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5 microphones stolen


Constantin

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5 microphones haven been stolen from me from out of a studio in Cologne. It's probably a long shot posting it here, but who knows where these things turn up. 

The mic were taken sometime between Friday evening (7th November) and Monday morning (10th November). 

The studio was locked and alarm-secured and there were no break-in marks, whatever that means. 

 

If anyone sees one of the mice or gets them offered by someone in a dodgy deal, please let me know or the Police in Cologne. Of course, the mice were insured, but I want *my* mics back, not some new sterile mic! 

 

1. Schoeps SuperCMIT (this was actually rented from Kortwich) serial number 0215

2. Schoeps CMIT (not the super kind) serial number 2772

3. & 4. Schoeps CMC6 and Mk41, two of each in one box. Unfortunately, I did not note the serial number

5. Neumann KMR81i serial number 1312021154

 

The Schoeps were all in their respective wooden boxes, except for the CMK641, which were sharing a box. NOTHING else was taken! The mic were in my Peli case, right next to a Zaxcom TRX742 and a Lectro HM. Not even the two Cinelas were taken, nothing. Very strange...

 

Thanks for your help!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes that's right, I'm pretty sure that all of those were my mics. In fact, I saw these a few weeks ago already, including the other CMK641. They are all in the same shop, too. I told the police about it, with full description and with article numbers for ebay and everything. I don't know if they have actually done anything yet, but I haven't heard anything. Although that shop looks like it might be worth a visit anyway.

In fact, most of these auctions ended some time ago. The mics were not stolen all at once, but over the course of several days, and the regular CMIT auction has ended quite some time ago. I'm afraid I can't really do much else. Other than go to that shop (which is relatively close by) and check it out myself. It's most likely a fake address anyway.

Now it's up to the insurance and production companies. Luckily, at least, production has accepted their resposibility for this and are takig care of everything.

Still, it's a bit weird to see almost all my mics on Ebay (no trace of the Neumann) and not be able to do anything about it.

Thanks everyone for your compassion in this, and especially for the many pm's I have received

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I just saw this post of your misfortune...

I'm just curious - was anything else, non-sound, stolen from your set?

That is the really weird bit. Nothing else was stolen whatsoever. And it's not like I had them lying about openly. They were in their cases and in drawers or peli cases. The studio was locked and alarmed and there were no signs of a break in. So someone from our crew (which includes the cleaning personell) knew what they wanted and where it was. I had a Zax TRX742 sitting right next to the Schoeps mics, but they didn't take that. Or the Cinela for each mic, not even the foam, nothing else.

Very strange!

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Damn!!!

So, what happens next?? Does ebay help catch the thief? If it were me I would buy them up and "pick them back up locally".

Believe me, I thought about this. I don't think the address is real though. I'm hoping that Ebay will help by releasing the buyer's names so that the mics can be retrieved. However, this can only done by the police
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I was about to say this. I actually hate to say this, but it strikes me that whoever stole these, was not some random opportunistic thief like a drug addict or whatever, but someone who knew exactly the worth of these and what they wanted. I really, really hate to think that, but it's reality. In other words, it might - might - be another soundie. Obviously, I don't know that for a fact, and I am absolutely not casting aspersions on anyone, but do you happen to know who stole these mics? If you do, you might give the police that info and have them investigate and let the chips fall where they may. Several years ago, we had an expensive camera and set of lenses stolen right off the soundstage at lunch break - and it was on a studio lot. We figured out who did it, and the security got the items back - no cops involved, but that guy no longer works around here... last I heard he's in Canada doing work there. So if you know who did it, you got some decisions to make.

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This studio is not on a lot, it's a single hall with our sets inside. There are no other productions in the immediate vicinity. We just shot one season there, so only very few people knew that someone was even shooting there at all. So I don't think it was another soundie. And trust me, if I knew who it was, I would have told the police. The loyalty to friends and colleagues ends when they are stealing from you.

But it could've been someone who either used to be a soundie or who had any other music/audio related hobbies. Schoeps and Neumann are well known to musicians, too. However, I don't get selling it to a fence (had to look that one up, dealer of stolen goods?), makes no sense. Why not keep them, or at least wait for a year and then sell them somewhere better than Ebay

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Sorry for your loss and the distrust you feel.

 

Pretty much everybody working on filmsets is aware of the worth of the tech around. Luckyly the vast majority of collegues are professional and trustworthy.

I don't see the necessity/probability of a sound related person. Think as a thief: Apart from mags and stuff on the magliner, what piece of equipment is around on a set with a maximum worth and a minimum volume/weight relation? What is easy to hide in a pocket? What is rather easy to sell or to pawn? Mics are ideal.

The ebay seller does not have to be aware that it is stolen good (or the thief himself). Apart from mics and few other sound tech, he is selling used watches. I guess he is aware that his listings could be stolen.

 

Did you get back to the police and ask them, what they will do about it? Did you talk to your insurance about ebay?

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Sorry for your loss...

Did you get back to the police and ask them, what they will do about it? Did you talk to your insurance about ebay?

Thanks!

Yes, I did talk to the police, but I don't want to share too many details here, in case the thief is here, too. It's the production company's loss, officially, so they have to deal with the insurance company. I think they are mostly interested in getting this over with and not so much in who the thief is.

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Some people steal. Period. I have been on film sets where very expensive gear has gone missing and no one wants to outright accuse anyone of anything so it just gets fed up the ladder to production and they either eat the loss or file an insurance claim depending on the amount of the item. But people DO steal on film sets. Watch your gear, and ALWAYS get a CI if you're walking away from gear and or whenever possible. I'm also self-insured just in case production doesn't have my back. 

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Absolutely, same here re insurance. An Arri Amira was sitting in the same room, btw, but DanieldH is right, I think, it's too large. It had a huge zoom lense on it, plus all the other bits and pieces. To make it easy to steal would have taken some time. Still, whoever stole must have known where to look. Even from the entire crew, that's a small group.

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