Zaxcom Nomad - operating questions, plus tips & shortcuts

[Jack Norflus]

When I do two channel eng work I have a left only a right only and a two channel split a two ear mono as well as a two channel split camera return.

I'll add additional camera returns as needed. And I use my PFL as needed.

[Jack Norflus]

Excessive? No.

Powerful? Yes

Setup the monitor selections any way you are comfortable with. You can move both forwards and backwards by pressing and holding the headphone knob for about 1 second.

Glenn

Agreed the flexibility of the monitoring give you unlimited options tailored to your needs. I will alter my headphone setup on a per shoot basis to cover my needs.

[Wandering Ear]

Ah, gotcha!

Lacking a 'Return' switch on Nomad I have to set up four presets to toggle through if I want seperate Left and Right monitoring for both the mixer and off camera? And six if I want a Mono mix? And EIGHT if I want Stereo? Seems excessive!

If you don't want a bunch of headphone presets, the nomad won't cycle through the unused ones that have nothing routed to them. A very smart feature that I love!

I agree with Glenn, it's powerfull and very flexible.

[James Arnold]

When I do two channel eng work I have a left only a right only and a two channel split a two ear mono as well as a two channel split camera return.

I'll add additional camera returns as needed. And I use my PFL as needed.

Yes, that's basically what I'm gunning for. I think my issue was that I was hoping to be able to run the same presets on the camera return as well (as you would from a 552, SQN, etc etc). You can do that on Nomad, but it will require cycling through many multiple monitor modes as there is no dedicated A/B return. This isn't a colossal problem, but slightly inconvenient in ENG shooting where camera audio is the master and I have to switch over to the return listen more than I might want.

Excessive? No.

Powerful? Yes

Setup the monitor selections any way you are comfortable with. You can move both forwards and backwards by pressing and holding the headphone knob for about 1 second.

Glenn

Thanks Glen. Yes, I had discovered the mode switching!

If you don't want a bunch of headphone presets, the nomad won't cycle through the unused ones that have nothing routed to them. A very smart feature that I love!

I agree with Glenn, it's powerfull and very flexible.

I like that feature too! I shall just have to be a bit more frugal with my presets. I tend to use the L and R the most, but obviously if I remove everything else from the presets for simplicity of mode switching, I can't suddenly decide to switch to Mono without reconfiguring.

[bendybones]

I like the monitor presets but I would love to see the option of parking 2 of them like we can with the home screen.

Push headphone knob + COM or SLT to jump to the preset parked there.

Parking presets which have at least 2 presets between them in the list would give easy access to 6 presets

The COM-parked preset.

The SLT-parked preset.

The preset directly before and after each of the above (via the headphone knob 'push' or 'push-hold navigation)

Anyone like this?

[dominiquegreffard]

Another question here: Ok so if i record simultaneously straight to a recording zax tx and to my nomad and i that i lose signal somewhere during recording i.e. car scene. Once i stop recording on both devices will my nomad recording will "fix" itself from what the tx recorded through zaxnet or i will have two seperate tc stamped recording that will need to be matched and fixed in post?

Thanks!

[Jeff Wexler]

I believe the re-recording or re-mixing feature is not yet implemented on Nomad but on Deva and Fusion the file on the recorder is untouched (it is not automatically "fixed") but a new timecoded file is created (by playing back and re-recording the good file from the recording made on the transmitter) and marked as an alternate file to the take you are trying to repair. The new file, on the Deva, has new timecode and the offset from the original timecode from the take making it very easy for post to replace the first file with the second one from the transmitter. It is a pretty elegant system. The recording feature of the Zaxcom transmitters can be used even if you do not have a Zaxcom recorder (Deva, Fusion, Nomad) but without Zaxnet you will have to pull the cards from the transmitters and manually search for the take you need.

[Jack Norflus]

What do you mean "fix itself"?

[fieldmixer]

I think what Dominique might mean by fix, and incidentally what i myself personally hope will be a reality, is that, on a "take", should wireless dropouts take place, that, with a few key strokes the specific file from the transmitter replace altogether the file with the drop outs on the nomad. No alternate no offset.

[Olle Sjostrom]

Nomad - A mixer, recorder, and never ending feature wishing well.

[Jeff Wexler]

I think what Dominique might mean by fix, and incidentally what i myself personally hope will be a reality, is that, on a "take", should wireless dropouts take place, that, with a few key strokes the specific file from the transmitter replace altogether the file with the drop outs on the nomad. No alternate no offset.

I don't think it will ever be implemented the way you describe. Zaxcom has always taken many steps to preserve the integrity of the original recording on the Deva. The use of an alternate recording (file) with sample accurate timecode to replace the first (primary) recording that may have had a problem, I think is the right way to do it. Just my opinion (but I know this comes under the same philosophy of not deleting false starts, re-naming files on the fly, etc.).

