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Preference for Zaxcom, preference for Sound Devices, Choice is good


Mirror

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Hi Peter

Does this apply to the 664?

Mike

Hi Mike

Are you referring to the "bread crumbs"?

Not sure about the 664, haven't had the pleasure of playing around with one and I'm not about to buy a 664 because I own 2 x 788.

Hard to justify to the wife that I need a 664!!!!

We all know I "need" one though!!

Cheers

Peter Mega

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I am coming into this topic a bit late but felt that I had to post.  I have a DEVA V and  5.8 as well as nine stations of wireless and two IFB 100's, obviously I am a Zaxcom proponent.  For over 10 years, ALL of my Zaxcom gear has worked just as promised, virtually WITHOUT fail.  I have found both the hardware and software to be rock solid and has made my life as a production sound mixer much, much easier and more productive.

 

In addition to it's tremendous product line, Zaxcom's support and willingness to listen to end users is without parallel.  The team goes out of their way to turn around last minute repairs or purchases, they have never let me down.  There is no other company that I can think of where I can call, and on most days , talk to the president or lead programmer without any hesitation, where we can discuss hardware/software changes and I feel that my suggestions are really taken very seriously.

 

All gear has it's pros and cons, SD and Lectro make great products and well, I have and use products from all these companies, it's just that to me, Zaxcom's leading edge products help me the most with my workload.  But as much as the product line speaks for itself it's Zaxcom's continued and timely support for it's users that I find sets it apart form the rest of the field.

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For over 10 years, ALL of my Zaxcom gear has worked just as promised, virtually WITHOUT fail. I have found both the hardware and software to be rock solid [...] The team goes out of their way to turn around last minute repairs or purchases, they have never let me down.

Well ... That says it all ...

All gear's got its pros and cons, INCLUDING zaxcom ...

My 2 Hz, on the late too.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Mike

Are you referring to the "bread crumbs"?

Not sure about the 664, haven't had the pleasure of playing around with one and I'm not about to buy a 664 because I own 2 x 788.

Hard to justify to the wife that I need a 664!!!!

We all know I "need" one though!!

Cheers

Peter Mega

744 has breadcrumbs also.  But not 664.

 

philp

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3) Sanders doesn't want to hear what you have to say, he only wants to hear what he already thinks.  Suggesting something to him is like talking to a wall.  There is no, "I see what you're saying" from him, only, " Yeah, but...".  I am not the only sound mixer to voice this disturbing trait about him.  

I have the first production Nomad. I had been using Sound Devices products for years, and still do use them. In the early days of the Nomad firmware I suggested a bunch of ideas, some of which didn't make it, and some did. One of which was the idea of having the slate be called up by the TC button. I suggested that to him after being on a shoot where we wanted to use it, but we couldn't get to that screen fast enough for the shooters. He said: "wow, that's a great idea, I wouldn't have thought of that". Now, it's a feature I use with some regularity. Honestly, I can't think of the point of your post other than to attack someone you don't like. The only person who is going to design the perfect recorder for you is YOU. Good luck with bringing it to market. 

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Mirror! How dare you come on here and have an opinion against Zaxcom! 

 

You should have seen my personal Facebook post, when I posted a video for the purpose of sorting out a bug issue in my MAXX. I to was attacked like you are being on here. And I didn't even say anything bad in the video about Zaxcom. I did get the issue sorted like I would but I was not happy how I was treated by the Zax fanatics. 

 

People on here keep complaining about how Zaxcom keeps getting bad mouthed and how it hurts there reputation. But what actually is hurting there reputation is all you Fanatics that come out and attack people like mirror just because he has a different opinion. 

