Jump to content

ninjafreddan

Members
  • Posts

    202
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

Everything posted by ninjafreddan

  1. Are we talking about the same thing, M/S stereo? You're not splitting up a mono signal, you're splitting up a side-signal made by a figure-8 microphone with one positive side and one negative side, angled 90 degrees to the forward pointing cardioid microphone. Arguably, you're actually flipping the right-hand side of the figure-8 into phase again by phase flipping it 180 degrees. In my opinion, M/S stereo will bring you the least problems with phase. BUT, the microphones have to be properly aligned. As soon as they drift apart or the distance between the two capsules increase, the quality of the M/S recording decrease. That's why I prefer to use a single purposely built M/S-microphone, because I never have to worry about it. I don't know what kind of M/S-recordings you've dealt with, but it sounds like you have experienced problems with them. Problems I've never had. Not arguing with that. That's the cool thing about M/S-recordings. If you don't fancy the stereo information you just use the mid-signal, recorded by a microphone that was pointed towards the sound source - and layer it with FXs and other sounds to create a believable sound effect. I'm not claiming that M/S-recording is the best stereo recording technique of all. Each and every one of them have good use, so does different microphones and different positioning. It all depends on the source and the expected result. Right now I'm having a honeymoon with a newly bought Pearl MS8 microphone. Cheers Fred
  2. +1 I'm also a run and gun boom swinger and the K-Tek boom works really well for me too. Her name is Doris and no one is allowed to swing her except me. We've been through some quite tough situations. :-) Like Peter says, get a good mic mount, it will help decouple some of the cable noise. Shotgun mics are sensitive to low-end rumble, some models are more sensitive and some are less sensitive. I use a Rycote Lyre suspension and a DPA 4017B microphone with a built-in low-cut at 50Hz. Then I low-cut at 80Hz in my SD664. Cheers Fred
  3. I haven't used Ambient booms with built-in cables, but I've used a K-Tek KE-152CCR with an internal coiled cabled and side exit, for the last five years or so - and I've never experienced any real problems. On rare occasions, when being fully extended a couple of times in a row, the internal cable can tangle up a little bit, blocking the last section from being fully retracted at the end of the day. It's fixed by unscrewing the bottom end and then let the cable untwist - takes two minutes to do. I've never had any problems with cable noise. Like already suggested, it's using the proper technique. But I also think it's using the right boom. Cheers Fred
  4. Sound Devices USBpre 2 - Buy with confidence. ;-) Cheers Fred
  5. The USBpre 2 sound mighty fine to me. The mic pres are clean and detailed, I prefer recording analogue mixes through the USBpre compared to my Mytek converters because the USBpre is in some aspects more transparent. When I visit HIFI-customers and hook up the USBpre to measure their speakers and room acoustics, I start by playing some reference material just to get to know the speakers and the room. On several occasions I've been told that my USB soundcard sounds better than their HIFI DACs at least twice the price. Not bad for a USB soundcard. Apart from the sound quality, I love its ruggedness and functionality. It's a solid performer. Cheers Fred
  6. +1. M/S recordings are IMHO underrated. I remember a seminar with Bruce Swedien twenty years ago, where he called M/S - "Maybe Stereo". If you're trying to record a sound source or instrument that's not physically too wide, using a stereo technique with one microphone pointing on-axis towards the sound source and another one picking up the diffuse field, with practically no phase issues, can't be a bad thing. :-) And you can manipulate the stereo width or "air" of the sound effect by just adding a bit of Side-information to the matrix. IMHO very handy for sound effects editing. With X/Y stereo, the microphones are picking up maybe a wider stereo field, but none of them are pointed at the source, they're 45 degrees off-axis and not always capturing the sound source to the best of their ability. While I like recording instrument sections in ORTF stereo, the mono compatibility can get compromised and it's not possible to manipulate the stereo width as much as with M/S or X/Y. I've successfully used MKH30 and 40 for M/S-recordings in the past, but now I've actually ordered a Pearl MS8CL that I will use for recordings of instruments and speakers. In the field I need a small and simple solution that will give me exactly the same setup each time, so I decided to go for the Pearl microphone. I've actually never listened to it, but I've used Pearl microphones in the past and they've always sounded great, so I have high hopes. Anyway, not trying to high jack your thread. :-) Go for the M/S setup! Cheers Fred
