What's your kit-list to attach various sound desks to your cam's XLR input?

[Peter Dunphy]

Nice one Tom!

[Peter Dunphy]

Could anyone recommend a large audio bag that could accommodate 4 x 50 foot XLR cables, a Rolls DI box and a bunch of adaptors?

[Roger Van Duyn]

How about a large, soft, toolbox like they sell at WalMart, Lowe's, or HomeDepot?

What I actually use for all my long cables, gaff tape, power strips, etc. is a large gym bag. Small parts are kept in smaller color coded bags inside the large bag.

[Peter Dunphy]

Have been quoted for a Bespoke (hard) Flight Case (with wheels and handle) of the below sizes which I'm interested in

2 ft x 2ft x 2ft
3ft x 2ft x 2ft
4ft x 2ft x 2ft

Which would be a good size for 4 x 50ft XLR cables, Rolls DI box, adaptors etc? Potentially may get a mixer and other accessories down the line.

[Richard Crowley]

IMHO, they are ALL too big. How about something attache-case size? I have a bunch of inexpensive cases from Harbor Freight. And some of their plastic bin boxes to carry and organize adapters. Cheap, flexible, and not so slick and expensive-looking that they shout "STEAL ME" like some fancy box with "SONY" in big chrome letters on the side.
Click on the link below to see a photo of what I'm talking about. For some silly reason, this forum won't let you post images from the internet.

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_21232.jpg

[Rick Reineke]

For a typical ground travel (event type) gig. I have two heavy duty canvas bags, one for a 12x100ft. (fan to fan) snake, the other for link cables of different lengths of mostly 10 and 25 footers. A few 50's and some short 3' links are in there as well. The canvas cable bags can be easily put in larger road cases if needed.

[Steven Digges]

This kit is my first line of defense because it fits in my briefcase. That is important because it means it is ALWAYS with me. I have other kits that vary in size and complexity.

The pile of cables fit in a pocket in the case. There are also things you can't see, like my Leatherman tool, flashlight, zip ties, and board tape.

For me, these kits are not a one time thing. They change and evolve. Unfortunately there is also inventory control and attrition involved.

I do not think I have ever been on a gig when I did not reach for this bag at least once. It has literally saved shows when we needed something in a hurry and I had it within reach.

Steve

I keep a cheap Leatherman knock off from Home Depot in that case. I am out two real Leatherman tools. Both of them were stolen from tech tables. Weird, at least $100,000.00 in gear on those tables and my leatherman gets clipped. I guess it is hard to fit a 32 channel board into your pocket!

[Don Bloom]

I carry an old tool bag I got at Home Depot years ago. All my cables of all kinds under 100ft fit nicely, as do a few mic clips, adapters in a plastic zip lock bag, cable ties and cable wraps, gaff tape, electrical tape, a couple of screw drivers, a knife, small and medium sized pliers, small flashlight, board tape, a couple of knock off SM58 types and I think there might be a PB and J in there for emergencies. Nothing big, nothing major but it's saved my sorry butt more than once.
Like American Express used to say, "Don't leave home without it"! I go, it goes!

[Peter Dunphy]

Happy days, I got a balanced feed from a sound desk (sound technician provided a balanced XLR pre-fade output with gender-changer XLR adaptor and quality Van Damme XLR lead with Neutrik XLR connectors).

However, he mentioned that a DI Box (e.g. Rolls) wouldn't really be ideal for my video purposes of people speaking at conferences. He said a DI Box should only really be used for musical instruments (guitars etc).

He suggested I should use a 'balanced isolation transformer' instead. Thoughts? Surely the Rolls is also capable of isolation?

[Richard Crowley]

The Rolls DB25 is a "balanced isolation transformer". I agree with the sound technician. But so many people call those things "direct boxes" that the names and definitions have been blurred together.

A "direct box" is a special version with a very high impedance for an electric guitar pickup.and a built-in buffer amplifier. The Rolls DB25 is a conventional isolation transformer with a variable attenuator. It is not a "direct box" in the original definition. The sound technician is correct that a proper "direct box" is NOT suitable for this kind of application.

[Peter Dunphy]

Brilliant Richard, thanks for the clarification, that's a great help.

[Peter Dunphy]

Thanks guys for your photos and info about sound bags

[Rick Reineke]

"However, he mentioned that a DI Box (e.g. Rolls) wouldn't really be ideal for my video purposes of people speaking at conferences. He said a DI Box should only really be used for musical instruments (guitars etc)."
> For musical instruments (acoustic electric guitar especially) passive DIs tend to 'load' the instruments high impedance (aka, Hi-Z) electronics, seriously affecting the tone. However this not an issue with lower impedance line level signals. I still have a Countryman Type 85 active DI which was the (indestructible and great sounding) musical instrument DI of choice for most pros in the 80s'. I haven't used it in a while as it only has two level settings: instrument and speaker.

[Peter Dunphy]

Here's what I've gone for to get up and running for talking heads at podiums (additional recorders/mixers/backup can be looked at later for projects involving anything more complicated):

BALANCED ISOLATION TRANSFORMER

1 x Rolls DB25b (a conventional isolation transformer with a variable attenuator)


NEUTRIK / VAN DAMME CABLES

4 x 15 metre (50 foot) VAN DAMME M/F XLR CABLES (with NEUTRIK XLR connectors at each end)

3 x 1 metre VAN DAMME cable with NEUTRIK 1/4” TS plug at one end, and NEUTRIK Female XLR at other end (advised to get 3 of these for the price of one carriage as they often go missing)

3 x 1 metre VAN DAMME cable with NEUTRIK 1/4” TS plugs at each end (again, advised to get 3 of these for the price of one carriage as they often go missing)

1 x 1 metre VAN DAMME cable with NEUTRIK 1/4” TS plug at one end, and RCA at other end



NEUTRIK XLR ‘Y’ SPLITTERS

1 NEUTRIK XLR Female to 2 XLR Male Y-Cables

1 NEUTRIK XLR Male to 2 XLR Female Y-Cables



NEUTRIK GENDER TURNAROUNDS

XLRM - XLRM

XLRF - XLRF

RCA-F - RCA-F

1/4" TRS-F - 1/4" TRS-F


As a 'fallback' from the mixing desk AUX pre-fade feed (which will run through my Rolls DB25):

I will also have a SONY ECM-VG1 mic ("a short shotgun, electret condenser-type microphone, which delivers excellent sound performance in field and studio production applications") and a mic stand (Beyerdynamic GST 500 Heavy Duty Telescopic Boom Stand) which I can place by the podium and attach via the long XLR to the camera.

Also have wireless mics, both Sennheiser G3 ENG (tieclip and plugin) and Sony, which I can place on the speaker or mic stand by the podium.

[Colin McDonald]

I hesitate to add to this very thorough exploration of essential kit, but I don't remember seeing any reference to any sort of cable tester (and do pardon me if I missed it). I won't go on any sort of gig which involves setting up audio stuff without my trusty cable tester.

Even with the best of gear correctly rigged used and stored there can be problems, and it's great to be able to eliminate cable faults if there's a issue. It's can save a great deal of time to be able to prove that the problem is not your cabling, and that it lies elsewhere.
I have lost count of the number of times I have been able to help out a panicking keyboard bass or guitar player (and even more than one sound tech!) by finding their duff connection for them. It amazes me why some of these guys never think to have one themselves. Don't start me on some folks' inability to diagnose faults logically and systematically :-)

Oh, and I always test the mains power outlets too. Found a few horrors there I can tell you.

Time and life savers: