Fostex PD6 Review Interview with John Algee New to Trew: Summer & Skylor Memoirs of a Sound Mixer Whats the Software Version? Consignment Growth Gift Certificates Top 10 List Inside Lectrosonics Shopping After Hours

Volume 7 #2

Fostex PD-6 Review

by Glen Trew

OK, heres your warning shot: The coming year will be when audio tape recorders for TV and film production become rare, bowing out to their superior non-linear replacements. And its going to happen fast. There will be some choices that have to be made as to which non-linear recorder to buy, and the PD-6 is one to consider.
Non-linear got its sluggish start from big-budget films. A nice feather in Zaxcoms cap due to the Deva, but it unfairly stigmatized non-linear production sound as something for the rich and famous. Not true. The truth is that non-linear sound recording has always had more to offer lower budget productions than big Hollywood productions. In producer-speak, non-linear production sound can save a larger percentage of the budget with commercials and other short productions than it does with major motion pictures. 2004 is the year that producers figure this out on a mass scale. After years of anticipation, Fostexs entry into the non-linear race is now working in the real world, and by all accounts the PD-6 DVD-RAM portable timecode 6-track recorder is working quite well. Instantly familiar to PD-4 and PD-2 users, at first glance the PD-6 looks to be the same machine with more buttons. Jokes aside, familiar is an important step in the psychological chore of winning the hearts and minds of the masses. Even our service tech seemed calmed when he noted, Hey, it even has the same record button as the PD-2 (chalk one up for Fostex). It can be powered by either an internal
TrewAudio Inc. 800.241.8994 www.trewaudio.com
NP-1 battery or external 12V source through a full size 4pin XLR. No need to wait for an after-market headphone monitor matrix (a la the early PD-4). The PD-6 has a complete monitor selection switch plus another switch for soloing your choice of recording track. Lastly, the PD-6 has an available carry case made by PortaBrace, taking the familiarity trump one step further. Why the PD-6 when there is the Deva and the Cantar? True, while we at Trew Audio are big fans of the time proven Deva, and look forward to the future of the Aaton Cantar, the systems are different enough that some people will prefer one and some will prefer the other. Some of the preference will be personal, but most of the deciding factors will be based on the type of production normally done. But, if it is crucial to record directly to a piece of cheap removGlen and Fostexs Rick Canatta stand behind the new PD6. able media (8cm DVD-RAM, in this case), then the PD-6 is the only choice of any non-linear recorders available, as of this publication. The ability to record directly to an expendable disk, and without being concerned with motion, can be an important difference for some types of production. Documentaries are the first to come to mind, where rugged conditions and isolation from normal amenities are often the case. Behind-the-scenes sports coverage, where the production style often resembles a documentary, is another. System simplicity is required in these cases, and the PD-6 offers that in a one-piece self-contained machine. The primary concern from skeptics of the PD-6 was speculation about the reliability of recording directly to DVD-RAM, especially during movement. (Note: The Deva-II recordings are normally turned in on DVD-RAM, but are first recorded to a more robust hard drive). History will eventually make the skeptics look like either geniuses or morons. While trying make them look like geniuses, I recorded a tone onto six channels while shaking and spinning the PD-6, jumping up and down with it, running with it, and even tossed it in the air a few times for about a full minute. When I played back the recording, it was as stable as an analog Nagra full of D cells sitting on a sound stage. Next, I quickly ejected and reloaded the mini DVD-RAM disk. It played back again perfectly, and half-way through the recording I pressed the record button; no problem (this is the start of what nonlinear is all about). Lack of redundancy is another thing the critics of the PD-6 bring up. However, redundancy can be had with the PD-6 with just a little effort. By connecting the PD-6s FireWire port to a notebook computer, an exact copy can be made onto any storage media, such as CD-R, DVD-R, internal hard drive, or full size DVD-RAM whatever even a flash card. Not sure about adding a notebook to your package? You mean you dont already have a notebook? OK then, lets do a little math: Selling price of the PD-6: $8500. Selling price of a competing product ready to go: ~$11500. The $3000 difference will buy one heck of a notebook computer (with change left over) that you can also use for other stuff even more exciting than recording sound! True, you have to go through an extra step to make a field copy of your days work, but the point is that you can do it. How practical is it to transfer the PD-6 files to PC? Actually, its not too bad. A 2-hour 2-track recording (a long days work back in the DAT days) can be transferred in just a few minutes. Worried about having a few minutes when break-off is called? It is a simple matter to transfer to the PC during

6 Tracks: Why and How?

Two questions often heard: Why 6 tracks? How 6 tracks? Being a proponent of mono mixing, I, too, asked the question why? I eventually answered myself after using up all tracks of a four track recorder with just three microphones (mix on 1, mics isolated on 2, 3, & 4), still wishing I had another track for a music playback scratch track. As for the how question, two very good answers are the
Zaxcom Cameo mixer and the Cooper 208 mixer. Either mixer can easily use all six tracks of the PD-6, and both certainly have their own advantages. However, the logistical winner would have to be the Zaxcom Cameo not only because of its 6 mix busses, but also because of its ability to route and re-route 8 input signals, pre or post fader, mixed or isolated, to 6 different recording tracks all without re-patching cables. As luck would have it for Zaxcom, soon after their Cameo digital mixer with 6 mix busses became nicely refined as the Cameo 2, Fostex introduced a 6 track digital recorder. As if that werent lucky enough, both devices use a 25-pin D connector for digital INs and OUTs. This means that the Cameo can send 6 mixes to the PD-6 and monitor all 6 tracks back from the PD-6 with a single cable! To help put this into perspective, this connection is quicker and easier than a mono mixer to a mono Nagra 4.2 (required 2 cables). Anyway, the point is that all six tracks of the PD-6 can be used, used well, and used easily.

