James Louis

Thanks Frederick, I'm very grateful that you've submitted these. I've uploaded the difference in the conditioned recording and the original signal from the Ceder files. I would prefer that you, Constantin, NOT comment nor state your opinion on this test, as you have already publicly and unsolicitedly expressed "I am not interested in this particular test". And to be clear, I am not seeking an indication of your interests nor opinion on the matter. You are entirely relieved of the job that compels you to comment here. And I would prefer that this contribution remain constructive, uphold the author's topic, and serve only those participants in our community who are interested in the results. I don't have noise assist for the mixpre, and I am evaluating whether to make the purchase. I hope other members will take on your request and translate the test to the Sound Devices units. These files were saved without dither, as they were not converted from the original 24bit, 48K files. An offset of either .02ms or 1 sample placed on the original file resulted in the most complete polarity at this level of precision. Voice_recording_with_Ceder_DNS2_3dB_NoiseOnly.wav Voice_recording_with_Ceder_DNS2_20dB_NoiseOnly.wav Voice_recording_with_Ceder_DNS2_9dB_NoiseOnly.wav Voice_recording_with_Ceder_DNS2_6dB_NoiseOnly.wav

I already have a unit. Just not the plug in. For your sake, Al, I'll ask Sound Devices or Gotham Sound if I can take one out or rent one long enough to run the test. I'd rent one for shits and giggles if I thought they installed the plug-in on their mixpre 3's, but I doubt it. The show rooms are not open without appointment, and it's really pickup/drop off. And I don't even know if NAB is in-person this year. Does that answer your question as to why I haven't considered demo'ing one? Am I missing something that you can further illuminate? If you have one with noise assist, would you consider doing the test? I believe the test could all be recorded in the box. It's a matter of: *finding a continuous, pervasive pink or white background noise *finding something to read or say, maybe with a dialog in two registers of the voice *linking two tracks to monitor a single input *inverting phase on the second track * confirm that you're getting a negative infinity reading, or null line on the 0-axis if you take a 1st recording into an editor *engaging noise-assist on the first track *delay compensating the second, non-noise assist track by 1ms *Pressing record *Posting results Then we can figure out how active the gate is, how gradual is the knee, how much pitch gurgling is introduced in the de-noise algorithm, how much smoothing or brightening is reintroduced, how much signal is lost or pruned in the consonants and other articulations. It's rather difficult to objectively discern the integrity of the algorithm without it (psychoaccoustically, our biases and attention going to listen for and interpolate the message, the information conveyed, and attempt to ignore the noise, which arguably is always sign that a recording is good enough). And the wave files on SoundDevices.com are not an A/B.

Could anyone with noise assist post a null test? I'd have a lot to discern from hearing it, which we could then discuss. And I'd really appreciate that. Maybe while filling the tub, or beside a wet expressway, or a river after a rain, or under a tree in a continual wind. It doesn't have to be HVAC, or air ducts, or a refrigerator condenser...

Phil, I could see how a mounted gopro, more like a training aid, could help with this depth question that you raised, and I could see how that's related to people's natural feel for the fisher. The way you approach and found your line overhead on that graduate for example is picture-perfect sweet, and could really be demonstrated and practiced with a clip-on camera.

Indeed I ordered a Rothco Lightweight MOLLE Bottle Carrier after visually confirming that there are also loops on the belt strap

Hydration bag is a nifty idea. I know what you mean, about water bottles and headphones...That's where the loops might come in handy. And thus far, my water bottle is indeed held on by the lid to the back of the pack, and not available for sipping. The alternative is to take it off on set, and inevitably forget I left it on some surface. The other issue being that freeing up my hands and then going, "oh yeah, I left a water bottle somewhere" means I'll only have one hand when I find it. So maybe a chalk bag, bike feed bag accessory for the waist belt; we'll play around with it for a bit, and meanwhile see if K-tek is listening...

