On the Red Carpet at the New Moon Premiere

I was recently asked to work a special movie opening by Paul Gussack at DVCommunications. These are usually live sound events with large, heavy load-ins and load-outs, lots of gear, and very late hours. But this event was a little different. Paul’s production involved a three-camera shoot for the Regal Cinemas corporation of a benefit movie opening in Knoxville, and he needed me to be a boom operator. Turns out I was on the Red Carpet for the premiere of New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight saga and top infatuation for just about every pre-pubescent female in the western hemisphere. There were a few post-pubescent women there as well. And every one of them was screaming.

On the red carpet in Knoxville, TN. Image by Justin Fee, www.photographfee.com

So it was kinda fun to be on the red carpet. Besides myself, a photographer… Justin Fee of www.photographfee.com… were the only ones allowed there. Everybody else had to stay behind a barrier. We had a lot of downtime, so Justin snapped a picture of me and sent it to me. Now I can prove I was there. Now all my nieces are absolutely green with envy… thanks Justin!

March Of Dimes PSA for Atomic/Johnson Group

I recently completed a quick PSA for the March Of Dimes and The Johnson Group.

Me chasing the dolly with Atomic Films.

We shot for a half day at Erlanger North Hospital here in Chattanooga. The shoot was in a busy hallway during the day… there were people constantly needing to go through. Several times there were newborns in carts, which is always a big distraction for me… “Brian loves him some babies,” as my wife likes to say. The PSA was for the Make A Wish Foundation, and star of the PSA actually had cancer as a child, and is completing her degree as a Nurse practitioner. Nine years ago, as a Make A Wish recipient, she wished for an ice cream party and a shopping spree at Toys R Us… but they were both for the other kids on the cancer floor… nothing for herself.

Bobby Stone was the photographer. We shot with their Red One camera mounted on a Super PeeWee dolly. Most of the sound was from Lectrosonics wireless… I used a shotgun for some shots, but the noise from a working hospital meant that most of the useable tracks would come from hidden lav mics. The majority of the spot was voice over, only a few lines were sync sound.

 

Sound Devices Battery Short

The very first on-the-job use of my brand-new Sound Devices MM1 preamplifier didn’t go nearly as well as expected. As soon as my audio utility put batteries in in and set it down, he said, “is that smoke?” Sure enough, it was.

I quickly pulled the batteries to figure out the problem. There was a burn mark on the positive terminal of the lower battery, caused where a spring in the battery holder had jumped off the positive terminal and shorted against the battery case.

The shorted battery from the MM1

At first, I thought the batteries had been inserted incorrectly, but the polarity was correct. Where the problem lies depends on who you talk to… me or Sound Devices. As I see it, this short was caused by poor design of their battery holder tube. They have placed a spring at the contact of the positive end of the battery holder, rather than placing a spring at the negative end… the way 99.9% of the rest of the world does it. But the folks at Sound Devices have told me:

After hearing back from our service manager whom I showed your photos to, he revealed that the problem lies in the design of the batteries you are using, which have been discontinued by their manufacturer. He pointed out that the batteries you showed in the picture have insufficient insulation around the contact that burned out, and that these batteries have been known to short out. I recommend you stop using this model of battery if you have more. Please let me know how you would like to handle the MM-1 itself. We have a flat rate labor fee of $75.00 +parts for MM-1 repairs and we ask for 5 business days in-house to complete the service.

Well, this was news to me. I asked why the spring was at the positive end, rather than at the negative end, but this question has been… thus far… ignored. But I intend to keep asking them until I get an answer. I believe that this is a design flaw of the product, rather than the battery.

The burned spring contact at the positive end on the Sound Devices battery holder.

I’d be really interested to see if other users have had this sort of problem with Sound Devices equipment. And I’ll be doing more research into the Ray-O-Vac 15 minute rechargeables as well. I have asked their customer service if there are reports of these batteries shorting out, a question that has been… thus far… also ignored. I’ve used them quite a lot in the past, since they can be recharged on the set and are extremely handy to have… given a proper battery holder, at least.

CNN’s Hometown Heroes

I recently completed two days of shooting for CNN’s Hometown Heroes with Anderson Cooper. It will air over Thanksgiving weekend.

