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Arri Amira


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Had a chance to test the audio on a couple of Amira's (Amirae?) a few days back.

While the feature set is very good, I had trouble lining up tone on the camera.

 

yep audio boards are to be redesigned … you will need to pad your output if you want to send audio … i believe the alexa had a similar problem when first released?

 

 

I've heard that the angle of the 5 pin XLR isn't the same as the Alexa, and those of us that have the 90 degree connector facing up (Remote audio umbilical), won't work on the Amira. 

 

Anyone confirm this?

 

from what i remember looking at one a while back, the pin is the same, however the molding of the camera body around the 5 pin input  may require an angle adjustment to the 90 degree connector (if that's an option for your type) directly below the 5pin are dual 3pin xlr

 

ARRI Botched the audio on these cameras.  They are not true line level.  Supposedly the audio boards are being redesigned for the 30 that NFL Films purchased.  Don't know about the rest of the world....

 

 rumor is that arri will send a tech over to do the swap on site for the nfl cams, that's pretty good customer service!

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ARRI Botched the audio on these cameras.  They are not true line level.  Supposedly the audio boards are being redesigned for the 30 that NFL Films purchased.  Don't know about the rest of the world....

 

I always padded the level in somewhat to Alexas, but I've heard it played back and it was absolutely not distorted. But I tend to be a little conservative with camera hop audio, plus I limit it so that it never goes over about -5dBfs.

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I'm on an Amira shoot right now with an ERX-2 as a hop. At first they were complaining about a TC error code, and I assumed it was from the ERX. However, on day 3 the code came up and I didn't power on the ERX yet.

 

It has taken the TC at 1V just fine and everything else has been nice and tight.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just did an Amira job yesterday where the client requested audio to be sent to camera. Usually no problem. When sending line level to the Amira I encountered the same problem as y'all. The level knobs wouldn't allow me to turn down less than -6db. I contacted arri, and their response was to either pad down line level signal from the mixer to -16db or send mic level. But also be prepared to pad that mic level signal down. Strange for an eng designed camera to be this finicky.

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Phfor: " Too expensive for ENG? "

these days, yes. and way too much camera, too.

" everyone who bought Panasonic and Ikagami ENG cameras 15 years ago for 50 grand! "

well, many of those folks made a lot of $$ with those purchases.  (the ones who were good!).

but those days are long gone...

That is like me buying a NAGRA IV-STC for $14k.  yep, I did, and made my money...

 

A visit to NAB will give you a look at what folks are using for typical TV NEWS these days...

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A lot of reality TV is making due with oddly rigged C300s, so in that sense an Amira is probably expensive. Depends on how the cameras are all fully rigged out. If the Amira turns out to be way more reliable, then some reality shoots may switch. Maybe the ones that can't ask for a second take, for example.

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What erx firmware have you been using when successfully jamming timecode? I have tried from .5 to 3 volts and continually get timecode error indication.

 

Michael, I spent a some time yesterday testing an Amira with my Zaxcom gear.  I used an ERX2TCD v1.25 and found the TC jammed as low as .5volts.  My units have been modified with a BNC connector in place of the volume dial.  This was done by Drew at Audio Department in Burbank.

 

I did discover that there is no indication within the Zaxcom system if you transmit the wrong frame rate.  For example, if your IFB 200 is set at 23.98 and the ERX is set at 29.97 it will receive the code and display it normally.  If you plug that ERX into a camera set at 29.97 it will have a TC error but there is no indication on the ERX that there is a problem.  (Setting the ERX to Auto Frame Rate takes out one variable but you don't know there's a problem without looking at the camera.)  Likewise, if your IFB200 is set at 23.98 and you feed it 29.97 from your recorder it appears as if there is no problem.  Not exactly a fool proof system.

 

As for scratch track I set the ERX at -5db and the Amira at +22db, mic level.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Mike Primmer

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MP: " if your IFB 200 is set at 23.98 and the ERX is set at 29.97 it will receive the code and display it normally. "

the non-integer frame rates are cross-compatible, they just divide the seconds into different fractions; the same is true of the integer frame rates...most devices actually jam on the :00 frame
 

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Hi Gary

 

I am working with the Amira more and more these days, I switch my 633 outputs to -10 to give me enough headroom

 

I have just finished an Amira shoot and had to do the same on my Nomad.  While I recorded everything locally anyway (just in case), I also set my output limiters so the camera never went over.

 

I think I'm going to have an AES loom made up, I do enough work on the F5/55 anyway so it'll come in handy.

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MP: " if your IFB 200 is set at 23.98 and the ERX is set at 29.97 it will receive the code and display it normally. "

the non-integer frame rates are cross-compatible, they just divide the seconds into different fractions; the same is true of the integer frame rates...most devices actually jam on the :00 frame

 

 

This is true.  however, if you set your IFB200 at 24fps and ERX at 29.97 it will receive the code and display it normally.  There is still no indication that the frame rate doesn't match.  The numbers are hypothetical, the problem is not. 

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shooting on Amira for the first time I was surprised to find some fan settings just like on a RED. Need to set it to rec low. Regular was to noisy.

Indeed. And in in between recording the camera does get fairly noisy. Nowhere near a RED, of course, but still annoying. Sounds like one of those V-mount chargers
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