302 mixer with DVX question

Now I am seriously confused. I think I am going to do it my way since it has worked so far.

Someone should do a step by step "using an SD302 with the HVX and DVX" white paper.
 
Honestly man I don't think it really matters. I think some people are making it sound as if there is an advantage to making the dialog peak at nearly 20db and I'm siding with you in saying that it's best to use the finer resolution of the meter by setting the limiter lower... then just raise the output to get the same result anyway. The mixer is doing two things... amplifying the signal and then limiting it in the event you didn't control it enough on the dials... SIMPLE.

So you can have the 302 send out a weaker signal and raise the limiter farther up the meter, so to speak, but what does that gain you? That's the crux of my question... as best I can see there's no advantage unless you just get your rocks off on seeing your mixer go constantly into the red.

The way I've always used the 442 is to get my adequately hot signal into the gear connected to it... and have the limiter set high enough that it doesn't interfere with my levels unless something happens that I didn't expect and I need the limiter to prevent actual clipping.

I don't think this has to be a confusing issue. If you want the 302 to apply the limiter at 20db and you want the recording device to clip just before the 302 does then you're going to be turning down the output on the 302 only to see that happen at 20db instead of 8db or whatever.

I'm sticking with the way I've been doing it... which is as I first said... unless of course somebody can tell me why I should be running these mixers into the red as a normal policy.

If I'm connected to a Varicam I may run different levels then going to a BetaSP... but it's still usually a case of 0db or +4db as a guideline... and then a +8 or +10db as a high peak. Of course it's pretty much dialog that I'm doing... like exclusively. If it were music or something with a less predictable range I guess I'd look harder at what might happen beyond +10db.
 
I am not changing any of the stock settings of the 302 except the limiters set to -12. I am setting my 0db tone to -12 on my HVX. Are you attenuating the output on your 302?
 
you stay with very low headroom on the camera , the 12 db setting is the stupied thing that panasonic brought to the world
the dinamic range of the dialog is much grater when you recording filmsn and unexpected is even more , with your setting you will brick walling while you will hit the sd limitter .
 
So as best I understand it... you should do as Oleg previously suggested Mike.

Set your limiter for +16db on the 302... then if you want to do the full scale setup (as per SD's instructions) you should be able to do that, with the HVX or DVX dials gaffered down at around 12 o'clock, set the 302 output in full scale mode until the HVX or DVX is just shy of clipping... like one bar away I guess.

Now you ride levels exclusively at the 302 and you are guaranteed that the HVX or DVX can't go into actual clipping... and yet the 302 limiter (which I guess goes from soft-limiting to brickwalling within about 4db) will be fully utilized without being overbearing too early... this way you can still aim for average peaks hitting 8... some max peaks hitting 10... and the unexpected peaks still get 6db of completely unrestricted headroom as the limiter will kick in at the end of that 6db and not cause a brickwalling situation until just before 20db anyway.

Man... is that confusing? Thanks to Oleg I think I understand it fully now... and I'm just trying to clarify what he's already saying due to the slight language barrier... but I think I got it. :)
 
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how often should my limiters light up, or not light up? Having them light up from time to time is not a bad thing... right? I mean like every ten to twenty words of dialog I may see a momentary flash that the limiter is being tickled...but not hard...so I'm thinking this is good and I'm recording HOT? My NLE shows peaks hitting .01 but only the peaks where as my NLE may average -12 to -6 on it's meters! I monitor on return and hear no distortin [7506] Recording hot is good...right?
 
as less as possible , no need work with limmiter all the time but only compress unwonted high lites , if you have it to much , just lower the inputs
-6-12 on dvx is quit good for dvx , as long it not destaorted already :-)
 
Oleg 2 said:
as less as possible , no need work with limmiter all the time but only compress unwonted high lites
Click to expand...


Ahhhhhh...so one can record too hot! I always read about people, here, recording not hot enough....but I suspect I could be recording too hot! My faders have plenty of movement [headroom] so I think I start 'turn down' there!

I followed direction in the owners manual 'last page' to attenuate output of the 302 to just below recorders clip point [dvx]...so I can push the faders and push them I do! But I think I start to pull the faders back now.
 
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