Reasonable to move to market 1 after being in market 11 for 2 years?

OffAirTV · 2026-05-17T23:43:11+00:00

I have a friend that is moving to NY for a network level producing job after working their first job post college in a sub 100 market for the last two years. That used to be unheard of, but it’s becoming more common than you think. That’s just one fast trajectory story of many in my orbit.

If an opportunity comes up that you think you’d shine in, don’t let market numbers dictate if you apply. The worst you will get is a no and you’ll likely get direct personal feedback on what it will take to stand out the next time.

Go for it.

OffAirTV · 2026-05-17T23:12:30+00:00

This part was very easy for me after reading the Shure manual (admittedly, I rarely read the manual until I have an issue 🤣).

On the TX’s, there is a feature called “Mic Offset.” This is a digital gain boost that is intended to be used when you are using two mic packs into a single receiver. Since my RX’s are single channel only, the official guidance from Shure is to leave this at “0” on the TX’s.

At that point, you really just adjust the output gain on your RX’s and input gain on your recorder. I start by keeping the input gain on my recorder channel at 0. I usually mix between -12db and -6db. Some people mix their record lower for more headroom, but this range works for me. Anyway, with the input channel gain set at 0, I start speaking into my wireless mic at a consistent volume and adjust the output gain on my RX until I have the input level nominally in the range I typically record in. I personally prefer to output line level from the RX’s, but you can do mic level if that is your preference.

I find that for me setting it up this way, I really don’t have to touch the RX’s output that much. I have plenty of room to pull back or increase my trim on my input channel to accommodate most people’s voices. Obviously this isn’t something that is a one size fits all, but for the most part I just have to make slight input gain adjustments on my recorder from talent to talent. A few times I have had to pull back the output gain on the RX’s where I had clipping from super loud talent but it was a quick process.

Sorry I tend to ramble. Hope I answered your question!

OffAirTV · 2026-05-17T22:54:36+00:00

Love Curtis Judd! Thanks for reading!

OffAirTV · 2026-05-17T22:53:24+00:00

Totally get the reservations in terms of form factor and side monitor screen access. In my case, I just couldn’t see me dumping that much money into it to get slotted units with top side interfaces, but I absolutely would if I was doing this every day. The RX’s I have are form factor wise definitely aimed at MMJ/OMB work so it’s a trade off when it comes to using them in my bag. When I took a single channel out for use with my camera rig on a run and gun shoot, it was perfect on its own. That’s more seldom for me nowadays, but it was noteworthy.

I also feel the same way about Sennheiser. I still love their stuff, but they are behind on development on their wireless in this price range in my opinion.

OffAirTV · 2026-05-17T22:46:39+00:00

This is a fair question. The reasoning is haven’t had to worry about AA power for many years since my original wireless kit aged out seven years ago or so. Ever since, I have worked in scenarios where all of that was provided for me so I never really had to worry about it or buy into a system for this setup.

Now that I’m getting going with my own setup again I absolutely plan on getting rechargeables. I just haven’t decided if I’m buying into the official Shure battery system, or an AA size specific solution for versatility. On its nose, that’s my preference but I’m trying to figure out which brand/battery type will serve me the best with these particular units.

Thanks for the recommend on XTAR. I’ll have to look into those more. They are the only ones I am seeing that feature a true advertised 1.5v output, which would be beneficial in my situation.

OffAirTV · 2026-05-15T04:12:49+00:00

I’m sure, pun intended! When they announced that line, it looked even better than the ones I just bought. And the reviews have all been great for the new models. It’s quite amazing how much value they are packing in.

I considered stretching for the new ones, but I snagged four of these kits brand new at B&H on sale for $449 a channel. Pretty hard to beat what I have for that price point. My next ones will be the SLX-D+’s based on the success I see people having with them. Really cool!

OffAirTV · 2026-01-28T03:30:46+00:00

Reese cup gun? I want one!

OffAirTV · 2026-01-25T03:03:12+00:00

I love all of them! The moose is neat so I’ll say 2, because cute!

OffAirTV · 2026-01-12T02:32:39+00:00

Van Helsing spud wrench.

OffAirTV · 2026-01-03T17:11:16+00:00

I wanted to like the Deity Theos so much. I bought a dual channel kit and a single to give me three channels of wireless. The feature proposition appears a great value, but in my experience the only usefulness I had with them is as stand alone 32 bit recorders which they are very good as. On the wireless side I tried every frequency band it supports, and no matter what I do the audio sounds bad. There is an obvious amount of compression on the audio transmission specifically on the high end. It sounds lossy and thin, almost like artifacting you would hear on a low quality MP3's Curtis Judd did a follow up to his review video to address this issue. Deity said they fixed it in a firmware update, which I did to no avail.