  7. I'm not living in the US so I'm not 100% familiar with the work ethics, but a few universal things come to mind: Do you have a formal sound engineer education? Knowledge is easy to carry and a good education will give you a good ground for more advanced learning and provide you with the basic skills to get started. And you don't have to invent the wheel all the time, "just" learn the tricks of the trade from professionals. With an education in the back, you will feel more confident when doing your first couple of professional jobs. Also, if you're lucky, the education will get you in contact with local professionals, maybe one of them might become your patron/mecenat in the future. Figure out what kind of sound engineering work that you would like to do the most, because that's the job that you will do best. It will take some time to figure out and you need to try a bunch of different job until you find what does it for you. :-) Even if you're a rookie, you don't have to tell everybody all the time. Sure, you shouldn't exaggerate your skills because that might bite you in the back down the line, but you don't have to diminish your skills either - that might create nervousness in the team. "I'll look it up" is a better reply than "I don't know". ;-) Don't be afraid to fail, trip over, hit someone with the boom, cast a shadow in the face of the main character, miss a line, forget to change batteries etc. Just apologize and learn not to do the same mistake again. And again, and again and again. Failing is the best way to learn. When the pressure is on people can loose their heads, don't take it personally. Do what I do, hit them with kindness. Nothing is more disarming than kindness, even if you know you're right and they're wrong. Who cares...just get the job done. ALWAYS be on time, nothing is more annoying than waiting for people, especially if they're rookies. :-O As much as you will be judged by your work skills, you will be judged by your social skills, so work on them. One way to get into a team fast is to be curious what the others do at the set, check out the audio connections on the camera but don't fool around with the camera, ask the camera guy if he needs some help with the light stands or offer to stand in position to check the light and angles. Get the conversation going. Be inquisitive and curious, but also know when to back off when people are busy. When you've done some jobs and gotten some confidence, when you get the chance, do the jobs that scares you. The jobs that you think that you might not be able to pull through. Because they will keep you on your toes and make you even more confidence. God forbid should you fail, well then it will be a valuable learning lesson that can't be taught in-class. Also, these kinds of work will move you up the ranks (if in nobody else's eyes, well then in your own eyes). Regarding equipment, I think you should try to work with professional rental gear as much as you can, because that's the best way to learn the gear (and the workflow). There's nothing wrong with running around with a Zoom recorder, a Rode shotgun mic and a G3 system, but IMHO that kind of simple setup will easily get in the way of your work and might potentially cause problems for you. But, if you really have the urge to get your own setup, do start with a used SD442 or similar mixer, two G3 systems and a boom and shotgun mic. And take it from there. You will of course be more attractive to indie film makers and small corporate film gigs if you have you're own equipment. If you get your own equipment then practice. Walk around with headphones and swing the boom at home or at a friend's place, try chasing a conversation with the mic, fool around with hiding a lav mic next to a shirt's button etc. Get to know your equipment. When you start out looking for jobs, be prepared to answer the question: "What can you do for us?" in twenty words or less. The best of luck! :-) Frederick
  8. My DPA 4060s has been through hell and back - still going strong. I think you have already identified the cause of the problem, getting the connections squashed in the back pocket of the talent. Think about the force generated when he sits on the connection (with momentum). Personally I get quite itchy when people try to put my transmitters in their pockets. :-O Informing them of the cost of the lav and transmitter usually makes them listen to my instructions. But then, there are always a-holes. Grrrr.... Cheers Fred
  9. I've been using the new DPA D:fine head mics since they came out a couple of years ago. I've used both the directional and omni version for conference sound and TV productions - with great success. They sound mighty fine and the lav version will most likely sound equally great. Compared to the old capsules, it's basically "extra everything" - except for the plosives that are tighter and less intrusive. Very natural sound and the directional mic is not as sensitive to placement as the old 4088. The new might pick up a little more room, but it's better sounding off-axis, so it's not a problem. It also less sensitive to the proximity effect. The added definition in the mid-range and close placement to the mouth makes the sibilant sounds more prominent compared to 4066/4088. But they are tighter and better sounding and easy to take down with a deesser. In lav position the sibilants won't be a problem, me thinks. I'm excited about the lav version and the next time I order lav mics it will be the new version. I've worked with most professional lav mics, and I always come back to my DPAs - best sounding lavs on the market. :-) Cheers Fred
