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filmfreak

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  1. filmfreak

    Help !!!

    To who ever can shed some light to what looks like a no way out dead end right now. I am steppong into day 3 of a feature I am working on tomorrow and I am facing an issue I cannot resolve no matter what I tried. All my radio mics are extremely rustly no matter whihc mounting option I 've tried. I am using COS-11s and Audio 2020 ( 4 units ). Further down ther shoot I will be using a couple of 2040s too but its 2020s for now. I ;ve been wiring for over a decade now and its been always a matter of hgh experimentation and uncertainty but what is going on here is friving me nuts, plus I tried even the last tricks I had in my desposal and I cannot resolve the rustiling issue or at least improve it, no matter how I aooriach laving. This is the first time I am using Audios in a feature but I 've been wiring COS-11s in the last 5 years or so and the rubber mount worked miracles. The approach is to keep the mount as much floating as possible abd if that is not an option, then just stick the back and front side of the rubber so the front and back layers of the mount are sticked and fabric is not moving around the rubber. I tried som e Rycote overcovers today and even though they provided a more "open" sound, I still had rustling issues with every litte movement of the actors. Using the 2020s at Sensitivity setting 5 and recording on a 744T with a 302 front end. Can anyine suggest a possible solution or experience as what coyld be going so wrong and why. ?? I was trying a variety of "safe" mounting option with ruvver today but could not a get a single one without leting the unacceptable rustle to creep in. If any one can suggest something, please do as I ;ve run out of ideas, time and I still have a very very tiny chance to save the film's audio. Thanks in advance Aris
  2. Give Visual Impact a try > http://www.visuals.co.uk/ +44 (0)20 8977 1222 Ask for Ian
  3. Might not have everything you are looking for but very professional and prompt shipping > http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/
  4. E-mailed them about a couple of months ago >> Dear Aris, Thank you for your message. The cLINK is currently still in developement. We were planning a release for the end of the year but unfortunately a chip on which relied most of the design was discontinued (bad luck). So right now some of the specs can still change and a release date can not be announced. Stay tuned on our website for more informations regarding the release of the product. In the meantime feel free to ask for any further informations you would need and have a nice day. Best regards, Antoine MALNATI AUDIOROOT
  5. After checking the settings once more before formatting I wanted to post a Correction : Mix Assist was ON Thanks to everyone for your feedback
  6. I did not try to disconnect the CL8 and also the occurrence of the problem is unstable as everything was working fine when I switched on the recorder after the shoot. I understand what you are saying here, that the controller was the only physical external device connected to the recorder but the reason I didn't opt for this solution was more from a practical point of view as it is very difficult to try and mix on the 788T without a controller and just didn't want to add this on my problem solving list .
  7. The gig was not a one man run and gun type. If I would not have a trust worthy boom op on the front end I would never even have the peace of mind to get a chance to problem solve an error like this one. Everything had to be kept in the bag due to extremely tight setups and bad weather which just made a bad rig more mobile than a cart setup and a CL-9 controller which was available in the van. The connection mode menu is set to CONNECT AS MASS STORAGE and mix assistant was not on. What boggles me is that there was no external HDD or other device connected to any of the ports, except the CL-8. I checked the menu and the media recording option is set to record to the INHDD - CF and External HDD. I don't know if that caused a breakdown to the recorder but it seems over the top that such a setting could cause it. All the takes are there and they are safe. Whatever was recorder could be copied by the DIT from the CF but I just had to merge the takes from the 788t and the 744T into a single CF for delivery which was not a major task. I will format in a few hours and consider the internal HDD re-seat. If you got any further questions about the setup, keep them coming. Thanks !
