Matt

Just a question, why would the TV stations NOT be factored into the intermod calculation? How can the intermod be accurate if it does not include the most grievous interfering frequencies of all? Just wondering why you chose to do it this way. It would be great if you could just enter the TV channels, then your frequencies and see what comes up, as the TV stations would contribute to intermod, wouldn't they? Or am I wrong? I very well could be. Maybe once I see the app it will make more sense. -Matt

Hello All, I was wondering who among you is using the Sound Devices CL-9. I am thinking of purchasing one and wanted to know what your experience has been in the field. Functionality, things you like, things you don't. If possible, let me know why you like it more than a field mixer and why or why not. I am torn as to whether or not to go with the CL-9 option (due to cost and keeping my full 8 track count) or if a dedicated mixer (Sonosax, used Cooper, Solice) would be a better way to go and why. One thing that seems like a hang up to me is the fact that you have to select a channel, then the EQ, then EQ it as opposed to just about any other mixer out there where you just reach for the knob and turn it. Much simpler and quicker. Since I don't have much experience with episodic work, I'm wondering if folks who work in television could express their opinions as well. Seems like most of the photos I see, the mixer is a Cooper or a Solice. Is this just because you already paid it off or is it the better way to go for some reason I am unaware of? I have also heard that the com routing on the CL-9 is a little weird. Any thoughts on this? Before I get blasted with a lot of "read the manual" responses, what I am looking for here is constructive input from mixers actually using the CL-9 in the field and some insight into how well it performs in real world situations. Thanks! -Matt Hamilton

I have recently been running into a situation that I wanted to discuss with all of you. More and more I am getting calls from production saying that they, "Don't have a boom op in the budget." The last of these was a union spot for a large local hospital. Just today, I got a call from a production company wanting to do a spot for a major microphone manufacturer and was told the same thing. I find this an affront to our craft and a sign of ever lowering respect for what the sound department does as well as a general lack of understanding as to what a boom op must do. I know we have all run into the productions that think they can just "hire a PA to boom" and have enjoyed the disastrous results. The other problem is that production seems not to understand that the tasks of the sound mixer involve more than just "sitting there". It involves prepping slates, delivering and maintaining Comteks for clients during the shoot, writing sound reports, and so forth. So, I am writing to start a discussion about this trend and see how people are dealing with it in different markets. Now, to me, it seems that an ENG or reality show shoot would be the exceptions to the need for a boom op by the nature of the shoot. But, to be hired to shoot a national union commercial and be told that I won't have a boom op seems ludicrous. It seems a little late in the game to blame the economy for this sudden "shortage" of cash. It seems like the same old "shortage" we are always dealing with dressed up in different clothes. While I realize that there can never be a hard and fast rule, I wonder, why does the camera department still get an AC? Can't the DP just pull focus himself? Why do they get a DIT? Can't a PA be paid to dump footage to a hard drive? There is no shortage of office PA's, either. Hmmm. If you want to know where it is heading, I just got a call today where they wanted me to do playback for a mock heavy metal band, record background walla, and a principal talent delivering lines, but they don't want to pay for a boom op or a separate playback person. While it may be possible to do all this by myself, I have a funny feeling no one will remember the budget savings when we need a moment to stop everything so I can switch over to playback mode from live recording or vice versa. No one will blame production if the audio is bad because I needed a boom op and was not provided with one. What are your thoughts? Am I being unreasonable? Unrealistic? Am I just being a baby and need to swallow my pride and go ENG style for any shoot that requests it while the DP sends the 2nd AC for another iced coffee? Thanks for reading, Matt Hamilton

Hey Everyone, I have a job coming up where I have to mount a Lectro SR onto a RED cam for a wireless feed. I know some of you are using the D4 with the Red. How are you mounting it? I looked and there is no good spot to place it that won't cover a connector or be in the camera op's way. I looked at the BEC Group's website to see if they made a metal bracket of some sort that might work, but to no avail. Just wondering if you all knew of someone that made a wireless holder for this purpose. It looks like I could maybe use a ROWI clamp but interfacing the thread on the clamp with the wireless is the trick. Does anyone just thread directly into the holes on the RED body? -Matt

So Jeff, Are these batteries safe to recharge on a regular floating voltage charger that you would use with a SLA? I thought Lithium Ion batteries had a problem with catching fire if over charged. Does this new chemistry avoid this somehow? Super exciting stuff! -Matt

