The Immoral Mr Teas

happy birthday Jeff!

Funny / interesting - it looks to be a 'perfect' figure of 8 plot at 32kHz and at practically everything lower (that is 125Hz to 16kHz) a 'fat' or 'wide' figure of 8 (ie to left and right if used as a side mic). Since the cardioid and supercardioid sennheiser patterns are correspondingly somewhat 'tight' or narrow this may be quite a nice fit for MS with a 8040, 8050 or 8060. Blumlein crossed results? (... whatever - the proof is always in 'but how does it sound' ... though it's impressive to see so much consistency in the polar pattern across the spectrum, coupled with the flat response ditto. 15 years work apparently ...) Jez

Didn't Electrovoice once make a similar shotgun? Jez

Or for us getting the super early bird experimental 'Boris' vaccine, the dose arm immediately withers and dies! J

The first point is fine, the second unarguable, but the third ... it ends up as either M-S or decoded X-Y from an M-S source. So with an original question of the usefulness of a tool for recording specifically ORTF stereo one is recommending recording mid-side instead (with an admittedly nice M-S mic). Regardless of intention it ain't going to sound like an ORTF stereo image. Jez

Similar name, but two completely different machines. J

Eh?

I would say that for a 'medium short' pole, which 2.7 meters is, 5 or 6 sections will be fine. Not using the whole length of each section will increase stability a little more if you're only going 2m. Where fewer section poles excel is, in my opinion, on long poles. A greater criterion, for me, is balance - so try to try your shortlist out in the shop with a suitable (most likely) mic/zepp weight on the end before going for it - and how you intend to cable it. I have an Ambient, a K-Tec and a VdB but my favourite short pole is my old Canford. Where K-Tec has the edge is for me the 'Hodge' weight, but I have improvised such counterweights on my others. But again, this is most advantageous for a long pole. Jez

Before the real replies fly in ... have a look (search) for 'newbie' or 'starting out' kit discussions as a (budget) camera mic and a handheld strictly-consumer recorder wouldn't be on anybody's list for even beginning for capturing dialogue in a film set situation (even an easy going and very understanding set). You'd be much better off ignoring the 32bit aspect, also the 192kHz aspect, and look for a recorder which can handle 48k 24bit and is more ergonomically acceptable - that would be a Zoom F4, F8 or F8n or a Sound Devices MP3 or MP6 in your approximate bracket, although all a little more expensive than your budget - but look for used? Also a couple of new mics (again, look for used?) - a cheap shotgun such as a Rode or Deity and a hypercardioid around the same price range ... Whatever you do, DON'T blow $150 worth of budget on a custom bag - look what Rado here uses for $25, or pick up a third hand portabrace. On the first recorders/ergonomics front it has become 'old fashioned' for people to have a mixer in front of their recorder but that $150 might pick you up something like a old used PSC M4 (if you were in the UK I'd sell you mine ...) which would give you decent preamp sound but crucially ease your recording situation considerably. I sometimes put a 302 in front of the F8 - even a mono or stereo front end like the (original) Sound Devices Mix Pre gives you good preamps and a good headphone amp with easy to use switches and knobs without messing about with menus and tiny buttons. Good luck Meric, and have fun Jez

and unquoted from higher up - Nagra small? I thought they were a huge company? I guess I haven't really looked in a while as I'm more interested in their vintage pro audio reel to reels ... but why would they want to buy up a camera company? Is anyone talking about this on film/broadcast camera forums? I wonder what ideas are being flown there ... ? J

Cheers DHB, yeah I read the documentation too but, like Docu SG, thought 'surely not' ... 'Really easy' external powering options, and I could use a battery-fitted mic like an old Senn K3U or Sony 907, but I would be wanting to use cuter little mics with such a thing, like my aforementioned Nagra Green Band - nothing as easy as PiP. But I'm not ever going to be blowing £$1000++ on such a gadget, even if I could, so I guess I'll just remain ignorant. I didn't even get as far as the AIBS (I hope my new term catches on ...), I assumed that was a good old rock n roll scroll wheel for stopping and pulling back the audio. Jez

Hi Patrick, there's a bit more of a discussion going on about the news in General Discussion forum - Aaton bankruptcy. The 6 Cantar staff are all redundant so for the time being at least I can't see there being any servicing .... for the longer term it will be fingers crossed and wait and see. Not to mention the camera side ... a far bigger operation than the two recorders and accessories. Jez

And as someone who has really no idea (...really has no idea...) does this have anything to do with our niche-of the-industry being subjected to buyouts over the last several years of so many of our longstanding trusted and hands-on manufacturers? Industry RIP if you ask me. J

Not wishing to put a downer on the 788 appreciation society, and I've used it and the 744 quite a bit, and have a 302 (which I hope gets by without another service), I've had knobs fall off the 788, the CL8 and pins break on the TA3s, none due to my own excessive handling (tho I can't vouch for the rest of my dept in the TA3 case). J

More TP7 waffle ... I couldn't tell from their guide/diagrams but with those 3-in-a-line multi jacks (sockets) wouldn't it have been nice if they were precisely the right distance apart so that one could use the double-jacked Nagra mics from the SD ? Jez Does it in fact power 'Plug in power' electrets? Seems weird if not, although I couldn't tell from the guide and it was a warning in the guide early on, "never connect the 3.5 mm plug going from the TP–7's inputs or outputs to a microphone input with active phantom power. this could damage the TP–7." that made me look ... hmm