The shoot was coordinated by Loki Films in NYC. Rachel Grady was director/producer, and Julia Dengel was director of photography. Both were extremely accomplished and professional. Loki Films normally works on documentaries– some have appeared on programs like PBS’ Independent Lens. Their current projects include the Saudi Arabia Youth Project for MTV, and “Freakonomics:The Movie.” Their production “Jesus Camp” won the special jury award at the Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.

The subject was Jordan Thomas, who is an amazing young man. Jordan lost both legs below the knee in a boating accident. He was very fortunate to have survived, thanks to the fact that his mother and father are both doctors. While recovering in the hospital, he learned that most insurance policies limit coverage for prosthetics to $5000. His cost $24,000, and he’s on his third set, since young people grow out of them… not unlike a pair of shoes.

Within two weeks he had started the Jordan Thomas Foundation to help underinsured and uninsured families buy prosthetics for children. Once a candidate

Rachel Grady interviews Jordan Thomas for CNN

is selected, the foundation commits to them until they are eighteen, meaning they will purchase several sets of limbs. We followed Noah–  a six-year-old beneficiary- through the Creative Discovery Museum here in Chattanooga. He went from basically a peg-leg to a real leg with an articulated knee. Where before he couldn’t run with other kids or ride a bike, he’s now EXTREMELY mobile and active… we all had a hard time keeping up.

I’ve just learned that Jordan has been selected as one of the top ten CNN Heroes, which means he’ll be traveling to Hollywood over Thanksgiving weekend for a celebration event hosted by Anderson Cooper. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.

Consider a donation to the Jordan Thomas Foundation, or help out by voting for CNN’s Hero of the Year here

Sound Devices MM1

In the new gear department, I’ve just taken delivery on a Sound Devices MM1 mic preamp and headphone monitor. While it is possible to find a cheaper headphone monitor these days(for example, this one by Behringer), I decided to invest in this unit, partly because of Sound Devices‘ reputation for quality gear. My initial impression is their reputation is quite safe… this is a very well-built and functional little unit.

The Sound Devices MM1 is fairly compact and lightweight. A Portabrace-style casewould be nice to keep the unit from getting dings, though it's ruggedly built

A recent shoot for CNN required NO mixer in the signal path… rather, they wanted a direct wireless lav in one channel, and a wireless boom in the other. While I have the wireless transmitters covered, the “butt plug” Lectrosonics that I’ll use with the boompole doesn’t have a provision for monitoring the signal. The MM1 will be perfect for this application… at least until I come up with the $3K for a Zaxcom 992 wireless camera link.(For a review by Glen Trew, click here.)

Besides reputation, the reason I selected this unit was for available features on the preamp section. Inputs and outputs are transformer-balanced, there’s a limiter and a high-pass filter that can be set to 80 or 160 Hz. Also of critical importance is the mic powering section, which can be set for 48 volt phantom or 12 volt T-power. I have two Sennheiser shotguns that use T-power, a long 815T and a medium 415T. The 415 has a smoother high end than my Sennheiser ME66/K6, but its power requirements and sensitivity to moisture mean that it doesn’t get used as often as I’d like.

There is one thing that I DON’T like about it… if the preamp section is set to 0dB, as in no added gain, the unit doesn’t pass a signal at all… no signal at the headphones or the output. So the unit can’t be used if you want to monitor a signal without boosting it. I tried to use it to monitor to my boompole signal before transmitting into a Lectrosonics 187 “butt plug” transmitter, but that requires a mic-level signal. Any boost will distort the transmitter, so this hasn’t been the solution I’d hoped. Some custom input cables for my Lectrosonics transmitters will help (thanks to Lectrosonics for making their wiring information available… click here.)

Building A Transformer-Balanced Mic Splitter

One of my latest DIY audio projects has been a simple transformer-balanced mic splitter for location work. While you can occasionally get away with splitting a mic signal with a Y-adapter, it can cause all sorts of noise and loading problems. Transformers… if they are high quality… do the job much better. Jensen transformers are famous for this application, but expensive, and cheap, lightweight transformers found in catalogs like Allied and DigiKey don’t handle high frequencies well. After much searching on the internet, I found Edcor audio transformers. This is a small US company that winds audio transformers… their WSM600/600 has a frequency response of 20hz-20kHz, and are affordable at around $12 each (I needed  a four-channel split for my Edirol R4Pro field recorder that I bought from Trew Audio… four signals to the recorder and four identical signals to the mixer that are then mixed and sent to camera.)