Some Practical Luxury

Understanding the past sometimes helps us appreciate the present, so heres a little history lesson: In the beginning, the Fostex PD-2 DAT recorder received justified criticism for being too complex; trying to be all things to production as well as postproduction. The resulting flinch from Fostex was the PD-4, which was simple sometimes to a fault. This might explain why the PD-6 seems to have found the happy medium. For instance, the PD-6 has the ability to accept sync reference not only from AES, but also from video and word signals. This ability will become important when used in double-system High Definition production. An unexpected nice touch is the addition of two 12V power outlets on standard miniature HRS 4-pin connectors. At 500mA total, they barely have enough capacity to handle more than a wireless receiver, but they are ideal for a Remote Audio miniature Nite Lite (plug n play in the dark!) For remote control, the PD-6 uses the same 8-pin mini DIN connector and scheme as the PD-2 and PD-4. This means that the aforementioned Cameo and Cooper mixers can roll them remotely between record and stop. Trew Audio has cables that will allow the PD-6 and the PD-4 (or PD-2) to be rolled at the same time from a single switch. What about Post? What about postproduction? Actually, your local postproduction facility will find it very easy to move into the 21st century of non-linear sound. In fact, gearing up for non-linear production sound will be, by far, the least expensive format change in the history of the business. For telecine sync transfers, the Fostex DV-40 will handle both the 5 DVD-RAM disks typical of a Deva production, the smaller 8cm DVD-RAM disks from the PD-6. The DV-40 sells for under $5000 (much less than a studio timecode DAT machine). If they only need to transfer files into an Avid or ProTools workstation (an enormous time saver), then a $300 DVD-RAM drive is all thats needed. If your regular post house has questions, just send them our way. We have been initiating postproduction facilities in non-linear production sound for years now. The PD-6 portable recorder and the DV-40 postproduction machine are available and in stock at Trew Audio. We also have common accessories such as the flexible USB keyboard, umbilical cables, and cases. As always, our famous expert customer support is included in every package.

Meet Trew Audio: John Algee, Sales VP
Interviewed by Steve Abbott John Algee joined the Trew Audio team in 1996, when the company was a much smaller operation than it has become. Hired originally to manage the rental department which soon became a tightly run ship John now leads a sales staff of five. He became Vice President of Sales two years ago. Because John started when Trew Audio was a size that required everyone to wear many different hats, the influence of Johns high standards is found throughout the company. Q: Did you have experience in film/TV production before coming to Trew? A little, you might say When I was 18 I worked as a studio camera operator for at a television station in Nashville for a couple of years while going to college. We did a lot of country music shows with up and coming stars like Porter Wagoner and his side-kick Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash, to drop a few names. But the army and the draft had other career plans for me. After that, and after I got the emotional pangs of being a musician out of my head, I needed a job. A friend of mine was working with a production company and asked if I would help. From there in a 20-year stretch, I went from grip and electric to studio manager at a production company to camera assistant. I was fortunate enough to be able to work on some things that had decent budgets with producers that knew the way to get things done was not to hire the smallest crew they could get. Eventually I injured my shoulder and had to find another avenue. I worked at a camera rental house around the corner from Trew Audio and noticed business seemed to be pretty good for Mr. Trew. Glen and I had worked together over the years, so I popped in one day and said howdy. The rest is as they sayuh, still being contemplated. Q: You have mentored more than a few employees at Trew. Who would you consider to be among the most influential people in your career? I think Don Knotts. I always liked the way he stood up to Andy. Yeah, uh. as far as audio goes and hes gonna laugh it would have to be Glen. When I started at Trew Audio, I did know one end of a cable from another but I really didnt know how it all tied together as far a production goes. I knew production and I knew slates, because I had one in my hand all the time, but I really needed someone to fill in the blanks for me about location audio. As far as location audio goes, there is no one more knowledgeable from a comprehensive aspect, than Glen Trew. Unlike a lot of sales situations, our customers expect us to be able to talk intelligently about what we sell and Glen is a big part of that knowledge base. His knowledge and problem solving are essential to Trew Audio and customers have come to rely on that knowledge and skill. Q: What do you feel is your most important contribution to Trew Audio? Although my duties cover a lot of territory, I still feel that the most important thing that I do is interact with the customer on a daily basis. There is no better way to get a handle