How does this compare to the new memory foam Portabrace harness? I see there is no shoulder strap portion? Is this true? Could you use a Portabrace bag with it? Do you not need a shoulder harness? I have felt like none of the harnesses have used any sort of ergonomic research on their straps, even basic research like going to a backpacking store to see that women need weight in one place on their body and men carry weight differently (due to evolutionary things involving childbearing and so forth). So, I am very interested in this setup you have. Very cool. -Matt

Hmm. I find that most shotgun mics get extremely hollow and reverberant sounding indoors as compared to a hypercardioid. I like the Sennheiser 8050. It is small (about 4 inches), very quiet, and is a hypercardioid mic with a wider pattern than a shotgun, but enough directionality to give you some reach when you need to be a couple of feet from the talent. Some folks dislike the bassiness, so you may need a bass cut, which will add to length and side, but I've never used it. Just roll off at the mixer. Since things can get pretty hairy and unpredictable I like a slightly wider pattern for doc work as it can save you when someone off camera starts suddenly talking and walks into the shot or when booming a group of people who are all talking a once. It also makes those two and even 3 shots easier to handle as you can pick a good spot between the folks talking and not need to cue to the speaker like you would with a more directional mic. Of course, if you will be outside a lot and won't be able to get within a couple of feet of the talent, well, that will dictate a more directional mic that you can place farther away. Ideally, you'd have both in your kit, but if it is too run-n-gun that won't work. Just a few cents of thought while the coffee is kicking in. -Matt

You might also consider this: http://www.teradek.com/cube.html Only has 1/8-1/2 second delay. Still not great, but better than 2 seconds. Only thing is that you need a wi-Fi router if you need to feed more than one iPad or iPhone at at time. Seems like this would be something cool that would work with the Video Assist guy. You send him a mono audio feed, he plugs it into this Cube thingy, and audio and video are transmitted in sync with each other via WiFi. Most production facilities have WiFi (soundstages, etc), so might be worth investigating. -Matt

So, what if you just by-pass using the cellular aspects altogether? How about using the Wi-Fi? Such as this app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/walkie-talkie-wifi/id361424957?mt=8# Maybe worth an experiment. Check it out and post back to let us know how it goes. -Matt "the one person in production with an Android phone" Hamilton

Hey Everyone, I just got a 788T and am wondering how you usually set up your boom op comm feed. I didn't realize when I bought it that it doesn't have the same option as the 552 as far as a private line communication option. It seems you must buy the $2,000 control surface (CL-9) in order to get any sort of private line comm to your boom op, and even then, I'm not totally sure. I got the 788T with the CL-8 controller. I'm thinking of just running my boom out analog 1, into a small headphone amp box, and then to my boom op. What are you guys doing? I had thought about also just making a TA3F to 1/4" female cable, but am not sure how annoying this would be to adjust levels on the fly with the 788T. Seems like a dedicated knob is a good thing. Either way, every time I use the slate mic, I still don't have private line communication this way. Short of using my 552 and the 788T with CL-8, I don't see a way to get this. It kind of annoys me as the point of getting the 788T with CL-8 was to avoid needing any additional gear on my cart. Let me know your thought/experience, etc. -Matt

Hey Everyone, I just got a 788T and am wondering how you usually set up your boom op comm feed. I didn't realize when I bought it that it doesn't have the same option as the 552 as far as a private line communication option. It seems you must buy the $2,000 control surface (CL-9) in order to get any sort of private line comm to your boom op, and even then, I'm not totally sure. I got the 788T with the CL-8 controller. I'm thinking of just running my boom out analog 1, into a small headphone amp box, and then to my boom op. What are you guys doing? I had thought about also just making a TA3F to 1/4" female cable, but am not sure how annoying this would be to adjust levels on the fly with the 788T. Seems like a dedicated knob is a good thing. Either way, every time I use the slate mic, I still don't have private line communication this way. Short of using my 552 and the 788T with CL-8, I don't see a way to get this. It kind of annoys me as the point of getting the 788T with CL-8 was to avoid needing any additional gear on my cart. Let me know your thought/experience, etc. -Matt Hamilton