  8. I was filing in a friend of mine on a feature today and used his 788T , CL-8 setup. Went through some test runs yesterday night, before today's shoot and while I was trying shortcuts and routing options a message about the recorder connecting through USB and Firewire poped up without dialing anything in by my side and I was unable to access any of the recorder's menus or controls for some seconds. Didn't pay attention to it and after a couple of minutes the same message came on screen which also blocked me from any access to the recorder. Called up my friend and he told me that on the last couple of weeks the same thing happened to him after upgrading to the latest firmware featuring Mix Assist but after a manual restart it was all back to normal. Didn't pay attention and I finished the routine check prior to the shoot. Today, the same thing came up a good 4-6 times, fortunately between rolls but on one instance I also missed one take as I could not start the recorder due to not having access to it ! The shoot was a very fast paced one and after changing location, script asked me for some specific details about a take which I rolled on the previous location. By trying to access the HDD and CF I could not find any of the takes I previously recorder on both media !! Quadriple checking that I wasn't doing something wrong, I manually restarted the recorder as a final resort solution and on startup, all takes appeared again !!! Observing this peculiar incident,I intentionally left on the recorder non stop, so it would remain on for the whole location. A few minutes later on the second take, not only I managed to not roll because there was simply no access on the recorder on the crucial time frame I had to roll but even after the 2 messages ended and I had the opportunity to press record, this time the recorder was not seeing any of its recording media Again ! but this time I was prompted to a message that I could not record due to not existing media on the recorder !!! The msg was suggesting that I would insert a new CF card while the 16GB SD recommended Transcend CF card was barely used. Fortunately enough and for my extremely good luck there was a lunch break after the total failure to roll and I had time to start figuring out how I can deal with the problem. I tried restarting several times, restarting without a CF, restarting with a CF, Hot swaping a CF while the recorder was on, Using only the external power supply, using only the battery power supply. No matter what I did there was no media recognised by the 788T and I was clearly left without a recorder in the middle of nowhere ! Weirdly enough, everything seemed to be working as I could monitor all tracks and see the signal coming in through the meters but there was just no way I could record !! After 6 + of recording in the digital domain this was the first ever time that the backup I am always carrying with me saved my butt and my trustworthy 744/302 combo saved the day and my name as I was able to record the end titles closing scene of the film, featuring a well known actor on an extremely tight schedule and on a very limited time frame light wise. After all these years of carrying a backup with me boy I am glad I kept practicing this habit and even if I won't ever need it again, this scene alone payed everything off. As soon as I returned back to base, I switched the 788T once more out of curiosity and it could see the HDD and CF drives without the slightest issue !!! I am going to backup all takes and reformat the recorder from scratch as this is the best solution that comes in mind but I just wanted to share my experience and ask if anyone else had the same experience with mine. I am formatting the recorder tomorrow, so there is time to try out things if anyone is interested. Best Aris
  9. Hi Vincent Interesting tests. Did all tests take place in the same room ? I can hear an extended low frequency rumble with the Zaxcom and I was wondering whether it is the system's low end or just the room's noise floor as I cannot hear any background talks found on the other recordings. Also on the EN2 test are you using a Snaken mic as opposed to the other tests where you are using a Schoeps ? Which would the Sanken mic be ? Is the Schoeps the MK41 ? Thanks Aris
  10. Lacie is the first one to release a Thunderbolt equipped hard disc. http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10549 More will follow ..
