The first and most obvious feature is the number of inputs. The 788T has 8 mic/line switchable inputs; 4 on XLR, 4 on TA3M connectors. Mic/Line switching is now a menu option. Each input has its own dedicated gain control, unlike the 744T which only has 2 gain pots and 2 software based volume controls. Secondly, the interface section has grown. The older 7-series recorders could only be connected with Firewire 400 compatible computers. The 788T has file transfer connections for USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 specifications. Simultaneous recording is available between the larger 160GB Hard Drive, Compact Flash slot, and external Firewire 400. The XL-DVDRAM works with the new recorder as well, creating a daily medium post houses have come to expect. The AES section of the 788T has changed a lot from its older sibling. Instead of AES/SPDIF connections on BNC connections, Sound Devices conserved some space using a 15-pin DB connector for the AES3 I/0. Eight AES inputs and two AES outputs are accessible with this connection. Four additional digital outputs are on two TB3M connectors on the left panel. Also on the left panel are two headphone connections; 1/8th inch TRS like the other 7-series recorders and an additional new 1/4 inch TRS. Four balanced analog outputs (TB3M) and a stereo unbalanced 1/8th inch provide analog outputs 1-6. These outputs are fully matrixed. Any track or input can be sent to any of the outputs. In addition, by selecting the headphone output as 7 and 8, you have eight individual outs. Word Clock connections and Sound Devices C-link connections are the same as the entire 7-series. C-link could create 10, 12, or even 16 tracks of recording, by linking various combinations of the 7-series recorders. Think about 16 tracks for under $12,000! Finally, the size of the recorder. The height is identical to the previous 7-series models, 1.65 inches. It is 10 inches wide and 6.25 inches deep. This is just under the footprint of the 442 mixer from Sound Devices.

I’m heading to NAB next week. I hope to see some of you there. I’ll definitely spend a fair amount of time at Sound Devices booth. I’ll also bring back notes on all the other goodies at the show. Until next time.

“A gigabyte of flash 10 years ago cost $3,000. Right now you can go into Best Buy and get a gigabyte for about 12, 15 dollars.”

and IDC Corp figures reveal the prices of flash fell 60% last year and will drop by 50% in 2008. In a November 2oo4 study Joseph Unsworth of technology research corp, Gartner Inc. released the following graphics in relation to USB flash memory as used in the Edirol R4 Pro and Fostex PD-606.

So what does this mean for the Sound Mixer? Two things come to mind. First when a 4 GB+ flash card is near the $5-8 price range, DVD-RAMs may go the way of the StellaVox. Many recorders use flash media, the Sound Devices 7 series, Zaxcom TRX wireless, Deva 5.8, Fusion, and 16, Edirol R4 Pro, Marantz PMD series, Tascam HD-P2, Fostex FR-2, FR-2LE, PD-606 et al. Zaxcom is even working on a lossless 2:1 compression for their files allowing a 32GB card to act like a 64 GB for a main recording medium. The manufactures realized the potential long ago, and it may soon pay off. Secondly, the common post systems in use today should be able to transition fairly easily to these media. For less than $30 a multi format card reader can be purchased at any discount store for use with PC/MAC based editors. For Fostex DV824 users, the upgrades are coming. In response to their PD-606, Fostex is writing software which will enable the DV824 to read flash media from its USB or Firewire connections. Currently the DV824 only allows USB or Firewire 1394 connections to a Mac/PC. Until that time, connect the DV824 to a network, USB, or Firewire computer and read the files from the same <$30 card reader. No, we aren’t there yet. But yes we are getting very close. Thanks again for reading. Thank you to Audioflow reader Rick, for this fine topic suggestion.

For almost three years the industry has been anticipating the RED ONE DIGITAL CINEMA CAMERA. As with many aspects of our industry the visual seems to push the market and the audio is left to keep up. Until February 08, the actual audio I/O connections have been theoretical. We know it has displayed TA3 connections for the inputs and a TA5 for the output, but the actual pin configurations and audio operations were a mystery. Some of them still are. Using the latest manual, Build Version 2.0.3, and a loaner from AC Inc. (thanks guys) I’m going to lead you through the most important feature, the audio system.

