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Author Topic: What to carry in the tool case when doing sound checks and setups.. Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-07-2004 03:07 PM                     Michael, I'm flattered that you think I'm never wrong but I disagree with you there for sure . Actually I am wrong alot of the time!! Indeed it was a trap set up for you to fall into, not meant for anyone else really. Did you ever call Acoustx yet about the advantages of the D-2?(No I bet) The USL light meter is also highly reccomended. We have unit Serial number 1 here at CLACO. It can be time consuming to use but again... just do it..... or do it right... definately comes into play when the best tools are at hand. Mark  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-07-2004 03:54 PM                     uh.. oy.. Allright friends,no argueing here The D2 system is surely nice but it's a bit too much for me in both terms, equipment and costs, $3500.00 may not sound too much for you all but have in mind I live somewhere and there is a exchange rate, so instead of it costing me $3500,0 it'll end being $11.100.00,(in my currency) with that I can by a better,newer car. To clear some points, as Michael said, most of the equipment I have to deal with aren't real processors, most of them are Eprad's starcope clones,in rare occasions I'll see a CP50 still running with the same cards it had when left the factory decades ago.and only one I saw something newer, a CP45 in a somewhat new theatre.aside from that, stuff I'll find in a booth is a home theatre processor running with a hand-made preamp board ( did see such setup in a duplex theatre in a decent mall),home made stereo only systems and even mono systems. That doesn't mean I won't get a better, real system to work with,it's just that msot of the theatres I'd get called for servicing are 2nd run houses and to many of them,anything that comes out from the speakers and from the port window will do, the audience however doesn't agree most of time.. nor do I.. What I want is having the tools and test gear that will allow me to do the work right without spending lots and that it'd be carried around in the event I get to travel by bus to service a theatre in a place too far or that'd make a car trip expensive and annoying ( I don't really like to drive for hours,even making stops from time to time) I have a car however and surely uses it to go to theatres near me or in cities that won't exceed a 3 hour trip but sometimes I prefer going by bus. and that same tools and equipment would be used for any kind of systems, from a creepy wanna be processor to real ones ( like Dolby,USL and so on ). About digital systems, only had to deal with one once in all this years.  |  IP: Logged Dennis M Dow Jr Expert Film Handler Posts: 141 From: Bloomfield NJ USA Registered: Oct 2003 posted 08-07-2004 05:45 PM                       If I am not mistaken, the USL multiplexer is a cheaper alternative to the R-2 D-2 multiplexers..... Dont remember what the exact price is but I believe it is around $1500 us. and it will work when the theaters upgrade to newer equipment  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-07-2004 07:47 PM                     Dennis, FYI: I was told the D-2 plexer is an adapted version of the USL unit. Its adapted to work with the D-2 software and to normalize the gains of the mics automatically among other things. Mark  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-08-2004 10:56 PM                     Well then, From the posts I read here, I see I'm not too much off in terms of toold and test equipment, the only actual issue I have is the RTA and hte PN generator,the first I have but isn't very portable, so I'm going to dump it and get a portable. At one time I used a portable one, with the size of a construction brick but can't remember it's brand, ir ran on internal batteries or with a small power supply plugged on the wall. one like that would be fine for me. For the PN generators, I'll get some prices ( again the short budget grounding me down ) if they're somewhat expensive for the moment, might end assembling one ( DIY again! ) Now I gotta stop being shy, breath deep ,grab the phone and call iceco about the test films.. that's because I write a little better than I speak  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-08-2004 11:35 PM                        Why don't you look into getting a moderately priced notebook as a basic analyzer and scope solution like I suggested above? Apparently you already have a software analyzer in that desktop computer.  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-09-2004 12:18 AM                     Michael, I already thought of that but a laptop would't help because the RTA package I have has a card that has to be installed in the computer. it's use leans more toward car audio and his big feature is SPL metering instead of real time analysing. (the card is the rta filters from what I was told) for RTA it needs to some tweaking and calibrations against a stand alone rta in order to do the work right,I'll be dropping it sometime soon in order to get a real unit ( considering the Ivie atm)  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-09-2004 12:56 AM                        This will cost you around $1500, but you get a good analyzer/2-channel scope (again, only suitable for analog A-chains)/phase checker/signal generator/SPL meter/RMS volt meter (only for audio signals! it only takes up to 20V!!!) in one small handy unit. Remember the jacket and mic are also available separately from the iPaq. You can chose a different iPaq model, or try to find an older one (it has to be at least 3950) cheaper. Then you should make an extension cable so that you can position the mic in the auditorium. Again, using a multiplexer would be better, but you can also obtain results by moving the mic and averaging yourself or using the Ivie's inbuilt curve storage and subtraction feature. In any case, it's going to be a big step forward from the equipment you have now. The good thing is, you can play pink noise and other test signals from the unit, or you can edit your own signals and play them as wav or mp3 files. Amazingly, the output of the iPaq is flat (or maybe Ivie calibrated the pink noise to the output, in any case it reads flat up to 20kHz when you loop it back to the analyzer). Then you need the test films and the mechanical and electrical tools you already described. Plus, you will be cooler than Mark then!  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-09-2004 11:49 AM                     "Michael, I already thought of that but a laptop would't help because the RTA package I have has a card that has to be installed in the computer. it's use leans more toward car audio and his big feature is SPL metering instead of real time analysing. (the card is the rta filters from what I was told) for RTA it needs to some tweaking and calibrations against a stand alone rta in order to do the work right,I'll be dropping it sometime soon in order to get a real unit " If that is the Linear X one they have a black box to allow it to be used with a laptop  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-09-2004 12:41 PM                     That's the one I have, pcRTA jr. from linearX. there is another version of it, the pcRTA , has some other features and has it's own plexer, takes 4 mics and is suitable for theatre use ( it's listed for that in their website) the jr. version seems intended more for car audio competitions since it has the scoring routines for most of them. The portable RTA I mentioned somewhere in another post of mine,is the Ivie IE-30,doesn't seem it's still in production nowadays..  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-10-2004 01:20 AM                        The IE-30A is still listed on the website, but it will cost you more than twice as much as the IE-33. It sometimes shows up on ebay, but you will have a hard time getting one without spending too many $$$ as many want to have it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-10-2004 10:30 PM                     "Plus, you will be cooler than Mark then!" Now come on Michael, no ones cool till they carry around a Tektronix 465 scope for their daily work. It weighs more than your complete tool box does . Classic scopes rule! Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 08-10-2004 11:25 PM                        I guess that means I'm as cool as Mark.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-11-2004 01:32 AM                     No mini Leader scopes rule ask Lonny  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 08-11-2004 02:02 AM                        Well if I ever find the SOB who stole my Leader scope from my office I'll be as cool as Lonny and Gord again too.  |  IP: Logged

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