[John Blankenship]

Jeff,

Not having used this particular feature, yet, the part I'm hazy on is what you mean when you say:

...The new file, on the Deva, has new timecode and the offset from the original timecode from the take making it very easy for post to replace the first file with the second one from the transmitter.

...

It's the timecode "offset" part that has me puzzled, and how -- if it's not the same timecode -- it'll be matched up in post.

Thanks.

[Jeff Wexler]

First, I want to add to what I said above regarding the possibility of replacing the original file automatically with the file from the transmitter recording --- I really don't know how this could ever work since we are typically recording polyphonic files and asking the machine to replace just one of the files-within-a-file. Maybe this is a simple affair but I don't think so.

The new recording has new timecode (what I call "production timecode", the timecode for that recording, time of day, etc.) but attached to the new recording is the production timecode that was present when the recording on the transmitter card was made (which will be the same production timecode as is on the Deva recording of that transmitter on that take). In post, this "old" timecode can be used to align the good track (new track recorded on the Deva from transmitter) to the previous track on the Deva that you want to replace. That's what I mean by there being an offset. It is really quite a bit simpler to accomplish than it is to describe.

[John Blankenship]

Thanks, Jeff.

Sorry to be dense on this. When you say new timecode is "attached" is this in a field in the file's header (such as a NOTES field)?

I look forward to using this feature when it's implemented on the Nomad. My use of the IFB100 has precluded any transmitter recording.

[Jeff Wexler]

Sorry to be dense on this. When you say new timecode is "attached" is this in a field in the file's header (such as a NOTES field)?

You're not dense... I'm the one who hasn't been able to explain it clearly. The new timecode is the timecode at the time the new recording is made, just like any new taker except that this particular recording is a RE-recording of the take from the transmitter recorder. The old timecode, that is from the transmitter recording when it was made, appears, I believe, as Note somewhere either in the header or in the metadata for the new file. Not totally sure about this since I have not actually used this feature too many times myself. I was just trying to help out in describing it... not so sure I have been able to do that.

[Philip Perkins]

You're not dense... I'm the one who hasn't been able to explain it clearly. The new timecode is the timecode at the time the new recording is made, just like any new taker except that this particular recording is a RE-recording of the take from the transmitter recorder. The old timecode, that is from the transmitter recording when it was made, appears, I believe, as Note somewhere either in the header or in the metadata for the new file. Not totally sure about this since I have not actually used this feature too many times myself. I was just trying to help out in describing it... not so sure I have been able to do that.

OK--so the Deva is RECORDING the audio from the TX file into a NEW file on its drive with whatever the current TC is (like it would with any recording it made), and the NAME/HEADER of that file is automatically the time code of the ORIGINAL TX recording, made simultaneously with those on the recorder of that scene. So the process in post would involve reading the name of this new file and using the TC therein to manually place that file alongside the recorder file that has the dropouts, basically syncing audio-to-audio. Is that all right?

phil p

[Jeff Wexler]

Yes, Phil, that is essentially how it works.

[glenn]

The new file that is re-recorded from the transmitters has the time code offset to the origional recording in the note field so post can simply type in the offset for the rerecorded audio to match the previously recorded picture.

Glenn

[fieldmixer]

Wonderful. Looking forward to utilizing this feature in practice.

[dominiquegreffard]

Okay thanks guys for clarifying this feature. Wouldn t it be simpler if re-recorded file kept original metadata instead of writing original tc in the notes field?

[Jeff Wexler]

I don't think the "original" metadata (that which was entered on the Deva) is available on the file recorded on the transmitter card. I suppose there could be some sort of copy-paste routine whereby the metadata entered on the Deva for the take your are re-recording is put into the new file, but again, this involves more complexity and the present method utilizing just timecode seems to work quite well.

[Vincent R.]

Do you use it often Jeff? This function?

[Jeff Wexler]

Do you use it often Jeff? This function?

No, I don't use it often. I am sort of late to the party, having all the latest and greatest gear with all the bells and whistles, but not really having to utilize all that stuff. I have had so few jobs where there is even a chance of RF drop outs that I haven't needed the wonderful safety net that the recording wireless provide. I do use all the other features of Zaxnet, remote gain, remote frequency coordination and so forth, but haven't really had the need to use the recordings made on the transmitters.

[John Blankenship]

Thanks, Jeff, Glenn, et al, for the clarification.

I look forward to when the Nomad features will be fully implemented.

[Michael Miramontes]

Is there was a way to assign individual ERX's certain tracks instead of them all hearing the same thing? This way I can give the director a mix track feed and my boom op whatever he wants to hear.