The camera has four analog inputs and will accept both line and mic level signals. The line level input does not provide any adjustments, and according to the manual this is 0dBu, this is measured on the same scale as professional (+4dBu) line but four decibels lower. Internet buzz has indicated that this is not true, and that the line level signal is actually looking for -10dBV, consumer level. The reason for this descrepency is headroom.  At 0dB line level you’ll only have 8 dB of headroom.  In order to compensate for this many users are finding the -10dBV a better fit. Line level signals are immediately digitized to 24 bit at 48 KHz. Mic level signals each have preamps to raise the level before the analog to digital converters kick in.

There are three menus that important to audio.  In the Setup Sound menu, each input is selectable, then you can choose mic, mic 48 (phantom power), or line input and arm tracks for recording. The next two menus are accessible through the video button.  Select Audio.  This allows you access to the mic preamplifiers and their gain controls.  Metering is not available in this menu.  It will take some getting used to, but meters are on the main screen outside of the menus.  Under the headphone menu you’ll find the variable headphone matrix. You can control the master level, left and right levels independently, and three input combinations. Monitoring is available in stereo pairs; input 1 left, input 2 right or input 3 left, input 4 right. You can also monitor all inputs together summing inputs 1/3 to the left and 2/4 right. Also note that any level or mix changes you make to the headphones also affects the stereo TA5F monitor output.

Timecode is currently an input only connection, but output is a future upgrade. This connection uses a 5 pin Lemo and is wired compatible with Nagra, Zaxcom Deva, Sound Devices 7-series, and Aaton products. User tests seem to indicate that only 23.976 is currently working. We did find some other peculiarities in the manual.  Here is a recreation of page 63…

UPDATE!: We have successfully wired input adapters for the camera. For the TA3 connectors, follow the chart, not the graphic.  The TA5 connections are as described above, no ground, pin 1 hot left.  The connection is balanced, but with out a ground pad cables and other interfaces could be tough.  Remember this one.

The internet has provided a lot of information on the topic of audio for the RED. A few users have confirmed my suspicions, and rewritten the manual before RED could. On some select cameras the TA3 inputs may be out of phase.  This could be an issue with the mislabeling of the connector graphic in the manual; either an internal mistake in the camera, or the cable was made to the graphic and not the chart.  Beware.

I’ll be updating this post as more information comes available. If you have had any live experience with the RED, I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an email.

• The strike has come to an end, and we’re all glad to hear it. I’m not going to discuss the politics of the situation, just that a resolution is good. Frankly, I’m ready to start watching my favorite shows again. Thanks for hanging in there; Trew is ready to help you when the productions start humming again.
• In my last post I discussed my wishes for the coming year and one has already been granted. Lectrosonics has recently released a wide band Venue (field model as well). They have also introduced antenna cable “BLOCK” filters. These external filters will allow the open frequency Venue to perform like the previous block specific models. This is beneficial to both us as a retailer and you as the user. For us, we know what to stock. The difficultly of stocking multiple frequency blocks should no longer be an issue. This means we can have the product on hand, and if we sell 10 in a day, Lectrosonics will have us backed up. They only have one frequency block to stock as well, the ALL IN ONE block. Naturally, we’ll have the antenna filters for all the most popular blocks as well. For users looking to go with the Venue system, instantly more versatility is available to you. Of course, receiver modules and transmitters are needed, but the option of “pluging-in” a new block has huge possibilities.
• I have a new favorite product to plug. It has been out for a couple of years, but the Sony ECM-680s stereo shotgun is a steal. It is mono compatible, great for boom or camera. Mid-side audio is internally converted to a left/right output on a 5-pin XLR. It is small, lightweight, and sounds great for a price under $800.
• Important news for PD-6 owners. Contrary to the information gathered for my first Audioflow, titled “Misinformation,” Hitachi, Maxell’s parent company has discontinued the 8cm DVD-RAMs in a cartridge for the PD-6. The will continue to make the 8cm DVD-RAMs just not in the cartridge. Fostex responded by announcing they will manufacture cartridges. More news on this to follow I’m sure.



