The Immoral Mr Teas

Thank you for the excellent write up, John. The (current ?!? haha) situation very clearly detailed, and heaps and heaps of interesting info and links. Cheers, Jez

Fascinating in fact. I wonder if it's indeed possible (?easy?) to retrofit ... Apart from the transport, were there other regular failings? How was the ADC feed to the heads carried about? Ahh speculation! Jez

+1 thanks for the history Jim, and condolences. I just noticed - Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman. I was thinking of this just the other day. I'm a big fan. Likewise American Splendor; the following cover hung above my sink many years ago, "Poor dishwashing has always been my Achilles Heel. If only I could upgrade my dishwashing skills I could really disarm my enemies." Best, Jez

I would guess the only folks who could shed such light would be Sound Devices themselves ... Apples to oranges, maybe not - but tangerines to satsumas quite possibly. I can't really see a choice between a MixPre 6 and a 633 based on the preamp (rather than outputs and all sorts of other features). Maybe if you're just interested in the preamps and the noise floor (and have a 633 area budget) an R4+ might be an option (... is the euro version for sale in Canada?) ... but to go back to the SD products, I would ask them if you're really expecting 'Kashmirs' to be fitted to future 6 series, otherwise just get the unit that suits your purposes best. I haven't heard anything so far to make me think there is a huge difference between Kashmir and the Karakoram we've been using the last few years ... Jez

Re the last few comments - I actually see this as a fairly 'high end' recorder for musicians and nature recordists etc rather than a cheapo production recorder so would have been quite upset had the navigation thing been an issue ... which of course I'm glad it isn't! I'll just add that in the nature recording stakes I have been on extended trips without hauling a laptop around with me and often having to sit on several days or longer of recordings before having any opportunity to back up - I looked at getting one of the early hard drives with CF slots for direct backup that news photographers used but never did in the end. Just saying, even with a pocketful of spare cards I would also have been looking for a firmware update pronto - happy to hear this was good ol' user error tho'! J

Re foams - Not sure how this might relate to the new invision or any other mount for the DPA 4017C, but I wonder if anyone has tried the old Lightwave mini Zeppelin as an indoor screen? I was never a fan of the design of this nor the (awful) fur that fit over it but I have a couple that I've used for on-camera mics - it's basically 5cm diameter of air with a plastic mesh with nylon, and they did a few lengths one or two of which I expect would suit the DPA and the mini Schoeps. I'd expect a suitable length bubblebee or (if in the works) rycote sausage-ball to do a better job though. Jez

I had difficulty even seeing those tyres - had to look really hard at them! Great looking building - wonder what it is? Maybe a studio space? The logo looks familiar ... I zoomed in and could read 'A Zhou' ('Asia') but not the second two characters.

Priceless Mike! What a way to make a point! Although some might suggest that the Nagra 4.2 and DT48s combo equals "well dressed" ... J Would that not just be a long version of the 'open' foams that come with the 8050 et al? If so, I would guess it wouldn't be much better for swings.

That's what I'm talking about Vin - not only (the increasingly common) ambisonics but any style of multichannel recording should be catered for in ALL modern machines with comprehensive ganging selection ability ... and I would hope the TOP machines would have the ability on top to have offsets along with the ganging to calibrate or gain match mic types (MS etc) with differing sensitivities. After all, my 1971 design Nagra IVS can do this ... J

Not at all- it seems a decent set of requests and thanks for the write up. Ganging for me is often a bugbear - there have a been a few spectacular and easy to use machines ( orig Cantar ... and I believe the PDR2000 was good?) but it astonishes me that even professional machines today often lack multichannel ease of use. Re the glasses: it's dark and ... nice one Belushi! Jez

I've not as yet had use of Movieslate but (as a dialogue editor) sound reports generated by Cantar have always been as useful as I needed - and indeed (post SD and post waveagent) files have generally been much easier to use in a basic PT workflow when I haven't reports as such - which more than a decade back would have been a godsend anyway. I'm interested in Movieslate though, particularly in light of early reports here by JW and GT, and look forward to more comments - and more from post if listening. Cheers for the thread Jeff. Jez

Apologies. That does indeed sound weird. Let us know how you get on. Jez

Afraid I haven't either MP3 or 6 so cannot help directly ... But - turning gain up without some resistance upon inputs is not going to be a 'test' of any kind ... Is there extensive (or any unbalanced) noise on ch 1 compared to 2 3 when similar mics are connected? If so, ask SD for advice and if faulty return? Jez

Matt, have you perchance talked yet to Joe (JoeCo) ? If not, I'm sure that he would be helpful enough in general if not interested in particular to advance and extend the JoeCo line, which appeared out of a need (at the time, or at least the first market, music, but from a broadcast perspective with the Sadie background and a fast road into the high channel reality market). Jez

