Matthias Richter

Jeff - what do you mean by wired correctly? I had a dynamic mic adapter made by Ambient that was basically a XLR female to ZAX/Sennheiser connector one. I was comparing the sound of the CMIT via TRX and hardwired and you wouldn`t wanna deliver that as your prod sound. It was terrible noisy. But not an analogue amp noise but more a sharp (digital?) noise/hiss. My CMC is about a year old so it`s RF improved. Can`t wait to get the DPAs as this is my last hope. But from yours and Rich`s statements it does look promising. And as you have said it is a trade off but in the end I decided to keep the Zax for all the other good reasons: all digital, no probs with setting up multiple units, no interference, build in rec option, stereo adapter and ifb (both I have not bought yet but will do if I finally get good sound of these little boxes ;-) But then it isn`t even just a European freq problem at all?! Amazing. Regards, Matthias

Hi Rich, after month of doing all kinds of treatment to my 4 units by Ambient Munich and Zaxcom directly it turned out, that my DPA 4063 has been an earlier version which was designed for the first trx units. However the units I have bought would have needed the newer version of the DPA (as you mentioned). DPA was kind enough to replace my lavs. At the moment I am waiting for them to arrive here in Berlin. With the B6 I had some higher noise floor but that seems to relate to its tiny size and is "normal" so to speak. But it is still definitely a RF issue with all the lavs on the market and I would like the TRX to be ready to use with all the standard lavs out there. Zaxcom was saying that this is a problem that effects European freq only but they can`t do nothin about it. e.g. with the COS11 there is no chance for use altough Ambient had done some additional filtering. I had to return my Sankens and go for the recommended DPA instead. Crossing fingers that the newer version will satisfy me needs. I also have tested the TRX with an ambient 48V power supply and a Schoeps CMIT and a CMC6MK41. The CMIT didn`t get any RF but was really noisy, the MK41 was noisy and got RF inj. in addition. Did you use your TRX for booming wireless? What 48V did you take? Cheers, Matthias

what freq are your TRX-900 on? When using these units in Europe (block 31, around 800MHz) they are waaaay more noisy then the Lectros. RF is getting back into the mic and you will get a noisefloor like hell. Believe me I have been in trouble with it since I bought that unit. I just stick with it because there is still some hope that some matched DPA lavs will do the trick and as you have said - the rec option is sooo cool. Matthias

Schoeps has announced an ORTF setup with two MK41 capsules in a Rycote zep: http://schoeps.de/D-2004/news.html

thought that too but not sure either. Simon does have a chinda`s, a mix12 and a deva though ...

I`ve got a 208 and a 744T as my recorder. So I use the 4 busses everyday to iso 1-8 inputs to 4 busses. I would prefer (like yourself) to do a mono-mix and iso all inputs in addition but having 4 tracks in total makes that rather complicated. Even with a scenario of 3 mics it is just not possible to route the third mic to track 1 (mix) and iso to track 4 without touching tracks 2+3 because with the 208 V1 you select your busses by paning the panpot. So wanting to go to bus 1+4 means you would have your pot in mid position and have selected the routing knobs 1+2 and 3+4. With that setup mic 3 goes onto all 4 tracks. So until I have a multitrack recorder with 8 or even more tracks I won`t be able to do mono-mix and have the isos as backup. I know that sound mixer comes from mixing but unless you have learned the mixing in the days of mono-Nagra and feel comfortable without having the isos for the worst case then I rather deliver my boom(s) on track 1 and the radios following (with a little bit of mixing radios when having more than 3) Cheers, Matt

when buying some gear from a company that shuts down business shortly after I normally would blame myself for a wrong decision. But with my CS 208D V1 (bought used but like in brand new condition) I feel soooo happy and lucky that I have managed to get in this `family`of mixers using a Cooper. I just started my career 3-4 years ago and have used different Audio mixers and the LM1. There was always something I was missing in terms of flexibility but also in terms of audio quality. After a TV-mini series I started getting my own sound gear. But I left out the mixer as I found the only mixer I like to spend money into was a 208. But this was out of my range. Shortly after I came in contact with a Switzerland sound mixer who wanted to sell his 208. Well that was my lucky day and so I am a very proud and happy user of a Cooper mixer. I thank the Cooper family and Andrew in special for their outstanding support! I always tell my German fellow mixers these stories when I wanted to adapt my already great mixer a bit more to my needs and Andrew wouldn`t be offended by the request but show up with technical advices how to do it! Thats what makes all the sound mixers (from ol`Hollywood to young German) so sad but happy too. All the best to the Cooper family, Matthias

that`s my main mic case. another one keeps my rycote system. poles are carried in dirty cheap plastic tubes for water-installation etc.

slightly off but still ... Do you remove your mics from the suspensions when transport your gear or do you keep it joint? I have all my mics in a case with cut out foam but don`t seperate mics from the holders. I was told by a Schoeps staff member to do so otherwise the rubberbands will expand more than wanted and need to be replaced sooner than neccessary. But it would slow down the sound dep and maybe drag me from doing a last minute change. Wonder how you guys handle this? Matthias

thanks for the infos. gonna use pads for the inputs 1-4 when using pf-outs of my cooper mixer. Matt

thats for sure the first 4 inputs? Input 5-8 is either -10dB or +4dB says motu`s homepage. But no level is given for input 1-4 (just mic or instrument). I would be happy if it is selectable in the menu. Cheers, Matt

