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thebrengun

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Everything posted by thebrengun

  1. When you are in conditions that require a zeppelin, nothing else is acceptable. Usually the zeppelin comes with me if I expect to be outdoors. I'll use the softie though if it's not too windy, as it really saves my arms But on even a moderately windy day, the softie won't save you.
  2. It is probably from NYU's program actually. They switched to the 702T sometime around 2009 and donated and/or sold their PD4s.
  3. This PD4 is currently living out its retirement as a headphone amp and monitor stand! How are you using your retired gear around your home or office?
  4. "Can I get the 35 on a stick and...uh let's roll on the blocking rehearsal."
  5. Are we reading the same quote? To me, these are equivalent statements: (And in NYC you can throw away alkaline batteries) == It is legal for residents to discard alkaline batteries in the regular trash.
  6. http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/stuff/harmful_hh_prod_special_waste.shtml (And in NYC you can throw away alkaline batteries)
  7. I have had this problem once, and it was solved by replacing the card. I was able, as I mention in one of the threads, to reproduce the error by recording tone for hours and hours and opening up the file and looking for the bursts in the waveform. When I got a new card, I repeated the test and could not repeat the problem. Do the same across a few SD cards and I bet that 1 will produce the problem and the others will not. I wonder though...has anyone ever had a similar problem with any other Sound Devices recorders? You can hear a sample of my problem in the first thread linked to. Many people have this problem, with many different card brands, speeds, etc. so I am not entirely convinced that it is many many bad cards.
  8. My closest was the end of my block. 3 minute walk tops.
  9. This sounds like the issue I mentioned here: I'll hazard a guess that because this happens to people using a variety of cards with different sizes, speeds, and manufacturers the problem is most likely wear and tear on the card. Two things from Jesse's post that I was an offender of: 1 - My card was more than a year old. 4 - Although I did regularly format the card in the 552 I also, on occasion, would pre-format the card on my mac with disk utility I ordered new cards and haven't had any problems since but maybe more importantly I ordered a small backup recorder. Well worth the expense for the peace of mind. 552 bag now looks like this:
  10. I haven't experienced anything like that since the PD4 I was using ate the DAT tape :X Fortunately that was at the start of the day and little was lost. I don't normally run two redundant machines either since the 744 would be acting as primary and as backup but of course, you never know. I think the big mistake was not stopping and playing back the takes on the machine. It has happened to me, that you can sometimes play back takes on the machine but not on the computer, indicating that the files can sometimes be repaired or at least re-recorded through the recorder's output. It would also have alerted you to the problem immediately and you could have taken a 10 minute break to transfer the already shot files, re-format etc.
  11. Yes, if it's an Arri S it will not keep sync. Find out the camera model. An SR will hold sync though.
  12. I'm very happy with my Marantz PMD620 which I feed from my 552 via the tape out. http://www.bhphotovi...ld_Digital.html It has a very small form factor, easy to view screen with nice meters, and a nice clear record button that illuminates red when rolling. It comes with a plastic case, which is kind of flimsy really but works perfectly for my situation of mounting it in the bag. Here it is in action:
  13. I'm inclined to agree. Also the ability to accurately maintain a sound report varies and can't be ascertained until the job is underway. A simple shoot might turn out to be very fast-paced and keeping a report isn't something I can typically do with a fully extended boom, giving and receiving lavs to talent, speaking with production about noise-makers, and the many other things we do in between takes and setups, often with only 1 free hand! Other people mentioned creating a report at home in the evening; adding thirty minutes to your work day, free of charge, because production won't budget for a proper sound department is not a great idea. A few general notes in an email is one thing but a full report is another. It may be easier to generate reports on some machines than on others but it sets unrealistic expectations for us all.
  14. In many ways this is how I treat 5D shoots! I run a G3 to the camera as they are almost always syncing with PluralEyes. Usually slating falls apart because 5D shoots tend to have very small camera departments and people put a lot of faith in PluralEyes. I usually slate the take via the slate mic and give head and tail beeps to aid PluralEyes in lieu of actual sticks. The first file contains all the info that editorial might need generally (file format, track assignments, mic choices, etc.) If we are doing proper slates with sticks, many times there is no script supervisor on those types of jobs and often things haven't been divided into scenes. I advocate to do a simple incremental sound file number. This especially makes sense with the Sound Devices 552, since it only supports fixed file naming.