I assume Matt meant how far BACK the handle would stick out (assuming it was attached to the back that is, not the top as in the pic, which may or may not be your intention) - so that it would rest vertically with its back to a fastenable surface (in a van) or be more or less level if rested/transported with its back to a floor. Jez

Good to know Philip. I don't even know what FuMa or Ambix are ... and always thought the A to B process was the celebrated Magic Beans of our Oxford chums (where my ST250 happens to have lived for the last couple of years since my pal used it to record his choir)! Curious actually, since the 'genius' lies just there, the capsules of different mic types are different so so must be the conversions. If XY(+Z) and W were truly coincident 8s and a diffuse omni the maths (of B ) is simple, like MS. Best off to bed now though, up in 4 ! Never retrieved the previous post either. Jez

Sorry, site signed out on me again - I hoped the post would miraculously reappear (as it has done many times) but no. I should stop trying to post using iPads which I hate and cannot use! And that was merged - so makes no sense: post is lost I reckon. Never mind, not useful, just a rant. About stereo fixed to perspective and vector systems. Another time.

Hi Mike, you're spared my orig reply with a page freeze, but in short I guess costs were able to be brought down by bypassing both B format and the matrixing into 2 channel that the boxes did - so I meant 'cheaper than a ST450MK2' rather than cheap. And the whole ambisonics thing is now cheaper and more widespread now that expensive hardware, later supplemented by expensive software, is now perfectly replaceable with cheap or even free software. So A format tracks can be easily converted to B and used. Can't really see, beyond purist archiving, much use for an A format feed, except perhaps recording an instrument going to a single on-axis 'nice' mono track if the ambisonics wasn't working for any reason (phase, studio ambience level) but you wanted the 'calrec velvet'? But I'm sure it was there on the Mk5 box. I'm more 20th C than 21st with ambisonics, but VR or other installation stuff might just get me back into the phaze craze ... I haven't done any editing or mixing of ambisonics for a while and don't know what recent changes have been brought to surroundzone or Harpex but I can't see why post would be dealing with anything apart from the B format. I'm sure it's now cheap/free and fast to get from A to B hence offerings of 'direct out' A format mics which a decade or so ago would not have been a cost-saving workflow as soon as post (or even just matrixing down to 2 channel) was factored in. Damn, you missed all my jokes what with the 'pute freeze and had to suffer the 'considered' reply! Best, Jez x

Thanks for the May-cad link ... although I have absolutely no reason to build a cart myself! And it may have been a bugger but you did a sweet job with that sliding bar trick.

Hi Mike, I would suggest B format 'WXYZ' to be the easiest delivery for post to use - when I started with soundfields it was just the Mk5 that would have any A format output option, and all the post tools dealt with B format. Things might have changed with the cheaper newer mic now available but it's almost certain I would imagine that post will be working with B format tracks. DO talk to post however (particularly if you have a problem, or time issues, providing B format). Find out what they're using - you never know, conversion for them might be easy quick and automatic? Everything soundpod and Phil mention is worth taking into account: I don't have the same personal experience yet in ambisonics for VR and the like, but talking to post (in particular a senior editor or mixer) and then designing a shooting pattern (with the dicks!) may well be quite a challenging job in the end! Jez

Is the Cantar suspended from its central top plate? And does it slide easily forward for access? If so, nice little features ... and possibly the largest Cantar 3 accessory in existence! J

Excellent to hear there's a new low cost option on its way. Wonder how the preamps (Bhutan perhaps?) compare to the DR70D/DR680Mk2 ... or indeed the F4/8 and MP3/6? Anyone here know how the last range of Marantz compared to their rivals (Tascam, Olympus, Sony etc)? Look forward to hearing more about it in any case, particularly how decent it sounds and the battery/powering setup. Presume no TC or dig sync cascade at this price ... ganging would be good though as would ... metadata? Jez

(As PM'ed to Phil just now) three other recommended companies for shows and the like: A-TEAM : ateam-plus.com info@ateam-plus.com +852 2334 0988 MIX ENGINEERING : mixengineering.com.hk (and on Facebook) Mick Cheung +852 3568 8730 mixengineering@live.hk SHOW BROS : showbroshk.com (and Facebook, Instagram) info@showbroshk.com

Hmm Alex, if there is a single important speaker (a 'chair') use your Sanken for them. Then one or a couple of CM3s (are they the wide cardioids?) can get the classroom response perhaps. Ideally I guess you would have either a boom or a mobile handheld mic for the audience. Depends on needs, acoustics and all sorts ... Jez ... And +1 Gerard. Depends on needs ...

But will it be 'synched' or just have a tc stamp? It seems the only way to get a sync is via the hdmi hardware, for which we are awaiting information and guidance? Jez