• NAB is right around the corner.
  • Zaxcom has announced the Deva Fusion. In a simple nutshell the Fusion is a 4 track Deva 5.8, with two compact flash slots, no hard drive, and no dvd-ram drive. Upgrades are available adding up to 4 additional tracks and an software effects package with compression, equalization, and expansion.
  • Zaxcom has also began showing prototypes of the Deva 16. More to come on that one!
  • Fostex has delivered our PD-606 and I am impressed. At a great price of $7995, it is very versatile and cart/bag ready. It will record simultaneously to both FULL size dvd-r/ram/rw and the internal/removable hard drive. A great feature of the recorder is seamless power switching between the two onboard V-lock batteries, and external power supply. If you don’t have V-locks, an NP-1 adapter kit is also available. The upgrades from the PD-6 are numerous. First the dvd or hard drive can be the master medium. Secondly, the full size is an obvious plus with the added bonus of dvd-r and dvd-rw formats. In addition, the direct outputs are a new feature. I do think the direct outs would be better served as buss outs, much like the Deva. Nevertheless, a good buy.

Once again thank you for hanging in with my ramblings let me know what is on your mind. Gear questions, procedures, techniques? Let me know.

I always love the rumor mill in our industry. It is very common for us to hear the rumors from you before the manufacturers can even confirm or deny them. The Lectrosonics SR stereo receiver is a prime example. One day I am emphatically telling a customer that they are mistaken, Lectrosonics does not have a two channel receiver. And the next day I received the memo from Lectro on the contrary. It was not a lack on information on our part, nor was it slow information release on Lectrosonics part. Simply one person found out before Lectrosonics told their dealer network, and the rumor mill started churning. We don’t know how these leaks start, but we don’t mind them either. Production sound is such a tight knit community rumors can’t help but spread throughout very quickly.

We’ve noticed ideas travel in 3 ways. First, message boards; your online communities; gear specific like the Deva or Metacorder groups and general like RAMPS and Jeff Wexler’s board, great places to pick each others brains and even entertain others with your spats over whose gear is better. Second, on the set. It is extremely common in film production to have several shows shooting next to each other. So when the bell rings and you go to lunch, you may go with the sound guy next door. After one of you teases the other about how long it took them to copy the mornings’ work for a mid-day film break, you talk gear over a fine craft services feast. Sometime in the afternoon our sales staff gets a call from you and it sounds like this…

Whispering, “Hey Skylor, this is Scene 4 Baker Take 2, oh sorry this is Bill. I’m on set.”

“No problem, how can I help you?” (whispering too, for no real reason)

“Hang on….Ok, yeah, so I was talking to So-and-so, do you know him? He’s mixing next door. He said that Manufacturer X is coming out with a cart mixer. Do you have pricing on that?”

“Sorry Bill, I’m not snubbing you, but we don’t have confirmation of that from the manufacturer. I’ve heard this same rumor before, but I can’t confirm it, and therefore, I don’t having pricing info. I’d be happy to call you if I hear something.

Awkward Pause.

“Bill?”

“Sorry again, no that’s it, but I’ll call you soon, we’re running low on DVD-RAMS.”

Third, (which is really heating up right now): For those of you in the ENG world, a presidential race is THE way to see what everyone else is using. Crammed into a press conference room, you look to your left and see a sound mixer listening intently on his headphones, boom overhead. Then suddenly your camera guy moves and pulls you right, following the candidate. Then the mixer from before is right next you, booming the same shot, but his camera guy is MIA. Hmmm. Obviously he’s sending audio wirelessly, but is he monitoring the camera or the live boom? I received a call this week about this exact situation. The customer was aware of the Zaxcom stereo wireless used as a camera hop, but not aware that return monitoring is a possibility (which it is…).

So talk amongst yourselves and keeping asking us and manufacturers for stuff you want. They are listening. Our small niche in the audio world has more customization and more user input than any other area of audio production. What is expected to make an impact this year? Here’s a short list…

Lectrosonics SR–Dual channel receiver, capable of slot drop-in on many industry cameras as well as stand alone use.