  10. No, my guess is that has to do with the frequency range of the DECT standard and that it differs in different regions of the World. Maybe someone here knows better. I've corrected the delay for better audition when switching back and fourth. The delay actually is close to 19ms and seem to stay there. I've used two at the same time without any problems. They do fine in the field, but the range can't compete with my analogue RF systems. On the other hand, the sound quality can. I've mostly used them as camera hops. But they sound fine with the MKE2 Gold lav. I have experienced some digital radio interference when using DPA 4060 lavs. Strange thing is that a colleague of mine had no problems using his DPA 4060's with a couple of AVX systems. We both have the updated 4060 mics. Of course, Sennheiser can't test their system with every lav mic on the market, but they have made their own lav mics more resilient to digital radio interference and I haven't experienced any problems using the MKE2 Gold lavs. For the transmitter, yes....for the dongle receiver, no. It's kind of been a little bit of a stress moment having the receiver stuck on the camera as hop and not knowing for how long it will last. Filming documentaries, I can't have equipment die on me, so my solution has been to use a hirose to USB connection and then power it via a USB connection. There's always the possibility to power it from a larger USB-battery, but it would be great if Sennheiser made a larger battery as an option. All in all, the AVX system is aimed for camera men and such. It's a bit too basic for a sound engineer, me thinks. Still, it's a good sounding system. You should try it out. Cheers Fred
  11. Money is of course important and only you can decide how much money you can part with. What you should consider is the workflow a bigger mixer/recorder provides and the possibility to take on large and more complex recordings. Do you do ENG/EFP jobs as well, or just location music recordings? I went from a SD442 to a SD664 and I couldn't be happier. I work on and off with documentaries and sometimes do music recordings, and every time I fire up the 664 I get a big smile on my face. It's such a versatile machine. Now I'm adding a SD USBpre 2 to my setup, mainly as a soundcard to bring along with the laptop for acoustic measurements and location music production, but it will also serve as two extra micpres in my bag (when needed). The 664 gives me the possibility to record twelve ISO tracks. I seldom go above eight, but it happens and then the 664 just let's me do that. I thought about buying the 633 when it came out because of its small footprint, but I'm glad I bought the 664 because I would have grown out of the 633 pretty fast. If you do a lot of ENG/EFP jobs as well and want to record ISO tracks, you should make it as comfortable as possible and buy one mixer that does the job for you. With a 664 or similar recorder, you can add/borrow/rent the extra gear needed for a specific gig. The channel count shouldn't be the first thing that holds you back from taking a recording gig, right? Just my two cents Fred
  12. Hi guys Sorry for the delayed answer. Now I've done a range test comparing the AVX system with a G3 system. Here you can listen to how it sounds when the AVX system drops out and comes back again. I'd say the advertised expected range of about 30 meters in line-of-sight is pretty much correct. The G3 system has a bit longer range and can with degraded sound quality handle almost twice the distance, but it's not pretty sounding at that distance. The short key ring test at the end of the sound clips sure shows which system that sounds the best. :-) Due to the length of the sound clips I FLAC encoded them, but also uploaded smaller MP3's. Enjoy! ;-) Fred 10_Sennheiser_AVX_MKE2_SD664_80Hz_lowcut.flac 09_Sennheiser_G3_DPA_4060_SD664_80Hz_lowcut.flac 10_Sennheiser_AVX_MKE2_SD664_80Hz_lowcut.mp3 09_Sennheiser_G3_DPA_4060_SD664_80Hz_lowcut.mp3
  13. ninjafreddan

    RF Killer

    Maybe you should consider using a Lectrosonics SMQV transmitter that can be set to 100mW or even 250mW RF output? Is it possible to position the antennas closer to the actors? Or setting up a pair of really close antennas for that particular actor (depending on how much movement the actor does)? I have a theory that the person's BMI might be a part of the problem, however it's not always the case. I sometimes work with a lady that's a RF Vampire and it just amaze me how she's able to absorb radio frequencies - she's like a vortex! :-) Normally I get very good coverage with my Shure systems - I also set the frequencies using RF Explorer - but with this particular lady I get line-on-sight 15 meters range, then dropouts. She walks into a building, no signal, together with another person wearing a transmitter and I have good coverage from the second system - even with a couple of walls in between me and them. I've tried pretty much everything with little success. Sometimes I move her transmitter around depending on the angle we're filming and I've experimented with disabling the squelch on the receiver which is okay working with documentaries, but totally not okay working with a show. Cheers Fred
