Phillip C Dent

Maybe better word choice would be that the 6 series is “particular” about media. I have a client that likes to use their own media. I have told them that their cards are not on the approved list but they insist. Typically, I will grab the media from the DIT in the morning, format it and start rolling on it and check for errors before actually rolling. So far I’ve been lucky. And I also roll simultaneously on an approved CF card. Yes, it was a Sound Devices approved card.

Yes, the file played properly up until it cut off. Here it gets even more perplexing. In the 664, both the SD and CF cards have identical metadata: length, duration, TC etc. But when I put them in the computer the file sizes are different. The SD card is a few megabytes smaller. I did not ask. This was a skeleton crew, so a cameraman was charged with doing all the media management. I actually watched him do the transfer and I didn't see him transferring any files to the card. Also, I didn't want to ask and make it appear as if I was pointing a finger at him for the problem. I did reach out to the DIT who typically works with us about the mac files being on the card, and he gave me an explanation about how the mac handles files and can add those files to a card. Thanks for your input on this weird one. I always dual record and will keep that practice. I will toss the SD card. It is distressing how finicky the 6 series is with media and a real weakness of these machines. The worst part of the situation is losing confidence in the gear that I am bringing to the party. I did dodge a bullet with this one in that the CF card recorded everything and I was able to upload to post without issue. Also, I had a camera that recorded a stereo mix down, and the only audio that was missed on the SD card was "Thank you for coming, Goodnight" sign off of the hostess.

I have a perplexing problem with a recording I made last night on my Sound Devices 664. Today, I got a note from post that my audio file cut off before the end of the program. I recorded to both the CF and SD cards. I had given my SD to the DIT at the end of the night, so I checked that one first. The editor was correct. On the SD card the program stopped abruptly. When I compared it to the CF card, thankfully it had recorded the entire program (to the point where I actually cut). Comparing the cards, the SD mysteriously stopped recording 21 seconds before I pressed stop. I called Sound Devices, but they did not offer a satisfying explanation as to how this might have happened. They posited that maybe it was a faulty SD card, and that I should check that I have the latest firmware (which I do). One curious thing I noticed about the SD card is that it had some mac system files on it that the CF card did not. I'm assuming that they somehow got added when the DIT did the media transfer, but I don't know how that would affect the recording. Has anybody else run into this malfunction? Does anybody have any idea how this could have happened? Or more importantly how to avoid this in the future. thanks

Update: We've decided to go with the 20 Shure mx-418s instead of the 10 Schoeps. We will have a FOH Mixer with a Yamaha QL-5 desk. Also, we will have a Yamaha DM7 desk for the tracking and a Sound Devices Scorpio for recording and distro to cameras, all on a Dante Network. Along with the 20 table top mics, we will have a VOG mic for an emcee. The editor has also requested audience reaction mics, so we will probably plant 4 mics around the venue to get a good audience mix. As far as I know we will not be mixing down to a live video stream, but I would not be surprised if that is brought up last minute. Tomorrow is a tech day for us to make sure everything works together.

So new information has come to light regarding this job. This is not just the cast doing a table read for camera. It will be done for a live audience of 200+ people. So as I understand the situation the client who is putting on the event already hired someone to do the live sound. Then they decided that they want it filmed so they hired a production company who in turn hired me. I haven’t contacted the guy who will be running the live sound, but I was able to see his bid so I know what gear that he’s bringing to the party. He is bringing a Yamaha QL-5 mixing console with 20 Shure MX-418 desktop microphones. He will bring a Rio Dante interface and record everything to pro-tools. When I thought that I would be handling all the sound needs I brought in another sound guy with experience with high track count live events. He recommends using a Yamaha DM7, utilizing its Dugan automix and noise reduction capabilities then interfacing via Dante into a Sound Devices PIX 970. Also, since we will have 20 people in a straight line across the stage he thinks that we would get better results using ten DPA 4018es table top mics - using 1 mic per two talent. Anyone have strong opinion on mic selection and setup? We also asked about the possibility of putting lavs on some of the hero talent to use for our record and not for the live mix, but haven’t heard back yet. I also need to get audio to cameras of which there will be a minimum of 6. I don’t need to get audio to all of them, but as many as possible and they all need to be jammed with Timecode. So thats the challenge as I understand it. I think the best case scenario is that we have one guy for the live mix and at least one guy for the “broadcast” record - and that we can all play nicely together. My goal is deliver the editor a useable automix and also isos in case he needs to dig something out that got stepped on. The editor has also requested some iso tracks of audience reaction audio. Thanks to all who have offered advice. It doesn’t look like we will need to lav mic everyone up as was the initial challenge, but we do have a Shure axient rack on hold if there is a change of plans.