I think with the bags packed in the depths of that space, front to back, it would serve you well. Then you can crush the Gizmo bag to tighten it up. But a large Gizmo might be all you have room for. Let us know. Mind you, backpack has an internal frame, so "crush" isn't really the best word. Anything that fits in that space well enough for the clips to reach each other is going to contour to the bag, and if you really included bloat, you'd want the soft stuff on the outside. You should still be able to access those side pockets on the stingray, so you might plan how you are using them (snacks. grabbing the time code to lock them while you're on the train. Pen. scissors to cut more moleskin...)

With CyberMonday, and with the announcement of a new line of mixer bags, it may be that the promotional price of the backpack is a sign that it will also be updated. If you've wanted one, you probably knew about this price reduction already. So no FOMO. K-tek is definitely moving in the right direction. I picked mine up at Gotham (shameless plug!) about 6 weeks ago, and it was off to the races, lugging it up Broadway, under the JMZ, to a pickup location in Brownsville, then a ride to Long Island. I know it's going to be heavy, and what I will say so far, in order to address what it means to me in no necessary order: 1) the waist belt is every bit as rugged as a rucksack: you could have this properly fitted and balanced at REI or Paragon, and just use the shoulders as a counter balance. 2) there is AMPLE space everywhere. Most gigs have just enough that I can fit ALMOST everything in the mixer bag, and then there's the damn spillover which requires me to carry a second bag. This solves that. That top pocket currently has a) my onboard mic. b) boom softie and it's comb c) Sony over-ear headphones d) my empty sandbag/waterbag. e) oh yeah don't forget the shock mount for that mic. And that's just the top zipper. Yesterday, I rolled my quilted ski jacket in there without even having a thought as to how much room was left over. Oh, and the rain/flight cover is still in that same top pocket. That’s how roomy it is... (I'm calling it a flight cover because most backpacks when checked in utilize covers such as these so the buckles and tension straps don't get caught on anything.) 3) The laptop sleeve accounts for the necessary depth to support the main mixer cavity as well as the shoulder harness, which suspends the bag off the back a bit, and in doing so should mitigate some perspiration. I see it as the perfect place for that slate, just in case they ask for it. And it's so much easier to make it through security pulling out a laptop with its own access when you are traveling through security checkpoints. Some criticism is that you cannot entirely unzip and leave this section at home. But I don't see why you would need the laptop component to be detachable, because in this case it's structural, and if you don't want the depth, just don't put a laptop in it. It's scarcely the cause of the weight, compared to the gobo head I'm carrying today. Addressing other hesitations one might have, such as "where does my harness go?" Your harness can hold on like a starfish to the back of the bag, and use it's own clips to go under the shoulder straps and your lumbar curve. Yesterday I lugged a COTOPAXI bag piggy backing on my k-tek backpack yesterday, and used its own hardware chest clips to do just that. I didn't even know it was there. "would this make a good field recording outfit, or could i record from the backpack?" Yes, there is something nifty about having the boom eye level if you wanted to record field work with this on your back. That's a neat configuration. Maybe with a remote that would all come together... The zeppelin could just live on the boom, and then you carry that to location. When traveling, a zeppelin could also conceivably bulge out in front of the mixer bag then clip it in, but honestly, I think you'd run out of space to store it there. "aside from the mixer bag, Isn't that a lot of dead space?" It seems counter-intuitive to get a bag as big as a giging electronica dj bag, or one that a sponsored video game player might carry on a plane, and yet have a major space of the bag carved out in a cavity. Once the mixer bag is in place, it feels complete. Life just got easier for someone. Maybe you, if you can walk home or to your platform. Maybe the crew if you can be a sport and grab a tripod or two, maybe your partner if you can head home with groceries. Fitting the mixer bag, once the buckles are tarped down, the webbing makes even my bloated mixer bag, entirely wired and stuffed with everything I'd normally just lug over my shoulder (including a paperback book, maybe a card game, knife) nonetheless smooth across all sides, like there wasn't even a dock. Howard Hughes would be impressed. The sides of your bag, whether you put a water bottle there, or all your accessories fit in the side pockets, look as if they belong on the sides of a hiking pack. Nothing gets snagged, and ample space for other tie lines and what have you, if you were already hanging things from the bag itself, cables and tape clips, you may leave them in place. Ample tie lines on the backpack as well. More Military loops than I could imagine uses for, but it allows you to place the accessories where they swing and dangle the least. Maybe we can come up with other uses for all those loops with your contribution. I don't even think K-tek imagined everything you could do with them, or they would be making far more add-on accessories for their bags. I have a fantasy that one of the feral cats in the ruins near my home will warm up to me, and use that ledge in my bag to take a nap. Then I can bring one home without waking him up. I will say, the boom cup hangs low. And if you have it really tied down, the boom kind of kicks out its heel in that cup rather than fit directly in. The result may be that the back of your head is resting on the boom. The solution might be to not cinch it in so snuggly. Would make accessing it a bit more swift, but would have to test if I trusted it or if it then bounced more. If you can pack it better than me, it'll make sense when you stand up, but the butt end will be the first thing to hit the ground and tilt when you plop this thing down. I hit the hilt when I tilt. It would be nice if there were other anchor points for the boom further up the bag, or if you could choke up on the cup holder itself. But I can imagine k-tek has compensated with this lower position by assuring that most length booms don't decrease your headroom clearance, or shift and wobble overhead during transport. That would make things much more complicated throwing it all in a trunk, for example, or lowering to step out of a train. I do find that putting the boom back in the holster for EVERY length of a trip, when you switch from being on your feet, to placing it in a car, becomes a time waster. And if you skip steps, its just more work on your shoulders. The consequence of just throwing it in where it fits is then having someone throw their C-stands on your boom or slamming a trunk on it while it sticks out. Taking the boom out of the holster would be further complicated if you already had the boom wired to the bag. I'd really like to get that boom carrying position right the first time. Or consider using it with a sectional boom that matches the bag. For more safety, put a pvc pipe in the Boom holder, and carry the shock mount and mic in a separate compartment. Then accessing the boom is a matter of sliding it out. But then it's not wired and the mic isn't in place. I know, leave the pvc pipe open on the top rather than with a cap, so the mic can travel in place. See, the Howard Hughes reference was appropriate. I use the other cinch ties with a wide-base light stand that fits best upside down. And I haven't begun to fathom what goes in the bottom compartments. They're big too. And I haven't yet felt the need to spill into them.