  11. Also check out a very detailed and interesting interview from John Midgley here : http://soundworkscollection.com/thekingsspeech
  12. Hi Christian Thanks for your time and effort man. Much appreciated . Couldn't tell a sentence from the .pdf Aris
  13. Greeting to all I just found out about a very extensive Super CMIT review on the Schoeps site . I am reading the forum on a daily basis and never noticed a thread on this one here. http://www.schoeps.de/en/news/73 Schoeps published a review that looks like the most detailed Super CMIT I 've red up to now but it is only available in German. Looks like the results were beyond successful as the first picture of the review shows happy Schoeps reviewers having happy after review beer celebratory smiles ! Could German mixers please dedicate some time over the next days to translate the text ? I tried using Babelfish and the results were seriously misleading. it would be great to have a translation about the first digital shotgun by the manufacturer it self as this is the first digital shotgun but still belongs in the Grey Area of mics since there is limited to none feedback from the field and there is no definite answer if the mic is really useful in shootings or not. Thanks and hope I am not asking for much or the review is not too complicated. Aris
  14. Glen,Michael and Jeff Thank you for putting time in to my question. Feedback is appreciated and the use of Star Quads is clear in my head now. I remember reading an article I think it was about a couple of years ago highlighting the benefits of star quad and then instinctively, my sonic memory was ringing a subconscious bell when I had to choose on which kind of cables I should use. Jeff, thanks for highlighting short cable runs because it was all about short cables I was going after. Glenn, the cables are indeed mini star quad and not twisted pairs. A couple of Blue plus a couple of White and shielding. The cables I picked up are the Van Damme ones. The reason I chose Van Damme over Mogami or Canare is that I needed 6-7 color codes and Van Damme is the only brand that offered that many colors in mini star quad. Haven't tried the Belden mini star quad ones but Belden would not be my first choice. I already soldered the cables now ( except the TA series connectors ) but I now know better for next time and I will investigate carefully in order to find quality small diameter cables. Graham, I didn't A/B Mogamis and all the Mogami cables I have are mini star quads but I believe that Glenn answered thoroughly on this one . Kindest Regards Aris
  15. Greetings to all I bought mini starq uad cables recently and went ahead soldering some mini stereo jacks to XLR cables. I also wanted to make a couple of Switchcraft Mini XLR cables to XLR M and XLR F but the mini star quad cable's diameter was not permitting the cable to make it through the Mini XLR tight Switchcraft sleeve. I remember the first time I switched from a typical XLR cable ( not anything fancy ) to a Mogami mini star quad, I was amazed by what my ears were listening ! To make sure that it was not a psycho acoustic mind trick, I switched back to the previously used cable and then plugged the Mogami again and there it was once more ! The low end contained less mud, mids were unstuck from the background, there was a better high end response and air in the highs. I never looked back again and sticked on mini star quads simply because they sounded so much better to my ears. Except offering better isolation which are specifically the properties and advantages of a mini star quad versus a more common XLR cable ? When cable diameter is an issue, should someone try to go around the mini star quad or insist on patenting the cable so the mini star quad will fit in somehow ? [glow=red,2,300]Happy[/glow], [glow=red,2,300]Healthy[/glow] and [glow=red,2,300]Prosperous 2011[/glow] to everyone ! Aris
  16. Beware of a crappy misleading pro at the end of another misleading "Soundtrack" title. Something's really fishy with Soundtrack and it seems that apple pulled back on this program as it is impossible to export from SP3 to virtually anywhere !! There is no OMF export. ( there was OMF export with handles in SP2 !! ) There is only .AAF export where stereo export of your tracks is default even for mono tracks !!! AAF export, randomly decides not to export parts of the tracks you are trying to export, causing a real nightmare when exporting your session to Pro Tools. There is no handles option !!! and fades as well as cross fades are rendered giving you no further control on your parts !! You can send tracks and parts from Logic and FCP but you have no option to send your tracks ANYWHERE !! from SP 3. You can send tracks from FCP to SP3 and then automatically update the changes from SP 3 to FCP but both programs need to be open at the same time. Learned it the hard way ... By the way, SP 3 sessions are not readable in SP 2 and oh yes !! it was an original copy . Aris
  17. Hi Vin I am also looking for a similar solution in the last couple of months. I suggest to go for and check out the Focal CMS 40 speaker. Its the best value for money near field imo. Weighting just a bit lighter than the Genelec, allowing more access and settings at highs and lows and keeping the BIG advantage is in the highs. Since you are looking for a small and light cabinet you will not be able to get a decent low end without a sub, so the only part you can benefit from is the high frequencies. The CMS 40 goes up to 28 Khz which is way more than enough, in order to monitor atmos precisely and also be able to tell how much the mid highs cut in the mix and how well radios match your boom(s). Genelec is a fine company but I was never fond of their small speakers and I noticed coloration . Maybe coloration is reduced with the new designed Genelec cabinets but I keep my doubts. Focal is the new king of the hill in this category. Regards Aris