Hey All, So, looking at the manual for the Zaxcom first generation wireless (black with red LED's) I am wondering where to set the input level on the transmitter. It says the meter ends at +12 if I am reading it correctly, but that the limiter kicks in at +10. It also says not to ever let the signal hit the limiter (odd). So am I correct in assuming that I should set the level at 0 with tone at -20 on my mixer, but have the limiter on my mixer kick in at -10 to be safe? Or am I over thinking this? I have the job tomorrow. Any help is appreciated. I intend to just send tone and back off until I am save, but it would seem like I could accomplish this by just setting the transmitter so the tone comes in at -10 on the transmitter's scale. The manual is not much help as it does not have any pictures of what it is describing. What have the members of this group found to be the settings used in actual practice versus just reading what the manual says? Thanks! -Matt Hamilton

Hey Guys, So, I was trying to record a timecode audio track on my Pro Tools rig and noticed that the output timecode signal on the 744T is always on. Even in record run mode, it is still outputting a signal. When I read it on a slate, it reads a static number, but when I plug the signal into an audio track, there is an audio signal coming out. Does anyone know if this is normal? Is the 744T just outputting the same number over and over? I had thought the audio signal would just mute when dropping out of record, but apparently it does not. Am I missing something? -Matt

I find that the knot actually is a terrible place for the mic a lot of the time. What I have found works well is running the mic from the knot, down the back of the tie to the height of the sternum. Then, sandwich the mic so that the tip is at the edge of the tie front, sandwiched between the two pieces of the tie. This opens up the sound (less muffled) and gets it away from unshaven necks, nose air puffs, and is easier on the talent if you have to mess with it. You can also use the Sanken rubber mount for a little extra isolation or cover the end of the rubber mount with the Rycote Undercovers for some wind protection. Unless the talent is doing extremely active back flips, your eye won't notice that the back of the tie isn't separately moving from the front. I have also found that moleskin along the lapels, but inside, can help with the jacket rubbing on the shirt. I find the jacket can be a big source of rubbing as well, that may sound like the neck rubbing the tie until you check it out. The Hush Lavs are good for me most of the time if I have to tie knot mount. Get the black ones and you can almost cheat the mic out into the open at the base of the knot. Also, Sanken now makes black versions of their rubber mounts, which are worth buying because the hide so much easier than the bright beige ones they've made for a few years now. You may also try putting some moleskin inside the collar if the talent is especially noisy with 5 o'clock shadow. Worse comes to worse, moleskin their neck! Hope this helps. Great discussion. -Matt

Darren, The vest looks awesome. In actual use, how does it do? How many hours, etc? I've been looking at battery-powered gloves online, but all of them get pretty lousy reviews on Amazon. Same with the battery-powered socks. A snowboarding friend of mine turned me on to Thermotech long underwear. It is super thin (like silk) but warm as hell. Costs about $40 for pants or a top at the local Sun and Ski Shop in your local mall of choice. Have any of you used the new Carhartt Men’s Extremes® Zip-To-Waist Biberall / Arctic Quilt Lined? Looks sweet! http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=32174&langId=-1&categoryId=10908 I like the pockets on front. They seem more useful for sound guy stuff than the bib pocket on the other kind. Maybe not $30 more useful, but useful. -Matt

Well, I contacted Lectrosonics with this issue and here is what Dave Thomas wrote: "Hi, Matt, and thanks for your question. While there have been some firmware improvements that I am quite proud of, the symptom you're describing reminds me of a problem with the power supply circuit in the receiver. We replaced firmware and repaired the power supplies around the same time, so it would be easy to attribute the improvement to the firmware. Given that I'm the firmware guy, I would love to take credit for it (!), but I believe the power supply was the principal issue. If memory serves, the problem would come and go, depending on the precise DC voltage powering the receiver, which is part of the reason it took us so long to nail it to the wall. In any case, if you contact our Customer Service Department, we'll make sure your equipment is up to date and problem free. David" I'll ship it in and let you guys know if it solves the problem. Could be the RF mic thing, too, Senator, but I'd heard it really only helped the Zaxcom systems and nothing else. Not that you are wrong, but I had been told not to worry about upgrading unless I got the Zaxcom stuff. -Matt

