NEW YORK—I’ve been a production sound mixer for more than 30 years and work mainly in the New York City area. Right now I am working on the hit CBS police drama, “Unforgettable,” starring Poppy Montgomery as Detective Carrie Wells, and Dylan Walsh as Detective Al Burns.
The bulk of the show’s shooting takes place in the greater New York City area. And as anyone who has tried to work with wireless microphone systems or other wireless devices in this area knows, this can be a very challenging experience as New York probably has the highest amount of RF congestion found anywhere in the world.
Larry Hoff BEING PREPARED FOR ANYTHING
I have to cope with this problem during my work, and for more than 15 years have counted on Lectrosonics equipment to help me meet wireless audio challenges. RF agility is an extremely important consideration for anyone using wireless mics—especially in this region—so I carry wireless transmitters for operation in both Block 21 (537 to 563 MHz) and Block 26 (665 to 691 MHz). I’ve had experiences where a wireless mic will work on one side of the street, but won’t work at all when we cross to the other side. With the Lectrosonics RF scanning system, I know very quickly what I’m up against in any given area and this helps me to decide which RF spectrum block to use.
As is the case with other production sound mixers who’ve been in this business for a while, I started out working mainly with wired boom mics and just used wireless mics sparingly if at all. That all changed with the advent of the Lectrosonics 400 series of wireless transmitters and receivers. This equipment dramatically affected the way I work, making my production jobs go faster and adding a lot of flexibility to the way I work. I also don’t think I am sacrificing any sound quality in using a wireless system.
I use the Lectrosonics Venue wireless system outfitted with six VRT receiver modules, four UCR411a receivers, along with four older UCR211 receivers. For transmitters, I use the company’s HM plugon units, SMQV and SMa Super Miniature units and UM400a and UM 200 beltpacks. My IFB setup includes Lectrosonics T4 transmitter and R1a receivers. I also use their ALP series “shark fin” and SNA dipole antennas as required for various production environments.
SUPPORT AFTER THE PURCHASE
Not only have I had a great deal of success in using the Lectrosonics equipment, I’ve also had a really great experience with the company’s tech support group. Whenever I have a question, I know that I can always contact the company and reach a support technician who understands my problem. I’ve also been particularly impressed with the quality of service provided by one of Lectrosonics’ factory authorized service facilities, Queens, N.Y.-based Jaycee Communications, which is operated by Jerry Cudmore. Jerry’s knowledge of the equipment, his suggestions, and fast turnaround for gear brought in for repair has been a huge benefit in my business.
Larry Hoff is the production sound mixer for CBS’s “Unforgettable.” He may be contacted atlawrencehof@gmail.com.
For additional information, contact Lectrosonics at 800-821-1121 or visitwww.lectrosonics.com.