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On one hand I love the Zaxcom wireless, although I have a few issues with the design of the QRX.  I simply never really understood their mixers and recorders - DMX, Aria, Cameo II,  Deva, Fusion, Nomad, and now Maxx, so... I just never bought into them - so no complaints really, it just wasn't a product for me.  I think one really has to look at a product and make a careful decision about what it brings to the table and what you expect out of it.  There are such varied ways of approaching the mixer / recorder, that it is NOT a given that there is a "right" way to implement things.  When there is such a community upswell about a piece of gear, like any of the current Zaxcom fare, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will make the most sense for a lot of people, who are not willing to change their workflow paradigm to match.  I've always been very forthright about my credo on how a mixer should operate, but don't knock people for liking X or Y product.  There is some backlash against the armchair quarterback who thinks a design "should do this", or "shouldn't do that".  It is true that it takes a lot of talent, expense, and time to produce any of the products that any of our community of vendors make, from the Pix 260i, to the Maxx, to the Smyles Comm-biner (brilliant).  But when a mere pedestrian comes up and makes a seemingly derogatory remark on how it does what it does or what it doesn't do, as idiotic and uninformed their decision may be, it is a valid observation, because the feedback should be taken in the context of the user or the potential purchaser, not a peer engineer who is into electronic and mechanical design.

 

We should be respectful of manufacturers... shit happens, and if there is an isolated defect on an individual unit, take that up with the manufacturer and let their brilliant customer support work for you - no need to air dirty laundry.

 

On the flip side, the consumer should be respected too, if I don't like the Zaxcom menu system or Joe doesn't like the Sound Devices LCD in sunlight - the viewpoint is inherently valid.  As an old fashioned switch and pot guy, I don't buy Zaxcom mixers.  Because I'd rather have the sunlight readability of the good old fashioned 442 / 552 LED meters versus the washed out LCD (even the optimized for sunlight ones), I still use a 442.  I don't even upgrade to a 552, because I don't like the joystick transport control and ridiculous talking menu feature.  Obviously there are downsides to the personal decisions that I've made for myself, but that's just where I'm at in my own gear inventory strategy.

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This is why I like SD...

SD - For you 788T owners, who have owned one for years, and who gladly paid the price we set for the features we had in the unit, it now does MixAssist. You're welcome.

788T user - But you never promised that feature. We never new about it. That's awesome. No upgrade fee? Just a great new feature? Thank you!

SD - Hey guess what... We realize the 664 is kinda big with the CL6, and who can run 12 knobs anyway, so if you are cool with the trims in a menu, you can now use the TA3s as inputs and record 12 tracks without a CL6.

664 owner - What? You never promised us that. We paid for a 664 knowing it had only 6 inputs. Are you sure you're now just giving us 12 tracks without having to pay to unlock the feature with a special code?

SD - Yes. You're welcome.

Now...

Zaxcom - In a handful of months, we'll release an awesome recorder with tons of great features.

Zaxcom users - Awesome!! Let's talk about these great features for months while we wait. I can't wait to pay full price for the new machine that will be released some time in the future with only a partial feature set. Then we can talk about it even more while we wait for all the features to work properly, or at all. Hey Zaxcom, will it be released at a cheaper price with the partial set of features?

Zaxcom - No. In fact, we'll roll out a machine that does even less, tease you with a low intro price on a stripped model, then charge you extra for all the cool shit we've been taking about for months. The machine does almost everything, but you'll need to pay to unlock the features.

Zaxcom user - Oh. That sucks. But I'll buy it anyway for the awesome features I don't need and won't use, and which won't be available anyway. Hello... Zaxcom?

Zaxcom - Sorry, we were already thinking about the next product. What were you saying?

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Robert,

 

With spin like that you could be a politician.

 

Just like with many politicians, while there may be a basis of truth in your statements, they leave out important facts that truly enlighten, rather than just serve to skew an argument.  Shame on you -- you're better than that.

 

A fair and reasonable approach would be to determine what features each product has delivered at what price point.  If that was the approach, it would then simply be left to an individual to choose the right tool for the job -- which is what we should be discussing rather than this infantile "my gear is better than your gear" posturing that's rearing its ugly head again.

 

DISCLOSURE:  Over the years I've used to good success many products from each of the above companies, including all the products mentioned or alluded to.

