Show me your bag

[fieldsound]

SD833 + XL AES
Wisycom MCR54 + 4x MTP60s
G4 for Hops

Comtek 216
Tentacle Sync
Audioroot TRIO
Protogear M Soundbag

Been lurking this forum for 6 years now, finally happy to share my bag. My approach with this bag is to build a system that is powerful enough for 99% of my jobs working on commercials/doc/corporate. Sometimes it lives on a minicart, sometimes I'm run and gun. I have an additional Protogear module that expands the bag to fit 3 more receivers and an RF distro when needed.
 

[RadoStefanov]

1 hour ago, fieldsound said:

SD833 + XL AES
Wisycom MCR54 + 4x MTP60s
G4 for Hops

Comtek 216
Tentacle Sync
Audioroot TRIO
Protogear M Soundbag

Been lurking this forum for 6 years now, finally happy to share my bag. My approach with this bag is to build a system that is powerful enough for 99% of my jobs working on commercials/doc/corporate. Sometimes it lives on a minicart, sometimes I'm run and gun. I have an additional Protogear module that expands the bag to fit 3 more receivers and an RF distro when needed.
 

Looks small and compact. Do you need the giant distro?

[edward chick]

Clean bag. 

 

[Dejan Ceko]

There you are

 

 

[fieldsound]

@RadoStefanov the distro is definitely overkill for a lot of jobs, but it’s good to have. I picked it up to have more options for cart days, extra inputs for bigger bats plus the front hirose makes running a monitor quick and easy. it can also run power to a laptop via usb c power delivery.
 

But for smaller jobs I have an audioroot Y cable that splits the power from the smart battery to 1x hirose and 1x TA4. This can power my MCR54 and recorder and displays telemetry info on the 833 screen.

 

@Dejan Ceko yup that’s the rig and ramble! 

 

Cheers y’all and thanks to JWsound and @Jeff Wexler for creating this great knowledge resource 🙏🏼

[paaskyp]

On 4/1/2024 at 11:45 PM, fieldsound said:

SD833 + XL AES
Wisycom MCR54 + 4x MTP60s
G4 for Hops

Comtek 216
Tentacle Sync
Audioroot TRIO
Protogear M Soundbag

Been lurking this forum for 6 years now, finally happy to share my bag. My approach with this bag is to build a system that is powerful enough for 99% of my jobs working on commercials/doc/corporate. Sometimes it lives on a minicart, sometimes I'm run and gun. I have an additional Protogear module that expands the bag to fit 3 more receivers and an RF distro when needed.
 

just watched your video on this setup a few days ago! welcome to the forum from another lurker. 

[igomarsound]

last feature bag

 

 

 

 

when it's sitting on the cart : 

 

 

 

16 channels (LR mix + 14 ISO channels)

 

sonosax R4+

sonosax RX8 slot with 2 wisycom MCR54 with AES module

1 wisycom MCR54 receiver on analog channel 1-4, 

1 lectrosonics SRC receiver on line 5-6 

betso bowties ; lectro SNA600 ; RF venue diversity fin

sonosax LC8 fader surface

 

might be around 10 kg

 

-----

 

documentary bag :

 

 

sonosax R4+ with a mcr 54 on analog 3-4-5-6 

MS boom cabled on 1-2, using sonosax preamp and ADC

 

less than 5 kg

 

----

 

and last but not least "the feather rig" : 

 

 

SD mixpre6 mkII with automix and noise assist plugin

since v9 we can use TC on the stereo aux input and still have a additional audio channel available. only problem is the lack of fader.

MS cabled boom on channel 1-2

lectrosonics SRC receiver on  3-4

 

if needed i use the  deity theos on aux input 5-6 (after jamming internal TC and changing the inputs)

 

2.5 kg

 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Interesting.  I notice you have MS boom for all levels of production ... is this something special that you do, or is that normal in your part of the world?

[igomarsound]

for documentary, MS on a boom is kinda the standard here.

i like it and use it even if sometimes it's overkill.

iit still is monocompatible so post production houses get the choice to add subtle stereo  depth  if they want

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

I offer MS for docs here and people don't know what I'm offering.  But I keep trying.  I agree, I like the realism it can add ... though sometimes you just need the isolation of a shotgun.

[henrimic]

MS is the de facto standard for documentaries here in Switzerland. 
 