The splitter circuit is pretty simple. It's developed from the Jensen application notes, more transformer design info can be found at their website.

The circuit is pretty simple.  The only components required besides the transformers and connectors are a resistor and capacitor for a radio frequency network. I used polyester film caps and metal foil resistors for low noise. A ground lift switch is optional… it isn’t a bad idea because it allows for potential ground loops, but it does complicate the build a bit.

The front and back panels for the 4 channel splitter. There's barely enough room for the connectors.

I first built a two-channel version, and I’m glad I did… I figured out where my screw-ups were. The case I selected was too tight for the two-channel version, really, so I was able to devise a better way to locate the components for the four-channel unit. When you build these, it’s best to wait to mount the transformers until after the connectors have been mounted and wired. And it’s difficult to machine the case sides for connectors or switches, you want to use only the smooth face plates for mounting hardware.

Wiring the unit was made easier by not bolting anything to the case before soldering… I made that mistake on my two-channel unit. And I saved a bunch of connectors by hard-wiring pigtails to the two-channel splitter, but it makes it cumbersome to store and vulnerable to damage. I decided to be conventional with the four-channel version and use connectors, but I’ll need to solder up eight short cables to go along with it. Soldering cables isn’t difficult, but rather time-consuming.

The case layout with the transformers in place. They'll be bolted into position after they're soldered.

I’ll be adding more info on this project as it develops.

On location with SpeedTV’s “Wrecked”

I managed to get a last-minute call for a shoot this week in Chattanooga for a segment of SpeedTV’s “Wrecked.” One of the show’s principals was receiving an industry award here, and they wanted to put it into the show. Eric Weatherington, freelance producer from North South Productions drove down from Knoxville. Local photographer Jeff Hannah was on primary camera, and Eric shot on the secondary, a pair of Sony Z1U. Equipment difficulties made the money shot a little questionable (the camera switched into high-gain mode right before the presentation, and Jeff couldn’t navigate the layers of menus fast enough to get it back. The shot ended up really grainy. The problem turned out to be a user-assignable button on the side of the camera that wasn’t cleared by the last photographer. The button was bumped, and Jeff was baffled.) The Z1s were really touchy about input level, and would clip hard if pushed over 0Db, but it sounded reasonably good in the end. (The metering on the Z1 is digital full scale, and zero is absolutely zero… meaning no more digital bits to record on. Anything  pushed over zero dBFS sounds absolutely awful.)

On Location with Majora Carter

Yesterday I completed a long day documenting a visit to Chattanooga by Majora Carter for the Benwood Foundation and Mindflow Media. Majora is an activist and environmental justice activist who did phenomenal work in the South Bronx, building the first park to be constructed in that neighborhood in 70 years. We started at about 8:45AM on a bus tour of Chattanooga (which was educational in it’s own right… did you know we have a place in Chattanooga called “residue hill?” Folks are so scared of this site that  disturbing the area is prohibited, since they don’t know what sorts of chemicals have been dumped there. It’s a relic of 70-plus years of manufacturing in Chattanooga.)

Recording audio on a small bus, packed with local dignitaries and careening down residential streets  is a particular challenge. I’m quite sore this morning.

A large luncheon and panel discussion at a local church and afterschool center was next, then a sit-down interview with Ms. Carter back at the Benwood offices. We had a few minutes for some pizza, then it was off to UTC to set up for her evening lecture. (I managed to swing through Starbucks on the way for a quick recharge.) We wrapped up at 9:00PM. A long day, but like all the shoots I’ve done with Dave Porfiri and the Benwood Foundation, it was educational.

Classic Audio- the RTS Systems HPM-41 mixer

As much fun as all the latest and greatest software-based audio technology is, I still like old analog circuitry. It has it’s quirks, of course, but there are lots of cases where high-quality analog still sounds outstanding… as good as, if not better than, digital.

