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Portable Production Sound Carts - Post Your Pictures


Matt Geldof

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Post your sound cart pictures please.

 

I am researching potentially adding small, light weight sound cart to my kit, for an upcoming series. I typically mix out of a bag. I'll convert my pelican case into a sound cart when needed, or borrow a rolling table from whatever department will lend me one. Basically, I work a lot in NYC on varied types of productions, have to stay light and portable. It is not always feasible to drive to a location with a cart in the trunk.  I've had a number of medium / large / custom carts in the past, all of which were not quite right for 99% of the tight spaces and productions I work on. Often it's getting up a laughably small freight elevator, that is the main obstacle.

 

That said, I'd love to see what all of you are using, especially portable / modular / DIY solutions. Ideally, I can easily setup and break down said cart, or roll in and out of a car/van and it doesn't cost as much as a new mixer/recorder.

 

Please post your pictures and some brief thoughts, for inspiration. Larger setups welcome too. Whatever you works for you.

 

If this topic already exists on JWSG, feel free to link to it.

 

Thanks!

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The Gallery of Sound Carts is linked in several places on this site  --  if you have trouble finding it, below is a direct link to the Gallery:

 

Gallery of Sound Carts LINK

 

The Gallery is a huge collection of sound carts spanning several decades. All varieties are represented including a large number of custom hand built carts. Over the years there actually has been very few commercially available dedicated sound carts. Most everyone up until fairly recently has had to build, adapt or re-purpose carts from other industries. My first sound cart was built on a Sears television cart. It was part of a package deal at Sears  --  I had a heck of a time trying to convince the salesman that I did not want the 19" Silvertone Black & White television sitting on the cart  --  I just wanted the cart!

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Much appreciated. That is a great story Jeff and can relate. I do feel like this will be a bit of a re purpose, but I am game. I very much enjoy building and customizing anyway.

 

Trey, the PSC euro cart looks like it could work. How easy is it to break down and setup?

 

The gallery is amazing.  Was about to say to go ahead and close this topic, but I think it could still be helpful to revisit, given some of my needs for a smaller footprint.

 

So post if  you have something small and portable with a some specific ideas to share. DIY or off the shelf.

 

 

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If you are looking for small carts, look up Zuca Carts, as well as diy Zuca sound carts. Lots of people heavily modded them to their needs. 
for of the self solutions search for Cannibal Industries‘ Super Zuca. 
also check out the Concart Picnic. 
all of those are some seriously small carts. 
 

here are two pictures of my Concart mentioned above. 
 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, Jeff Wexler said:

The Gallery of Sound Carts is linked in several places on this site  --  if you have trouble finding it, below is a direct link to the Gallery:

 

Gallery of Sound Carts LINK

 

The Gallery is a huge collection of sound carts spanning several decades. All varieties are represented including a large number of custom hand built carts. Over the years there actually has been very few commercially available dedicated sound carts. Most everyone up until fairly recently has had to build, adapt or re-purpose carts from other industries. My first sound cart was built on a Sears television cart. It was part of a package deal at Sears  --  I had a heck of a time trying to convince the salesman that I did not want the 19" Silvertone Black & White television sitting on the cart  --  I just wanted the cart!

I have something for that gallery. It’s a heavily modded Zuca All Terrain. A lot of expensive custom parts but it did turn out great. 

A953D735-E4D9-4384-8E3C-966230076529.jpeg

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A67EFF5D-C01D-4B15-A1DE-F6A3CB8654CE.jpeg

76D857DE-8AC5-4221-875F-92C42C0E0941.jpeg

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2 hours ago, John Ronnerblad said:

I have something for that gallery. It’s a heavily modded Zuca All Terrain. A lot of expensive custom parts but it did turn out great. 

Wow very compact indeed! Zaxcom also really offer very cute compact solution with the Aria 8! 

Would you mind to share some description of your cart parts with us? 

Is the BlueTurn device used to turn the pages of the script on your iPad?