  18. Hi James Without knowing the figure of 8 pp of your mic, It doesn't really matter whether the dot will be left or right, because it is a figure of 8 and up to now I have not encountered a figure of 8 featuring different lobes on each side. You should position the "dot" on a horizontal axis with an equal difference from "top" to "bottom" of the mic's body. What is important in an m/s setup, is that the "dead" pp area of a figure of 8 is centered in relation to the Mid mic, so that there is no interference and phase cancellation between the Mid and Side mic. Best Aris
  19. Greetings to every one Being based in Greece and operating mainly in Greece I can assure you that not even a single company or service listed here will be able to supply you any audio equipment. Unfortunately there is not a single rental house providing audio equipment in Greece. You will only be able to find camera rental packages and light rental packages. From all the companies listed by Eric,only Greg Moshos is renting out equipment and this is strictly lights . All other companies do not rent a single audio mic and some of them are not even working any more. I know every single rental house and in the best case scenario you will be able to find a 302 mixer if you are lucky, G2 radios and a 416 shotgun. This is as good as it gets . The only way you will be able to find professional equipment is from individual mixers and it will still be difficult to rent out from them since mixers do not have an ever growing list of kit, meaning that if they will rent out, they won't be able to book the next available gig. Lectrosonics is not even represented by any dealer here and the Sound Devices agent would not be able to let you know where to go in order to rent as he is mainly supplying music equipment. I will be more than happy to provide any form of assistance to anyone making it over to Greece for a shoot. Kindest Regards Aris
  20. Hi Bernie Have you tried the Sennheiser MKE 1 ? http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/professional_wireless-microphone-systems_lavalier-mics-mke-1?Open&path=professional_wireless-microphone-systems_lavalier-mics Among the best choices available for heavy sweating placement. Best Aris
  21. Greetings Senator Yeap ! I am totally with you regarding anonymity and I am aware of the daily journal and I am also supporting the issues raised as far as anonymity and the ugly face that a pseudonym carries. I will break down all my professional background,experience etc but not at the current time. I believe that its not the time to write on the daily journal for me wright now but I 've allready made "daily journal" scenarios in my mind and I will post a really detailed profile there, when the scenarios will wrippen and mature more. On my reply after your message I wanted also to write that there is the wright place and the wright time for each matter and subject, hence the different sections of this forum. I believe that it is welcomed and appropriate to leave the technical issues under the technical sections, the Society, Politics and the Planet issues under the equivalent section and the Daily Journal issues under their section and not keep on jumping from one section to another. Well, that's what I think. As you said, yes ! you can shoot with a really long lense and so many other options which also comes down to our job/art as well and this is what makes the film making process such an interesting profession as there are many options and ways of achieving the desired result but I was talking about shooting specifically in tight interiors where fan noise can bounce and deflect/reflect in various wavelengths/frequencies/surfaces and taking in account that the locations are tight, no matter how well you will treat the surfaces or the floor/ceiling/walls, you are definitely heading for trouble if you have a noisy camera and this was my point. Ballasts you can cover or find a way out but if the noise is coming from the camera then you are in trouble ! "BTW, yes, I have worked with the Viper, on some commercials a while back... " Commercials and Features are 2 completely different worlds regarding what is needed by the production mixer and in my opinion its not enough of experience to have worked only in commercial shootings with the Viper and especially a while back as the firmware has been upgraded over the last 18 months as Richard stated. I still believe that you did not answer any of the technical questions I asked about the camera and you addressed all other issues except the technical part but as you also stated you had no experience with the Viper on a feature which is cool. Thanks for your time and all the info you 've shared in the jwsound group. Kindest Regards Aris
  22. Greetings Richard(s) Thank you very much for your detailed info. All the details you appositioned here cover all my queries 100%. I am definitely going to do a synch and rec test as there is plenty of time ahead and the camera crew is incredibly collaborative. I thought that it would be useful to ask fellow mixers here about their real life experience as even after successfully completing flawless tests there are some times the odd cases where you can face unexpected errors and mind boggling errors that its great to solve before hand. I also believe that the Viper is very little covered and such a topic might turn useful for other mixers in the future. Thanks again and have a great day. Aris