  15. These should be non sound report gigs because mixing and booming is already a huge compromise. I just include helpful information in the first file of the day. Tone, my name, contact info, project info, mics, recorder, framerate, file info etc. I've never had a complaint. A lot of smaller gigs like this don't even want a sound report.
  16. Yes I noticed this as well when I played around with the machine. I think senator was suggesting that you report the glitch to SD.
  17. I posted this over on the Zaxcom forums but it didn't really begin a discussion. I still find the lack of an intuitive panning system one of the biggest problems with the Nomad. But I think I have an alternative that would be good enough for me! I'm not yet a Nomad owner but I've used one in a variety of capacities: out of a bag for simple sit-down interviews with break-aways feeding 3 cameras, on a cart for a narrative feature, and also in a bag for reality shows. I think the versatility of this machine is what makes it so appealing to so many. However, from the beginning many have missed physical pan pots. With the 4.0 update a new flexibility has been brought to the ENG home screen with the addition of the virtual faders, available after tapping the auto trim. I would like to see an optional feature that would instead turn the auto trim knob into a pan pot after a tap. It would pan whichever fader was active, the same way auto trim works. Perhaps a quick turn to the left or right and slow turns in the appropriate direction to set center pan. I think something like this would satisfy a lot of people (certainly me!) and complete the Nomad's feature set.
  18. Counterintuitive, I know, but I mean the mic and cable not the transmitter. I describe this as an emergency! I only do this in interview setups with hostile RF environments. I think "wire" is still appropriate. Just once. Posterity!
  19. I just say "wired" or "boomed" so that I don't have to deal with any dubious conjugations of "mic" or "lav", which is similarly tricky.
  20. I love it! It's wrong for sure but it's nice to see...I miss the days when the camera was worthy of the dolly or tripod it sat upon.
  21. All mics are different. I don't have any experience with the NTG2 but I don't often need to turn the gain past 12 o'clock for the NTG3. With my 8060 I often have the input trim around 10 o'clock. But with the AKG Blueline series, depending on the talent's voice, it's not uncommon for me to have the input trim at around 3 o'clock. I also have an SM58 and this varies depending on the talent and how far away they are from the mic. As others pointed out, it's a dynamic mic so it isn't odd for it to have a lower output. These trim positions assume that 12 o'clock is unity gain.
  22. I rarely get looks. I get the most looks when I have a pelican case actually. After all, that's what bombs are put inside in a lot of movies! Mostly I carry the rig built in my Petrol but once I close the top and Velcro the handles together in carrying mode it's not easy to see in there. I also keep my headphones stashed on the top. My lectro antennas are the hinged variety so they aren't visible either. All my accessories, cables, zeppelin, even my Ktek traveler, fit inside my backpack. Very mobile and without the zeppelin or boom pole I get very few questions. On occasion I carry the rig with the boom pole and zepp strapped to the rig and I almost always get people who have always wanted to know what the big furry thing is for. Personally, I've never seen another soundie on the subway! But if you see me, feel free to say hello!
  23. What about Lectro r1a IFB receivers? You'd need 2 transmitters. One with your mono mix, the other with both hosts. Then the producer could switch back and forth between the two. For people with 442s etc you could add a mix pre to send the talent direct outs to the second IFB tx or maybe even a Y cable from the two direct outs to the 2nd tx? Not sure if that's even possible...anyone?
  24. I've found the range of the G3s to be an improvement over G2s but you are definitely at the limits of the range around that distance. Of course your rf environment has more to do with this than almost any other factor. I agree with manually finding frequencies. Use the Sennheiser frequency finder on their website and search starting with a very small radius and gradually step it up to a wider radius. The frequencies that stay green the longest are usually pretty safe. You can also get a bit more range by using a Lectro receiver like a 411 in mode 3 although at that point you might as well rent the tx as well.
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