Summer 2000 - The Association of Motion Picture Sound

( Rvcote Fctntm continued )
partit plays in our lives, and hopefully choose it as
a career! The next speaker was Stephen Peus from
Neuman Microphones, who to put a fine point on
it, explained that to match the sensitivty of the ear,
microphones have to be very special instruments
indeed. I bet that the majority of us pull our
favourite microphone out of the case at the start of
the day and give no thought as to how precise the
engineering is and how much research has gone
into the materials used. The effectiveness of the
human ear always leaves me in awe! After a
welcome coffee break Jorg Wuttke, Schoeps' guru
whom I am sure evervbodv has at least heard of.
gave a talk about his favourite subject 'Windscreens
for everybody'!
Oh, how naive
we all are! Stuff
the microphone
into a ball of
foam and wind
noise disappears.
Well I know
none of us
actually do that
do we? No, we
all invest in
Rycote baskets,
windjammers et
al, but how many
of us realise the
importance of
removing the
horrendously
expensive foam
windgag first? An enlightening and amusing talk to
say the least! Last to take the stand was Jackie
Green, Vice kesident of Product Development at
Audio Technica. Jackie's chosen subject was one
which interests us all, Radio Microphones, and not
a windgag in site! Jackie's talk emphasised all our
concerns with regard to the frequency licensing
anangements, admittedly in the USA, but given the
present climate of 'sell anything if you can raise
cash' soon to hit our shores. In any case it's not a
rare event for us to work in the states is it? We all
know the problems that Radio Microphones present
us with not least the strange birdies which come out
of nowhere to ruin that perfect take! I have to tell
everybody that life is going to get worse. Not just
in the States but over here as well. Digital isn't the
answer in fact it's part of the cause. Soon, maybe
in the next couple of years, the lottery for
frequencies which we have always regarded as our
own will be put up for sale. These will go to the
highest bidder (of course) and who is that, well by
present indicators it will still be the Mobile Phone
networks! They are ravenous for frequencies, and
prepared to pay a kings ransom, witness the last
round!And these networks use digital
transmissions. The problem with a digital
transmission is that there are NO gaps to put an
analogue signal in,let alone a digital one. So no
frequencies, no radio microphones, I have to say
at this point in Jackie's talk, a little cheer went up
from the clutch of Location Mixers that made up
part of the audience. Sadly reality is with us all
and we know that our job, like it or not, relies on
radio microphones no matter how much we hate
them. The truth is that unless someone listens to
us and our cause, we won't be able to use them.
Sad fact but true. Television and corporate events
will come to a grinding halt as when that faithful
Micron or Audio is plugged in all you get out is
digital hash! We all know that government bodies
should listen to minorities, and the entertainment
industry is a
minority in this
game, but when
money talks, only
money listens.
Jackie related the
problems as they
appear in the
States, but we all
know it's here in
Europe as well.
We all thought that
Sony and Time
Warnerwere big
corporations but it
seems in this garne
they are tiddlers.
Incidentally in the
question time after
Jackie's talk, these
views were echoed by Rolf Meyer. At this point
lunch was declared, and we adjourned to the
restaurant where a sumptuous buffet had been
laid on.
After lunch we all assembled, this time chaired
by Rycote's tame guru, Chris Wolf. Chris made
the sensible suggestion that as the sun had now
come round as was turning the room into an oven
with all the windows wide open, we keep strictly
to the timetable! This was the half of the day
where location recording came to the front row,
and Florian Camarer, a surround sound Recordist
at ORF, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation to
you and me, gave a fascinating talk on the
problems of recording surround sound in the
field. If it wasn't enough keeping quite in front of
the microphones when trying to record a
wildtrack Florian has it behind if you see what I
mean. Tales from the Arctic and Antarctic
abounded. Its so quiet you can hear a Polar Bear
fart at 4OO metres, or so I'm told! Most of his
problems came from other people's jackets
rustling, usually because the person inside it was
breathing! Jumping over moving ice flows may
sound fun but carrying tens of kilograms worth
thousands of pounds gives it another dimension.
D
Chris Wolf opens the allernoon session: from left - Florian Camarer
(sound mixer, Austrian tsroadcasting ORF, Chris Wolf, Malcolm Johnson,
Marc Ulano CAS (sound mixer US.,\)
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