on wants, needs, attitudes and peoples problems than direct contact. Its also the part of the job that I like best. I like to think that we do a better job than anybody in meeting critical needs of people in the field. And I think it comes from knowing first hand how it feels to be hanging over a ledge in the field, hoping somebody can grab the rope, and also hearing personally from these guys every day. Q: All companies have a unique personality. How would you describe Trew Audios? I see other businesses that do what we do but I see them from the outside. I thinknot bad. But then I hear from the customers and I realize that we are different. We are doing business in a better way. I dont know all of the reasons but I have my suspicions. We have monitored our size and growth cautiously, knowing the sometimes-negative changes that can accompany it. I think that we approach customers in a much more personal and earnest way. Its just the way we do things. Call it Southern courtesy, or whatever, but its here and its for real. We will work extremely hard to find an answer to your question or your equipment needs whether youre spending $10,000 or a dime. It cant work any other way. Q: What would be one of the top ways customers and sales people could help each other make a smooth transaction even smoother? I would say that patience is number one on both sides. Not in terms of being slow, but patience on our part in regard to taking the time to ask the right questions and patience on the customer end to provide answers that in the long run will only help to make it all happen correctly. We all know cables go in and out but we dont all connect them to the same holes. Questions need to be asked and descriptions given. This can take time in a business where often there is no time. What may seem like unnecessary grilling when placing an order is merely an attempt to get it right the first time so the customer can receive items with the confidence deserved. Q: At one time you and Glen were the entire Sales Department. Has Trew Audio changed for the customer as people were added to the sales department? I hope that the basics have not changed. When I first started in sales at Trew, my basic philosophy was that If you just treated people fairly and did what you said you were going to do that the rest would take care of itself. Not much has changed in that regard. What has changed is that we now have more sales people on which to draw for product input and ideas. This year we have added 2 more people to our sales staff. They are Skylor Morgan and Summer Smart. Both are graduates of the well-known Recording Industry program offered at Middle Tennessee State University. Theyre doing a great job and are enjoying the wide variety of customers that we serve. Literally bringing a different voice to the department, Summer is the first female in our sales area. Their formal training and practical experience in audio is a very valuable addition for our customers. Q: When you first started with Trew Audio the internet was nearly nonexistent. What impact has the internet had on the way the sales department works with customers. The internet is a great help most of the time. Because of the internet, I believe that we are working with a more informed customer in regards to product information and how things

Ground Adapter

The last comment Ill make regarding this show and equipment is about an item we didnt have but sorely missed: the boom pole stand. The Remote Audio Products version is called the Ground Adapter (http://www.trewaudio.com/ ground_adapter.htm), but they are also known as a boom caddy. For those unfamiliar, the boom stand gives the boom operator a safe and convenient place to put the boom on the set when not in use. If you dont have one of these stands, the boom usually has to come back to the sound cart. We were sold out of the Ground Adapters before I left, so we lived without, but not very well. Anyway, an important reminder from this production was how important and helpful that little odd-looking piece of furniture can be. I promised myself that we would re-stock as soon as possible. My apologies to those whove been waiting for theirs.

The Mixers Chair

As has always been the case when I get in some real production time, the most significant benefit is being reminded of what it feels like to be in the Mixers Chair. Whats important and whats not important take on newly defined lines. When not in The Chair, urgencies are, well, theyre important. But as you know, when youre in The Chair, urgencies become a non-optional critical event that can have a permanent effect on your career. The difference is huge. Each time I get back from a production, as our staff will confirm, I make it a point to explain the difference. We hope you notice.
Whats the Software Version?
The Firmware of Your Digital Device and What it All Means
by Steve George, Service Manager Exactly like personal computers, our digital recorders, digital wireless, and mixers such as the Cameo rely on a boot sequence during power up that involves the machine reading code from a chip that provides instructions on what it is, what to do, and more importantly; what the machine is capable of doing after boot. Within the EPROM can be support for bigger hard drives, Time Code frame rates like the new 23.976, proper operation with Lithium Batteries, and even Year 2000 compatibility of the internal clock. The list goes on. These instructions are written to a Programmable Read Only Memory chip called an EPROM (the E stands for endlessly, because they can be reprogrammed over and over many times). EPROMS are firmware devices, not software. The data in an EPROM exists only within a chip (unlike software which can be run from a diskette, hard drive or CD) yet is erasable and reprogrammable so theyre not hardware, either. But since so many folks call it software, well use the term here. An EPROM based device is upgradeable as long as the manufacturer is willing to write updates, and they write upgrades that comply with existing hardware capacity. (You cant just upgrade a PD-4 to 24/96 by telling it to do so: the AD/DA converters arent capable of anything over 48K, but you can tell a PD-4 to send Confidence Monitoring to the Output XLRs because confidence is already a part of the headphone monitoring circuitry. This was done in Version 2.40 of the Fostex Firmware). Here at Trew Audio, we have a complete EPROM programming setup. We use it on Fostex PD-4s, Zaxcom Deva IIs and Cameos, Lectro 400s and the Time Code boards of Nagra T-Audio, IV-STCs and Nagra Harvey Mods. We maintain a comprehensive EPROM copying and archiving system that allows us to keep software copies going back several versions to best assist our customers needs. (Sometimes the latest version is discovered to be buggy, so a downgrade is required to get back on track). Eventually all units will, no doubt, be userupgradeable via a personal computer, a downloaded file from the manufacturer and a USB or Firewire cable, but until then, we offer the service of burnin a new one for you.