Thanks everyone for your input. I’m doing a scout of the location tomorrow. I’ve been told that this is a space where this has been done before and there are gooseneck mics on the tables already. So I should be able to use those table mics but I will probably need to mic up hero actors as well. Information is spotty and budget might determine what will be recorded and delivered. The location is in the heart of Hollywood so I am concerned about trying to coordinate 20 frequencies.

A very good client of mine just offered me a very challenging audio job and I would like to get some advice from the forum members here since this is out of my wheelhouse. The shoot consists of up to 20 actors doing a table read. Ideally they would want an iso track of each actor and an automix of the entire session. I am not familiar with what gear exists to get this done. Are there automixers that have 20 inputs? My first thought was to stack four Sound Devices 664/668s to record the isos and then direct out to an automixer. I'm thinking that there is a better way to do this. Any expertise would be greatly appreciated.

+1 I had an issue with one of my JB-1s and they fixed it without hassle. I dropped it off at their place in the morning and they had it fixed by 1pm. I agree that the Deity tc1 UI is very non-intuitive and probably an afterthought to the Sidius app. I pre-ordered the tc1 before release because it was so cheap. (Maybe $139 IIRC). I have found that clients do like the onboard microphone for use with SLRs. However, my charging station gives away my lockit preference.

I ran into the same issue of wanting a more snug fit. I had one of my son’s friends with a 3D printer modify the stl file into several smaller versions. I now have a bunch that I have been using almost exclusively. It’s still a bit on the bulky side but eliminates almost all clothing rustle. It has quickly become my go to rig with my DPAs.

I had this happen on my 633 but only on one fader. According to Sound Devices It is a known issue. I was able to work around it by running the fader at around 1 o’clock. I didn’t send mine in to sound devices because their service starts at $800 and goes up from there. I had Trew in LA “fix” it, which turned into a massive pain in the ass. They tried fixing it several times - each time making it worse, and even generating new problems. I ended up returning it four times. In fact, I haven’t even QC’d it since the last time I picked it up. I think subconsciously I don’t want to deal with sending it back a 5th time. Currently it lurks in the dark confines of a Pelican case. One day I will muster up the motivation to test its functionality.

Update on HiQ battery failure: As suggested by RemoteAudio I took the battery to Trew Audio in LA where they put it on their Remote Audio 2 bank charger that has a recalibrate function. After multiple attempts still no joy. I am told that it will power up for about a minute and then die. RemoteAudio is again telling me to deal with Inspired Energy since they have no way to repair their batteries. I’m frustrated that the battery lasted less than 40 cycles and RemoteAudio doesn’t seem concerned that their battery failed with so few cycles. Am I wrong to expect better performance from their batteries and better customer support?

One more low budget option is to use a 552 utilizing the direct outs and the mix in/mix out cable. It will give you 5 more inputs, full sized rotary faders and stereo mix outputs, as well as a stereo record with TC. I picked up a 552 locally for $500 and it worked for me.

+1 I used the Wingman once with my 664 and some very weird issues popped up. Don’t know if it was the culprit, but I’m not willing to chance it. Reading this makes me believe that there are some gremlins with that pairing.

Has anyone had any issues with their Remote Audio Hi-Q Meon batteries? I have a 98wh, 14.4v that stopped working. The gage on the battery shows full. My Audioroot esmart dual Charger shows the battery at 96%, but 0.0 amps. I contacted Remote Audio, but they said to contact inspired energy. I contacted Inspired Energy and they said to contact Remote Audio. Now remote Audio is telling me to contact Audioroot because it’s most likely a charger problem. thoughts?

I would love to replace my Lectro DCHT and M2R camera hops with a much cheaper system. Price along with the small size, recording and timecode features look awesome. The deal breaker for me with this system is that it doesn’t have a pro line level out of the receiver. I often work with Arri minis and LFs that would require a line level.