  23. Dear Senator Thanks very much for all the hints but you didn't actually provide any info at all regarding the issues I raised when shooting with the Viper. Regarding the DOP and talking him over, well as you stated there are these few exceptions that appreciate good mixers and are collaborative as they consider the whole crew as part of the film making process and don't think they are just a lifetime away from being re incarnated as gods. Well, there is no point in adding a couple or a dozen of Sankens in the package if I am going to come against a source of noise that is going to be as near as possible in CUs where there is no tolerance about noisy tracks, especially when you are shooting interiors. Regarding the project, yeap its not a few dozen $$$$$$ production but the less $$$$ are available for the film and the less $$$$ are available for post and ADR the higher the expectations for location tracks are. Not trying to imply rules here but at least that's the case with the specific film I am mixing. I 've tried Sankens under many different outdoor and indoor locations and I really dig the mic . Thank you very much for suggesting but I 'll pass. I will prefer the CCM41 for interiors but this comes down to personal choice criteria. There are definitely many things that can cause noise levels on sets and some can be dealt with and others can't but having to deal with a noisy camera Well I 've been through this before and its a strong contestant in dropping a shoot right now. Please don't take me wrong and I don't want to be rude but does it really matter if I am a handle or not or does it really come down to how reputable I am or not when I am asking for fellow mixers about their real life experience on the camera that its the least covered on forums, articles you name it ! regarding double system location issues and camera upgrades ?? Yes, I have no experience with the Viper and I openly admit it but it looks like you don't have any experience with the camera too as you 've covered all other aspects of film making, from producers to dops, down to my personal abilities and reputation but have not even scratched the surface of any of the Viper issues I asked on this topic. Thank you for your time.
  24. I am going to work on a feature starting in 2 months and chances are that the feature will be shot with the Viper camera. I haven't red much about Viper double system shootings either here or on other forums and the only article I 've red about the Viper is on one issue of the Coffey Files and the shooting of Fincher's "The curious case of Benjamin Button". I remember that there was an issue with the Viper camera and the mixer was not able to use his Schoeps mics and had to put the Sanken CS3e in play due to background rejection and the camera being noisy . I can't recall if it was the camera's actual fan noise or the noisy recording deck it self but I remember that on a particular sequence where Cate Blanchett was very old and about to die, she had a very faint voice and the shooting was in the interiors of a hospital. CS3e's rejection was not enough for such a low level ( + it was an interior location, which definitely played an important role ) and the Viper was replaced by the F35 or F32 because of the high noise floor. The feature I will work on is 80 % interiors and mostly on tight rooms and I am wondering if shooting with the Viper will be a real disaster as I am using the Schoeps CCM41 for the interiors or if the current version of the Viper Cam or a recent update has addressed the issue of the noise. The Red Cam also used to have an issue with the camera's fans but after a certain build - I think it was around build 14 - the problem was solved and the fans are on standby mode while recording. In case the Viper's "noise" issue has not been solved yet, is there a kind of barney that can keep the camera quiet or is the "noise" problem addressed exclusively on the deck ? I have no experience with the Viper and I would like to know from mixers who are experienced with this cam, so if there is really an issue and there is no satisfactory solution around it , being able to record in tight interiors with a more omni pp mic like the Schoeps CCM41, I will try to talk the dop and production in using another camera if possible. Thanks ! Aris
  25. Hi Dan I haven't A/Bed and its not possible right now. Haven't heard the MKH 50 and 60 but I 've worked for years with the 416 and I can say that I know 416's drawbacks and advantages pretty well. It is an excellent mic in my opinion and the only mic that is being produced for so many years ( probably I am missing on another one right now but without second thoughts 416 is THE mic that comes in mind and still being used through many years in shoots ) and only by having in mind that Sennheiser wanted to stop producing the 416 but it is still being produced due to public demand, it proves that the 416 is a timeless classic and trustworthy mic. I decided to purchase a CS3 instead of a 416 when I was ready to buy my own gear because the extra presence that the 416 gives around 4 Khz is an element that I didn't want. The MKH 70 has a transparent sound , clear dialogue and nice low end. In my ears, it is not compared to the 416. Best Aris
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