Treat Your Gear Well So We Can Sell It For You!

by Summer Smart

Have you seen our Consignment page lately? Its huge! Its grown to the level of activity we now see because it works for sellers and buyers. The Trew Audio Consignment program has been very busy finding new homes for used professional equipment, turning it into cash or new equipment for you. Likewise, the program has been a great source for professionals like yourself to add industry standard equipment to your package at reduced prices. If the Consignment program here at Trew Audio is starting to sound pretty good, read on! All of our consignment items can be seen, with photographs, on the Trew Audio Consignment Website. All images of items for sales are images of the actual item, photographed at our facility. When you order an item that you see on our consignment page, you can be sure that it will arrive exactly as seen in the photograph. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, there is no risk. To protect the seller, all items are prepaid prior to shipping. To protect the buyer, all items come with a 5-day inspection period, during which time they may be returned in the same condition for whatever reason. After the inspection period has passed, the seller is either sent a check for the balance, or it can be left on account to be applied to purchases. With the exception of Nagra recorders, all consignment equipment is sold as is. Nagra recorders (models IVL, 4.2, IVS, & IV-STC) are sold with a 120-day warranty from Trew Audio to perform at new Nagra Specifications. For more details about our Consignment program visit the Consignment FAQ page, or just give the sales department a call and ask for Summer. She manages the consignment program and will be happy to discuss the details and arrange your Consignment Listing!
you are like most sound mixers, most people dont have a clue what you want. With technology changing so fast, its more difficult than ever for them to choose a meaningful gift.
In an effort to keep holiday spirits high, were here to help them help you. Just drop them a hint about TREW AUDIO GIFT CERTIFICATES! Available in multiples of $25.00 through the holiday season, weve made shopping very easy for your friends and family. They can order over the phone, or direct from our websit at: http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/items/item93.htm (or just click Gift Certificate on the homepage).

Gift Certificates

Put a smile on the faces of those who love you, Tell them about TREW AUDIO GIFT CERTIFICATES.

Top 10 List

Tone-Plug
This item has been featured hear before, but the increasing use of portable mixers with direct outs has created a common question we hear at Trew Audio: How do you send a line-up tone from a direct out? The perfect answer is the Tone Plug. Just plug it into any mic input with phantom voltage and, viola, problem solved! youve got tone for lining up your inputs to isolated recording tracks! Just set your input trim (or pads) for optimum input level then zero the tone on the recording track. Built inside a standard XLR connector, the Tone Plug has a wide array of user selected tone functions. The LED doubles as a phantom power indicator.

Sanken CS-1

Sanken has done it again: Theyve developed a very different microphone proving to be a valuable tool for film and television production. This time, its a very short shotgun called the CS-1. The Sanken CS-1 is about one third shorter than its CS-3 bigger brother (which makes it about one third shorter than other traditional short shotgun microphones. It is lightweight and is the same diameter (19mm) as the Sanken CS-3 or Sennheiser MKH416. The CS-1 combines a wider pattern typical of a hypercardioid microphone, but with even more side and rear attenuation than longer microphones. Its price is as aggressive as its design: $795 list.

Trew Audio Gear

Feel and look like the part with cool Trew Audio sound mixers gear. Lets face it: You have to dress for some of the worst conditions on a daily basis, so you want to add some professional style where you can. The new Trew Audio gear helps you do just that. For example, our new Freq Out T-shirt grabs the curious attention of everyone while reminding you of the standard frame rate and sampling frequencies (dont let them know its your cheat sheet). Walk through an airport with wearing Trew Audio gear and youll likely find a colleague to kill some time with between airplanes. All T-Shirts are heavyweight 100% cotton, and the high-quality ball caps are the sharpest look weve had yet.

PSC AlphaMix

PSC really hit the mark with their flagship mixer, the AlphaMix. Joining the ranks of the trendy 4 input, stereo output, plus direct outputs of each input, the Alpha mix introduces some unique tricks of its own. In addition to the NP-1 battery compartment and 4-pin HRS power outputs, it is the only mixer to have two standard ten-pin camcorder connections (balanced stereo outputs with stereo returns). It also has three-stage input level indicators to take the guess work out of optimizing the variable input trim. All of this with a price low enough that it cant be ignored. Click here for additional technical information.

Connectors & Wires

Trew Audio offers raw cable and connectors for making and repairing all of the audio related cables you use. Everyone in this business would be well advised to have at least a small supply of the common stuff on hand. We have all types of balanced and unbalanced audio cable, large and small gauge power cable, lowloss 50ohm antenna cable, and the connectors to make them work. If youre running low on these items, remember to ask for them with your next shipment from Trew Audio.