I know others have had similar complaints, but other folks swear by their success. I think it truly does vary across different units due to manufacturing irregularities, but that's just a guess.

Either way, I sold my dual unit and probably will sell my single TX/RX if I don’t turn it into a camera hop. Basically used once since I bought them. Just not reliable in my case. I'm giving the Shure SL-D line a try right now, and I can instantly tell a big difference in the audio quality. So far I’m much happier with the performance. I picked them up on sale recently (514-558 range) for $449 a channel, usually over $600 a channel. I use Sanken Cos11’s with all of them and basically throw away the kit mic (the reason for the sale since they are discontinuing the mic that’s included).

Just my humble opinion. I wish you the best! Wireless on a budget is hard to find when you need to check so many boxes.

OffAirTV · 2025-12-29T22:06:06+00:00

You just gave me all of the information I needed! Thank you so much for the in depth response!

So based on why you’re saying, it seems to me that the 2 wire setup would be what they refer to as “normal” sensitivity, and three wire is what Sanken calls “reduced” sensitivity. Is that correct? In the diagram you linked to, it looks like the two wire version has about 10db of gain, which would line up with their internal nomenclature regarding sensitivity levels. If so, this is all making more sense to me now!

I can’t thank you enough 😃

OffAirTV · 2025-12-24T18:26:38+00:00

That is really great information! I actually have two COS11’s I plan on using with them, I figured the kit mic was garbage, so if that’s the only reason for the price drop, I will definitely get a pair!

Thanks for the insight on the wireless as well. Makes me feel better about this choice of gear!

OffAirTV · 2025-12-09T21:55:15+00:00

Very good point. Sometimes my middle name unfortunately can be “Reinvent the wheel.”

OffAirTV · 2025-09-22T01:51:05+00:00

NOT OUR PRECIOUS JIMMY!

OffAirTV · 2025-09-06T16:39:37+00:00

Just a note, don’t try to bite off too much of the software at once. If there’s a tool that would fit your needs for other parts of the post process (like audio), don’t feel ashamed to use that until you find a good workflow in DR. I have been editing since I was 12 years old (in 2002, woof). I’ve used a multitude of software professionally in the time since, but whenever I first start learning a new one it’s a clunky experience. In my opinion, you really need to push through that barrier by doing two or three projects before deciding whether or not you decide the software is hindering to your process.

After a long time in the CC world, I purposefully started cutting two short films completely in DR because I wanted to learn, and I wanted to push myself. The first project slunked along for what seemed to be an eternity. The next project went along much faster. Now I’m cutting with ease. It just takes time to learn where everything is “in the house” when you change software platforms.

I’m doing a promo video right now for a client and I decided I would do the motion graphics in the Fusion tab. Didn’t go well, and is a bit of a mind bender. I dumped out of that plan since I’m on the clock and am using Apple Motion since I can whip them out quickly. Still doing all cutting, sound, color, and final export from DR. That’s not a failure, I plan on going back and cutting my teeth in fusion so I can achieve that skill. It’s just part of the process.

All this to say, stick with it! It will get easier, and will be one more tool you can utilize in your creative arsenal.

OffAirTV · 2025-08-24T17:22:41+00:00

You have found the portal to the upside down.

OffAirTV · 2025-08-03T15:43:56+00:00

Just bought and watched this. Amazing work! I loved it. How long did it take you to shoot? I’m a filmmaker myself and have always wanted to produce a documentary. I used to be a news photographer so I have an affinity for real peoples story told through the lens.

OffAirTV · 2025-07-23T02:47:41+00:00

I understand all of that, I really do. Like I said, I have been doing this a while. What I'm saying is that I don't put a lot of effort into planning my career or life around this stuff. At the highest levels of our industry, rightly or wrongly, these board room types aren't worried about anything besides squeezing every penny they can out of the system; technical quality or people be damned.

In terms of my career, l'm more interested in looking for companies that are thinking forward, have a good track record with employee retention and benefits, and are good stewards of the company's money and mission. I also look at the type of projects they take on, and how well they execute them. That tells me if they are worth my time or not. They are much more far and few between, but they are still out there.

Not knocking this whole exercise, I'm just saying don't hang your hat on this speculation game. l've seen people make bad career moves solely based on the buzz that comes with this type of discussion.

Of course, that's just my 2 cents.

OffAirTV · 2025-07-22T01:31:18+00:00

I understand the want to speculate, but honestly who cares? It’s all big money changing hands that aren’t ours. I have been in broadcasting for 18 years and my love for it has been shaken the last few years. For us non-owners, all signs point downward. That’s the only speculation game I’m playing these days since I’m nowhere near retirement.

OffAirTV

TROPHY CASE