Hi there, does the traveler handle 8 inputs with line level (+4dB) or are the s.c. instrument inputs not capable for that high level? Thanks, Matt

just to keep you updated: Mr. Andrew Cooper was kind enough to help me out and has suggested: I would suggest a minimum load of around 2k ohms to prevent attenuation of the signal (eg; a balanced pad of 2.5k, 100, 2.5k will reduce the output by about 34 dB). Matthias

Hi there, I`ve got a Cooper CS208D V1 hooked up to a SD744T. As the mixer doesn`t have output limiters and the 744 only got limiters in the mic ins I need to use a pad if I wanna use limiters of the 744. Specs of the 208 says that output imp is 100Ohm. What minimum load does it need to look at? 600Ohm or even more? There is a transformer version on the market with 600Ohm. But maybe I should use a resistor version instead that works as an imp converter as well? Regards, Matt.

is your Sennheiser rack transmitter mono or stereo? I`m using a stereo one and have noticed some difficulties with the range. when I switch to mono mode it gets much better. But I wanna use it with the 2 channel mode ( one for the boomops, the other for Dir., VVillage etc.). Are you happy with the range of your system? Matthias

I have had that s.c. helicopter sound when using an audio 2040, a vdb 48V supply and my cmit. in the end it was just the empty battery that wasn`t indicated correctly neither with the tx nor rx. Matthias

if using a sealed lead acid battery one shouldn`t discharge it lower than 10.5V Anything lower than that will damage the battery. AFAIK (and have experienced) 5V means the battery is dead and won`t come back to life (12V) Matthias

I have been looking all different kinds of carts on the net as well and was taken a lot of good ideas out of it. So that was my motivation as well to put my solution back onto the net-community. I`ve got the wheels from my local bike-store. Its from: http://www.croozerdesigns.com/ The matching connectors are from a local push wheel repair service but you might wanna check: http://www.acelo-dmtc.net/xanario/index.php?xC=Hub_-_axle_receiver_bearing&sessID=19a8a922e6b7cfa46bc381ee94492a78 The bars are just ordinary bars with thread all the way around / along from my department store. But because its just M6 thread and not stabile I have on two of them a matching tube on top. Just cut of a bit so you can fix the two way screws on the sides. Joining the two (ebay) cases together is another simple but excellent solutions ;-) Because the cases have the matching thingies on top / on the bottom you just staple them and then have that construction secured with an ordinary tension-fastener or whatever this is called in English. Matt

one thing you won`t see on these pics: if you press the black thing in the middle of the wheels a locking mechanism will loose and you can pull the wheel with its axis out of the connector (alright I will have some photos 2moro ;-) Matt

here some (mobile phone) photos of the quicklock system. To stabilise the somewhat wobbly case-walls I have four crossbars in the bottom case. I spare the try to explain, but I do hope that the pics will make things clear ... Matthias

that box is the stereo (or lets say 2ch) transmitter Sennheiser SR 300 G2. Its for feeding the boomOp(s) with signal and private line on one channel and director, script, etc on the second channel. Receivers are called EK 300. For bag mode I`ve got a SKP 100 which is a single-channel transmitter. The mixer didn`t fit inside the slider by 2mm. So I have made an U - profil that is velcroed to the slider / mixer. An additional feature is the now existing space underneath the mixer which is just perfect for the keyboard (or a folder if one doesn`t have a keyboard)

thats a two position slider ;-) its just velcro. I can velcro it to the edge of the mixer and for transport I velcro it a little bit further in onto the SKP fluffy side

I wanted to have all my gear fit into the top case so I can take that of for a small set where I need to hide in a corner or something. Right now I only take the bottom one for the battery and a pelicase with my wireless stuff. But that is just for rolling around so my boomop doesn`t need to carry so many cases. That way the whole cart isn`t too heavy and two people can bring it to the 4th floor of an old Berlin-style house without getting exhausted. The whole cart even fit into a small Renault Kangoo just by taking of the big wheels (which is done in 3sec). Last year I spent 3 month shooting in Kenya. I don`t know if that would have been alright with an open cart - with all the sand and dust flying around. The SKB drawers / sliders are good but you have to find a solution to hold your cables up. Otherwise they gonna fall into the gap between the slider and the back of the slider rackmount - you won`t be able to push the slider back in properly. I have done it with some rubber-bands. They hold the cable in place and if you pull out the shelf they will expand. My power supply is "JW" style actually - it was described on ramps. I have build it myself. Very easy to accomplish and it seems to work just perfect - thanks Jeff. Regards, Matthias.

Hi there, first day off on my shoot with my new cart ... shark antennas Sennheiser for Zaxcom wireless omni antenna Sennheiser for Intercom Monitor Power distribution (self made, RF filtered, single fused) Zaxcom RX 4900 SD 744T with CL1 Interface Sennheiser EW 300 (Stereo Transmitter for Intercom, Boom / Video, Dir, Script, Prod) Mixer CS 208D Keyboard for SD 744T Battery (12V/24AH) in Pelicase with Power supply (13.8V) when AC is available 12HE and 8HE SKB lookalike cases 20" wheels with quicklock axes that snap into a pushwheel connector (click and pull) apart from a RF issue with my Zaxcom wireless (see ramps) everything is cool. Matthias

Hi there, are you using your Zaxcom TRX 900 with rechargeable NiMH (1.2V) batteries? It says in the manual its best to do so. But even with fresh loaded ones I only get half way on the trx display (the receiver rack unit says T9 so - fully loaded) and second: what is in your experience a proper level on the trx? I can`t see when the limiter is kicking in (its ON) so I don`t know if I`m wasting too much headroom for safety. I would gess somewhere between -20 and zero should be fine?! Thanks for your thoughts and help, Matthias