I use a MK41 + CCM8 with a Cinela Leo indoor and a DPA4017B + CCM8 in a Pianissimo  outdoor.

 

I also work on post on documentaries and I have to say that I barely use the S on dialogs, except for situations with many people at the same time (around a table for example) or when there is a nice background outdoor.
 

But the main advantage of a MS boom always ready, is that you can quickly record wild tracks on the fly, without changing your cables and setup. And collecting ambiance is very valuable for post. 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

I definitely get the request for ambience.  I just usually have it on a separate boom.  My MS is MKH60/MKH30, so pretty heavy for an all-purpose setup.  Thanks for sharing how things work over there!  I'll keep trying to convince / educate our locals that this is worth doing.

 

[Bouke]

5 hours ago, henrimic said:

And collecting ambiance is very valuable for post.

As well as room tone, and please include a few words on paper / sound report / whatever on where to find what.
(I've cut quite some docs, and no, I will NOT watch 60 hours of footage when I'm not getting paid for it, and the directors who view / log the material NEVER log ambience / room tone. While you're on set collecting room tone, how about telling EVERYONE to shut up for at least a whopping 4 seconds. (Trust me, I have done projects that took me an hour to find half a second of room tone to do decent dialogue cutting)

[Derek H]

Bouke, I usually try to just name the file something obvious like “AMBIENCE-1.wav” or “ROOMTONE-01.wav”. Or if it happens in the middle of a scene I might try to add a note in the file if there’s time. Is that the kind of thing you’re talking about? On the docs I’ve worked on a traditional sound report would be pretty impractical at least for my brain. 
 

 

Also, regarding MS for docs.. in my experience this is not something producers are aware of in the US. I’ve never gotten a request for stereo anything ever! I’ve only done stereo recording for live music and only because I’ve decided to do it!

 

I think the ship has probably sailed when it comes to getting doc sound recordists to run with MS rigs here at this point. Unless they’re requesting it and offering a bump to the rental!

[Bouke]

Hi Derek,
Mind you, depending on metadata inside BWF, the filename might NOT be what the editor sees in his bin as 'clip name'
I have no clue what a 'traditional' sound report is, as I have never seen one IRL (I did get some for my software development, but NEVER for my editorial work.)

MS is another thing, it took me (back in the days) some education to understand it, (I still don't get how it is 'mono compatible' if the stereo part gets cancelled out, so RTW with phase correlation meters 'should' go off), but that is something someone 'should' be able to write a nice paper about, or make a 30 second video. (Longer is no longer allowed so it seems, I also produce content for the local university, and the most promising / bright smart kids don't seem to be able to concentrate more than that.)

 

While I'm thinking of it, directors watch video.
Do you all include scratch tracks on the cam?
Does the director know that there might be more sound than there is picture?
 

[henrimic]

My way of handling wild tracks….

I tag files on the recorder, while recording directly in the metadata.
Easy as a simple shortcut on my recorder.
After copying the card, I isolate these files in a « Wild » folder, and rename each sound like this: ProjectName_Location_Description_MS ( or Mono, ORTF, whatever).

I send then this folder to editorial with a sound report in pdf. 
Simple and easier for everyone.

It takes me a few minutes but I am certain that the sounds will be used. 

[Derek H]

That’s a pretty good system. I’ve never done that because at the end of the day whoever is handling the data delivery just wants your card immediately and wouldn’t want to wait on file management but doing just the wild stuff separately and getting it to post directly makes sense to me. 
 

The times I’ve done something out of the ordinary for music or ambience I usually have the producer note it in their field notes and I also send an email later explaining but I like your method better I think. 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

2 hours ago, Bouke said:

Do you all include scratch tracks on the cam?

I always offer.  It tends to be highly dependent on the camera operator and how fussy they are about boxes on the camera.  Editorial usually doesn't know enough about their post workflow to care when I ask the question.

 

2 hours ago, Bouke said:

Does the director know that there might be more sound than there is picture?

Generally, yes.  When I record specifically ambience, I usually ask for time separate from the rest of the crew (because otherwise the crew is inevitably trying to do something in the background and they ruin the recordings), so the director certainly is aware of when I'm in "ambience mode" and should have some memory of me disappearing to collect it.  Occasionally I'll just snipe a nice piece of ambience in the course of the day, so it's not always true that the director knows, but it usually is.

