Hey sound friends,
My goodness… it’s been ten months since my last blog entry.
I have been blessed in that time with non-stop bookings and have fully transitioned from reality shows to feature and scripted work.
I’m going to try and take the time to update this blog more often! I think the next big article will be about how I transitioned from bag work to cart work. Would you be interested in the story?
In the meantime, thanks for reading!
Cheers,
-Chris
Last week, I added a second wired boom w/ talk back to my cart kit. I chose Remote Audio’s new Boom Box V2 to complement my “old style” Boom Box.
I purchased a new Boom Box, Adapter Cable (to convert old cables to new style), Mixer Fanout and a modified MDR-7506 Headphones w/ talkback mic terminated in a TA-5f connector.
What’s New?:
1) TA-5 Connector Headphone Connector: I like that the headphones now have a single connection point for the TB Mic and Headphones. We’ll see how that connection holds up after some use.
It is also great to have the legacy XLR & 1/4″ connectors for older style modified headphones to work as well.
2) Volume Control w/ built-in on/off switch: My Boom Operator loves this. LOVES THIS! Now he can adjust for quiet or extremely loud situations without me adjusting the gain to his headphones.
3) LED – The old style had no LED built in to let you know if it the BoomBox was on, the battery was low or off. The new one sports a green LED when on and goes red when the battery gets low.
4) Battery door – The new BoomBox has a battery door that angles out and a latch for securing the battery with in. No more prying out of the removable battery sled like in the old version.
5) Boom Cable no longer hardwired into the Boom Box – In creating the “New Style” Remote Audio has flipped the gender direction of the Boom Cable so that it can be directly connected into the Boom Box without a dongle.
This is why you’ll need to purchase the adapter cable for your old style system. You’ll also need to specify “Old Style Fan-out” for the mixer side connection.
6) Balanced Line Level or Headphone Level Stereo Input & Support for dynamic & electret talkback microphones.
Conclusion:
The new Boom Box V2 is a very solid offering which has many great new features. Just be aware that if you are using this with the old style, you will need to use the adapter and specify the old style when ordering the Fanout!
Prices:
Boom Box V2: $259.00
Adapter Cable (Adapts old style cables to new style): $59.99
Fan Out (788t/Cl-9): $87.49
Remote Audio Modified 7506 Headphones w/ Dynamic TB Mic & TA-5 Connector: $254.99
Link: http://www.remoteaudio.com/boom_cable_system_v2/
I just got the ETS Instasnake PA202 system. It passes four XLR inputs up to 1900′ via a single Ethernet (RJ45) cable. With a shielded cable, it even passes phantom power!
I have been using if for Process Car Work and other long runs. So far, it has worked like a charm!
I’ve been dropping to Lectro 411a receivers in the back seat of the insert car and hardwiring two Sanken Cub-01 Mics as plants into the Instasnake.
So far, I haven’t experienced any noise, buzzing or high/low end loss in the signal. However, you should avoid running the ethernet cable alongside any power cables – just as you would any XLR cable.
As it stands, I’m very pleased with the kit and it’s low cost!
My kit cost about $325. It includes:
http://www.etslan.com/pdfdocs/Legacy/PA200.pdf
There is a brand new version that is now in a metal case. Also, ask for the “Sound Guy Discount” if you order it direct from ETS.
(Note: I originally had this titled as a balun, but as Jeff Wexler pointed out, it has no transformers and is just a box wired to take in four XLR style cables and run them through an Ethernet cable. Thanks Jeff!)
-Durf
Every once in a while a very innovative product comes along… in this case, the Lav-Bullet.
It’s a simple idea that is extremely useful, especially if you need to run a mic wire down through the pants to an ankle strap… but is also very useful to get the wire through a shirt quickly.
It is a solid weighted piece of metal that looks like a silver bullet. It sports a TA5/3 connector (also a Lemo version available) to allow you to attach the transmitter end of the lav directly to it.
It comes with a handy carabiner and clip to hang the Lav-Bullet from your cart or belt.
It’s only Achilles’s Heal is that the screw in TA connector is thin metal. My utility dropped it twice and the connector broke… effectively destroying the usefulness of the Bullet. Fortunately, we had a second Lav-Bullet on hand.
Sound Guys sent a replacement envelope that took a few weeks to get… the only problem was they sent it in a standard white paper envelope… from which a hole surfaced and the replacement must have fallen out in transit.
We found you could get a standard Ta-5M sleeve to fit it from the local electronics store.
Links:
http://sound-guys.com/Lav-Bullet/Sound_Guys_LLC.html
Field Tested Review of the Sound Devices CL-9 Linear Control Surface
I’ve been meaning to do a review of my CL-9 Control Surface for the 788T recorder for many months now, but life and work has had a way of keeping that from happening. The recent Snowmageddeon in Atlanta has given me some time to finally write this review.
Recent Background
I’ve recently made the jump from doing working mostly as Reality Audio Mixer/Supervisor & Commercial Work to Production Audio Mixer on a larger budget scripted series. The differing things I’ve learned in doing that deserve an article on it’s own, but that will have to wait… this is about the CL-9!
My cart is fairly straightforward:
What I like about the 788T/CL-9 Combo:
The 788T/CL-9 combo is a great setup and I find it to be reliable, adaptable and the recordings sound great! …but I do have some issues I’d like changed or improved:
That being said…
I would highly recommend the combo to any mixer interested in putting together a multi-track cart-based system. There are a few limitations, but I haven’t found any problems I haven’t been able to work-around. 
Thanks to Sound Devices for a pretty darn good solution!
Link:
http://sounddevices.com/products/cl9.htm
Send them to me and I’ll post them on the Tips & Tricks page with a link/email to you!!!
Come back soon for a full review! I hope it’s a good one!
I’ve been working on a show for the past couple months with a 788T/Cl-8 Combo rig. So far we’ve had 5 CL-8′s crash and die. They would NOT power back up.
Alfredo del Portillo, who is working long running show with a similar rig, has had four CL-8′s go bad.
I talked to Nick at Sound Devices and while they don’t have a clear answer, they think it has to do with a chip that is losing it’s memory somehow in combination with the lastest firmware update.
Sound Devices has actually paid to rent Alfredo’s rig for testing to see what is going on because his rig has been experiencing the problem while it is running the 2.0 firmware, which is an anomaly. (2.01 is the most recent version)
It seems to be some sort of software issue with the units as the CL-8s are able to be reflashed to life at the factory in Wisconsin, but it could also be a defective memory chip.
Hopefully we’ll have an answer soon!
Hi Guys,
I’m selling a few things that might be of interest to you:
JK Audio THAT-2 — ($188 new) $100
Whirlwind Pressbox 12 – Passive 12 channel line to mic splitter ($399 new) MINT! $300
(2) BEC Mounting Boxes and a Plate for mounting 2 411a Recievers onto Anton Bauer Plate VGC ($180 new) $110
I love a company that listens to it’s customers.
I got my new belt clip yesterday courtesy of Lectro from a request that I made ( as well as many others) for a belt clip similar to the UM style belt clip for the SM / SMD/Q style transmitters.
Why? The existing options for the SM style transmitters were the leather pouch and the (stainless steel) clip. Neither of these were great solutions and often didn’t stay in place on cast, nor did any of the above allow for lav mic cable management.
The new belt clip does.
It’s a bit smaller then the UM clip and made of blue anodized aluminum.
The *only* thing (and there is no way around it) is that because it isn’t as long as a UM Clip, it might not grab as well when used on large belts.
That being said, I love it.
Thanks Larry!
