glenn

You can use a dynamic mic with the ZFR400. It would be best to wire in a series capacitor with the mic to block the DC bias. About 2.2uF would be fine.

Glenn

The nomad time code display is not a piece of test equipment and can not show you what you are looking for. Nomad TC inputs and outputs are subframe accurate. The display when running is not.

We would be happy to get you a Demo. With our modulations you will have no issues with Chain link fences or any other metal  that reflects the signal.

Glenn

"You are absolutely right. Whatever can be heard in differences here, would be far more pronounced in real life, so to speak. 

The thing is, when it comes to data compression rates, we have no tools at our disposal, the manufacturer gets to decide that."

We have 5 modulations with 3 different data rates. So in our case the end user does have some control. I would be curious what modulation was used in our test. "Mono" is our highest data rate with the least data compression. Whatever was used in the test I thought the results were very good. Thanks for running the tests.

Glenn

You should include the TRX742.6. It has neverclip and our best A-D in a transmitter.

Glenn

"Based on the comment above from Glenn from Zaxcom, I believe Audio Limited (and Sound Devices) have very different philosophies when it comes to audio performance."

We have only one "philosophy" when it comes to our products. Make it insanely great. Invent, innovate and give the customer an experience they can not get from any other piece of gear.  Zaxcom wireless is in no way "Limited" to speech or performance from an actor. 1000s of sound effects, and musical recordings have been made with outstanding results.  Doing this without transmitting the wasted  content above 16KHz that limits transmission distance and RF performance is a major advantage of the Zaxcom system. Our customers demand the security of recording wireless that will not break up when transmission is difficult due to reflections or interference. Zaxcom has this covered like no other.
 

More important than a systems audio cut off frequency,  Zaxcoms Neverclip with its elimination of limiter distortion is an important factor in providing the best audio quality from a wireless microphone.    As you point out Jon  "Remember that the microphone preamplifier and A/D converter at the wireless transmitter may well be the only preamplifier and A/D in the entire audio chain."    If the transmitter limiter is in play the audio is distorted throughout the chain. Zaxcom wireless with NeverClip eliminates this problem and provides real fidelity that matters.

Glenn

7 hours ago, Erob said:

Not sure if this is too picky or anything, but looking at the specs of the LTD compared to Zaxcom (ZMT3 specifically) gets about 4Khz more of frequency response. According to the specs the A10 transmits 40-20Khz and the ZMT3 goes to 16Khz.  (edited for clarity)

Not picky at all and a great thing to point out.

Limiting the frequency response of the Zaxcom wireless to 16KHz was a conscious decision we made along time ago and one of the best ones we made when defining our system. With the limited RF bandwidth available for a wireless mic channel (200KHz at the time) there were many decisions to be made in order to provide the best transmission possible. Transmission reliability, modulation type, audio quality, RF bandwidth, audio bandwidth, sample rate and other factors must be carefully balanced for the best results. In the world of production sound there is no content generated by any actor above 16KHz. To not waste bandwidth transmitting content that does not exist was and is still today a no brainer. The benefits are enhanced transmission reliability (better range/fewer dropouts) and higher audio quality for the content below 16KHz.  We have never had any user question the 16KHz limitation in the 16 years the system has been available. I would not change a thing.

In the FM analog wireless domain all transmission systems compress and expand the audio. This results in lost audio fidelity. In the digital domain we have much better control to make it as close to a hard wire as we can get.

" (although not quite as good as my old analog 2040 system, but then that’s digital for you)"

Range on a digital wireless can be better or worse than that of analog wireless. It depends on the system. At Zaxcom we have done a lot of work to make sure that the transmission is as bullet proof as it can be. RF Reflections often cause the majority of dropouts and can cause the transmission to be very "fragile" in many circumstances. This is why we have different modulations to fit each environment with the best range and drop out protection.  "Insanely good"  audio quality is not uncommon to digital wireless. You have to work really hard to make digital wireless sound bad. The most important thing at this point is the limiter distortion of the transmitter. This is something we at Zaxcom have eliminated with Neverclip and this is a dominant factor when discussing wireless audio quality. Other things to look at is remote control range of the transmitter, the ability for the transmitter to play back audio from the pack in order to re-record in real time at the sound cart or sound bag, integration of remote control that works over 100s of feet,  bodypack size, weight, heat output and  no need to time code jam a pack  from a cable are all factors that should be looked at in a purchase decision.

The files can be replayed while the transmitters are still on the talent. Just cue the Nomad to any location and either Audition or Re-record the audio from any number of transmitters.