HA! No, I'm the weird one. And trying to find the words which won't over-state my claim. If anything, I think the DPs get less "weird", ie. more conservative with their shot choices, if they are monitoring through headphones. In other words, these are terrific on-board mics for following the action. So much so that a camera op can use them as feedback for coverage and blocking. The caveat being that I wonder if certain shooters may be constraining their creative decisions within the frame.

Yes, simple. I would do what you told me to do, boss. I'd only trade out the transmitter, maybe, if I saw the complete bundle sitting on their table or something. But seeing as I would be rewiring them in that case, I'd much rather be handing someone over batteries, checking that the cables felt locked, and forget you having to catch an oversight in your headphones--I'd just confirm that it powered back on (and that the mute switch was disabled).

I've been renting or sharing my indoor options for far too long, but I wouldn't consider a cheap option as a place-saver for a Schoeps. Not even with the mods that I'm seeing. The advice on a used schoeps or the MKH-50 seem like the most responsible directions to take this purchase. I'm inclined towards the MKH-50 as the intermediate career move, despite preferring the uniformity and the end results of the schoeps. Here's my reasoning: By the time I want the Schoeps, I'm going to want a matched pair. There are so many opportunities for double-boom, and it's a remarkable instrument mic. Some coverage simply merits contrasting or balancing placement. Meanwhile, I could be accommodating a lot of independent projects and broadcast singles very respectably with the MKH-50. But why that over a used Schoeps, aside from the price? Well, the MKH-50 could easily have a second life with the camera department. Whereas a used schoeps doesn't have that same repurposing. The MKH-50 makes for the best on-board mic I can think of. I don't feel odd handing it over. And between you and me, it's imaging is so persuasive for roving B-cam, as well as the scratch alike, that I've observed DPs choosing their frame based on its reinforcement. That's a blessing and a curse for them, really, as they may be subconsciously setting up their frame and movement to adhere to the sound perspective of the MKH-50, if they themselves are not conscious of the fact that they are doing that, or are not conscious of other artistic choices. The MKH-50 can be truly that informative of the shot. By the time I can make the decision to buy a Schoeps, I'd want to leap-frog that technology and go for the 4017B, or something to that effect. You are welcome to steer me on the best configuration; I'm winging my answer. Did I get those pre-amps correct? The DPAs have remarkable off axis response. Whereas the 641 has some frequency bias. The sound you expect starts to pull apart. The dpa technology sounds more like someone balancing the fader. A newspaper read in front of father's line on The Queens Gambit (and I just use this example to set the scene) sounds like a separate audio asset. Lobe and off-axis coverage just sounds like its mixed in relation to the dialog, and interpreted accordingly. And while the 641 is an industry standard, I find that standard actually to be ever slightly too clinical for my taste. It's taking my not-technically-favorite sound over other admittedly more colorful choices in order to prioritize conformity and uniformity. There can be a slight brittleness I hear, a stodginess, that comes from opening up those mids and highs.

