Banjo Sound LLC

13/06/2024

I have a certain ~aesthetic~.

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03/06/2024

Get rid of* your peeling batteries!

I put freshly charged IKEA LADDA NIMH AA batteries in my Shure ULXD2 handheld mic/transmitter. An hour later, I realized I was no longer getting signal.

I walked over to the mic (which was thankfully just sitting on a chair and not in talent’s hand as it was a setup day), and the handle was VERY warm. I opened up the battery compartment and nearly burned myself when I touched the batteries. They were crazy hot!

I finally got them out of the transmitter and noticed the positive end was peeling back enough to expose the negative terminal, shorting it out. Thankfully no one was harmed and neither was the transmitter. But I definitely went through and checked my other batteries for more peeling ones, and I’m going to throw all 8 of these out.

They’re only about $2-2.50 a battery, so don’t be cheap and hold onto your peeling ones. Even if you only get a year or two out of them, it’s still so much cheaper and better for the environment than disposables.

Thanks Rado Stefanov for the heads up about this.

* NIMH batteries should be recycled, not thrown out.

31/05/2024

BTS recording an interview for People Magazine with some guy from New Jersey.

23/05/2024

Double boom green screen day with the DPA 4017 and 2017. Everything’s sounding fantastic!

21/05/2024

Feeling extra purple today.

20/05/2024

Perfect day for a shoot on the lake! Using the DPA 2017, with the Radius RAD-02 shockmount and Bubblebee spacer bubble, the Ktek KP14V “Banjo Pole”, the Easy Rig Boom Rig, and Zaxcom Nova, I was able to achieve the perfect sound while lazily sitting on an apple box!

15/05/2024

Big show today!

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14/05/2024

A true artist can paint with any paintbrush! 🖌️

Today, I got a last minute call to help out a podcast with their own gear. While it’s not what I’d normally use (aside from the Zaxcom, which is awesome that they have!), I had fun with the challenge.

One problem was the speakers they were using were both humming and distorting, even on the lowest volume. They were not mic/line switchable, so the XLR input was mic level by default, but the Rodecaster was outputting line level. But the speakers did have a 1/4” line level input, and thankfully, I carry XLR to 1/4” adapters in my kit! It fixed the speaker distortion. I also carry a ground lifter, which eliminated the speaker hum.

Always carry your bag of tricks with you, even if it sucks to carry it on the subway. You never know when something you’ll have will save the day!

10/05/2024

Mixing/recording a live panel discussion at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan with a Behringer X32 rack mixer controlled wirelessly via an iPad, Zoom F6 recorder for mix, Zoom F8 recorder for ISOs, Shure ULXD wireless rack receivers and handheld mics on tabletop stands, and RCF HD12 speakers.

04/05/2024

It’s Gotham Expo Day!

01/05/2024

You buy her bouquets of flowers. I buy her bouquets of Bubblebee. We are not the same.

Come say hi to me at the Bubblebee Industries booth at the Gotham Sound and Communications, Inc. Expo this Saturday, May 4th! Registration is free!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gotham-sound-expo-2024-tickets-873534935507

01/05/2024

Tight framing? Carpeted room? Quiet clothing? Pinch me, I’m dreaming!

19/04/2024

Sound friends with sound pens!

12/04/2024

Working in downtown Cleveland with fellow sound mixer for the 2024 Great American Eclipse.

10/04/2024

Recording sound at a conference using SM58 dynamic microphones to reduce background noise, with ZMTs and the plug on adapter to make ‘em wireless!

10/04/2024

After an 11 hour drive back from Ohio, I’m back at it in NYC!

04/04/2024

First time doing a live event with the 4080 cardioid lavs. And let me tell you — they make a HUGE difference. I’ve used other cardioid lavs before, in this exact same event space, and these not only sound fuller, but seem to mitigate feedback even better. Which I’m sure you know is a nightmare when dealing with lavs going through a PA system. Excellent work, DPA!

20/03/2024

When the client wants to *hear* the audio, not *see* it.

13/03/2024

Re-did my wireless organization to fit things in a more compact case.

09/03/2024

Just another day as a New York City sound mixer!
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24/02/2024

“We are using the RED camera. It’s the best camera.”

21/02/2024

Live streaming! DPA lavs through Zaxcom wireless + backup Sennheiser MKH50 boom > Zaxcom Nova > Zoom F8 > Zoom conference.

18/02/2024

Today’s office. 💪🏻

08/02/2024

When you match the mic.

26/01/2024

Tall ceilings.

24/01/2024

Name that microphone array!

12/12/2023

Mixing from a very comfortable couch. 😊

16/11/2023

27/10/2023

Love the sound blankets. Nice and think, absorbing all those table reflections … but also has a white side, so camera can bounce some light. They also have grommets which come in handy when hanging. And it comes in handy to leave in my car to either cover up gear or use as a blanket when I pull over to take a nap!

25/10/2023

75 degrees in late October. ☀️