The offset is in the note on the new file.  In this way there can never be overlapping timecode. This system has worked great for many years 

We have had people asking us about their Zaxcom gear after reading this thread. Here is some more information.

All current and future Zaxcom products are compatible with each other. Any purchase of new gear will work with the current gear in the field as long as the receiver is newer than the QRX200. This includes QRX200, QRX235, RX200 and RX12 with QRX212 receivers. Zaxcom ZHD96 and ZHD48 modulations exceed the new requirements from the FCC. Zaxcom wireless audio quality is not effected by the changes in the rules due to the nature of digital wireless transmission and the ZHD system we put in place a few years ago. Zaxcom TRX3.6 and ZMT3.6 transmitters can be changed to 3.5 versions without limitation as these versions all exceed the new FCC requirements.

Glenn

Nomad wireless playback and rerecord is not out yet but we expect it in the next week. 

We have included the fix for FP8 playback PFL function.

We have received questions from sound mixers regarding whether or not infringement of our "Recording Transmitter" patents can be avoided by not recording while set to standardized LAV bias voltages or not wearing a recording transmitter and/or not using the transmitter with a lavalier microphone. After conferring with our intellectual property counsel, the answer is no. Our counsel informs us that none of our patent claims specifically require a “lavalier microphone" or "unbalanced input” and/or that the transmitter be “worn.”  Although some of the patent claims require the transmitter to have an “audio input device” or to be “wearable,” other patent claims have no such requirements.

The invention of the recording transmitter and the process of replacing dropouts with time code referenced files recorded in the transmitter is clearly a desirable and unique feature. Zaxcom innovates at great cost and has advanced the state of the art. We take great pride in these inventions and what they can do for our customers every day. The patent system protects our intellectual property and allows us to profit and recover our technological investment in creating the inventions on which we have spent substantial time in order to bring them to our customer base. We thank all customers who respect our right to earn an income from our inventions and protect our intellectual property from any company that seeks to exploit our technology without permission or compensation.

Should anyone have further questions, please feel free to contact us for clarification.

Hope it was a good one.

Glenn

I had a discussion with one of our EU dealers and it does not look like we are effected but I do want a clarification on this to be certain. Not sure about anyone else.

Glenn

That was awsum.

Glenn

Here is an interesting use of our new hand held. The hand held was hard wired to the PA speakers. No external equipment was needed to feed wireless transmitters as the transmitter is inside the handheld itself. The handheld also provided a backup recording of the event. This allowed a seamless recording of all vocals and instruments with a Deva5.8 and a RX12 in a sound bag as well as a virtual multitrack recording contained in every transmitter synced with Zaxnet time code. The Subway players appeared more realistic without the extra gear that would be needed without the Zaxcom transmitting and cabled handheld. TRX743s were used as plant mics mounted to the ceiling. See if you can spot someone you know in the crowd.

This video was recorded live with all Zaxcom recording wireless. The internal transmitter recording feature was not utilized. It is not often that our wireless is used for these musical type of applications. when they are it shows what the system can really do. I think the Never clip and digital modulation provided a great linear high dynamic range track. Receiver audio is from the RX12 AES outputs.

The Nintendo instruments are a very cool part of this and were directly wired to the transmitters.

Glenn

You might look at the ZMT-Phantom by Zaxcom. It is a recording digital transmitter that positions behind the mic at the top of the boom pole. Pull the cable out of the pole and you have a lighter pole with no cable noise. The transmitter supplies 12V-48V phantom power and is the size of a Zippo lighter.

Glenn

Zaxcom wireless utilizes 100% digital modulation. The output power of the transmission constantly changes from a minimum level of 0 mW to a peak level of 75mW.  This is identical to the FCC tested and approved average power level of 35 mW. Because the data in the Zaxcom transmission is contained at the peak of the signal, it is this value that is most equivalent to FM analog wireless for range comparison purposes.

Glenn

Nothing has changed with our Zaxnet transmitter for Deva24. The Deva24 will work with IFB200 just like the older Devas. When we are ready the internal transmitter module will be submitted for CE and FCC testing. As it is the same as the IFB200 it will get approval and then we can distribute it.  

Glenn

There is no need for a external time code reference as the internal temperature compensated crystal oscillator is very accurate.

Glenn 

The time code rating is very very conservative. 

For now the connection to the IFB100/200 will be the Zaxnet transmission source just like the older Devas.  No other info is available at this time.

Glenn