Deity Audio: Wireless and Microphones
- Thread starter IronFilm
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puredrifting
Major Contributor
I took my Deity Connect system on a shoot today in a warehouse that is an audio nightmare. All metal frame tilt up concrete building with lots of exposed metal girders,
the entire ceiling above it is aluminum sheeting. The building is basically a giant Faraday cage, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage cell phones barely work in there either.
As expected, the Deity Connect wouldn't even work at 5' away, drop out city. Have not yet had a chance to try a UHF system there, but the Connect was useless there.
the entire ceiling above it is aluminum sheeting. The building is basically a giant Faraday cage, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage cell phones barely work in there either.
As expected, the Deity Connect wouldn't even work at 5' away, drop out city. Have not yet had a chance to try a UHF system there, but the Connect was useless there.
Dan, that sounds a lot like the warehouse where we shoot “Master Distiller”. We don’t have any 2.4GHz wireless for audio, but cell service dropped to nearly nothing inside. UHF systems held up just fine. Though, we’re in a 3000ft² space.
Camera dept. were using Teradek systems, though. They seemed to function mostly well. Hard to tell if the dropouts were from the warehouse or just routine Teradek instability.
Camera dept. were using Teradek systems, though. They seemed to function mostly well. Hard to tell if the dropouts were from the warehouse or just routine Teradek instability.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Interesting, but the building should not be much of a factor. A Faraday cage keeps signals out it doesn't do anything to signals that are inside and stay inside. Metal should only really be an issue if the signal needs to go through it. Though I guess what could be happening is that all those WiFi sources, cel phones etc., are bouncing off the walls and just making it a signal swamp. The cel phones have an issue since they are trying to connect to external cel towers. You might try having people turn off the WiFi on their phones. Though lets get real you are not likely to have a lot of success with that request... UHF and even VHF should work pretty well. No competition because of the building so you should have a wide choice of freq's.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
You were right guys. Today we ran my co-producers Sennheiser G3 with nary a whimper, it sounded pretty good. All the more reason to own both I guess? I have been
in situations where the Deity and even the lowly Røde saved the day when the Lectros wouldn't work without RF hits after multiple scans. So it goes both ways, I need to get
some Lectros to have UHF covered too, I know.
in situations where the Deity and even the lowly Røde saved the day when the Lectros wouldn't work without RF hits after multiple scans. So it goes both ways, I need to get
some Lectros to have UHF covered too, I know.
Get an RF Explorer. About $180 on Amazon.
I find that the built-in freq scans on most wireless receivers, whether on the level of Sennheiser or on the level of Lectro, leave a lot to be desired. It only sweeps across the spectrum looking at momentary RF samples. The RF Explorer allows for a full, constant, and realtime look at the spectrum to see where the holes actually are. From there, you can manually coordinate your systems.
Take a look at the newer kit from Wisycom. Quad receiver and four transmitters for about the cost of a dual-channel Lectro system. The only quirk I know of at this point is that all 4 have to be tuned within a 30MHz range, with the first receiver channel serving as the center point. It’s a little weird, even though the systems cover a very wide band. But still, it offers a bit of bang for the buck.
I find that the built-in freq scans on most wireless receivers, whether on the level of Sennheiser or on the level of Lectro, leave a lot to be desired. It only sweeps across the spectrum looking at momentary RF samples. The RF Explorer allows for a full, constant, and realtime look at the spectrum to see where the holes actually are. From there, you can manually coordinate your systems.
Take a look at the newer kit from Wisycom. Quad receiver and four transmitters for about the cost of a dual-channel Lectro system. The only quirk I know of at this point is that all 4 have to be tuned within a 30MHz range, with the first receiver channel serving as the center point. It’s a little weird, even though the systems cover a very wide band. But still, it offers a bit of bang for the buck.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
When it gets to this point, I'd rather hire a pro. My cutoff is about at a Mix Pre 10 II and a couple of used Lectros or I might possibly try the Senn G4 with antenna mods like you recommended. Once we're up in the $5-$6K range, hire a pro. ;-)
This one looks interesting:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QLG3N6B/
Mostly because it says it covers pretty much everything you might normally use.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QLG3N6B/
Mostly because it says it covers pretty much everything you might normally use.
Consider used G3s.* There's nary a difference between them and the G4s. I'm doing the mod so I can use LPDA antennas. Many of the DIY videos show how to do it the hard way by using the wrong connector that requires extra work. This guy shows you the right connector to use (5:40) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWpro305EaQ&t=457s
Here's the connector many mod videos use. It's not nearly as nice (1:51) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tWs_11k6JM&t=189s
Ali Express has some inexpensive SMA antennas that are too long, but just pull the tip off, trim it to length and put the tip back on. Way better than trying to make them yourself and I make everything myself. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
*Stay away from the B band units - no longer legal in US.
Even with one or two Sennheisers, the RF Explorer is a very useful tool to have.
Rick R
Veteran
"the RF Explorer is a very useful tool to have"
For sure! I frequently work in Manhattan (RF hell), which is a challenging environment even for my Lectors. Prior to getting an RF explorer, I could not use G2/3s for much of anything in NYC, and Rx's internal scan is inadequate in a populated (RF) areas.
For sure! I frequently work in Manhattan (RF hell), which is a challenging environment even for my Lectors. Prior to getting an RF explorer, I could not use G2/3s for much of anything in NYC, and Rx's internal scan is inadequate in a populated (RF) areas.
Because of their 30mw limitation or?
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Jim Feeley
Veteran
Rick will fill us in, but ime, the G3's scan isn't fine-grained enough to reveal clear (or clear-ish) frequencies. RF Explorer (which I've only used a couple of times when working as an A2 on complex gigs) helps reveal what's really going on.
But a question for your RF Explorer owners: I was using the original 50-960 model; fine for UHF, but didn't cover 2.4GHz, etc.
They have a bunch of expander cards to cover more spectrum. Here's a chart that's probably current:
http://j3.rf-explorer.com/40-rfe/article/59-rf-explorer-models
Which one do you all find most useful these days?
Any experiences with or thoughts about the "Pro" version from RF Venue? At $500 US, I'm unlikely to buy it, but I'd like to know more about it.
https://www.rfvenue.com/spectrum_analyzers