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I don't believe anyone in particular will ever win an argument one way or the other regarding one manufacturer being greater than the other (or than all the rest). The Zax vs. SD arguments all seem silly to me now after having owned both SD and Zaxcom gear, and still actively using both. 

 

After all, every opinion post (even this one) is just that, a non-factual set of statements meant to sway folks one way or the other. Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with opinions, just that it's our job as intelligent adults to read between the lines, gather as much information as possible and form our own well-educated workflows around that information. This includes equipment purchases and backup choices.

 

The one thing I do believe is that we have pretty concrete proof in the form of JWsound posts and FB posts that certain manufacturers deal with publicity better than others. Or at least if not 'better' publicity, than I would say that some companies seem to trigger angst in their customer base more than others through their actions. You can decide whether that's correct or not based on your own observations.

 

Regarding equipment issues or potential failures: When a new error comes to light in any piece of gear, fixing it and being responsive to the end-user seems to me to be far better than trying to hide that information by any means. And on a very basic level, don't other users of gear with possible issues have a right to know about that possibility even while the manufacturer is working to fix it? Hypothetical example; What if that possible issue affects a piece of gear I'm planning on using for a shoot next week and I show up unprepared because information regarding said potential issue has been buried to save face for a manufacturer? I'd personally much rather know about any potential issues going into the situation! It would instill great confidence in me toward the transparency of a company and would be a reminder to me that said company's goal is to constantly have my best interest at heart. That's a win-win situation for them and for me as far as I am concerned.

 

And so, in my post, I've managed to fill the internet with even more opinions. Perhaps there's something to be read between the lines here. Perhaps not.

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Let the pissing contest begin or shall I say continue... Reason sux. Beat up the guy or gear who does it differently than you do. Personally I could care less what recorder, mixer, mic one uses. Let the recordings stand for themselves. Anyone who is in the business 20, 30, 40 years must be doing something right and I doubt the gear was as important as the persons character and work ethic.

CrewC

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John B and Co.

Perhaps the post sounded a little angrier and/or more sarcastic than I intended. I really was teasing the users a bit, and maybe going after the manufacturer a bit more.

Zaxcom makes very cool and very clever products with a great set of features. I just happen to dislike their business model on a personal level. It fills me with distrust. I have thought about making the "switch" many times, I just can't find a good enough reason.

Robert

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Dear Robert

 

I think you are being more than a little unfair here.

 

Our last released recorder MAXX was put out with all advertised features from the first day of introduction and none of the drama you satirize.

 

Same for our camera link and our TRX742 boom transmitter.

 

I was recently "called out" on this group for not releasing advance information on new products and now you are mocking us for the exact opposite. I do not see how we can do anything that will make everyone happy.

 

I guess the answer is we can't. Customers call all the time and want advance information on new features and products. Then if that information becomes public we get criticized for it being out there.

 

I think it is important for as much information to be out on a new product so that the sound mixer can make an intelligent purchase decision. We have made a decision to limit its release just to avoid criticism like you have posted here.

 

Customers demand to know about current and future features. How many people want to be kept in the dark about a future feature on a product they are deciding to purchase?

 

Sure getting new unexpected functionality is great. We did this this year when we released QC audio transmission for our wireless transmitters and ZFR recorders. Never talked about it until it was ready and the software was released. In fact we do it all the time like even today. There is new software on our user group for Nomad and MAXX that will automatically select a headphone preset in playback if it is labeled "PLAY". All for free and as a result of customer feedback.

 

In short it would be easy to build products that do not have advanced features. Very easy to get them to market quickly with not much fanfare. That is not what we do. We go for it. We put in features that we think the customer will hopefully come to rely on and will allow them to deliver a better product to their clients. And in the future we may not talk so much about the advanced features until they are ready but I am sure I will be asked about them.

 

I love what we do. Our customers seem to like it as well. We will keep doing it and most likely some will want to know everything and others will not.

 

I hope we earn the trust of our customers everyday that is our goal. Doing the right thing is job one.

 

Glenn

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