Carlos Maeda

If I'm not mistaken, the NT4 and NT5 share the same circuitry and capsules, just that the NT4 puts them all into a single body and a fixed XY pattern. Personally, I think you'd be better served with a separate pair. With a stereo bar or two stands, they'll do the same job as the single mic while also opening you up to more techniques like ORTF, spaced pair, and MS (with a figure-8 mic). Pair them with a set of Rycote BBGs and you're good to go.

If I remember correctly, eBay offers a "Second Chance" option to sellers. Don't know if it will apply to your situation since the product was sent and then returned, but worth a shot to possibly sell to some of those other bidders if they're still in the market.

http://siritricks.net/

Same in Chicago CL and vicinity. Made me laugh.

S. Harber: That does look interesting. I'll pull up some older files I still have saved and see what they come up as. Vale: I think that's it. I must've done something different this time around that wouldn't allow me to make those edits. Will try it tomorrow.

Marc: I'm currently running v1.17 on OS X 10.7.5. Constantin: That's exactly what I'm doing now. Keeps me from recording blank tracks and saves on storage space.

I use the cmd-S shortcut, but yes I'm saving after I enter all the data. Wave Agent will give me a popup warning if I try to move to on w/o saving.

Using Wave Agent to enter all necessary metadata to my files recorded on a Tascam DR680. Sometimes, when I enter the track names under the Track Info field, it will only save the last entry and move it to track 1. This happens when I enter the data all at once or individually. I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing differently this time around that it won't save. Has anyone else ever encountered this problem? If so, how did you remedy it? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Here's my workflow for reference: I record the SD 552 mix as a separate stereo BWF (via AES out) and ISOs as mono BWFs (DR680 will only record a 6ch poly, no less). Import mix files to Wave Agent then enter metadata and rename mix files. Then import mono ISOs, create polys, clear mono files and import polys, enter metadata and rename. A lot of extra work on myself I know, but works for now until I trade it all for one of them new 633s.

Takuro, that's a great little setup you got there. I'm gonna have to make one of my own now. I'm nowhere near getting my own full-fledged cart, but am always looking for a chair or crates to sit my bag on.

I'm curious as to why you're taking it upon yourself to try to fix these problems yourself, especially if you know it's going to go to audio post anyways. Surely, if the recorded sound was to the point where the producers cannot "focus on the story and lock picture" it's all but unusable. But if a first time user of tools like iRX, Cedar, etc can clean "it up relatively easily," then the problems couldn't have been as severe as you made them sound like. However many hours it took you to find a solution plus the amount of time you took to apply it, could most likely have been done quicker and better by your "pro audio guy." Wouldn't all that time and energy be better put towards tasks you're actually responsible for? Hell, all that you'll do will most likely be thrown out by audio post anyways; maybe even without hearing it for themselves. Look, I don't think anyone here want's to discourage you from learning something new. I'm glad you want to expand your knowledge and learn how to solve a problem that comes across your desk often (follow the link Marc posted about Purcell's book). But should you be doing it at your employer's expense? I'm sure I'd catch hell if a producer hired me to do audio and found out I was messing around with color correction because I thought it would help them focus on finalizing my mix. My advice to you is to leave the audio as is so that the audio guy mentioned can work on it and you can focus on what you were hired to do. Then, if you're still interested in learning, you can take said video clips and practice on removing noise on your own time and at your own pace.

I agree entirely with what SENATOR and others have said in that it is indeed YOUR JOB to ask for what you need and not simply assume they know. However, I've had enough encounters like that of the OP that I actually send the editors this link when I give them the run down of what I need. Even with such a laid out tutorial (set for FCP, but the jist of it all is pretty universal), they still get it wrong. Last week, I received a reference video file that wouldn't open in Pro Tools or Quicktime. Opened it in VLC player to discover it was in a frame rate of 47.952948! The OMF was in 23.976; how the hell did that happen?

Tiny bit of background on me to help understand where I'm coming from: Finished school concentrating in audio post, but finding more gigs and open doors to post through working location. Started off with an SD MixPre to a Zoom H4 (first gen) for gathering SFX right after school, then replaced the H4 with a Tascam HD-P2 when I started location (figured I'd at least be set in case I need TC). I then traded the HD-P2 for a DR680 (was almost an even swap and figured I'd benefit more from the extra channel count than owning a "TC ready" recorder) with the plan of selling the MixPre and pair the recorder to a 552. Figured I'd buy my gear slowly and rent as needed, only upgrading if I see I'm renting higher-end stuff more and more. In the case of my initial question. I'm renting out a buddy's old Shure FP12 enough times to justify looking into owning my own solution.