Sanken COS-11x–Same as the COS-11s with a stronger strain relief and water resistant coating. Now available is black, white, tan, and gray.
Schoeps CMR–Inline small preamp for use with the MK series capsules and various brands of wireless transmitters.

Sennheiser MKH8000 Series–small capsule based microphone system. Sure to lighten your boom while keeping the famed MKH quality.

Zaxcom TRX990–Boom operators wireless link, sends boom mic and talkback mic back to the mixer, receives mix audio for monitoring/communication, and receives timecode for internal recorder.

What would I like to see, and what have I heard that you’d like to see? Here’s a list of our dreams for 2008.

Sound Devices cart mixer.This isn’t an unreasonable request, and many of you have asked me about it. Any company that is not introducing new products gets really itchy. Our friends in Reedsburg, Wisconsin haven’t released a truly new product since the 744T/722 in 2005. They added the 702T and 702, but they were just new members of the same family. The next logical step for them (it would seem) would be a cart mixer. Something with easy interface to their recorders, yet compatible with other brands. Or maybe even a built in recorder.

Lectrosonics Wideband Venue. A must. Lectrosonics recently released a wideband rack for 4 of their portable receivers. The Venue is the next step. I don’t know the complexity of engineering such a product, but it would be extremely convenient for all involved.

Bluetooth Lav. Hey, we’re dreaming right. If Phonak can make a wireless in ear receiver, and cell phones use Bluetooth, then lavs should be the next step. Bluetooth lav capsule transmits to the Bluetooth receiver, which plugs in to an actual transmitter. Naturally, getting audio quality to the current standard and wireless frequency security is important, but I’m not an electrical engineer so let them worry about it. Thanks to Sam Williamson in our sales department for this great idea.

Just dreams? Maybe. But nearly everything we use now was considered impossible at some point in the past. So, dream on. It is our sincere hope that you have a wonderful new year and here’s to some of the most outrageous industry rumors coming true. Maybe you’ll just get that option you’ve been hoping for.

Please send me some of your dream items and I’ll add them in a future post… skylor@trewaudio.com. And don’t forget, I always want your topics.

Battery distribution for an ENG bag or cart is not a new idea. Many of you have been doing it for the better part of a decade. The batteries have changed, the gear has changed, the chargers have improved, but the basic idea is the same; get rid of these dumpster filling alkaline weights and lead acid environment bombs.

Using a battery distribution is simple. You need a power source, typically a rechargeable battery, then a splitter, and finally cables to each unit in your kit. Most of these systems provide master switches, power on LEDs, and circuit overload protection. However, there is really little difference between them and your typical home surge protected power supply. We carry three such systems by Remote Audio; The BDS, the Hotbox, and the Meon. The BDS (Battery Distribution System) is primarily designed for ENG use, but I’ve seen them on production carts as well. This box powers 6 devices from a single supply (more with Y cables), has an internal circuit breaker, and provides 6 amps of current. The Hotbox is a bit larger with two 13 amp breakers The MEON provides 12 outputs with an internal Nickel Metal Hydride battery, charger, and A/C power supply.

Whether you are using Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) or Lithium batteries it is important to know how long they’re going to last you on set. The most difficult portion of the equation is current draw or how much power is being pulled by the gear. This is expressed in Amperes, or amps. It is also commonly shown in milliamps or thousandths of an amp (500m = 0.5A). Finding current draw is difficult because many manufacturers fail to publish this information and many that do provide what appears to be extremely elevated ratings. Many units peak current draw on startup, and these “elevated” numbers are used to accommodate needed startup juice. Sound Devices does not publish current draws of their products. The AC/DC power supply they recommend is good for up to 2.5 amps. In a recent test we found that the 744T with two phantom-powered mics, was only drawing 700 milliamps, or .7 amps. As you can see this a far cry from the capabilities of the power supply, but 700 milliamps is the figure needed to calculate expected battery life.