The front panel of the HPM-41 mixer by RTS Systems

One of the mixers in my collection is the RTS Systems HPM-41, which is a 4-input mono mixer. Background info on this unit has been very difficult to find. RTS Systems abandoned the mixer business years ago to concentrate on intercom systems for television and broadcast stations. It looks like these were built to compete with the ubiquitous Shure M67 4-channel mixers in use in  just about every radio and TV station in the country. The Shures are built like tanks… dependability is critical in broadcast… but the RTS mixer has some big advantages over the Shure. Some are apparent from the front, and others you can see once you open the unit up.

The rear panel of the HPM 41

Each channel has a two-position pad to drop the input signal 15 or 30 dB. There’s also a 75Hz and 150Hz high-pass filter, and a real bonus, individual limiters on each channel. On the back, each channel can be phase inverted, and channel 1 and 2 has phantom power, which can be switched between 12v A-B powering or 48v phantom. (I like this arrangement better than my brand-new and very expensive Shure FP33 mixer. To change the phantom powering, you have to open the unit up and poke around the battery compartment. It’s tight, your fingers are constantly touching the circuit boards, and it’s easy to forget the settings.)

All the switches on the HPM-41 are recessed toggle switches, which gives the whole thing a higher-quality feel.

This mixer is really heavy. This is due to the large mains transformer inside the unit. While it has a provision for battery power, it’s really designed for stationary operation rather than fieldwork in a bag.

Inside the HPM-41. The large rectangle on the left is the RF shield covering the AC mains transformer.

Once you open the unit up, the differences between this and a Shure M67 become immediately apparent. The pots are Bourns sealed type, probably conductive plastic. These give better performance than the usual carbon type. Four big electrolytic capacitors are also immediately noticed. The 25-volt, 3300 uF monsters will be hard to replace since they are axial-lead type, and this type of lead is not  normally stocked in better grades. Electrolytic capacitors can degrade over time– especially through lack of use– and it’s usual to replace them in vintage equipment. But capacitors that are larger than their minimum requirements do last longer. I’ve even heard it suggested that with caps, more is always better. (but within reason, of course.)

Beyer input transformers

ICs in this unit are 5532s and TLO84s. While there are some other IC’s that might yield higher performance (such as the Burr-Brown 2134), the general consensus seems to be that 5532’s are pretty good chips. Also noted, but not usually seen, are four Beyer Dynamic German-made audio input transformers. Some good info on these and other circuits can be seen on the kubarth site.

The RTS Systems HPM-41 is a comparatively rare mixer. My guess is that these were very expensive units judging from the components, especially when compared to the Shure utility mixers from the same period. I don’t use mine very much… the weight and power requirements mean that I can’t use it in a bag, running around under battery power, which is 95% of my business. And it’s usefulness is further limited by being a mono mixer. But I expect to find a good use for it as a preamp or base for modification. Several ideas come to mind, including placing the heavy power transformer into a separate case, changing out the power plug to a 4-pin xlr, and adding direct outputs. If you happen to find one cheap, I’d go ahead and buy it, or let me know about it. Also, if anyone has any documentation on these, I’d very much appreciate a copy and I’ll add it to these pages.

The AFFT quarterly meeting

The AFFT Quarterly meeting at the Doubletree Hotel in Chattanooga.

The quarterly meeting of the Chattanooga chapter of the Association for the Future of Film and Television as held this past Thursday. I helped a little to organize the event, but Emily Bowman did all the heavy lifting. We had a comparatively large turnout… over a hundred people… including several people who regularly work in LA or NYC in the film industry.  Congressman Zack Wamp addressed the crowd for a few minutes and declared his support of the film incentive tax credits program, which is an important AFFT goal.

I also distributed the first hardcopies of the AFFT Chattanooga directory. I had 42, and we went home with about 5, so the quantity was about right. These were a pain to create, since I had to do most of them at home. The office supply print shops have jacked their prices while no one was looking, so the first pile of these were laser printed and assembled at my office at a cost of zero. But we may need to put out a donation jar at the next meeting to help defer the cost of these, since they cost $1.40 each to produce. But if you’d like a copy right away, I have a PDF version that I can email you, as well as a VCard file that you can import into your address book. (I know it works well with Macs, and it’s supposed to work with Windows as well, but no promises.) My email is hammerguy at bellsouth dot net.