We often find ourselves working in the dark, feeling for knobs and settings we need to check or adjust quickly. Well, you can now take the mini-light out of your mouth and get the Remote Audio NiteLite. With a current draw of less than 30mA at 12V DC, you will probably not even notice an effect on your battery source. Available in several connector choices, the Remote Audio NiteLite can be plugged directly into the Remote Audio BDS box or the common 4-pin HRS power connectors such as found on the PSC and SQN mixers and on the back of many camcorders. Also available with TA-4M (miniature XLR 4pin), XLR-4M (full-size XLR 4-pin male, and BNC connectors. Attached to a custom made flexible steel tube that stays where you put it, the wide dispersion lens gives an even beam of light over a typical ENG audio bag.

Nite-Lite

Adapt-a-Pak
This kit of audio adapters was specifically designed by Remote Audio for situations the location sound mixer will eventually (if not often) encounter see the complete list on-line at http:// www.trewaudio.com/catalog/items/item629.htm. At a price of only about 20% of what custom adapter cables would cost, this could be the best investment on your kit you can make. With secure partitions that can be repositioned, the see-through case has room for your personal additions.
What a response! This item was featured on a previous Top Ten list, but something amazing happened since then: It seems that every branch of the TV/Film production sound industry has found a unique use for this 9V battery powered speaker. Sound mixers are using them on their carts; news producers are using them with their portable Avid notebook systems; they are found in make-up and wardrobe trailers (with a Comtek receiver) to listen to the set; Directors are using them to cue actors during car scenes; etc, etc. Powered by either an internal 9Volt battery or external 615VDC, the compact Speak Easy has XLR and RCA connectors for either +4dB or 10dB signals, with high fidelity, and plenty of volume for its intended use.

Speak Easy

K-Tek Short Shockmount
This mount got our attention because its length seemed perfect for the new Sanken CS-1, and it is. But, its use doesnt stop there. The softer rubber supports made specifically for the CS-1 are also ideal for other low-freq sensitive microphones such as the Schoeps series. Unique to this mount are threaded holes on the side, enabling low profile mounting on camcorders. The solid rubber supports grip securely, insuring that it cannot be shaken free.

Acoustic Foam

An important factor in what separates good sound mixers from the great ones (and their differences in income) is their preparation and ability to improvise. Thats why a roll of Acoustic Foam should be in every sound mixers kit. For example, its perfect for adding additional wind protection for planted microphones. It can be used to separate clothing from lav mics without sacrificing high frequencies. But more often than not, youll find that its used for situations you hadnt planned for, which means youll use it often.
TrewAudio Inc. 800.241.8994

Inside Lectrosonics

Trew Audio has a long and proud tradition with Lectrosonics and their wireless microphone systems. Responsible business practices, engineering excellence, and great customer service has resulted in Lectrosonics earning an amazing 90% share of the portable wireless market in the US. From their beginnings of making lecterns with internal powered speakers (thus, the name, Lectrosonics) to becoming a world leader in TV and film production audio, they have been committed to being the best they can possibly be. They are very proud of the business they have built, and it shows. A recent trip to the Lectrosonics facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico gave some more insight into their success. The staff at Trew Audio has known the Lectro staff for years. We see them several times a year at our Nashville office and at trade shows. But seeing them work - where they work - tells it all. Rio Rancho, a close suburb of Albuquerque, is a like a location straight out of a classic Western movie. Correction it actually is a location straight out of many classic Western movies. You can see forever there. Maybe I just got lucky with the weather on the day of my trip, but I have a feeling that people who live in Albuquerque and work in Rio Rancho feel they are the lucky ones. It could be that the 5000 feet altitude, clean crisp air, and common clear blue skies tend to make you want to put in a full but happy day at work. Pulling into the Lectro parking lot with Gordon Moore, VP of Sales, in his fully restored British Racing Green MGA sports car that he personally re-built from boxes of rusted parts, sales associate Frank McKenna pulled in beside us in his pristine white MGA that he bought ready-built. That began a show of competitive camaraderie that gave a glimpse into the Lectrosonics company personality that shines in their products. Walking through the front door and into reception of the Lectro building, there is the sense of a business that gets down to business. The guided tour by Gordon takes us through the sales offices, I.T. room, boardroom, accountTrewAudio Inc.
Trew Audio: Expert Assistance and Support
Whether its the 700 series full digital, the 400 series digital hybrid, the 211 and 201 series synthesized analog systems, Trew Audio offers expert assistance in helping you decide which model is best for your application. We do our own unbiased field-testing and are happy to share our findings with our customers. We also assist with frequency coordination in your primary areas of operation. Trew Audio is a full-line Lectrosonics dealer and we stock most of their wireless microphone products. We also stock accessories such as adapter cables, antennas, strap and pouch kits, and optional lavaliere microphones. Our cable shop can fabricate nearly any specialty cable you want. If there is something you need right away, we can likely ship it to you the same day you call. While we consider personal customer service a requirement for many of the Lectrosonics systems, we do offer a limited range of Lectro products for sale at our on-line store. For the 201 series and the IFB systems, visit http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/cat43.htm (prices may vary slightly on some of these items if the sales department is called directly). For a complete selection of accessories including antennas, strap and pouch kits, battery eliminators, etc, visit http:// www.trewaudio.com/ catalog/ cat28.htm. If you are new to Lectrosonics, find out why so many of your colleagues buy them, and find out why.