So if you want to calculate your bag/cart’s battery life, you’ll need to collect some information. The most accurate way to test your system is to connect all of your gear to the battery distribution and measure the current when all of your gear is at full tilt. Unfortunately, (unless you have a MEON), this requires two things: a multimeter that measures current draws and a short jumper power cable to access the positive lead for measurement. The meter actually becomes a part of the circuit, so safety of the meter is a factor. Most volt-ohm meters are capable of current readings, but few have more than a 1 amp fuse, and even fewer tolerate 10 amps or more. For our purposes the higher tolerance the better. As for the cable, tell us what your system is and we’ll gladly make you the cable. If you feel real adventurous or confident, the meter interrupts the positive power feed between the battery and what it is powering.

Once you have the current draw, the math is fairly simple. Here are a few equations to help you.

Watts = Amps (Volts)

Watt(Hours) = AmpHours (Volts)

Batteries are commonly rated in either AmpHours or WattHours, which is simply Amps or Watts used over 1 Hour referencing a given voltage. WattHours can be more meaningful because they are dependent on both variables.So here’s an example…

The total of your current draw is 3 Amps.

You are using an IDX NPL7S battery, rated at an average output of 14.8 Volts and 71 Watthours.

In order to find the run time you need to solve for hours…

14.8 Volts (3 Amps) =44.4 Watts

71WattHour Battery/44.4 Watts used =1.6 Hours of runtime.

Remember, this is full power, constant, non-stop shooting. Every time you power down, stop recording, take a lunch break, you are using less power.

Let me know if you have any other topics, I’d love to tackle them.

For those transcription houses on the “leading” edge, digital audio is a very new thing. You’ve been doing it for years, but only a stern “I can’t provide you with a cassette, the recorders aren’t made anymore” has gotten their attention. Eventually, the productions responded saying, “Well, what can you give me?” The doors for sound mixers in this realm are now open. There are two types of recorders that can solve the problem for you.

Non-linear (digital) timecode recorders stamp files with timecode information. What this means is when the file is pulled into the post machine, only the timecode start point and frame rate are on the file. The post machine recreates the timecode. For instance if your audio file starts at 08:54:17:00, and your frame rate is 30ND, then the post machine/software will playback at 30ND starting at 08:54:17:00. This is very simple for timecode transcription. However, only the Sound Devices 7-series recorders (702T, 744T) will record timecode stamped MP3s. In this use I recommend recording mono MP3’s, stereo files can be problematic. Once the file is recorded simply connect the recorder to your computer and drag the file into an email. Send to producer@bigmediaconglomerate.com. Done.

Once again the correct post software is helpful, but slowly transcription houses are coming on board. If a 702T or 744T isn’t in your kit or your budget, several low cost flash recorders are in the field excelling for timecode transcription (Zoom H4, Zoom H2, Marantz PMD660, Marantz PMD620) These units do not have dedicated timecode inputs. No problem, you did it with the cassette, you can do it with these recorders too.

Timecode is a line level signal, a very stiff line level signal. Depending on which recorder you use, you may need to pad this signal significantly. For instance in a recent in store test we discovered the Zoom H2 performs the best with a mic level signal on one channel and the timecode signal padded 50 dB. This volume structure is necessary because the recorder does not have separate gain controls for each input, and the line level inputs are -10 (consumer line) Also, we set the preamp on the H2 to medium. This was important to keep the outputted timecode level hot enough for an external timecode system to jam.

Once you have the levels set on the flash recorder, then you can record without much issue. MP3 files are transferred the same way as with the 7-series recorders. Obviously each recording situation is different, cabling, levels and recorder functions dictate how your transcription set will work, but this should help bring the producer up to date.

Once again I thank you for reading, and I’d love to here your topic suggestions.

Audio levels are measured in decibels. Tons of logarithmic math can explain this, and many others have explained the topic extremely well. Google “decibel” and you’ll find a wealth of information on the topic. So in this session there are few things I’ll just ask you to accept.

Decibels are measured in several ways. Each value and method provides the volume or power of a signal, but use different bases for the measurements. For instance, dBu measures power of a signal, in reference to .775 volts, whereas dBV does the same with a 1 volt reference. Also used in our industry is dB SPL (sound pressure level) this is relative to the quietest sound a human can hear. Which is about 20 micropascals. Now, at one point in my life I fully understood micropascals, not so much anymore. For most purposes how we use these numbers is much more important than where they come from.

