Ian Thomson

I've been successfully using these XTAR batteries in my single cell DBSM transmitters for the last 8 months. mostly small scale commercials and lower budget films where access to packs is easy for quick swaps if necessary. have been swapping batteries once they drop from full to 'yellow' on the DSR4 receivers - and I've been comfortable if it takes 20mins or so to get to next setup (no need to break the flow of filming). purchsed most batteries on sale including the 4-bay charger; but found it handy to purchase the 8-bay for ease of wiring in my charging case. I haven't used any third party chargers. all 20 batteries are still working well. don't know if i'd use to empty in any of the dual battery cast transmitters; but have used successfully in DPR-A boom transmitters - swapping just before lunch (~4:30-5hrs of real time use)

I know that a 702T cost $4000-ish AUD way back when... (the film I purchased it for fell-over the week after I made a final payment) Thankfully, along with a 302, it ended up paying for itself many times over, before an upgrade to a first gen mix-pre10T

I love the idea of a blind test 😀, and I hope it doesn't feel too strange for random people to throw a vote in. They're both incredibly close sounding, and obviously either one is amazing sounding in their own right. The flexibility of being able to maneuver around modern film sets without wrangling cable, while sounding THAT good... it's a great time to be recording sound for picture. My guess is - Hard Cable is on Channel 1, A20 on Channel 2. interested to see if the subtle difference I thought I was hearing was psychological, or an actual difference. please follow up in a bit with the answer Cheers, Ian

https://schoeps.de/en/knowledge/knowledge-base/schoeps-microphones-in-extreme-weather-conditions.html they offer upgrades for older mics to the "D' generation capsules.

My guess is that it would sound more natural (better) than a 416, perhaps at the expense of being more "isolated" it's a great mic though, and definitely worth a rental to test out

I use a MiniCMIT as my main Boom, with a DPA 2017 as alternate/back-up for when the filming conditions might be more 'dangerous' - to avoid placing the Schoeps in higher risk (rain scenes, boat work, etc) The DPA sounds great, but I do feel like I can hear the difference = MiniCMIT sounds like my ears are where the mic is, the DPA sounds a bit more like a 'microphone'. having said that - it's really close, off axis sounds more natural than other shotguns, and I don't think there's enough of a difference that it would affect the final product.

Hi Michael, I do use the same tablet for SD Remote *(normally run a scan at a new location, then shift over to SD Remote) However I will say that the Cheap(er) tablet that I purchased is not great at keeping its connection to the 888 when shifting in/out of SD Remote. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference when hard-cabled or via bluetooth. The bluetooth connection on my iPhone is solid and has less latency, for what it's worth. If I find myself needing both programs running at the same time, I will likely purchase an iPad, or a more powerful Android for SD Remote. Sorry about the lack of strain relief PMC! was a quick connection while troubleshooting, will definitely figure out a more permanent (and safe) connection for the future 😉

Love TXAdvanced! I'm also one of those people who purchased an inexpensive Android to run it. The 'LIVE CHECK' function helped figure out an intermittent transmission issue I was having with a plug-on transmitter. It's great being able to hook up the Software Radio dongle to the output of my SL-2 so the scanner uses the main antennas

I like the sound from an IFBlue more than an R1A when booming... might just be my headphones (Sony 7506), but it seems like a lower noise floor, and less fatiguing. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Most mixers out here have some wires in b21; should be fine 👍🏼 welcome, whereabouts are you shooting?

Hi Reg, I usually just strip it down and ‘wash’ all the parts with warm water, and dry. every so often I spray furniture polish onto a microfiber rag and smooth it onto the pole sections, allowing it to dry before wiping with another rag. Hopefully I’m not damaging it. I’m definitely interested in how others clean and maintain their mic-poles. Cheers, Ian

Hi Matthias; I too find that My maxi often gets a little ‘creaky’ the only thing I’ve found that works is to disassemble the pole, give it a thorough clean, and make sure to tighten the white plastic core part of the end-stops, as it loosens over time. surprisingly this only happens with my pole from 2011, my original pole from 2006 is perfect. Cheers, Ian

G’day, My name is Ian - I’m an Australian boom op who’s living on the east coast of Canada. I’m travelling with my wife to Boston this week, and while she attends her conference I’ll be checking out the town. Does anyone have any recommendations on “must-do’s” when in Boston? Is anyone on the group filming, and up for a set-visit? cheers’ thompsound@gmail.com

I think Jason brings up a very important point... it pretty much boils down to: are you invoicing (and being paid by) an Australian company? or a Canadian one? All your requirements will be based on that. if you're on a "Work Holiday" and being paid by a canadian company it could be very tricky accounting wise. if you're working on an australian show (for accounting purposes) then it'll be very much like you're back in melbourne. I'll echo the other advice here and say - talk with the producer, and/or production accountant. best of luck mate. Ian

My vote. Trading the weight of internally cabled for the weight of a plug-on transmitter, eliminating the hassle of unwrapping an external cable, absolutely zero chance of cable slap inside the pole. I don't think I'd be able to do my job properly if we needed to deal with cables, as I'll sometimes need to swap to the "other side" of our cameras even during a shot, and being able to collapse the pole, pop it into a stand and walk away (without removing a belt-mounted wireless system) to quickly deal with a noisy body-mic is very much appreciated by cast/AD's (super fast "semi-scripted" comedy series with 4-8 talkers and at least two cameras). Everyone has their individual ways of doing the job, and I prefer as few cables as possible.