Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Alcons
Nov 2, 2008 15:51:25 GMT 1
Post by Rick Sarson on Nov 2, 2008 15:51:25 GMT 1
Here is a snap of the rig. As you can see, it is quite small. I asked for ten a side, which would have been plenty. It is a hang of twelve because the supplier had the rig in packs of six and did not want to split them. These are LR14's. You can see from the rest of the rig nearby they are quite small. Cool bananas!
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Alcons
Oct 31, 2008 0:09:37 GMT 1
Post by Rick Sarson on Oct 31, 2008 0:09:37 GMT 1
Sorry chaps. I should have provided that link. I forgot
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Oct 29, 2008 16:18:16 GMT 1
If you are using any walkie talkies or radio mics then check that your frequencies are legal everywhere you go. I was working in the Hague a while ago and the radio police turned up. They had been outside with a scanner. They said all the walkies on the show were on illegal frequencies and confiscated the lot! It was just before the show started and they didn't care at all. The show was thrown into turmoil and the production company never got them back. You should find advice on the JFMG website.
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
|
Alcons
Oct 29, 2008 12:37:39 GMT 1
Post by Rick Sarson on Oct 29, 2008 12:37:39 GMT 1
I have just done a job for ITV, their gala dinner. It was in the Roundhouse in Camden which, although much improved, is not a great venue for sound. I used two hangs of Alcons LR14's via Digico D1. I was totally gob smacked! It was far and away the best sounding rig I have ever used. (Meyer, d&b, Vdosc, Outline Butterfly being amongst them) It is unusual in that it has ribbon,rather than compression, drivers for the tops. It was like using a giant HiFi. Cleaner than anything I have ever come across, very loud, and hugely detailed and dynamic. The only drawback is that there is nowhere to hide, if you make a mess of things it shows every detail of your mistake. I would recommend that you have a listen if you get the chance it will change your perception of how good sound can be. Wow! ;D
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Oct 23, 2008 17:11:22 GMT 1
I am on a corporate roadshow at the moment. In Sweden we had to use the house rig of JBL Eons (Saints preserve us!) and do FOH from their control room. Personally I always love the challenge of doing sound in a sound proof room, hold on? My nose just grew 10 cms! But I thought you might be faintly amused by how small the space available was. The projector is about 5 cms above the desk screen. We also squished lighting control and the show caller in there too.
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Sept 4, 2008 20:14:09 GMT 1
I will be there on Tuesday afternoon. Be there or be symmetrically rectilnear, or somesuch.
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Sept 2, 2008 17:37:43 GMT 1
If anyone is interested I have done a test recording. It is just shaking a matchbox around, above and below the head. I don't know how to post audio on the web, but I could ftp it to your email, if you are curious?
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Aug 31, 2008 20:06:48 GMT 1
OK. Here is an update on the Dummy Head progress. This is what I started with. A polystyrene wig block rather stylishly modelling my sunnies, called the shortened version of Richard, obviously. My middle name is puerile. (The website won't let me write thingy) On the right are two AKG 417's, on the left is some silicone plus hardener. The silver bag in the middle is some alginate. It is the stuff dentists use for taking gum moulds and so is safe for gooping over my delicate lugs. Next is a snap of a mould being taken, I have felt more elegant I must say. A plastic pot is used as a dam to keep the alginate in place, which goes off incredibly quickly, making it difficult to get the stuff in all the little crevices. Here are some of the "negatives" of my pinnae And here are the positives made of the silicone All good so far, but the problems started. I thought the polystyrene head would be an simple starting point, but most glues and paints melt it easily. Silicone on the other hand has its' problems in that almost nothing will stick to it or paint it. The first attempt at sticking the ears on was not much of a success as they just fell off. I visited lots of do it yourself shops and arty craft shops for help, but was mostly met by teeth sucking and general tutting. A whole heap of experimentation and general cursing later I ended up with this First experiments in recording are encouraging, I have a level difference problem which I have yet to figure out and I think I need to apply an EQ dip somewhere in the 5 to 8KHZ range. The sense of space is remarkable, especially anything round the back of the head is really well defined. I have no idea how far the mics need to be pushed inside the head 'though, and once I push 'em in they ain't coming out in a hurry! I will let you know how I get on when I have something decent to record. If anyone has any handy hints or thoughts about the way forward then don't be shy!
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Aug 23, 2008 16:31:49 GMT 1
I have been doing this sort of thing for a while and it really helps with the sound of more or less anything you do. It is well explained here [glow=red,2,300] www.eaw.com/info/EAW%20Smaart/Case_studies/case6.pdf [/glow] Even a simple speech system will benefit from aligning the source with the PA, making the back line of the band cohere with FOH is a joy. Once you have tried it out I think you will always want to do it, said the actress...
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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WIKI
Jun 24, 2008 11:15:30 GMT 1
Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 24, 2008 11:15:30 GMT 1
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 16, 2008 10:56:54 GMT 1
About a billion years ago, when I was doing theatre touring, I borrowed a wig block from the Wig mistress and pinched a couple of KM84's from the pit to record a mates gig on a Sunday. Even though KM84's are completely the wrong sort of mic, the block had no 'ear flaps' and the recording medium was cassette (it was a loooong time ago) the results were still impressive on headphones. There was a real sense of being in the acoustic space of the room. This kind of stuff fascinates me, even though it has limited applications. Mind you, everyone listens to music via Ipod these days so maybe it could be a way forward for a really cool listening experience for your bands' next release?
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 16, 2008 10:47:47 GMT 1
You might like, if you don't know about it already, to check out the "Microphone University" at DPA www.dpamicrophones.com/
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 14, 2008 17:42:53 GMT 1
Has any one had a try at dummy head recording? I know the results are awesome on headphones, but the Pro setups are horribly expensive. I was thinking of cobbling something together with a couple of Maplin electrets and a polystyrene wig block just for curiosity. Any thoughts or pointers gratefully received.
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 8, 2008 15:07:52 GMT 1
If you have 3 subs or more you can use a delay line to create a cardioid sub array. If you can arrange to have the backs of the subs pointing towards your problem OAPs then it will reduce the problem enormously.
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Rick Sarson
Senior Engineer
In search of fidelity
Posts: 106
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Post by Rick Sarson on Jun 7, 2008 13:05:53 GMT 1
Senor Biscuit, was that snap taken in Schipol airport? If it is it is something to do with a system called delay (or beam) steering. www.meyersound.com/support/papers/steering/ very interesting stuff and quite beyond my comprehension. www.livesoundint.com/archives/2002/novdec/la.php scroll down to "steering lobes" I have to say that I was impressed with the system at Schipol, not great audio quality but very intelligible over a wide area in the airport. Not something easily achievable in such an 'audio hostile' environment. As for audio in marquees, best of luck and take a flask and sandwiches the crew are always badly looked after in my experience!
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