Let’s take the infamous line levels; professional and consumer. Professional is commonly noted at +4dB. But it is actually +4dbu. This is important because consumer (tape level) is -10dBV. They are not even measured on the same scale. What this means is the true difference between the two (measured in SPL) is actually 11.79 dB, NOT 14!

Next we should tackle mic and line levels. In this discussion, we’ll be assuming line level is professional line level, +4dBu. Line level is “louder” than microphone level. Here’s an easy way to remember that. Microphones need preamplifiers to become line level. So in a mixer, the job of the mic level preamp is to create a hotter signal, as quietly as possible. Inexpensive microphone preamps are easy to produce. They make your shotgun mic louder so it is easy to mix. However, due to low specification tolerances in the electrical components, noise may be added along with the audio. “Noisy” preamps can make mixing dialog, vocal music, and anything with transient higher frequencies, very difficult. Enter in the premium preamps most common in our industry. Cooper Sound, Sound Devices, Wendt, and Sonosax, to name a few, have generally wonderful preamps. Because of this, the industry trusts these names. The added need of putting top quality components in very compact spaces, and creating relatively small quantities of products (in relation to the music industry mega-manufacturers) equals higher prices.

So what is the difference between mic and line level? There is no absolute, remember dB is logarithmic. Logarithms raise a base number to a power. An example…. (math warning!)

In a given logarithmic scale your base value is 2. In order to get to the next value of 3, you need 10 values of 2, or 2¹⁰, or 2 to the tenth power. Hang with me. The value of 4 is 3¹⁰. This means that a measured value of 4 is 100 times more than a 2.

A linear scale doesn’t apply to comparing volume levels. If you called Trew Audio, and wanted a simple line level to mic level pad installed in a cable, we would drop the level 40 dBu. This is not a concrete number, but for most professional gear, in most situations, it works well. I commonly get asked if we can do the opposite. “I have a mic level output and a line level input, how can I make them work together?” The answer is… buy a preamp.

Make your gear match. This is the main concept to remember with mic and professional line level. If your mixer only outputs line level, your camera, recorder, etc. need to be set to line level. The same for mic level. In the world of increasingly prosumer video products you may find yourself in a mismatch situation. Always remember line level outputs can be padded down.

If you would like to dig into the logarithmic math, history, and, nomenclature of the decibel I would suggest visiting What’s your dB IQ?

The first thing you must know is the majority of wireless production microphone systems are in daily competition with television broadcasts. For example, if you have a Lectrosonics or Zaxcom wireless system in frequency block 21, you are competing with TV broadcast stations 25 through 29. This is also expressed as 537.600-563.100 MHz. When we say TV channel 25 remember this is in the airwaves, not cable or satellite. If you’ve got a TV with some rabbit ears and your watching UHF channel 25, then that is what you are fighting.

Secondly, lets talk about VHF vs. UHF. This is more than the 2 knobs on the old black and white Zenith in your basement. We often here the question “Is there a reason not to use VHF?” The answer is complex. VHF gear is not currently popular or being marketed by the major RF mic manufacturers. The advances in wireless audio quality have found themselves in the UHF world, but have not quite backed up in the lower VHF frequencies. VHF and UHF are two different sections of the frequency range spectrum. UHF gained in popularity among wireless manufacturers because it was generally more open. Less traffic. Ironically, much like my daily commute, going back to the surface streets (VHF) is becoming more and more reliable because everyone is on the interstate (UHF). Crazy enough as it may be, some of your old VHF Vega Dynex wireless in your storage shed may be some of the best sounding analog wireless ever made. The trouble is, few people work on it and parts are impossible to find. VHF uses lower frequencies. A lower frequency has a longer wave length, thus longer antennas. Lower frequencies also travel farther and through walls and surfaces better. UHF on the other hand bounces off of surfaces better and can “go around walls.” Both situations can be advantageous. UHF does have one slight edge over VHF. Power. The FCC does allow UHF to broadcast 250 milliwatts (mW) from the transmitter, VHF is limited to 50 mW. However, if you consider the Sennheiser Evolution and Audio-Technica 1800 transmitters output 30 mW this isn’t terribly scary. Here’s a small equation to find the difference in power output in terms of distance.