I'll read the doc, but yes, guidelines and treating people with mental and physical space is always a good idea. No reason for a counter-argument here. No one is saying go by duplicate transmitters. If it really came down to it, Freq a second transmitter already in your inventory with fresh batteries to the same one as the last. Grab it off the make-up table after lunch. This round-robin style assigning of channels as you retrieve and then clean incoming transmitters is what could get confusing. So maybe some colored tape? Or maybe sandwich bags labeled with talent's items. It's not a deal-breaker thing to figure out, and it's only IF someone has requested this level of ginger footing.

I'll read how you all weighed in, however consider that the latest Izotope RX8 has plug-ins for interpolating sample rates and frequency ranges that have been truncated. This is a cultural observation, I believe, in that podcasts, remote interviews, and other new media have a context for "bad" audio.

Now that would be a welcome trend to become of all this. I'll read the last page of comments to see if this is redundant, but the first narratives I'm getting in are scripted with masks on talent. You know, a sign or commentary of the times, coming of age, so to speak. If that's the case, then asynchronous dialog and ADR, even on closeups and mediums would be very foreseeable. No, I don't see a return to vampire clips. And the boot has done some hideous things to my cables. As for ENG, most on here would not have offered me much professional courtesy back when, but I have a fleet of instamics. In these circumstances, if we really need it, I can leave one on the talents chair or makeup table, hand them with gloves, however it seems suitable based on the Productions safety protocol, and the talent or hair/MU can a) press this with some prepared wig tape to the temple bone behind the ear where no one grows hair) or a collar bone (where the pocket rests under clothing loosely) -or- b) keep a magnetic clip that doesn't take any skill on their part to dress to the outside of their clothes. And just as you might get a boom line, this placement can shift with any new lens or punch in. Just slide the magnetic backing down the shirt til someone calls "out" (or let them bracket it out of frame, and you hold your line) c) planting rather than dressing whenever you can, with your body/boundary mics going to mix. The latest software does come with timecode support and multi-sync transport, but no, you won't be monitoring them. So this is not a mission critical solution. This is a band-aid for sure. But it'll sound plenty fine. You're replacing a lav mic, remember, the Swanson Dinner of sound (or insert your frozen dinner metaphor here). You will be checking a meter on your phone just to confirm that they are rolling, and you can get the best gain settings at start up, or just get to know them a little at home. And you will be clapping, sure. But ENG and corporate interview are a few longer takes anyway, typically. They can scrub a little on the timeline if you're not getting cooperation on set; it isn't going to kill them.

Well the Boom Caddy is collapsable, but they are going to weigh about the same. The hexagonal shape might avoid more wobbles, but the base isn't wide enough for using as an apple box. They are both designed to accommodate right angle connectors; K-tek intentionally introduced this along with the Sidekick, which goes one further by freeing up the butt end of a pole when you are using a wireless transmitter. And I didn't mention anything about folks using this for the studio lot. I think there it makes even more sense. I wouldn't use this for on the street day playing. But if you have exteriors in varying locations, and the box can be packed up in the truck, it's worthwhile.