Beretta, the Thunderbolt socks looks amazing. I'll have to check them out. Fernando, the Carharts are pretty quiet. More of a jeans construction. I don't know how available they are in Europe, but you can probably find them online. They really are amazing. To follow up on the gloves, I got some glove liners like these: http://yagers.stores.yahoo.net/polglovlin.html And bought some tight fitting work gloves at Home Depot with a velcro strap for the back. They seem to do the trick pretty well. They have allowed me to have more dexterity and the extra layer really keeps it warm. It is a tight fit, which may help, but it works. I've thought about putting one of those hand warmer packs in a scarf and placing it on the back of my neck. Since major blood vessels in your body runs along the back of the neck, it stands to reason that heating that area would heat the blood, and in turn the warmed blood would heat the body making homeostasis less difficult for the body. Kind of a superscarf. This is the idea in reverse of those neck scarves with water crystals that are designed to keep you cool by evaporating heat and water from the back of the neck. -Matt

Here's an interesting link. Apparently, these guys make a band that wraps around your wrist and is supposed to help heat the blood at the wrist and thus heating the blood in the hands (or something, I'm no doctor). Worth checking out: http://www.soundfeelings.com/heatbands.htm -Matt

I used one of their little generators with the grey LCD screen on a reality show. I wanted something to show the cameras to sync to the backup recorder. We were using the DVX100's, so inputting timecode to the camera was not an option. The build quality is kind of chintzy. Feels like it is in a housing made by RadioShack. Also, the screen was very hard to read and the camera ops basically gave up after a while. The camera had a hard time seeing it and it wasn't back lit. I wish Denecke made a much smaller box (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) with the red readout. Barring that, the Horita was my only choice. As I recall, battery life was pretty good, but I have no idea if sync was dead on or not (never spoke to an editor). If you just need something to generate timecode with no display, I'd say unequivocally that you should go with the Denecke boxes. They are a great investment and they'll re-calibrate your crystal for about $68. In fact, they added 23.98 to a few of the older boxes at no extra cost when you sent it in for re-cal. They are build like tanks, very battery-efficient, and they are extremely knowledgeable and happy to speak with you on the phone. I've called them with really stupid questions on set when I had no manual available and they were happy to help out. It may seem like a lot of money, but they make excellent products that are solid for something like 6-8 hours without dropping a frame. Now if they'd just make a tiny timecode slate with internal generator for reality . . . . . -Matt

I've recently been using the SMQV's with an SR unit as my receiver in my bag. I have had my COS-11's rewired for the servo bias standard. I seem to be hearing some odd stuff in the high end. Mainly during "SSS" sounds. Not always, though. Sometimes there is a slight white noise type of sound that is modulated with the dialog in the background. This does not seem to change no matter where the noise reduction is set. I had thought it might be the SmartNR kicking in and out, but I don't think that is it. Granted, this is not overwhelmingly loud, but still kind of annoying. I never heard this with my old 201's. Anyone else had this problem? I have also noticed that the limiter on the transmitter sounds terrible. I routinely set the input so the limiter never kicks in. When it does, it sounds like a harsh, digital peak distortion. So, what is the point of calling it a "limiter" if it sounds like distortion anyway? These are, overall, minor complaints. I like the fact I can remote mount antennas on my cart to the SR and also use the receiver in a bag. It is also great to be able to use the same antennas for the transmitter and receiver. Haven't noticed a huge jump in range with the 250mW setting, either. I ran my SMQV at 100mW on a couple of Lithium AA's for 10 solid hours, only turning off at lunch. I haven't had much experience with alkalines, but find that "over the counter" AA NiMH in the 2450mAh range (Energizers) are okay for short bursts like ENG and interviews, but I always carry about 8 on me just in case I get a bum battery. I have had mixed results with life on these batteries. I am starting to think that I should not use the 15 minute chargers as they don't totally, fully charge these batteries in 15 minutes, so I'd expect shorter life. I usually leave them on the charger for an hour or so after the charger shows "green". The other chargers take 4 hours, but since they are slow chargers, they actually (supposedly) charge the battery to full capacity. I am going by the power lights on the SMQV, so you may get longer life. I just get really nervous running on the "red light". I'd rather just change batteries than have the thing drop out (as I'm sure you all would). -Matt Somewhere in Nashville, TN, on another country music video.