  14. Whenever the production forgets to bring a computer, I zip the sound files and put them on my Synology server. That way I can hand them a download link and off they go. And later check if they actually have downloaded the file. But it would be great to have a small gizmo that can copy the content of an SD card directly to a USB stick. I would much rather hand over a USB stick than my trusted memory cards. There are "photo backup" gizmos available on Amazon and such places, with built-in hard drives, maybe they can do the job. I've never tried one and they are a bit pricey. Boy, I wish the USB-port on my SD664 could be used for file transfer. *Edit* I'm going to try copying the content of the CF card onto a cheap 16Gb Kingston SD card. If it works, then it's a fast and easy way to hand over the files. I seldom use more than 16Gb/day. Cheers Fred
  15. +1 I haven't worked with drama in a long time, but when I did, I always tried to put a shotgun mic on a stand to pick up off-camera dialogue. Or a lav mic if the actors were moving. I don't know if it ever was used, but it helped produce a good/relevant dialogue sound for the director. Some days I was the sound mixer and at other times I was the boom operator. I would never chase off-camera dialogue with the boom, unless asked to. I guess it's best to discuss the procedure with the director and explain the pros and cons. Cheers Fred
  16. Yes, even a Rode shotgun mic sounds better. For documentary and reality work, basically yes, if you got them covered with lavs, either concentrate on that and maybe add the boom at a distance to be able to get some natural ambience. You might wanna get better lavs than then ME-2 that comes with the G3-system. Personally, I boom as well whenever possible, but that's just me. :-) At what distance and which situations are you experiencing problems with you G3 systems? Properly setup you should be able to get pretty good performance - not like an expensive wireless system but still good. I've used G3-systems in police cars with officers talking on their com radios without any interference and I've gotten good performance at a distance too - police car out of sight two blocks away. The camera man's G2-system, on the other hand, got knocked out right away by the side-bands of the police com radios. I'm thinking you might be unlucky regarding the choice of frequency band in your city. The frequency scanner in the G3-system is IMHO totally useless, but I can highly recommend buying an RF Explorer. In five minutes you will be able to scan the frequency spectrum, find the frequencies with the least noise in your band and setup your G3-systems appropriately. Thank me later! ;-) The trick is to make it as comfortable as possible when doing ENG/EFP work - that means getting the proper equipment and put in in a good bag. Personally I find it very relieving working with wireless camera links, a good harness and a boom with built-in cable. Good luck Fred
  17. Yeah, the 5-pin most likely sounds better with less noise and distortion. Let me know how it sounds, okay. I haven't worked with the F800 but it looks like a really nice broadcast camera. Off topic. Depending on the quality and length of your snake cable, you might wanna try sending four audio channels via AES/EBU from the SD664. It's not kosher, but it works for me. I've done it with my SD664 and a SD552. Don't try it with a SD788 because any digital cable connected to a 788 turns into a broadband antenna raising the radio noise floor about 10dB or more - interfering with wireless receivers in close proximity. Cheers Fred
  18. I'd say it's overkill and unnecessary. It's not like you're listening to the headphone or camera outputs for the sake of fidelity. Your mixer will always sound better. You're listening through the camera to control that the levels aren't breaking up and that cables aren't crackling. In a run and gun situation, you're also controlling that the camera man hasn't set the input levels to AUTO or adjusted the levels manually, while shooting some stock footage while you and the rest of the team were having lunch. Now I'm using a wireless camera link 99% or the time - what a relief(!!!) - but when I was still on a coiled cable and the audio was only recorded in the camera, I listened to the camera return 99.5% of the time - even when it had quite a bit of latency - because it was my responsibility to capture the sound. I've had crackling cables, levels that got messed with etc - and always been able to remedy the problems within a minute just because I was listening to the camera return all the time. When available, always use the 5-pin output from the camera because it generally sounds better. I have a custom made coiled snake cable with a tail that easily can be unlocked with one hand - costed me about $500 back in the days but it was worth it. You have to make it as comfortable as possible when working with EFP. Cheers Fred