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11 hours ago, Fred Salles said:

Wow very compact indeed! Zaxcom also really offer very cute compact solution with the Aria 8! 

Would you mind to share some description of your cart parts with us? 

Is the BlueTurn device used to turn the pages of the script on your iPad?

Well. I discovered that the round Zuca frame and 2020 (20mm) had the same diameter. So what I did was that I changed the original Zuca frame at the back to 2020 v-slots. 
I did however keep the 5cm at the bottom were the axle goes through. 
 

Then to make it sturdy I used Elesa tube holders and 25mm tubes to make both the adjustable handle and as a reinforcement for the frame. I added inline wheels to the handle (Elesa have M8 threaded inserts for their tubes)

 

I’m using a couple of different Accuride sliders. I sketched up the different trays and shelves and had them fabricated in a local work shop. 
 

There are a group on Facebook called Zuca Sound cart where I might have posted more details.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1595929987382210/?ref=share

 

and yes. It’s a page turner but I’m faster turning pages with my finger then the foot so I rarely use it. But I could…

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Wow! Great stuff.

 

John, your cart is a work of art. It looks like Zuca may be where it's at, for a small footprint when vertical space is at a premium. PSC too. I really like the straight forward nature of Constantine's Concart, especially for work where a bag is moving on and off the rig. With that said, also need a quick disconnect solution for shark fins and bowties. Another topic. 

 

This has been pretty helpful. Please keep posting, compact DIY builds too, with T-slot aluminum or something similar if they are out there. 

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More ideas. Here is a bag cart. This is a T-slot cart I made. T-slot is so easy and relatively inexpensive to work with . I used black t-slot extrusions.

 

First Picture - On the front you can see 4 IDS drawers (https://www.flambeaucases.com/four-compartments-16-ids-dividers.aspx) 

used to store most things. Slightly bigger items are stored in the black drawer I made. Even bulkier items are stored in the box at the bottom. All of the drawers have a latch to keep them in place when moving.

 

On the left is a place to put a tablet. It tilts, allowing it to act as a table. It swivels out of the way to get through doors and it can be removed as it is mounted on a baby pin.

 

You can probably also see an LED light on a gooseneck that is powered by the bag battery. LPDA antennas are also powered by the bag battery.  The silver bar with the black on top off to the right is one of two shelf brackets that swing in, out of the way, when not in use (more in another picture).

 

There are extendable poles on the left and right for antennas and transmitters. If I am using whip antennas in the bag, then the IEM and hop transmitters go on the poles and they are extended up, away from the receivers. If I am using LPDA antennas, the LPDAs are extended up in the air and the transmitters are placed lower on the pole. There are quick disconnects for the LPDAs on each pole.

 

Second Picture - In the back at the top is a Bucket Boss tool holder with extra pockets I added to store receivers and transmitters. To the left is a small canvas garbage bag for batteries and bits of tape etc. I also store a folding chair (left) and umbrella (right).

 

Third Picture - Here you can better see the two shelf brackets at the top, minus the shelf. There are two cup holders to which I added metal hooks for headphones and headband flashlight.

 

Fourth Picture - The cup holders are easily removed (no screws or latches) by pulling them up in case of a narrow passage. The hooks at the bottom of the cup holders also fold under the cup holders (with headphones in place) to get out of the way.

 

Fifth Picture - At the top of the cart is the other half of the Bucket Boss tool holder. Hex wrenches, Torx, scissors, pliers, multi-blade screwdriver, multi-tool, adjustable wrench, etc. The Bucket Boss can be lifted off with the built-in handle.

 

Sixth Picture - This picture shows a fabric covered wooden shelf velcro'd to the shelf brackets. This is the handiest and most favorite addition to the cart. It's in constant use. It folds in half for storage or to be used as a half-shelf, but I've never used it that way.

 

Seventh Picture - Shelf folded in half.

