Video Assist Hungary is one of the biggest VA and DIT rental house in continental Europe. We do over 400 projects a year, including several A-list Hollywood movies. We are part of Hungary's biggest rental group, from sound stages and cameras to motion control and 3D rigs. We build and use our own rigs, for 14 years now.
Movie sets are getting more and more fluid every day. Video Assist operators are setting up multiple video villages, and are in connection with several departments simultaneously. Multiple people are watching different live and playback images at the same time. As a result, the VA operator has to be in constant communication with several locations.
Add to this the problem that VA equipment is required to receive audio from the sound engineer, and either send back playback audio, or even distribute that audio and arrange speakers, headphones or other way for directors, producers or clients to listen on.
After 5 years of development, we present a complete, flexible system which can do all of this, and more, in a half width 1U rack size, DC powered box, with digital matrix, full size connectors and an integrated USB sound card.
This central device is the hearth of the R-com system. It has a total of 5 inputs and 6 outputs, an 8x8 digital matrix, an integrated USB sound card, and an OLED display. It also has 8 fully assignable soft pots, and 6 programmable buttons. All controls are lighted for feedback and night operation. The device can be fully customised, with channel names, levels, pot and button layout, input and output types, saved to named presets. The XLR plugs can act as inputs, outputs, or both, in analog or AES/EBU. Connect speakers, radio mics, EPK crew, on-set editor or a music player.
You can connect up to 3 endpoints to a central station. A simple 3XLR connection is all what's required for two way audio. The endpoint has optional AB/V-lock battery plates, built in speaker and mic. You can connect an external speaker and one or two mics for better quality and usability
(digital endpoint shown with optional dual V-lock plates)
You have a selection of digital or analog endpoints. The more economic analog version has minimal features: mic preamp (with PH48) and speaker, plus headphone outputs with volume knobs. The digital version has 3 mics (one built in and 2 external), internal and external speakers, and can be programmed on a small LCD.
You can also use a custom cable to attach your own devices, like two-way radios, wireless mics or 4-wire into other intercom systems.
R-Com central station is a very flexible, complex system with a lot of options. These options are accessed thru the menus and the mixer pages shown on the OLED page. To make the learning process easier, we created a simulator of the control surface.
90% of the time, a device is only used with its basic functions, the way it was intended to use. The remaining 10% is what really tests a system's flexibility, and how it adapts to a new challenge. We gathered our top VA operators, and asked them to tell a story where they were in a pinch audio-wise, and then we thought how R-Com can handle those. Here are a few examples:
Are you on a vfx shoot with no sound dept, but the stuntman wants to record their countdown? Set the central's or endpoint's input to mic with 48V phantom power and record set noise! No external mic? Route the integrated microphone in the digital endpoint to the USB card and into your recorder, so you can tape the set audio!
You need to send live audio to the clients, zero delay, and mute the director, then switch to playback with delay? Set up two presets, one where the client gets a straight feed and director gets nothing, and one where they both get the Qtake feed. Set a button to recall each preset.
Does your DP wants to hear the director, and they are in separate tents? Route the director’s endpoint mic back to the DP’s endpoint speaker. Put a mute on one of your buttons so you can kill it while recording.
Do you have an endpoint in the directors tent, one on an onset monitor plus a radio mic on a wireless monitor and don’t know where your director is talking? Press TALK ALL to answer to all outputs. This can have the added benefit of talking over the USB, which Qtake will add into the SDI streams!
Want to wear a wireless headset and leave the cart? Plug it into an output, name it if you want, and send your director's mic to your wireless earphones. You can add the playback audio to your headset too, to hear the ADs. Or mix your lapel mic over the Comtek to speak to the scripty on the cans.
Is Editorial pissed because they take away your files and you record a mono audio only on the 1st channel? No need to recable, just route the same feed from the sound guy to both USB channels.
EPK turned up and wants to record the audio from the directors tent? Give them a mini-jack feed to their wireless transmitter, and set it as a direct clean feed from your endstation. Don't forget to warn the boss.
Suddenly in need of stereo recording? Route two inputs to the integrated stereo sound card, and use two XLR outs to feed stereo to your director - and you can talk on either or both ears!. You still have 4 more outputs, and you can mix the two channels into a mono mix for the scripty on one of them, and listen to the director on your speaker.
Do you need to record an external timecode onto qtake? Route the minijack input to USB channel 2, and plug the SMPTE TC into it. Now you have it in the file, and you can send it to an external machine, like a lighting desk.
Pallag u 39
Dunakeszi
2120
Magyarország
© R-Provideo, Balazs Rozgonyi