Thank you all for your input. So much more info than I was able to scour up; and certainly of better quality. Here's the reason I asked this question in the first place. I'm looking for a small, single channel setup for boom to be used in a couple different scenarios: A. I'm a mixer with separate boom op, where the boom op can hear their mic (I don't necessarily need to give him gain control) while sending the signal back to me. B. I'm a OMB and only require at most 1 boom and 1 lav, where I'd feed the boom and lav to simple 2ch recorder. The goal here is to be a minimalist. C. I'm a OMB and am mixing multiple sources + boom. The goal here is to offer easy adjustment to the boom I'd be operating, making it one less channel to look down into the bag and fuss with. I initially only cared about scenario A, as I thought B & C were only capable through remote faders on a recorder like the SD 788 (which I cannot afford nor justify owning at this point in my career), or mixers like the PSC Alphamix or SQN 5s (have my heart on upgrading my lowly MixPre to a 552 in the next week or two). I then came across the Sonosax and thought it'd be a way to gain control of the boom's gain like the devices listed, but with any mixer/recorder I choose. I'm probably way over thinking this, as I can't seem to source this unit anyways. Will probably end up keeping my MixPre or buying an MM-1 and throw either in a waist pouch, but figured "what the hell, it doesn't hurt to ask around." Does it?

You remind me of my old grammar school teachers (the old "can I, may I" conversation comes to mind), so I will reword my question accordingly: Anyone care to share their experiences with this unit?

This little guy caught my eye when looking at an SD MM-1 and alternatives. However, I can't seem to find any useful reviews of it. Anyone have any experience with this unit? http://www.sonosax.ch/mic_preamp/bd1/sxbd1_index.html

Used this method earlier today with great success. Only problem I had was getting the lav to stick one actor's semi-hairy chest. He has a shirtless scene next week and therefore couldn't shave him (director likes the hair i guess). Made it work with some transpore directly underneath the "pocket" where there was no hair.

Tom, I think I was supposed to be your boom op on a web series last summer, but I had too many scheduling conflicts to fully commit. Tried to catch a pre-pro meeting to at least meet you in person, but got there about 10 minutes too late. Was a shame though as I was looking forward to learning from you. It's funny you say that, because coming from the post side of things I'll often take tangents in between scenes and gather whatever sounds I can find. I remember shooting an indy in that park in Chinatown along the river (can't remember the proper name) and swinging my boom over the side so I can get the sound of the water hitting the metal supports. Made all the difference months later, gave an urban/industrial feeling to the mix. I'm pretty conscious about not holding up production with things like that, but always looking for what can be useful down the road regardless if I'm the one that'll be using it. So long as I keep good reports, no one ever minds.

First time posting, but avid reader. Sorry to wake up an old post, but I wanted to offer my gratitude to everyone who pitched in with cory's questions; they've been very inspiring. I am in the same boat as he, through from opposite ends I suppose; I know with certainty that I want a career in post but find it valuable to be able to work production. I wasn't able to uproot myself after college and leave for LA like everyone else I knew; I had to stay put in Chicago. With only my handful of student projects under my belt, no one locally was willing to give me much chance. Not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't afford to. So I decided to put all those location sound electives (because I had a feeling it would come down to this) to good use and work production on whatever I could find. Whomever hires me for production knows I do post as well because I'll send them to my site which states it. Somewhere down the line I'll ask who will be doing post. If they reply with a name or company, I say "that's awesome" and drop the subject. If they say no one, then I gently remind them I can do that for them as well. Nothing more, nothing less. They're usually pretty satisfied with my work on set that they're willing to entertain the idea of bringing me back. Usually they dont, sometimes they do. Often times, they'll remember me for something else down the road and will call me just for post. Approaching it this way has at least put the idea in their heads and opened some doors for me. At the moment, I'm still stuck mainly doing corporate interviews, BTS shoots, and every other indy short and feature-length in town, but I don't mind it much because I know I'm working up my own ladder sort-of speak. While I'm still nowhere near where I truly want to be, approaching it this way has allowed me the opportunity to work on projects I'd have never been able to had I made a firm decision from the get-go. At the very least, I have earned a newfound respect for the other side of things. With that and my music recording (I guess I have ADHD in comparison to some of the other members here), I've been slowly able to make a living doing what I love at it's core... SOUND. (Would you tell an oil painter he/she cannot work with watercolors?) Whether it's resonating off a soundboard in a concert hall, vocal chords underneath scorching lights, or a sheet of stainless steel in an iso booth, sound is the medium I choose to make art with; and if the stars align just right, a career as well.