lease or purchase is the best. Net-metering seems like the most practical way to go. One thing with Burbank Water and Power is they do not offer cash back if you're feeding power back to the grid. And from my understanding if I were to lease the lease company takes the incentives. If Burbank is offering a $4k incentive it might make sense to purchase. I have yet to do the numbers. I'm in the collecting info stage. Thanks again! Kriky

I'll have to give Mark a call. I'm just gathering information at the moment so any advice or ideas are very much welcomed. Thanks Kriky

My wife and I are in the process of adding an addition to our house. I was thinking about installing solar power. We have great sun exposure so I think it will be a worthy investment. If anyone has any recommendation as to which solar company to use it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Kriky

The problem isn't with the Cantar. The Cantar is an awesome machine. I was an X1 owner and I used a Fostex PD4 bag which was cut to make use of the left side rotary dial. Access to the top wasn't a problem because it stuck up enough to get at everything. This wasn't ideal and in fact I found no bag solution ideal. So Cantar users adapt to what is at there disposal. The big issue isn't with the Cantar it is that manufacturers aren't making a suitable Cantar bag. Manufacturers are trying to fabricate a bag that will suit multi able recorders. As they should. 300+ bags isn't worth the time and effort for any manufacture to make a Cantar only bag. But until there is a bag that is designed around the Cantar for the Cantar and with mixers using the Cantar there most likely won't be a perfect solution. Kriky

Has anyone been using Digital Performer? Being that I own a MOTU 828x interface I was thinking it could be a very capable system to be used for playback.

I have noticed on a rare occasion the battery life wouldn't last as long. I attributed it to a bad battery. But maybe not. I just checked my transmitters and checked one that I had just sent in to get the LCD screen replaced. It looks like they did replace the washer you are speaking of. I took a pic of the transmitter that was just returned to me yesterday against the old washer so folks know what to look for even though you have posted a how to PDF. Thanks for posting this! Kriky The transmitter on the left is the new washer and thumbscrew.

My PT rig is PT11, MacBook Pro, Motu 828x and an Artist Mix + Transport. I have a small Mackie 8 channel mixer for VoG and also for feeding my power amps for the speakers. I find passive speakers are easier to move and you do not need to run AC to them. As for the TC. Now with the ease of importing and exporting sound files TC is sometimes, and probably more often then not, isn't really needed. Just send your output mix to the mixer so he can record an ISO. That would usually be enough for syncing the music track. But if it is requested then I would do the same as Greg. There are a few ways to make this happen. You can ask post to supply TC audio file with the music. (simple) or You can generate your own TC audio track. How I do that is... I use the MOTU SMPTE GEN/READER App and generate TC that starts at 59:20. (Any TC Generator would work for this also) I send the TC output on the MOTU interface and send it into an audio input. Lets say input 8 on the Motu interface. I will select input 8 on a record track in PT. I select my TC input on the app to the same channel input 8 so PT will see the incoming TC. (PT will sync to incoming TC through the app but will not generate Session TC unless you have a PT HD system. So if you want to generate TC you need a TC audio track or a PT HD system) Once PT is seeing the incoming TC on your channel 8 input/track and on your Motu App you can set your PT session to start at 59:30tc in the session window. Arm your record track and put PT online. go back to your Motu SMPTE app and type in your time code 59:20tc then start generating. PTs transport should start blinking. When the TC hits 59:30 (session start) PT will start recording. Record a 5-10min TC track. Now you can import that into any session and have it snap at original TC to place in a new session. The TC track will now match your session display. Your hour 1 TC audio track will land at your hour 1 PT session display. I hope I explained this well enough for people to understand it. It is very simple to do and doesn't take much set up. What takes up most of the time is the time it takes to record the TC track. I created a bunch of different TC sound files this way. I import them when needed. I added a pic of my PT rigs. I set it up this way with the transport because I was triggering dialog for a feature I just worked on. With the transport you can set up macros which made life very easy for triggering dialog cues. And with the mix I was able to mute and unmute tracks quickly. Kriky