I'm intrigued by the idea of using a separate folder for wild tracks.  I can't see it being practical to move them to a separate folder at the end of the day (generally, the DIT just wants a card straight from the recorder, and I don't want to be responsible for the offload and an additional sorting step myself).  But, with foresight, I can see switching folders on the recorder before I hit record.  That only works in controlled circumstances though ... if I'm hitting record because I just heard something great in the heat of the moment, I won't have time to switch folders (I'm thinking things like bird calls or wildlife that need a lot of luck to capture).  I also worry that if it's in a completely different folder, even if the DIT offloads it, post may never even see the folder and all the wild takes may get lost together.  I think it could work in circumstances where I'm able to have a conversation about workflow with post beforehand, but that's maybe 20-30% of the circumstances when I'm hired.  Most of the time I'm lucky if they even know who will be doing post at the time of shooting ... more often than not, there is simply not post department to talk to.

[henrimic]

25 minutes ago, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

I'm intrigued by the idea of using a separate folder for wild tracks.  I can't see it being practical to move them to a separate folder at the end of the day (generally, the DIT just wants a card straight from the recorder, and I don't want to be responsible for the offload and an additional sorting step myself)

 

Just to be more specific   

At the end of the day, I give my card 1 to DIT or who’s in charge. 

When I'm back home or at the hotel, I make a back-up copy of card 2, and that's when I sort out and rename the wild tracks.

I only send the folder with all the wild tracks at the end of the project, in one go.

[RadoStefanov]

Trying to have it small but it is impossible.

COuld have made it smaller but the 633 sprays so much RF garbage in the wisy receivers. 

Physical separation works but separate power source is the best. 

But I am not willing to carry the weight of an another battery for it.

[Patrick Tresch]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:15 PM, Bouke said:

As well as room tone, and please include a few words on paper / sound report / whatever on where to find what.
(I've cut quite some docs, and no, I will NOT watch 60 hours of footage when I'm not getting paid for it, and the directors who view / log the material NEVER log ambience / room tone. While you're on set collecting room tone, how about telling EVERYONE to shut up for at least a whopping 4 seconds. (Trust me, I have done projects that took me an hour to find half a second of room tone to do decent dialogue cutting)

You have plenty of time between “clap and action” ! Lol

 

As a dop I’ve worked on with a CCM8-CCM41 on a M2D2 for doc but the editor don’t even tell post there is an MS on the camera. 
 

They just skip (kill)  by principle the (pov) camera sound. 
 

 

[Jesse Flaitz]

On 4/7/2024 at 12:17 AM, RadoStefanov said:

Trying to have it small but it is impossible.

COuld have made it smaller but the 633 sprays so much RF garbage in the wisy receivers. 

Physical separation works but separate power source is the best. 

But I am not willing to carry the weight of an another battery for it.

 

Nice build as always.  Must be the shows kit? I always thought you were a Zax man.  But I also hear Wisycom is the king of range so maybe that's a factor?

[RadoStefanov]

29 minutes ago, Jesse Flaitz said:

 

Nice build as always.  Must be the shows kit? I always thought you were a Zax man.  But I also hear Wisycom is the king of range so maybe that's a factor?

maybe their new stuff is good but those old receivers are very finicky. Get interference from … me breathing to close to them. 🙂 But seriously they have good range but get interference from walkie talkies. And the wide band is not ideal for transmitters in the bag.

Wideband imho is a bad idea.

[Bouke]

On 4/7/2024 at 3:58 PM, Patrick Tresch said:

You have plenty of time between “clap and action” ! Lol

No clue what the 'lol' means.
Over here, even on high end docs, there is no clap nor action. It's talking untill roll time.
 If there is dual system sound, there will be TC lock. Never seen a slate except on very amateur stuff where it was totally obsolete due to other mistakes.
Lack of room tone, plenty though.

 

[Rasmus Wedin]

16 hours ago, RadoStefanov said:

maybe their new stuff is good but those old receivers are very finicky. Get interference from … me breathing to close to them. 🙂 But seriously they have good range but get interference from walkie talkies. And the wide band is not ideal for transmitters in the bag.

Wideband imho is a bad idea.

 

I guess its kind of a dubble edged sword: You get great range because they're so sensitive, but that also makes them pick up unwanted close proximity stuff. The new 54-series has a 32-mHz filter that mutes most stuff outside of your chosen channels, while still being wideband. It helps a bit.