 

Eight Picture - The top drawer can be pulled out to be used as a shelf. I put notes on the cover. Some permanent, some for the show, such as a chart showing which TV channels are open in the city I will be located. I also keep a scratch pad taped to the cover to keep notes of what has been sent out on set or other notes to keep track of things. Its a quick way to jot down things I want to remember.

 

Ninth Picture - I have a baby pin mounted on the side of the cart to hang my flashlight and other bits.

 

Tenth Picture - I have a baby pin mounted on an arm that extends out of the cart to mount a shade umbrella.

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Interesting that all the accessories, external storage, drawers and compartments tend to over-shadow the working gear (recorder, mixer, etc.). Maybe it's just that I am so used to having so much of that stuff on a follow cart  --  but of course if you need to use a small cart too work off of and carry all the extras, you've done a great job accomplishing that.

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On 3/29/2022 at 10:50 PM, Paul F said:

More ideas. Here is a bag cart. This is a T-slot cart I made. T-slot is so easy and relatively inexpensive to work with . I used black t-slot extrusions.

 

First Picture - On the front you can see 4 IDS drawers (https://www.flambeaucases.com/four-compartments-16-ids-dividers.aspx) 

used to store most things. Slightly bigger items are stored in the black drawer I made. Even bulkier items are stored in the box at the bottom. All of the drawers have a latch to keep them in place when moving.

 

On the left is a place to put a tablet. It tilts, allowing it to act as a table. It swivels out of the way to get through doors and it can be removed as it is mounted on a baby pin.

 

You can probably also see an LED light on a gooseneck that is powered by the bag battery. LPDA antennas are also powered by the bag battery.  The silver bar with the black on top off to the right is one of two shelf brackets that swing in, out of the way, when not in use (more in another picture).

 

There are extendable poles on the left and right for antennas and transmitters. If I am using whip antennas in the bag, then the IEM and hop transmitters go on the poles and they are extended up, away from the receivers. If I am using LPDA antennas, the LPDAs are extended up in the air and the transmitters are placed lower on the pole. There are quick disconnects for the LPDAs on each pole.

 

Second Picture - In the back at the top is a Bucket Boss tool holder with extra pockets I added to store receivers and transmitters. To the left is a small canvas garbage bag for batteries and bits of tape etc. I also store a folding chair (left) and umbrella (right).

 

Third Picture - Here you can better see the two shelf brackets at the top, minus the shelf. There are two cup holders to which I added metal hooks for headphones and headband flashlight.

 

Fourth Picture - The cup holders are easily removed (no screws or latches) by pulling them up in case of a narrow passage. The hooks at the bottom of the cup holders also fold under the cup holders (with headphones in place) to get out of the way.

 

Fifth Picture - At the top of the cart is the other half of the Bucket Boss tool holder. Hex wrenches, Torx, scissors, pliers, multi-blade screwdriver, multi-tool, adjustable wrench, etc. The Bucket Boss can be lifted off with the built-in handle.

 

Sixth Picture - This picture shows a fabric covered wooden shelf velcro'd to the shelf brackets. This is the handiest and most favorite addition to the cart. It's in constant use. It folds in half for storage or to be used as a half-shelf, but I've never used it that way.

 

Seventh Picture - Shelf folded in half.

 

Eight Picture - The top drawer can be pulled out to be used as a shelf. I put notes on the cover. Some permanent, some for the show, such as a chart showing which TV channels are open in the city I will be located. I also keep a scratch pad taped to the cover to keep notes of what has been sent out on set or other notes to keep track of things. Its a quick way to jot down things I want to remember.

 

Ninth Picture - I have a baby pin mounted on the side of the cart to hang my flashlight and other bits.

 

Tenth Picture - I have a baby pin mounted on an arm that extends out of the cart to mount a shade umbrella.