Personally, if I were to purchase a new recorder for the bag, with what we have at our disposal for recorders, I would only consider Sound Devices. If you really need more then what the 633 or 788 has to offer then I wouldn't really want to be doing the job. (More would be a back breaker. I'm not a fan of the back breaking jobs) But if you don't have the money to buy a cart recorder and a bag recorder I think the X3 would be an excellent purchase. I spent a little time playing with the X3 at Location Sound the other day and I have to say it is a lovely machine. I was an X1 owner. Straight out of the box I think the X3 hits all the options that anyone would ever need. Cart and bag can be done with out any accessories. Though you most likely will want a mixer panel. (Canteram 2). Or not depending on who you are. I do know an Oscar nominated mixer that uses the X1 only. Mixs on the 6 magnetic faders which by the way are much much smoother on the X3. I'm currently using a Cooper, Deva 5.8 and a SD788 on the cart and am very pleased. If and when I'm in the market for a new recorder I would definitely consider the X3. I would most likely keep my SD788 and keep it set-up as a bag recorder. But I don't see any reason to upgrade from what I'm currently using. But of course this is just my thoughts. Kriky

I'll be at the demo on the 18th as well. Looking foward to seeing what it has to offer.

I was thinking of a Venue with a Dante port. That would be a nice addition to the Venue. Though the DNT unit looks like a pretty nice piece of gear and could work for a Dante set-up I suppose. If I were to go that route I personally would go with a Rednet system due to the flexible nature of adjusting the preamps over the network at the cart. Kriky

Personally what I would love to see is either a control mixer for the 688 with at least 12 faders. Or a Dante enabled Zaxcom Deva 32 with a control mixer for it. With Dante, as we all know, and it was posted in this thread, can make the quality of the pre amps on a Dante enabled mixing board pointless. There are plenty of Dante rack mountable pre amps. Focusrite RedNet being one of them. Could make remoting receivers much easier. Or a Dante enabled Lectrosonics Venue. Are they available? If not I would think that would be a future product lectro would be putting in place on there systems. Anyway, NAB is around the corner. I'm hoping to see the release of some cool gear. Kriky

http://www.soundcraft.com/products/si-performer-1 I was wondering if anyone had thoughts as this for a cart mixer vs the yamaha. It can be equiped with Dante and also has more outputs then the yamaha has to offer out of the box. I'm still using my cooper and love the robust nature of it but was considering other options. Not that I'm in a rush with NAB coming up in he next few weeks. Any thoughts on this mixer? Kriky

Senn MKH 60 - solid rugged mic that will work in high humid environments. Stay away from the Schoeps though they are amazing mics they aren't suited for where you are going. Lectrosonics - small and mobile easy to mount to your camera. use this for your interviews unless of course you can get the 60 on a pole over the interviewees head. Transmitter - http://lectrosonics.com/Transmitters/lma.html Receiver - http://lectrosonics.com/Receivers/ucr100.html Lav Mic - http://www.trammicrophones.com/ This is what I would do. I personal don't like the sound of the MKH416 over the MKH60. But once again I wouldn't chance it with the schoeps cmit. Even thought I own two of them the MKH 60 will treat you right.

This is what I own and what is on my follow cart. 2 - Schoeps CMC641 2 - Schoeps CMIT5 1 - Schoeps BLM 1 - Schoeps MK8 1 - Senn MKH60 1 - Senn MKH50 2 - Sankan CUBs 10 - Sankan CoS11 (6black/2white/2tan) 6 - Trams 4 - Countryman B6s 2 - SM57s 2 - Eletrovoice HH mic 1 - AKG HH Oh, and of course my wonderful Lectro lav mics. M170? Don't remember. Perfect for when you don't care. There is a box of mics in the garage from my music days but since we are talking about what we CARRY i won't mention those. ;-)

http://www.villageblackout.com/ Has anyone used these for sound? They seem pricey compared to Pelsue and Pop N Work tents. Thinking of buying a tent soon. I want to buy one and have it last. Kriky

Thanks Larry. I figured, aside from not having the tx for a week or so, it was an easy fix. I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to my gain structure so I do not think I can make any adjustments there. Once I finish up with the feature I am on you will see my TXs in the shop. Thanks Kriky

Yes, it does happen with fresh rechargables and yes with alkaline as well. And no I do not put mid charge batteries in my tx ever. They start fully charged and changed when they get to low. When I have some down time I will most likely send in all my transmitters and my venue to make sure everything is up to date. I just checked my transmitters. My 4 SMVs are (I think it is the firmware version) R2.8. I just sent in 1 of my SMVQs and it came back with R3.2. My other other SMVQ is R2.7. I think I'm going to send these in. I have not heard the clicking yet in the SMVQ that just got returned. I'm hoping it is a simple firmware update that needs to happen.