Bringing in Clearcom as PGM

[Jay Ashworth]

I'm working on the first multicamera stream in our house, first thing back from The Emergency.

We have 2 channels of FreeSpeak II wireless, A and B, and we have B set up to talk to wall boxes in our dressing rooms via 2W. So we're using an old Clearcom wired box to provide a wired C for production/camers. I would like to pick off the audio from the FSII box's A channel (with the stage people on it), and feed it in as program audio to the wired box, which has an input and volume control for that.

I assume I'll have to solder up a custom cable for this? Anybody done this before?

 

[MRW Lights]

I'm a little confused about your setup... When you say you have 2 channels you mean you have 2 "channels" configured in what sounds like Partylines? You WANT to have your older what I'm guessing is 2 wire with a program input RS-602 maybe? Listen to "Partyline A" of your Freespeak independently of that com channel?

What's feeding your older system? Any particular reason you can't feed it from the 4 wire port of the free speak and Matrix 2 channels for your stage/cameras?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I have FS II wireless providing A and B channels wirelessly to its packs, and it's B channel is 2-wired down to our dressing rooms, where we have wall boxes. It's A channel has the wired packs in the control room plugged into it.

My goal is to pick the A channel audio off of *that* system, and feed it as Program Audio to a separate wired Clearcom box with an input and volume control for that, so that the camera people and I, wired to that box, can hear the production calls, but not interrupt those people as I've giving camera calls.

Think of it as a poor-man's matrix.

 

[themuzicman]

I try to avoid having one-way talking just because folks may try to respond to people they can’t actually talk to but that’s neither here nor there, you know your use case best.

You have a few ways ranging in complexity and cost to do what you want:

1. If you have an extra FSII belt pack you can pull audio from the 3.5mm Jack on the bottom and just key in the pack to the right channels and use that to feed program

2. You can make a custom 4-wire breakout and feed the FS channel to that 4-wire as an output

3. You can grab an ICOM-R from Masque Sound or the AVLifesavers intercom interface box and slam it right on a split from your regular 2-wire intercom line (both cost around $100, I like the masque form factor better, both balance the audio and block the bias voltage)

 

[Jay Ashworth]

> You can make a custom 4-wire breakout and feed the FS channel to that 4-wire as an output

To that 4-wire output of the FS-II base, you mean? And then pick off the send pins and feed them to the Program input on the other box?

Yeah, that's about where I was thinking of going.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I try to avoid having one-way talking just because folks may try to respond to people they can’t actually talk to but that’s neither here nor there, you know your use case best.

If I could be on their A and my C from the same beltpack, I'd do it that way, but I can't, and I expect they'll talk about things that, as the video director, I need to know about. And I'm on a tech table in the house, for cable-reach reasons.

 

[MRW Lights]

If I could be on their A and my C from the same beltpack, I'd do it that way, but I can't, and I expect they'll talk about things that, as the video director, I need to know about. And I'm on a tech table in the house, for cable-reach reasons.

Why can't you? Is it because you don't have enough FS belt packs? Or do you not have access to program the FS Matrix? I think we're missing some information that might be able to help you more, but with the information we have the 4pin cable solution currently sounds like your best bet...

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Twofold: I don't want my camera commands crapping up their A channel, and I don't know that they won't need all 5 wireless packs we have.

I think I can probably make up a cable, but it's not 4-pin, sadly. It's 8p8c modular, to XLR-3M.

 

[themuzicman]

To that 4-wire output of the FS-II base, you mean? And then pick off the send pins and feed them to the Program input on the other box?

yeah exactly, 4-wire has no power plus you can control send level so there are some perks going this route.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Well, I have located the RJ45 connector that lives on, and I have located a prebuilt RJ45 to a3m adapter, but I can't find what the pin out for the RJ45 is supposed to be so that I can make up a customized cable for this. I've got a little while between now and when the adapter arrives on Monday, I guess.

 

[TimMc]

Well, I have located the RJ45 connector that lives on, and I have located a prebuilt RJ45 to a3m adapter, but I can't find what the pin out for the RJ45 is supposed to be so that I can make up a customized cable for this. I've got a little while between now and when the adapter arrives on Monday, I guess.

I may be hallucinating (about time for the acid flashback Art Linkletter told us we'd have!) but I think that's on print page 105 and 106 of the Free Speak II manual. Port config is pg 107.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I looked in the manual I have, and neither panel looks like mine does; I infer I grabbed the wrong manual.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Well, I have the FSII BaseII manual, and it *says* it has that pinout on page, like, 13 or 14, but it looks like they screwed up; it's not there.

I don't suppose that I can route A to Stage Announce and lock it on? Cause that's audio on an XLR, and I'm not otherwise using SA...

 

[TimMc]

Well, I have the FSII BaseII manual, and it *says* it has that pinout on page, like, 13 or 14, but it looks like they screwed up; it's not there.

I don't suppose that I can route A to Stage Announce and lock it on? Cause that's audio on an XLR, and I'm not otherwise using SA...

Not sure, Jay, I've never configured a FreeSpeak II base station or belt packs... Now that you mention FSII "BaseII", I'm not sure if I had the manual for BaseII.... okay, browser history to the rescue:

https://clearcom.com/DownloadCenter/manuals/FreeSpeakII_BaseII_v1.5/FSII-BASE-II_User_Guide-399G169D.pdf

The references on those early pages is for the GPIO DB15 connector. Go to print pages 105-107 and I think your answers await.

 

[TimMc]

Further shameless plug: Pete Erskine over at www.practicalshow.tech for hosting the intercom webinars. I'd had enough of the original FreeSpeak to hate it, and it was through Pete that I regained confidence in FSII. "They fixed that" was a reassuring thing to hear... If you get some time, Jay, check out the PST webinar archives.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I will take a look. We got lucky enough to have our CIF request for the originals refused or dropped or something; FSII was our first try -- I wrote a review here a year or two back, saying how much we loved them, and I've found little reason to change that view.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

It *appears* that I can route the Channel to the SA out; I'll be trying it tomorrow.

 

[themuzicman]

It *appears* that I can route the Channel to the SA out; I'll be trying it tomorrow.

That's good to know! As much as I love the convenience of software via webserver when I'm on a production, it really kills the ability to get to learn features deeply on your own time at home - this is the sort of thing I'd only ever find out if someone told me or I was really in a bind at work and needed to find a quick solution to something wild and I was shooting for something dumb while avoiding a hard solution.

Also your 4-Wire Pinout is on page 39
1. N/C
2. N/C
3. AF OUT+
4. AF IN +
5. AF IN -
6. AF OUT -
7. N/C
8. N/C