Great suggestions! I'll check out the shoe covers. I often boom as well as mix, so I don't tend to like heavy-duty boots either. Not enough flex to them. My favorite shoes are some Asics, but they are those thin mesh kind that let WAY too much wind through in winter. I actually have a pair of wool mittens with thinsulate lining that flip back to expose fingertips. I find, however, in practice that I end up never putting the mitten end back over the fingertips. I hope to find some super warm gloves that allow dexterity without exposing my fingertips. The neoprene thing sounds promising. I forgot to say that I've heard great things about the Carhart bib pants. Some grips here swear by it. I also found those kind of quilted flannel shirts, with the interior that looks like a quilt, add a surprisingly toasty layer. you can find them anywhere (Wal-Mart, etc.). Today I'm sitting an old warehouse awaiting the first shot of a music video and am long-underweared, layered, and wrapped. Now if I just hadn't forgotten my rain gear . . . -Matt Nashville, TN

Hey Everyone, It has begun to get cold in Tennessee and my mind has turned to winter gear. I thought it might be an interesting discussion to see how everyone dealt with outdoor shoots in winter by discussing good and bad gloves, coats, etc. that they have found throughout the years. For instance, I have been trying, without success, to find a good pair of super-warm gloves that still give me enough dexterity to turn knobs on my 442. REI makes some great socks with fleece lining that have served me well. I have heard that Carhart bib pants are amazing (this is what the road crews use), and they are a sort of denim material, so it doesn't have the "swishing" sound of those big snow suits with the nylon exterior. I've never used battery-powered socks, but saw a pair that ran on one C cell each that literally had a wire in it to warm your feet, just like an electric blanket! Supposedly Alaskan crab fishermen use it. So, let's hear what you all have found useful as well as any secret resources that may not be as well known. Stay warm! -Matt Hamilton

I just use the Portabrace Piggin' Strings. They clip on and can be used for various cable, headphones, and etc. wrangling. I get the longer ones (12" ?) and roll up the excess on the outside. I find the shorter ones can easily pop open and drop a lot of stuff at the worst moments (run and gun with the Beta cables unspooling in traffic). I do have 3 or 4 of these clips on my cart, though. I find that I do have to rescrew the hook back in occasionally as it will come loose from the nut inside the housing. I think Home Depot also has some with a plastic clip on the opposite end. -Matt

To reply to your replies with more questions: Thanks for the clarification on the type of microphone being used. I have used a shotgun and a hypercardioid, as well as the Sennheiser 8040 (considered by some to sound more like the Schoeps hyper than the 8050). To my ear, the 8040 is pretty useless unless it is a very dead room and the mic is about 5 inches from the top of the talent's head. On one job, I had the 8040 and switched to a shotgun in a reflective room, and it sounded better. This went against everything I had always heard about a hyper being used indoors. Maybe I'll give the MKH50 another shot. I had meant to bring this up in the initial question, but forgot. I'd like to hear the group's experience with this. Secondly, how do you get the furni-pad on the ceiling? Sounds like a lot of C-stands. Or do you just put one over the talent? How far from the wall or ceiling do you tend to put it? Against the wall or a foot or so out from it? I've heard that there is a difference between true "sound blankets" and furni-pads. Any thoughts on this? The headphones vs. playback question is another biggie. How much is too much room? I've struggled with this my whole career. I know this is a "feel" thing, but any pointers? I recently switched to Ultrasone headphones because the MDR-7506's were overly bright and brittle and seemed to sound more reverby than playback. The Ultrasones seem more even and seem to match playback better (and won't cause me to lose my hearing at 40). I worry about how much reverb in the room is too much. Everything on TV sounds SUPER dry and dead to my ear (especially commercials). I've seen interviews on TV that sounded terrible because it was so reverby. The close-miked lav sound that we are accustomed to seeing on interview shows kind of sets the standard in my mind. Finally, do any of you monitor low enough that the reverb almost disappears in the headphones to get a perspective on playback? On the issue of playback, I rarely, if ever, get a chance to do playback on interviews and commercials. 95% of my work is going straight to camera. I have noticed, when I get playback, that a lot of room sound is actually just bleed around my headphones while I'm recording that disappears in playback. So, I certainly get you on that point. Probably just being too anal. But, that's what I'm paid for, right? Thanks for all the good comments. I look forward to more. -Matt

Eric, Well, I was actually just joking. But silk is a real BITCH too! -Matt