1956405132_20220329_1811341.jpg

581088357_20220329_1808261.jpg

353028645_20220329_1809531.jpg

236131751_20220329_1812021.jpg

1970628293_20220329_1815341.jpg

345929669_20220329_1816361.jpg

1762883685_20220329_1816451.jpg

1760743057_20220329_1814201.jpg

82653116_20220329_1816591.jpg

324590926_20220329_1821451.jpg

Thank you for sharing your very nice DIY rig, using the extruded aluminum. It's helpful to see one in action. I really like this setup, for the fact that everything you need is self contained. I do appreciate the idea of a follow cart, but in my world, largely working on varied sets and locations in NYC, my backpack/pelican, is my follow cart. Even when I am on shows, the studios and locations are tight, so a follow cart is not exactly practical.

 

I appreciate how you've organized everything in a way where it is instantly accessible and thoughtfully adaptable to bag moving on and off the cart. Also, your IFB TX / RX antenna setup makes a ton of sense. What hardware are you using for that? Really, I just need to pull the BNC and install the whips, when moving around. This is making me think about incorporating an aluminum frame into a dolly that can covert to a horizontal or vertical setup. It would be robust, but maneuverable enough to move through challenging spaces and maybe even throw some additional bags on top, when the entire crew needs to cram into a single freight elevator.

 

I have to go back through and re read all of the details, but this is clearly getting the juices flowing. Much appreciated.

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The antenna poles are something I found at a scrap yard, so I can't give you a source for them. As best I can tell, they are a lightweight mic stand boom pole since they have 5/8" mic stand threads at the end. I mounted them to the cart with a couple of aluminum clamps I made. The t-slot vendors probably have something suitable to mount a pole to a t-slot. They each have their own selection of accessories, so visit all of their web sites.

 

As to the transmitter, I used a standard clamp and baby pin to mount it. https://www.amazon.com/Smallrig-Thread-Cameras-Umbrellas-Shelves/dp/B0062U2M4E/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28G9RZOD0248L&keywords=light+stand+clamp&qid=1648826127&sprefix=light+stand+clamp%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-4

 

If I did it again, I would make the main vertical member of the cart a 1" x 2" extrusion rather than 1x1.  When I push the cart around, the upright flexes, leaving me feeling a bit insecure. But it hasn't been a problem. 

 

The next upgrade is to add wheels to the handles like John did. This makes it easy to roll the cart in and out of my minivan on its back. I can set up the cart without much fuss. The only things I take off the cart to load is the bag, the things in the bottom box, and the Bucket boss.

 

I've got power distribution built into the bag so that when I go mobile, I detach the antenna and LED power from the bag to make for a quick disconnect (third picture). My bag isn't a bag. I made a mixer carrier out of Kydex that gives me better access to everything.

1780765462_20220401_0802111.jpg

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Constantly evolving, but here is my little PeliCart that works as a follow cart as well, though admittedly the drawers won’t house a full sized slate or zeppelin. But I’ve been making due with it. 
 

on my current feature I’m using an Olympia folding cart as a follow with pelicans for extras, but this setup has been a decent solution as an in between cart, since my full sized cart is too big for many locations on this project, and a bag setup doesn’t quite cut it. 
 

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313A7DB5-9070-4845-AA3C-1ADC1A50C669.jpeg

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/1/2022 at 6:24 PM, JonG said:

Constantly evolving, but here is my little PeliCart that works as a follow cart as well, though admittedly the drawers won’t house a full sized slate or zeppelin. But I’ve been making due with it. 
 

on my current feature I’m using an Olympia folding cart as a follow with pelicans for extras, but this setup has been a decent solution as an in between cart, since my full sized cart is too big for many locations on this project, and a bag setup doesn’t quite cut it. 
 

0E7A50F4-3F67-4ACB-83CD-82042428F9B8.jpeg

7A507462-84CA-4902-A7C6-5CA1467ACC62.jpeg

42B98442-200C-4B99-8F28-6E091C33CB36.jpeg

BAE63CEF-226F-49EC-BA07-3004D234FEEA.jpeg

313A7DB5-9070-4845-AA3C-1ADC1A50C669.jpeg

 

What is the road case with drawers that you have? Is that something you built?

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