Drop Frames at Rock Concert?

[Mark Andersen]

I recently shot a live rock show and had a terrible problem with dropped frames. I can only guess this may have been caused by low end vibrations from the music or some other type of harmonic resonance causing the drives to vibrate and skip. Has anyone had a similar Problem? Are there any experts on this phenomenon?

[HD Hildebrand]

Yes, never seat your camera on a speaker. Also, if you're near the speaker the base may do that. I've only had it when going up to the stage and putting it on the speaker while framing up. I avoided ever since and have not had problems.

[Brent J. Craig]

There are reports of this all over Reduser. You have a delicate platter spinning at 7200RPM with a piece of ceramic floating only microns above it. What do you think happens when you shake it violently?

Loud music, gunshots, helicopters, fast cars and screaming are all incompatible with delicate spinning hard drives.

[Sam Winzar]

I had it happen really bad when filming an electronic act. It was funny (in that non funny way) watching the drop frame counter go up with every bass beat.

Get as far away from the subs as you can and maybe try wrapping the drive in something to sound proof it.

[Steve Sherrick]

Buy one of the 3rd party shock mounts and if that is not enough to keep frames from dropping, opt for the REDRAM drive.

[NateWeaver]

Originally Posted by stevesherrick

Buy one of the 3rd party shock mounts and if that is not enough to keep frames from dropping, opt for the REDRAM drive.

In my experience, the ET shock mount won't do it. It's the waves penetrating the HD case, from what I can tell.

Luckily, any sort of cloth wrapped around the drive maybe an inch or two thick has always solved it for me...you'd think you'd want a lot more to insulate but it's never taken much to fix for me.

[Steve Sherrick]

Originally Posted by NateWeaver

In my experience, the ET shock mount won't do it. It's the waves penetrating the HD case, from what I can tell.

Luckily, any sort of cloth wrapped around the drive maybe an inch or two thick has always solved it for me...you'd think you'd want a lot more to insulate but it's never taken much to fix for me.

Yeah, I suppose it's a crapshoot. I filmed a techno show with zero dropped frames using the ET mount. Wonder if it has anything to do with where the drive is attached. I always hang mine off the side of the camera vertical.

If I was in a pinch, I would definitely use the cloth. Best solution though is REDRAM.

[Jonathan Stevenson]

Originally Posted by NateWeaver

Luckily, any sort of cloth wrapped around the drive maybe an inch or two thick has always solved it for me...

Where's Mitch Gross? How about a RedSock! :watsup:

[NateWeaver]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Stevenson

Where's Mitch Gross? How about a RedSock! :watsup:

I've wondered if a neoprene sleeve would do it.

[NateWeaver]

Originally Posted by stevesherrick

Yeah, I suppose it's a crapshoot. I filmed a techno show with zero dropped frames using the ET mount. Wonder if it has anything to do with where the drive is attached. I always hang mine off the side of the camera vertical.

If I was in a pinch, I would definitely use the cloth. Best solution though is REDRAM.

Based on the audio engineering classes I took 15 years ago, it probably has more to do with where standing waves are in the room, the specific amplitude, and specific frequency.

In other words, very hard to predict other than really loud equals danger, and in my cases, spare clean tshirt over drive=fixed.