Tucking my gear away this morning, and thought I'd relay my experiences thus far with the boombox. I don't get as much soundstage work as I do EXT, on-location. When I saw it in the showroom I was a bit on the fence. It's a sturdier piece of wood than something you'd tuck under one arm and yell "wait up guys!" But I came around to it. And the price might throw people off, compared to just buying an apple box. Not to mention, a nesting storage box or something of that nature might be more in the spirit of what you need. All those reservations aside, I picked one up in the spirit of Treat Yo'Self day (Parks and Recreation reference). My justification primarily had to do with curbside shooting, where the drainage slope already chips away at my height and where there are few options for putting down the boom. There someone might head up a stoop, walk into the frame, etc, and limit where you can boom. That and the fact that I now need to patch or toss out my 5th pair of jeans for tearing out the ass just behind the same pocket. That comes at a price too! I have a standing desk in my work studio, but the same apple box I've been using is splintered and sharp along the edges and serves as stand in for kitchen stool, etc. I think a lot of unfinished apple boxes with a fine edge could cause that problem. So how does the boombox stand up? Like a charm. It's certainly deep and heavy enough to handle an extended 14'/16' poll without a windjammer. I haven't discovered it's tipping point in terms of fulcrum or wind vector, but honestly I wasn't looking for it either. And naturally by eliminating the "Los Angeles" dimension of the box, the "New York" is certainly more stable. On that point, however, if you're on a gravely sidewalk for example, or the surface is not flat, this box can be every bit as wobbly and risky as a standard apple box. So the same common sense which served you thus far still applies here. And keep in mind that the cylinder for the boom is straight down the middle of the box, big enough for the full heel of your shoe to sink (I often use moccasin/driving shoes for interiors or anything that lets me feel the surface, but still.) That could lead to a nasty fall/strain, so get your bearings up there and stay put. As for sitting, it is certainly boss to have a chair as you migrate around the set. And I get to keep all the new jeans I sprung for recently! If you have good posture, or still think the old seats at Shay were enough, your butt and the boom can share the space (see picture). The handles are convenient and comfortable. And the cylinder is deep enough to carry your shotgun in it's case to set, or less critical gear, at least so long as the weather holds. It's also a pretty convenient place for a trash receptacle for your double sided, breath mints and kind bar wrappers etc, or loose ends like lav treatments until you have a moment to address them. I'm always stuffing my pockets or sticking old tape to my pants, and otherwise a messer professor. That little bin comes in handy. Thought I'd use my butane solder to etch my name on one side, but there's little risk to anyone thinking that's their apple box. Not to mention, the lovely finish on the box would burn and cause my contact info to blur. For those who think "it's such a nice box, and you're certainly paying for it. I'd feel bad when it got it's first scratch." Well beyond the normal scratches from a flat cement ground, you're typically going to use the bottom side down (unless you adhered to my safety note, and flipped it over when you boom full height.) You won't see the wear (but, yes, on pavement it'll get chewed up fast.)

Hi Coolwing, I think in part you are priming yourself and the responses to be a bit defensive with that lead in. Don't listen to all the swag, pedantic answers, and hazing folks throw about here. You can almost always hone in on folks who just want to address your question. Historically, I think zoom got the most heat with their initial field recorders when their input gain representation had no meaning in reference to line level, but more resembled a mic gain on a commercial camera. Forget how they sounded for a second. You and I can get over that so long as they've since course corrected. That said, here are the trade-offs with the F4 that I've gathered: Pros: I'll only present the ones that aren't staring us in the face. There are MANY pros. For example, more output, routing, and monitoring options, right? 1) Solid and steady timecode crystal, even in a wide range of barometric, temperature, and humid conditions 2) Timecode in and out Cons: 1) digital input limiters 2) USB for interfacing only, and if I see it correctly it's a mini (which is already being phased out), not micro connector? 3) remote app and bluetooth capacity not an option on the F4 4) perhaps the comparative weight after adding batteries We'd have to put it to the test to see if the noise floor on both devices even came into play when presented with the dynamic range of 32-bit internal busing on the SD devices. But potentially ergonomics might be a consideration on the F4: not only the feeling and space for the encoders and the screen, but the placement for input connectors if you front end this with another preamp.

