The Immoral Mr Teas

As far as I recall it was (probably) just an application rather than a system as such. Just a digital feed that allowed data rather than audio to be put to a dat tape ... and it most likely followed all the existing archiving formats (DLT etc) in time - just being a cheap “this will do it” alternative. It just needed a digital in into a dat recorder. It screamed in at full scale so best not to monitor! I now remember I have some of my personal stuff archived such. From Akai DD8? Not too sure how I could retrieve it though the actual audio (rather than the auxiliary data) should be simple enough. Jez

Rick has pretty much said it in brief. Word clock is a sync device - and is used EXTENSIVELY in post to sync several machines together. As Rick says, time code is not a provider of sync but, reliant on machines being synced, is a reference. A digital feed (AES3, AES42, SPDIF etc) has an embedded sync which can be used to sync machines together. Word clock however is simpler (being only the sync) and thus more foolproof if you are dealing with multiple units (in post this will be a dedicated Master unit and several Slaves). Hard to really elaborate beyond that ... look for a general write up on sync (post 1980?). Word clock on (eg) Sound Devices 7 series machines was put there for a good reason - to ensure a trouble free connection - even though clocking through AES would work well enough (albeit losing 2 channels). Jez

Regarding archiving - the last few threads (my fault!) - I have a vague memory of actually archiving to DAT back in the early/mid nineties ... called something like D-DAT perhaps (for data). That said, I don’t remember any of my post houses using it as a main thing. We in post having the same shit with DAT as our fellows in the field! We did use the (also cartridge based) DLT (short for for Dave Lee Travis, a BBC World Service DJ who kept the pop beacon alight for the short lived democratic renaissance of Burma). DLT seemed to work, at least I haven’t heard the bad stories. Beyond that, however, recording to open reel digital, and archiving to open reel digital, seem to be still accepted as trustworthy, and the latter preferred to disk or even solid state. Been a while since I talked to a data archivist though! Jez

Still used (and reliably) in archiving tho, Crew? (Certainly not DAT however! ...) J

Oball activity toy - cheers Dan - photos of mine on a stereo bar with 8040s on a previous post (last page) work great! best, Jez

Well so far I have only looked at the pictures (but it is after all essentially a visual industry - !@#?) but my desire for a nice pair of vintage DT48s has now been superseded by “anything made from wood”! Can’t, ahem, sound much worse than my sonies I expect ... ! Cheers, Jez

Thanks for the orig brochure, and great to hear Jeff’s testimonial. Although not in the same daily ballgame as the rest of the postees and growing up with really the HHB as the only pro option I had access to, I had memories of the alternatives generally being less bulletproof - the PD2 and the “desirable” Stelladat. Actually got through my (admittedly small amount of) experience with the HHB on and off over the years without trouble. My one major DAT catastrophe (no backup, but miraculously it all turned out ok since nothing on that tape was needed on selected takes!) was with a mini sony in a cave ... and I don’t actually now remember if the tape flipped in machine or afterwards in post. I did however have this tape unravelled on a huge sheet of cartridge paper trying to mend the chaos as cleanly as I could - tho it never ‘error corrected’ like an X80 tape would ... and I never trusted the format again, although in theory I still don’t know if it is down to transport, tape, recording system, replay system or error correction ability (after all I had early assistant experience with DASH, X80 and the Betamax PCM things). Still, I would probably choose DAT over ADAT ha ha! Cheers! Jez

Jay, if it's still troubling you, I'd do what you probably want to do all along - do a strong balanced mono mix and bleed sound to the left and right. If it's really 96% I would even force that other 4% into a (consider it temporary, but do it as good as possible) mono "best" signal. There is absolutely no reason to 'show off' the stereo to the detriment of balance and storytelling. Still, the imperative thing is of course to run all this by the director, it's their choice after all. But you know it's a case of storytelling: many of my favourite films were mixed in mono, though some in different aspects of stereo, some had a great story, great performances, some cool costumes, nice hats or ties (Cassevetes, Sinatra), sets I wished were my house ... (But secretly you probably have already realised my end gameplan: BACK TO MONO! heh heh) Best, and enjoy (hopefully the vintage mono is of excellent quality), Jez (What WOULD turn me off would be wild abandon of aspect ratio but we've been there!)

Couldn’t find Dan’s orig posts or links but I will chase him up if he doesn’t reply before. Anyway, a few pics of a near-ortf setup ....

Left, portside, red. Right, starboard, green. As per the Nagra IV-S as the easiest to find example. Or stereo PPM meters. Yep, that was it! BTW, my friend Daniel Rosen gave me two blimp like toys for Christmas, with grommets which happen to fit both my MKH 40 and 8040s, which were dirt cheap. He wrote about it (either in DIY or Equipment) sometime since then. I've used them with success both with nylon girls socks and windjammer and will try to find the link for Dan's original source. Like my Babyball, I had to cover the rest of the 8040 body with some cycle handlebar foam to cut wind across the mic body. What I would really like to see some 3D-er have a go at would be a large blimp for a multichannel rig, accommodating at the least an IRT quad and preferably slightly bigger to handle variable 5.0 etc rigs ... obviously the second step would be to construct the inside suspension (though that for me could still use existing K&M and Rycote parts ... albeit not commercially). Actually wouldn't mind Rycote or others coming up with such themselves, if they could keep it to a non-specialist price ... Still interested what you come up with, pro's and cons, and especially if you look to develop it along multichannel lines. Best, Jez

... And stop waiting for the 8030 ... ?!

Janik, have these photos been flipped somewhere down the line or are you being deliberately perverse with your channel markings? Jez

Hey Philip, good for both of them. I will try to check it out here. Thank you! Jez Adamson

Well, after the mix of a friend's short in Paris a couple of years ago we were invited to a themed party, the theme being "Great Gatsby" or the like. Being similar in build (or so I thought) to my producer I tried to squeeze into her "flapper" dress but alas it wasn't to be - I did however manage to get my butt into a more flexible number. So, the three of us - myself (sound editor), director and producer, get to the party, actually around the corner from where I used to live (in an attic...) in Boulevard Courcelles, Ferraris and Lambourginis parked outside, it's a posh area. Obviously we were the only three who bothered to turn up dressed up, and as the only man in a dress I made an immediate friend with a chap who's opening line was, "Do you like Fassbinder?" Jez

Yosuke, welcome! And I am glad that Jan was quick to reply. I would say that cold calling is probably quite normal for many of us and as such quite a welcome route. We all did it (and really still do) so we are accepting of other brave souls! BTW did some shoots at Shinjuku a few years back when my friend was directing. You've made the first move (here). Absolutely just make the effort to make friends in the industry where you are. I cannot imagine any other way! Best, Jez