  19. I've been writing reviews for quite a long time, in various magazines, so I just love doing shoot-outs. So here's a couple of sound clips comparing the AVX system with a Sennheiser 2000 system etcetera. The signal-path is a DPA 4017B shotgun mic -> SD664 with low-cut at 80Hz -> cable / AVX / SK_EK 2000 / G3 -> Antelope Pure2 ADC at 48kHz. As you can hear in one of the sound clips, AVX is level sensitive and not at all as 'smart' as I thought it would be. To me it sounds like it pretty much has a set Threshold where it starts compressing excessive input level. I've set the outputs from my mixer to -10 which is fine for the SK2000 and the G3 transmitters I normally use as camera link. In comparison the output to the AVX transmitter had to be attenuated 20dB more, otherwise the internal compressor stomped down the level. Let me know what you think okay. And thanks for putting up with my voice and my English. :-) Cheers Fred 02_DPA_4017B-664-AVX-PURE2.wav 01_DPA_4017B-664-PURE2.wav 05_DPA_4017B-664-SK_EK_2000-PURE2.wav 04_DPA_4017B-664-AVX_10dB_higher_input_level-PURE2_take_2.wav 03_DPA_4017B-664-PURE2_take_2.wav 06_DPA_4017B-664-AVX-PURE2.wav 07_DPA_4017B-664-SK_EK_2000-PURE2.wav 08_DPA_4017B-664-SK_EK_100_G3-PURE2.wav
  20. Thanks! You are right, the phase is yet yet both my XLR->TELE are wired the right way. I discovered it yesterday when I was recording more sound clips with both a 2000 and a G3 system, both were out of phase. I'm going to redo my cables and flip the phase. Thanks for noticing! :-) Sibilants are a bit exaggerated for sure, also audible when using the AVX system as camera hop. Cheers Fred
  21. Recorded audio on my SD664 faded in and out and sent via AVX to my main studio ADC for auditioning in Nuendo along with the analogue output from the 664, of course. ;-) And also compare the AVX to my SK2000 hop. The latter will easily win the range contest, and AVX will be the better sounding. Question is how much better it will sound. The delay can sure play tricks on you, though 19ms really isn't that much (except when auditioning your own voice on headphones). Cheers Fred
  22. It takes line levels up to about +12dBu according to the manual - pretty much the same max level as G3 and SK2000 - so a 10dB padded cable should work just fine. Hopefully I get the chance to try it out tomorrow. It's going to be interesting to hear how the AGC works at line level slowly fading audio in and out. Listening to the background noise of the lav mic, I couldn't detect any gain-riding going on, so my guess is that it analyzes the RMS- and PEAK- level of the audio above the background level and adjust itself appropriately. When there's a sudden peak, it will bring it down and quickly go back to the previous gain-level. It's definitely not the kind of crazy-pumping-in-yer-face AGC that most older cameras have. Not at all. Actually, I have a second system too and my plan is to try them out as a two-channel camera hop. Cheers Fred
  23. Nope, it's a two-way connection. The radio signal strength of the reciever can be viewed on the transmitter. I believe the transmission power increase when the signal strength is low. So, it's not to be used as camera hop to more than one camera at a time. Cheers Fred
  24. Hi guys The new Sennheiser AVX system arrived at my studio today. :-) Just want to share my first comparison - DPA 4060 via cable versus DPA 4060 via Sennheiser AVX into SD664, low-cut disabled. Listening to the low-end rumble there's a subsonic filter in the AVX-system, but it's rather low so it's not a problem. *EDIT* According to the manual the transmitter has a frequency response of 50Hz - 20kHz, which shows there's a low-cut filter engaged when a microphone is connected. When a line level cable is connected the frequency response is 20Hz - 20kHz *END EDIT* The transmission exaggerates the sibilant high-end a little bit, but it's easily fixed in post. The mid-range is a tad flat in comparison, but now I'm picky. What I like about the sound is that it doesn't sound like a radio transmission to me, it doesn't have that little bit of mid-range haziness/flatness that I believe all analogue RF systems have to some degree (digital hybrid or not). I've felt the same way using digital systems from Sony and Shure - very close to a straight wire. It's going to be fun watching the faces of camera men, when I plug in the receiver dongle to their cameras. :-) Some of them with most likely grab their iPhones and put in an order on the spot. The transmitter is a little bit smaller and slimmer than a G3-transmitter and it feels more sturdy, though the rechargeable battery has plastic housing. I wonder if the mute button can be disabled, have to check the manual. * fingers crossed * :-) The latency is just a little bit less than 19 ms, as specified. So basically close to half a frame. Attaching two sound clips for your enjoyment. :-) Cheers Fred DPA_4060_into_Sennheiser_AVX_then_into_SD664.wav DPA_4060_cabled_into_SD664.wav
×
×
  • Create New...