800.241.8994 www.trewaudio.com
ing, and then into the break room for a cup of coffee before going into the factory. All along the way, it was great to put unfamiliar faces with voices well known from years of phone conversations. The engineering room is full of, well, engineers, in front of their computer stations, oscilloscopes, and service monitors. The introduction was like a starting line up of a Monday Night Football game: Bob Jones, MIT, UCR201 Display; Joe Smith, UNLV, 400 series DSP, and the list went on in front of the proud Coach Larry Fisher. With a background in factory machine work, I was most interested in seeing where and how the products were made. I wanted to see metal being cut, screws being turned, and solder flowing. I was not disappointed. More and more, the trend for manufacturers is to have many parts built by outside specialty manufactures. For instance, it is common for the metal chassis, circuit boards, molded plastic pieces, label engraving, circuit board stuffing, etc, to all be done at different specialty factories then brought in for assembly and testing. However, this is not the case at Lectrosonics. What impressed me the most about the Lectro tour was how much of the product, from the most complex part to the least significant, is made right in the factory. At one end of the factory there was a large plasma machine cutting out the flat aluminum antenna brackets seen in their dipole antenna kits. Next to that, a machine milling out the waterproof enclosures of the UM400a transmitter. Stepping into a clean room revealed several automatic machines placing surface mount components onto circuit boards. Nearby is a room filled with laser machines engraving the Lectro logo and labels onto the chassis. When I asked about smell of molten plastic, Gordon took me to the injection molding room. I was very surprised when I saw what they were making: the tiny rubber grommets for the UCR201 receiver antennas. At the end of the line is the testing area where every wireless transmitter and receiver is thoroughly tested (no spot checking). The point here is that nearly every piece of every Lectro product is made right there at the Rio Rancho factory. When they say they make audio products, they make audio products, from the concept right down to the knobs and rubber grommets. This gives Lectrosonics an important amount of quality control: Everything about the Lectrosonics products, from design, development, manufacture, assembly, testing, and service is done right here. What happened after the tour was as impressive as the factory itself. During lunch with Gordon, founder John Arasim, President Larry Fisher, engineer Bruce Jones, software designer Dave Thomas, and others, most of the conversation was them wanting to better understand the situations that their products were used in. They wanted to know things like, What is the percentage of wireless microphone use compared to hardwire boom mics on a movie set? and, What is the optimum time between battery changes for a production? Etc, etc. To their credit, they acknowledge that their expertise is in making equipment, the customers expertise is in using it, and big part of their job is understanding what you, the end user, want and need. And that, probably as much as any other single factor, explains is the key to their success.

Shopping After Hours

by Skylor Morgan If you havent visited the Online Store in a while, stop by! Youll be glad you did. Its a great way for you to get what you need after hours. Next time you find yourself getting home around midnight from a shoot where the actors ran off with your vampire clips, just get on-line and order the stuff you need. Items like batteries, DATs, DVD-RAMs, gaffers tape, replacement headphone ear pads, and lav clips are some of the most popular, but we have a huge number of other products available online. Some may surprise you! Lavalier microphones are among the mainstays of the TV and film industry, and our online store carries four of the most popular ones. Each listing has several color and connector options, spare accessories, and options for with or without power supplies, etc. We have nearly every lav mic accessory you can imagine: clips, mounts, windscreens, each type of B-6 caps in every color, etc. The online store carries accessories for Countryman, Lectrosonics, PSC, Sanken, Sennheiser, Sony, Sonotrim, and Tram lav mics. Speaking of lav accessories, we also carry the Eumel by Ambient Recording. The Eumel is a 48-volt Phantom adaptor that converts the voltage to electret power for most lavaliers. For instance, the Eumel wired for Lectrosonics has the popular TA5F connector, and powers any lav mic properly wired for Lectrosonics transmitters. They are available for lav mics wired for most other transmitters as well. The vast number of connections between todays audio and video equipment can be mind-boggling. You may catch yourself mentally walking through signal flow to make sure you are ready to roll on Action. Remote Audio Products has developed an extensive library of the most commonly requested ENG cables. The next time you need a cable check our cable page in the online store. Also check out the Mixer Cable Chart. We may have a cable that gives you an option you havent thought about! Along the same line, the Remote Audio Products Adapt-a-Pak is always a popular item because its connector adapters were selected specifically for Film/TV sound professionals. Need to add to it or just get one-zees and two-zees? The online store has every adapter from the Adapt-aPak available in as single purchase items, 36 different adapters in all! It is a brave and proud lot who make their profession in film and TV production. Such bravery deserves a badge of honor, so to help let others know what you do we have added the Trew Audio Gear section. High quality work clothing and accessories with unique cool graphics tell insiders that you are well connected and tells outsiders that you are involved with something special. Walk through a major airport wearing a Trew Audio T-shirt or ball cap and youre likely to meet someone else in the business. Check out the Trew Gear section in the online shopping zone.

