Ze Frias

I vaguely remember Howy say that the new guts on the ZHD wireless would improve transmission efficiency even on older modulation schemes. Along with that, remember that there are two ZHD modulation schemes, ZHD48 and ZHD96, the former being the smallest transmission footprint at 48kHz but only usable with QRX receiver in single mode and the latter with the 96kHz footprint but available in dual mode. I would take these into account when doing your tests. All the comparative tests we did on the field before the product was released (I was part of 3: one in Midtown Manhattan, one in Las Vegas, and one at Gotham Sound) were with the new hardware in ZHD48 (single mode) vs the old hardware in XR. If you're using the same TRXLA3 and just switching between ZHD96 and XR, I suspect you will not see the same results that we had in those early tests. +1 :-)

I have a Toyota RAV4. It's a compact SUV, so easy to park, yet still quite spacious. The back seats come down to give you even more trunk space, which works great if you have to pack a magliner cart or the like.

Here's a fun one: For my current show, we're often dealing with cast members with open shirts or no shirts at all, so for these situations, we wanted a necklace mic solution that we can easily put on them and still be able to record great sound. Initially we tried the off-the-shelf DPA 4061 Necklace Mic, but after putting some appropriate wind protection to deal with heavy winds we often encounter on this show, the necklace mic was immediately "vetoed" by the powers that be. So we set off to make our own, and after some happenstance, I met Avshalom Rave (Rave for short), owner of PerePaix and a very talented jewelry designer, who helped us make great custom necklace mics. After some consultations and some tryouts, we came up with a solution that everyone loved. We're using the DPA Slim wrapped in Bubblebee Industries Piece-a-Fur for wind protection, all hidden within the feather design. The mic cable was cleverly disguised into the necklace, and with some beads and other decor, we ended up with the necklace pictured below. These look and sound great, and I can't recommend Rave enough. He was very involved in the whole process, and his attention to detail (making sure that the mic element was always exposed, ensuring that it had enough wind protection to deal with heavy winds, etc) was second to none. We're two weeks away from finishing the show, and without these necklace mics, the job would be extremely difficult. If you ever need custom necklace mics, don't hesitate to reach out to Rave, and let him know I sent you.

Also, here's a photo that Kashefi posted on the Facebook Zaxcom group regarding his directional Alfa 7dBi antenna: Below is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZWPRUI?psc=1 This antenna will not work directly into the zaxnet connection on the Nomad as it is reverse polarity. You'll need an adapter (or this amp) to make it work.

Not sure, I think Gene Martin mentioned within the next few months, but don't quote me on that. Because the Ebay ones are not specifically tuned for zaxnet, and they're all 2 and 3W amps. It does get hot, but not too hot that would be concerning. Reminds me actually of how hot the QRXs can get. This is still a concern, but I guess I've chosen to be oblivious to it for the sake of getting better zaxnet range from the bag.

DPA has thoroughly tested the Rycote 4099 Windjammer on the SC4098, and they gave it their seal of approval as a great solution for tougher wind conditions. I know Allen Williams in ATL has used it as well and was satisfied with the results. You can put the Rycote Windjammer on top of the stock foam to get maximum wind protection.

Yes, it's a reality show, and they like to wear ear buds to follow story. But some times they just don't care so you see earbuds hanging off their shoulders. ;-) haha

Correct, active amp. It has a DC jack on one of the sides, and I have a power cable wired to hirose to power off of my Audioroot distro. It's very low power draw, about 100mA. It's a 1W amp, OEM by Sunhans for Sound Guys Solutions, but specially tuned and filtered to work with Zaxnet. I have done some very unscientific tests, and have found there to be 25-50% range increase overall with just a rubber duckie straight on the amp. More impressive though is the better reception through walls and other hard surfaces. I'm using it on my current show to transmit audio and timecode to cameras and haven't had a single drop out in audio according to camera operators, even with some of them being in other rooms or areas, though I haven't been over 50 feet away from them either. I would imagine that a different / directional antenna would maybe provide increased range towards a specific direction, but on this show cameras can be in any direction so probably not ideal for me right now. I remember seeing Sam Kashefi post a small directional antenna not long ago, it looked good.