Thanks Chris. Well sure, I was setting aside the other bullet points, but that does confirm my conclusions. The *-button on the MP-6, just for example, might have been a necessary design addition in order to access tracks 5-6, but I could see how this could be an additional selling point. Does anyone know the list of things it can be assigned to? And do you have the option to use it to step through a number of views? Particularly if it could be used to toggle mix levels and input gain with the encoders, that's been raised a number of times on this thread as well. And in a separate comparison, the bus powering through a cell phone charger is not an option for the zoom F4.

So if I understand this correctly, the difference between the two models when running MP-3 and MP-6 with LTC through the aux input comes down to one iso. Is that correct? With the MP-6, you are forfeiting inputs for tracks 5-6, whereas with the MP-3 you still have available the 3rd xlr connector. So it's 4 iso vs 3 in this case. Just for some mental gymnastics, this mic-aux is stereo in both models. You have the option to send LTC to either side. Therefore, with a y-cable wouldn't it be possible to salvage track 5 on the MP-6?

Depending on your industry and it's nefarious customs (and costumes) often starched clothing, including flame retardation on work clothes, much of which is synthetic to boot, will end up being returned by a wardrobe stylist. So the fabric softener back home won't be an option. To treat and mount these materials is part of the craft, and I will respect the tone of the thread thus far; there's plenty of research material here on the boards.

definitely don't start with a butane. But if you are into heroics, like touring, fixing stage malfunctions, or shooting without that country's power adapters, then have at it. You've got a flash of a moment where these heat up and won't burn your circuitry, and if you miss that window you'll have more to toss out. +1 on dewick gauze. Braid. Better to use the cohesive properties of the solder. Those pumps just frustrate the situation in places where you don't have a proper seal. This has been a great thread, now that I just ordered a half-dozen custom cables from pro-sound! Part of trying it yourself is realizing that no one is getting rich off making cables for you. Plus hand-made only means quality if that person's hands are better than mine. Which in the case of custom cables is unequivocally true. Cables are exponentially more challenging than circuit boards. Right angles, lemo, you name it, if you don't have the right tools and enough hands, the DIY approach will choke you with humble pie. But it's nice to see that we have a good collection of accessories to add to this decision all of which could make someone like myself jump back in the ring and at least try repairs. Another aspect to this training I think that would be essential is to understand and to mock-up circuit diagrams. Someone hands you a back-of-the-envelope sketch and the assumption is that this abstraction is something you can construct if you already know soldering. Not necessarily the case.

Good snag with those 184's, Bash! So those need to go directly into a digital interface, is that right? How are people using these in the field? And why is Neumann harping on the limitations of the analog signal, in general, if they're still promoting the "A" counterpart to these series? We're just talking "on paper", but for those hearing the base roll-off on the 185's, have you noticed how closely the 184's correlates to the CMC6 MK41 combination? Then you look at the polar pattern, and the off-axis attenuation clearly is a trade-off with the two patterns. Which do you think is a better comparison then to the schoeps, the 185 or the 184? If the diagram doesn't lie on the 185, I'd definitely be able to hear -4db by 200hz. And, yes, I think that would bite into the body of a rounded, well-trained voice. Whereas the schoeps is more impartial, even in the range of hard consonants.

Tom, or anyone with the new tascam line of recorders: have you noticed if the digital input level adjustment knobs have more precise dialing than on the original dr-60d? What about the updated dr-60d-did that improve things on this matter? With a field mixer in front of this, I found that for all practical purposes I couldn't calibrate it. Furthermore, the knobs protrude, and short of the input gain levels being a menu-based adjustment, there really is no way to tape them off. Even popping off the caps will change the values that you may have spent 5-10 minutes of crucial set-up time trying to dial in, and tape won't blanket over the shape of the dials. Furthermore "10 o'clock" on the dial does not communicate any meaning to the technician or to the device. The same mark on the dial can represent something else the next day-think "signed bit" increment/decrement relative control, recognizing acceleration and value scaling etc. (Otherwise, I would have marked it with nail polish). I've also tested the accuracy of this 16db carrot, and it's not something you can swear by. I can turn on the limiters for the recorder, sure. While we are at it, I'll give this idea away for free: if recorders like this have the option of Auto Record and are not actually using potentiometers why not create a noise-gated level adjustment delay? Reach for the gain control and instead of making the ramp while someone is speaking (whoops!), have the recorder delay the jump (or curve) to the new value when it detects a natural pause in the dialog...