We sometimes receive calls and emails from customers who have just completed an online order. The most frequent question is What about shipping? After considering all of the options, we decided that the customer is best served by calculating the actual shipping cost of each package. Therefore, unlike other on-line stores, you never over-pay for shipping as a result of estimates.
Our default shipping method within the continental United States is UPS Ground, and it is FedEx for international orders. However, you have the convenient option of specifying Federal Express Priority (morning delivery), Standard Overnight (afternoon delivery), 2-Day Economy, 3-Day Express Saver. When you item ships we send you a tracking number that can be used with our package tracker to follow your items to your door. From the Sound Devices 442 Mixer and TopStick, to Vampire Clips and top-quality microphones, the items in our online store are vast. When you know what you want and need the convenience of shopping on your schedule at prices you know are competitive, our on-line store is always open for you. As always, even when you buy on-line we will be here for you after the sale with our famous customer support.

The Industrys Equipment Authority
REPRINTED FROM DECEMBER, 2003 WWW.PROAUDIOREVIEW.COM

Location/Broadcast

MARK ULANO
ocation sound engineers are finally seeing a stream of new, nonlinear portable recording devices, and the Fostex PD-6 is the first of these new machines to arrive. In addition to Fostex: Aaton, HHB and Zaxcom, will all have new entries on the market within the year. We applaud all the manufacturers and look forward to examining this great spurt of engineering creativity.

Fostex PD-6 DVD-RAM

Location Recorder
mode, though, which is a great feature of the DV-40 - Ed.) The more variable labeling, metadata, parameter and data intensive controls are in the software, mostly derived from the Fostex DV40 studio recorder. Besides Through a series of unshifted and shifted functions, you can bring up setup or utility screens on the LCD display. Use of a USB keyboard affords macros to get to certain screens even more quickly and you can store up to seven setup configurations. The included manual is generally clear and comprehensive. You may also download it as a PDF file from the Fostex website, along with current and future system updates for the PD-6, which you can install yourself. Utilizing a new, ATAPI 8cm drive, smaller double-sided 2.8 GB DVD-RAM discs are used for storage of the audio. This format has been primarily developed as a medium for the rough and tumble of camcorder video recording, and with the aid of data buffers, is geared toward handling vibration. DVD-RAM disks are not as common as DVD-R or RW discs (you will not find these discs in Wal-Mart or Radio Shack), but they are coming, as the major camcorder manufacturers are supporting the medium. In the higher storage consuming configurations, e.g., six tracks at 24-bit/48 kHz, you only have 24 minutes a side. This means that if you are doing a five-minute scene in sixtrack mode, you need to reload every four takes. It takes about 40 seconds to eject the full disc, insert a preformatted disc and have the

F EATURES /I N U SE

The PD-6, priced at $9,995, is very much in the family of the respected PD-2/PD-4 line of Fostex field DAT machines. Essential choices for machine control, track format, digital/analog recording, sampling frequency, bit rate, master clock and time code settings are easily accessible with hardware switches along the top and front of the machine. Besides up to 24bit/48 kHz across six tracks, it also records in stereo at 24-bit/96 kHz. (No stereo 192 kHz