4(power output)= 2(distance)

For ease of numbers lets say your 50 mW VHF transmitter goes 100 foot. Then in order to double that distance, you need a 200 mW UHF transmitter.

You may expect wireless manufacturers to peer back in the VHF frequencies soon. UHF is getting slammed. The FCC has recently begun auctioning off sections of the 700 MHz frequencies. These UHF frequencies are also known as Lectrosonics/Zaxcom Blocks 27-31 (Block 27 starts on TV Channel 50). In early 2008, Sennheiser will discontinue their Evolution wireless in frequency group C. Group C covers 740-776 MHz.

In addition to these frequencies disappearing from television broadcast and wireless microphone usage, the digital television requirements of the FCC are picking up speed. Every television station must broadcast a digital signal by February of 2009. So they need frequencies to comply. What does all of this mean to you? Don’t panic, its cool.

REDEMPTION!

No, seriously don’t worry. Your best weapon around these competing broadcasts is knowledge. Many professionals are not using their gear to its potential. Let’s find a clean frequency. First of all, look at the chart above. The frequencies in red are not auctioned yet. The frequencies that have been auctioned haven’t necessarily gone live, they may not for years. That is very important. Just because someone owns it doesn’t mean they are using it. Most modern wireless microphones (Audio-Technica, Lectrosonics, Sennheiser, and Zaxcom included) have frequency scanners built-in. They are a huge help in finding that small slot in between the new wireless telephone technology and the public access station that has pledged the airways for years. In addition, Lectrosonics and Sennheiser have excellent frequency coordination on their websites. I’ll walk you through both shortly. If you really get in a jam, check the VHF frequencies in the area, you might find the glorious void your looking for, then check our consignment site, on any given week I receive 1 or 2 VHF Lectrosonics systems waiting for revival in production. Finally, remember all of those TV stations going digital? Eventually, they will no longer broadcast analog. This means all of their former analog transmission frequencies will be free, until the next thing fills them up.

How to use the Lectrosonics TV station lookup…

1. Click here.

2. Choose your city, for multiple cities hold down Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) while selecting.

3. Scroll till you find your block.

4. Open TV stations (AKA usable frequencies) are shown, as well as television stations broadcasting in the area.

5. Use the key. If no open stations are shown, look deeper. The chart assumes you are standing in the exact center of the city. If you see nothing open, but A52S, you still may be fine. Here’s why. A=analog broadcast, D=digital broadcast. The number indicates a mileage and the final letter a direction. So A52S means an analog station is broadcasting 52 miles due south of the exact center of the city. You are already 5 miles west of the city. Let’s go to Pythagoras. 52 squared + 5 squared =2729 otherwise known as C squared. The square root is…………..FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO WORK. Let’s face it most any television broadcast more than 30-35 miles away should be workable.

Sennheiser’s new improved frequency finder…

1. Click here.

2. Enter the Zip Code of your production location.

3. If you know the corresponding TV broadcasts to your wireless enter the start station and end stations. If not leave them be.

4. At first, select usable channels. Then you can see which frequencies are open.

5. If nothing is open, check the occupied channels. The same rules apply as far as mileage as the Lectrosonics chart.

6. Then you have the added advantage of selecting the wireless unit of your choice (Sennheiser models only).

International?

Each country has their own stipulations on wireless microphones. Finding information about available frequencies can be very hard. One website that can be helpful is www.tvradioworld.com. This site allows you to select a country, if your lucky a city, and if your very lucky, what frequencies are used in that city. You may also find info on legal frequencies and transmission power.

United Kingdom? Try This.

Vancouver B.C./Washinton State? Analog broadcasts. Digital broadcasts.

The RF spectrum will continue to change, your best weapon is knowledge of how to use it in the first place. Till next time.