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Sound Backpack Rig


Ze Frias

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Testing out this sound backpack build. I'm working on a very fast paced, run-and-gun project with up to 3 wires at any time, and they wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. I put this rig together very quickly using my Orca backpack with a Sound Devices MixPre-6, a QRX100QIFB and a RX200 for 3 wireless channels, a TCS USO feeding timecode to both the MixPre-6 and the QRX100QIFB to send timecode out to the transmitters and timecode and audio to the ERX on camera. Custom molded in-ears come out of the back pack for critical monitoring in noisy environments, as well as a boom cable for the occasional booming. Transport controls and visual level monitoring via Wingman app on my phone.

It's been pretty awesome. The backpack is super light and easy to carry around for shooting all over the city and on subways. Only thing I wish I had was an automixer to help keep the mix's noise floor down, especially since I don't have physical fader control, as well as maybe actual fader level control via the app so that I can fade out mics when I don't need them. I could also figure out a way to rig the antennas on the outside of the backpack, though I have been easily getting 100-150 feet all over NYC with the whip antennas inside the backpack (using ZMT3s with XR modulation), which has been more than enough for this particular project. All in all it has been a success.

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I did a similar rig for a backcountry shoot in Jackson Hole, only I used my backup F8 recorder instead of my Nomads because I could wirelessly control the gain using an iPad (or even my iPhone!). It was clutch in that situation. 

 

 I am often tempted to use it regularly, only I wish the Wingman app gave me the same functions as the F8 WiFi controller  because I prefer everything else about the Nomad. 

 

I found with the backpack setup, a wireless boom approach will help keep your profile way down and give  you some modicum of control over the boom input gain. 

 

Cheers,

Evan

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11 hours ago, Mobilemike said:

Very nice - looks great!

 

How are you finding the heat having everything enclosed in the backpack? Ever feel like the gear is getting too warm?

 

-Mike

 

It's been pretty cool temperature-wise these days. Nothing felt too warm. Not sure what it would be like during hot summer days, that said, I've put my gear through some extreme temperatures, including the hot deserts in Africa, and it's never failed, though the QRX will get super hot to the touch.

 

8 hours ago, hobbiesodd said:

I did a similar rig for a backcountry shoot in Jackson Hole, only I used my backup F8 recorder instead of my Nomads because I could wirelessly control the gain using an iPad (or even my iPhone!). It was clutch in that situation. 

 

 I am often tempted to use it regularly, only I wish the Wingman app gave me the same functions as the F8 WiFi controller  because I prefer everything else about the Nomad. 

 

I found with the backpack setup, a wireless boom approach will help keep your profile way down and give  you some modicum of control over the boom input gain. 

 

Cheers,

Evan

A9581269-A628-4E0A-A253-BB673600CF00.jpeg

859485F0-C510-461A-BEA2-A3518A5EE5DA.jpeg

FD275D46-4E5F-44FF-9417-D132F6787D5F.jpeg

 

Nice going. Rig looks awesome!

 

I did consider the wireless boom approach, but ultimately did not go that route since the boom only came out for OTFs, and it was just simpler for me to plug in the cable and go, then to things like scan another new frequency for every new location, turn on another transmitter, manage another set of batteries, etc.

 

My ultimate goal was to make this as light as possible. I could've gone with my Nomad and Touch using my wireless monitoring with the Kangoroo PC, but it would've added a few extra pounds that I didn't want to carry at the end of the day. I didn't remember that the F8 Bluetooth app allowed you to control gain levels; good to remember. Most of my gain structure was set at the beginning of the day and we were good for the rest of the day. I really only wanted to be able to fade out mics when their user walks out of the shot for example, that way I don't have their mics open when they are clearly no longer part of the shot.

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