Fast Facts

Applications: Film, video, location recording Features: 8 centimeter DVD-RAM format; UDF/BWF; 16/24-bit; 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz sampling rates; all SMPTE timecodes; 10second preroll buffer; built-in sixchannel analog mixer; 48V phantom power, 12V T power; FireWire, USB ports Price: $9,995 Contact: Fostex at 562-498-4852. www.fostexdvd.net.
machine recognize the disc and be ready to record. You may be raising your on-set profile with more frequent reloads. Higher capacity discs are coming in the future, meanwhile, you will probably want to budget your disc storage by only going up to four or six tracks when needed. This is good practice anyway and will dramatically extend storage capacity (1 hour 12 minutes for two-track, 24-bit at 48 kHz). You also have the choice of going down to 16 bits to increase storage, but this is not my preference. By the way, 96 kHz sampling is currently limited to two-track mode only. You also must be careful to not remove a disc during the write cycle (indicated by the red led showing drive status) after you stop recording. You could lose part or all of the new file if you do. Extracting the discs from their carrier sleeve can be a clumsy affair. (The sleeve lock pins inevitably fall out. No harm done but disconcerting.) This is necessary to place it in any other DVD-RAM drive, a certain requirement once the disc is sent to
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transfer and/or the editing room. These little discs can be fragile in the hands of the uninitiated. In fact, on my current movie project, Empire Falls, the first day of dailies was destroyed by an unknown event at the transfer stage. Luckily I had backed up on a Fostex DV40 and a LaCie hard drive. You have six choices when selecting recording tracks via the REC TR select switch on top of the machine, i.e., two-track, fourtrack, five-track, six-track, 2+4 track and 1+5 track. These last two options (2+4 and 1+5) generate two files simultaneously, allowing for a rough mix down and isolated tracks. The real value here is the 2+4 mode. Although Avids pricey upgrade, called Adrenaline, can handle 24-bit audio and eighttrack files, it is still in very limited distribution. Most of the Avid Media Composer user base is still on earlier versions and will be for the foreseeable future. These versions of Media Composer are limited to 16-bit (24-bit gets dithered down), four-track audio files. With Fostexs 2+4 mode, you write two files with identical timecode stamps but different file names, i.e., the two-track is a BWF file and the four-track file has an M in the file name for multitrack. In this way, the picture editor can have all the files loaded and available if needed. The PD-6s LCD panel has 124 x 64 dot resolution. You can select the size and choose between vertical and horizontal orientation for the level meters. Most of the switch settings are shown simultaneously, and you can also select the time information you want to see (LTC, input timecode, generator, etc.) The backlit screen is compact and efficient. My only hesitation is that it is a bit cluttered and monochromatic. The PD-6 has both FireWire and USB busses and one would hope these, in future, could be utilized to enhance display and machine control access. The contrast on the display seems to be temperature sensitive and may occasionally need a quick adjustment. For analog I/O, XLR connectors are in use for audio and timecode. Digital I/O is done through the 25-pin D-sub connector. I am pleased with this connection scheme since this protocol works well with the Yamaha 01V96, my new favorite mixer. AES/EBU digital clock info travels over the D-sub cable. Video or word clock are accessible through a pair of BNC connectors. The PD-6 automatically recognizes the type of clock source coming in. There is also 12V DC output through Hirose connectors for accessories, such as RF receivers. Nice touch, Fostex, nice touch. Less functional at this point in time, is the FireWire and USB implementation. USB is limited to external keyboard functions only. This gives you access to most, but not all of the machines soft functions. For me, recording without backup is unacceptable in a professional digital environment and Fostexs use of FireWire in the PD-6 demonstrates the companys commitment, up to a point, to the crucial backup process. In the PD-6s present configuration, a computer (Mac or Windows) recognizes the PD-6 as an external drive when directed to do so. Unfortunately, this takes the PD-6 off line for recording. If you want to copy your files to another location, the result is a fully manual backup process, and this download takes approximately 10 minutes per side of a full disk. The prerecord feature is a terrific feature. Its one of my favorite features on Zaxcoms Deva. The prerecord capability allows the user to select up to 10 seconds of dynamic buffer storage to be included at the beginning of a new file (limited to five seconds at 96 kHz). This can be eerie as you are recording material from before the time you rolled. The simple six-channel analog mixer adds value to the PD-6, saving you money and space. There is a built-in slate mic and tone generator. Each input can be set to line, dynamic, 48V phantom power or 12V T power. Phase switches are provided on Channels 2, 4 and 6 and each input has an adjustable high-pass filter. The limiter parameters can be controlled through soft functions and has individual settings for each input in Mono mode or group settings for either Channel 1-2 or for Channels 1-6. Both threshold and compression ratio setting options are available. By the use of DISC FEED switches, you can select recording sources from pre-fader signal, the left or right bus or post-fader. You can also select input sources between digital and analog for each input channel pair (1/2, 3/4, and 5/6) so you can record digital and analog sources simultaneously. Monitoring allows for quick switching from solo, stereo bus or a mono mix over a good sounding headphone amp or a small utility speaker. In the default DATE mode, the files are named by time stamp from the internal real time clock. You also have the option of TAKE mode, which allows you to input the actual scene name or number and have the take automatically increment each time you record a new file. Fostex offers a False Start command, which erases the offending file and its take number. However, the procedure takes a longish 18 seconds to complete. If you should be in a series of intense, speedy rolls and cuts and had to do an 18-second rerack for a false start, theyd be hanging you from the nearest yard arm. Hopefully Fostex will be able to get this time reduced, making the issue moot. You also can assign track names here. In addition to all this info being resident in the files, the PD-6 will generate an ALE (AVID Log Exchange) file for exporting the same file data to the AVID editing system. You can fully edit these ALE information files, which is essentially a spreadsheet format that can also be read in Excel.

S UMMARY

The Fostex PD-6 is a great-sounding digital recorder. It is reliable, and is a good value considering the onboard mixer, universal I/O, and versatile quality of the end result on the high capacity DVD-RAM disk. The machine is easy-to-learn, especially for Fostex DAT users, and has easily-accessed hard switching for the most important settings. Up to six tracks and 96 kHz/24-bit in stereo mode. Yamaha protocol for the 25-pin D-sub digital I/O, 12V power for external devices. There a few negatives, such as the cumbersome scheme for file copying and the reliance on an unestablished medium using 8cm discs. Storage capacity of the 8cm disc may also be an issue. My other nit picks were the False Start command taking too long, limited usability of Scene/Take file naming, and the LCD display. But overall, the PD-6 has become one of my primary location sound recording device for cinema and TV sound recording. Mark Ulano, an Academy Award winning location sound recording engineer, is currently working on HBOs Empire Falls, directed by Fred Schepisi.
Copyright 2003 IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Reprinted from Pro Audio Review