sennheiser lav Question

[trueindie]

I'm a cheap guy. But I wanted lavs. So I bought a pair of Azden transmitters and receivers. I was happily using them, and then one day a friend of mine brought in his sennheiser lav and I tried it. I was so blown away by the difference between the sound produced by the two that I went ahead and bought a pair of sennheisers for myself. I was doing all these interviews and I thought I might as well stop being so bloody cheap.

But now, every time I do interviews, the sound is clear, but suddenly while everything is happening beautifully, the lav decides to pick up frequency static. It's been happening every time I use it. And I'm getting really really pissed. I shut off all cell phones, but to no avail. it keeps happening.

I'm wondering if other people have had this experience. If not, should I go back to the store with my receipt to have the device exchanged? Is there some solution? Because this is really unacceptable at this point.

Here's the video I was just working on.

Around 40second mark (I think) the static starts and throughout the video (around 2:40 it's horrendous), the static decides to pop in and out. It is terribly frustrating that I spent 600 bucks on this and it is acting like a misbehaved child, throwing tantrums when it feels like it.

Any advice would be much appreciated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuMPXj6vmaY

Enjoy the video too.
Thanks in advance.
Aveek

 

[Alcove Audio]

It's very difficult to know where the problem is without a lot more information.


Which Sennheiser lav?

Where was the lav placed?

Which wireless system?

Where was the transmitter placed?

Where was the receiver placed?

What frequency was used?

Did you use fresh batteries?

Details about the shooting location?

Was anyone monitoring the audio during the shoot?

 

[trueindie]

It's very difficult to know where the problem is without a lot more information.


Which Sennheiser lav?

I don't have it in front of me, but I believe it is the EW112PG3A

Where was the lav placed?

On his shirt right above the guitar, right on his chest, below his chin / neck. This is where I normally place lavs

Which wireless system?

Received by the corresponding sennheiser receiver. they were bought as a pair

Where was the transmitter placed?

On his shirt right above the guitar, right on his chest, below his chin / neck. This is where I normally place lavs

Where was the receiver placed?

About two feet from the transmitter, placed on top of an unopened box with an office chair inside it.

What frequency was used?

Don't remember. one of the two options available on the lav pair

Did you use fresh batteries?

Yes, fresh, rechargeable batteries

Details about the shooting location?

about 12 feet by 18 feet room, with lots of computer equipment in it.

Was anyone monitoring the audio during the shoot?

Yes, supposedly, but they didn't raise the alarm

Thanks for all those questions. It made me think, even before I got your answers

 

[Alcove Audio]

Received by the corresponding sennheiser receiver. they were bought as a pair

Was it the G2 or the G3?

lots of computer equipment in it.

If every computer, monitor and affiliated equipment was not unplugged (sleep mode or turned off only puts most computer gear in stand-by mode) that may be a culprit. I buddy of mine was picking up something weird on a shoot and tracked it down to a network router; everything else was unplugged, but the network router could not be unplugged as the floors above and below were accessing it.

Troubleshooting is a really tough gig, and on-location problems never seem to repeat themselves. You get the same buzz in four different locations, but an arc welder in the shop next door is the offender one day, a walk-in freezer the next day, a taxi stand on the third day and you never even find the last one.

What did your PSM have to say? He never caught it?

Oh... Was it really hot? Really cold? Was your subject really sweaty?

Oh, again... I haven't checked, but has there been a lot of sunspot or solar flare activity recently?

And as for the location, what's nearby? An airport? Police station? Hospital? Electrical transformer? Subway or train? Urban areas can drive you nuts.

 

[trueindie]

I know it was the G2, so sorry about that

and yes, there are monitors on standby. not too hot or cold. Air conditioner generally keeps everything at room temperature.

Maybe I'll try it out at another location to see if I pick up the same issues elsewhere.

But this is CRAZINESS. How in the world am i supposed to be on the lookout for so many goddamn variables? Why can't it be as simple as plugging a lav in. Even my azdes weren't picking up frequencies. They just had gain.

You are sure that just exchanging the lavs for a new set is not going to do the trick??

Thanks much. Really appreciate your help
Aveek

 

[Alcove Audio]

Why can't it be as simple as plugging a lav in.

Why can't it be as simple as aiming a camera? Why should audio be simple? It is just as complicated as getting a good shot.

Find out what block the G2 is; the 700mHz block is now reserved in the US for law enforcement and emergency services - police, fire, EMT, FBI, etc. I believe that Canada reciprocated. That's why the G3 series came out.

 

[SinEater]

This is why I very rarely mess with wireless setups.

 

[trueindie]

Why can't it be as simple as aiming a camera? Why should audio be simple? It is just as complicated as getting a good shot.

Find out what block the G2 is; the 700mHz block is now reserved in the US for law enforcement and emergency services - police, fire, EMT, FBI, etc. I believe that Canada reciprocated. That's why the G3 series came out.

Range 626-668 MHz

Are you telling me it's not as simple as aiming a camera???? damn!!!

 

[trueindie]

Alcove, I thought about my situation again. I remember changing the batteries midway through the shoot, so my earlier assertion that I had fresh batteries may not have been the whole truth. At least for the transmitter, it seems to have been a complete lie.

I'll test out the new batteries and get back to you. Thanks for all your help.
best,
aveek

 

[Alcove Audio]

Alcove, I thought about my situation again. I remember changing the batteries midway through the shoot, so my earlier assertion that I had fresh batteries may not have been the whole truth. At least for the transmitter, it seems to have been a complete lie.

I'll test out the new batteries and get back to you. Thanks for all your help.
best,
aveek

Professionals tend to change batteries every 90 minutes to two hours. After that amount of time the charge falls to below nominal. A new out-of-the-package 9-volt, for example, has a charge of 9.3, after two hours the charge falls to 8.6; at that point audio artifacts or other problems start to appear.

 

[trueindie]

Professionals tend to change batteries every 90 minutes to two hours. After that amount of time the charge falls to below nominal. A new out-of-the-package 9-volt, for example, has a charge of 9.3, after two hours the charge falls to 8.6; at that point audio artifacts or other problems start to appear.

Good to know. Also I have a G3. Goes to show you how much I know about the equipment I own.

That's my problem. I generally hate learning about equipment. I just care about framing... what can I say? I'm too lazy to ever become any good at this work Thanks again.

 

[gpforet]

This also comes from knowing how your gear behaves in real-world situations. My G3s typically can run 4+ hours on the two AAs before dropping signal strength. Since on most sets I'm on, we rarely go more than 3 hours from wiring the talent to a meal break, costume change, or scene change, I typically go thru only 8 AAs per channel on a full day shoot. Oh yea, and that's often x 3 channels so 24-AAs/day is what I make sure I have on hand + 4 more in the rare case of dud batteries.

Professionals tend to change batteries every 90 minutes to two hours. After that amount of time the charge falls to below nominal. A new out-of-the-package 9-volt, for example, has a charge of 9.3, after two hours the charge falls to 8.6; at that point audio artifacts or other problems start to appear.