The Rycote 4099 Windjammer will work for the DPA 4098

Rado, when you begin selling your designs, trust me that I will be one of the first customers. In the mean time, I make due with what I got :-)

It's not a released product yet. I'm testing a prototype. Here are some photos:

The latest iteration of one of my sound bags, which I call "Izumi". It includes the Nomad 12, MicPlexer 2, 3x QRX200, Kangaroo PC for Nomad Touch, and the Sound Guys Solutions Zaxnet Amp, all in an Orca Bags OR-41: Here it is along with Alex Ramirez's (toyrobotstudios) bag, with matching gear in a custom Kortwich, which we are using on a reality show we're currently working together:

I'm currently using the Sound Guys Solution Zaxnet Amp with a short stubby, I'm very happy with it.

Very cool and impressive, but I'd curious to see if the userbase can add to the list of "spaces" or "environments". While it seems like these would cover a great deal of spaces, I would love the flexibility of being able to add spaces as appropriate.

It is a US / NTSC thing.

There's a flaw in the way you choose to phrase things, and perhaps that adds to the confusion. Every device that generates timecode can maintain its own timecode. It doesn't need an external device to continue to generate timecode values for each new file. However, when compared to another device generating the same timecode values, what you may notice is that there's a difference between the speed at which each different device generates each timecode value. This difference may become especially noticeable after a long period of time. THAT is drift.

This (quite excellent) explanation has been given before, and similar analogies made, in this very same thread, particularly by Peter (shastapete). To break down some of the terms further: Timecode = value or "address" assigned to the file being created indicating a particular moment in time, usually the very start of the file. Drift = the difference in speed between two or more devices after a certain length of time. Genlock = a mechanism used to control the speed of two or more devices so that they run at the exact same speed, and so that there is no drift.

Yup. My apologies, will edit my post.

Nice analogy.

Per your example, Frame 3 isn't "stamped". The NLE assumes what the timecode marker for "frame 3" is based on what the start timecode is on the file. This is still irrelevant when it comes to the "speed" at which each frame is created in a camera. Only the camera's internal clock can control that. Hence genlock / tri-level sync. You use an external, master clock, which can control the speed upon which cameras and recorders run, so that they all run with the exact same timing. Timecode still is only an "address," as Ambient cleverly points out, used as a reference to sync all media from that specific point. I don't understand this question. In a 25fps video file, if the start timecode for the file is 01:00:00:00, then once we get to frame 3 on the video file, the timecode marker will be 01:00:00:03. Now, if you mean second 3, then the timecode marker would be 01:00:03:00 (which is 75 frames from the start timecode).

Well done. I chuckled.

That's roughly $550,000 in today's dollar value, considering about 4% annual inflation.

The SMBus batteries have a microchip with firmware in them. Inspired Energy loads a custom firmware with a unique manufacturer code to each battery for each manufacturer. If the manufacturer decides to then create a compatible SMBus device, say a power distro or a charger, they can load a firmware on that device to only work with their manufacturer code. Luckily, this hasn't been an issue, as all devices have been open, but they can easily decide to limit their devices to only work with their batteries. This would only apply to newer products, any products currently out there would still work as they currently do. It's a diagnostics tool. You just connect each lead to its respective battery terminal. The point is you don't need to have an audioroot distro or charger to see the SMBus info.

A combination of trekpak and smaller cases is the way to go IMO. Tip: place the heavier items to the bottom of the case instead of the top, so that the trekpak dividers don't sag.

Steve is amazing. While I haven't visited him on set, I got to chat with him about Modern Family at NAB 2 years ago, and he was very kind and giving with his time, answering every question me and Joe Pfeil could come up with. Such a great learning experience of its own, and then it was easy for me to see why he's won 3 Emmy awards for his work on that show. Josh, it was not boring at all. What was even more amazing was that Gregg, Terence and David were also all so welcoming and so giving with their time, answering every question I could come up with. Y'all are truly great hosts. Thanks again!