We went with cue cards and a comtek neck-loop, everything's aces. Strange set of circumstances, NewEdition. I know these small receivers work with small diversity, but it sounds like you are describing something else... Hi bud! Battery oxidation has been suggested as well, and I'd love to agree with you, although there is no way to control for it and rule everything else out. Only I can mention that we've tried batteries which we've bought, photek's batteries, batteries that came with 4 separate kits, batteries swapped out every time the earpiece cops out. They are peeled off the packaging as we apply them. And no other batteries show signs of corrosion. The units themselves have remained in jars with silicon packages in their pouches. I'll also reiterate that the batteries are spec'd to last over 13 hours of continuous use. Where we were using them for 5-20 minutes. Of course after all this, you could still be correct, but the environment that we are using them in-a dusty stage in winter-is really the only constraint.

This has all been invaluably useful. Google has already indexed this thread to the first search page, and I doubt this sort of issue has been documented or rung out. Would be nice if the FAQ's were revised on the photek website. Cue cards are going to win out if I can help it in this next go. But I would love love love it if anyone here inferred that this was my first time creating an induction loop, and talked me through it like I was a 5 year old. We have a neck loop model arriving tomorrow, and looking forward to trying it. For awhile, I had set aside my materials for making one, despite knowing I'd hit a wall: Btw, thanks to your help, I think I have the explanation that accounts for all the conditions I've mentioned, and it makes for a great story! Yesterday, the earwigs, now treated with moleskin copped out again in wardrobe, so we didn't need to explore the avenue further. I had hoped that the moleskin would also dampen sympathetic frequencies in the vocal range. And I suspect that the stage, with metal ribbing and cables running in circles, may already be acting as an induction loop, propagating frequencies not in our favor and EMI-although it would be nice to confirm that EMI does indeed have these particular tonal characteristics. I matched the impedance of the earwig-10ohms, found Ethernet cable and alternatively copper wire of a rather thick gauge which I can harvest from an old rack mount power unit(not sure what I'm looking at). I can send current through a variable regulated dc power supply. Or just use the run of antenna cable which we already have-which is already measured to match the output of the antenna signal and is already literally set up to fit the only signal we have going out. We have the bst-25 transmitter which does not have a house output. If I was to create an induction loop around a modular section of the set with the antenna cable itself, how would I fit the plus and minus of the loop if I only had a pin (what do you call a "cable" box connection) into an antenna port? I know you mentioned the neck loop-is some infomercial tv booster kit from walmart going to do the trick, because I'm no where near requesting a real one. Sure would have been nice I comtek even pointed to the t-loop that they recommend as compatible with the earwig on the same product page, or our mixer might have picked a different model entirely. We do have the M216, which only takes line in, and that ain't gonna help I don't think. But what materials would I need to create a neck loop? That would be even more coo coo I think. No one but the sound dept gets off on this stuff, and I'm already sterling time just writing this. I have TelePrompTer feeds as backup and keynote cue cards-run from the remote app-which I think would be even nicer. I'm using a "push down" transition on them which reveals tr next line, and a marker font which looks straight off Saturday night live. And I put in an order for an M99 marker along with their other art supplies-there is clearly a reason why tv workflow doesn't trust computers to this final hour solution. Thing is, practically the whole stage is lit up. But I see this more as a creative challenge. I've been able to place my boom. Now I just need to think of the antithesis of this: where will his site lines be that isn't part of his blocking and put a pigeon on a plate there, or just tuck a laptop on a chair.