audio- does it take 2 2 Tango?

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Peem Washikiat

Active member
Greetings Users,


In short= I dont understand why 2 channels are need for 1 source.

A question about audio with the DVX100A- Why would you want to assign both channels to one audio source? i.e. setting both channels for a lavalier or shotgun as opposed to assigning just one channel.
Do the two channels together make a stereo pair?

Heres a working example-Wedding shoot:

The other day I shot a wedding and mic'd the groom with a lavalier. The sound was good but the groom cleared his throat and breathed hard a few times dominating the audio scene.
I had both channels assigned to input 2. It seems in retrospect if I would have had the onboard assigned to one channel I would have 2 sources to work with in the edit.

Lets change the example to a (dynamic) documentary shoot-

Wouldnt it make more sense to have your principal subject mic'd with a lav or shotgun on one channel and then the other assigned to either another source (if you've the option) or even just the onboard mic to catch off camera sound?

In short I dont understand why 2 channels are needed for one source.


tthanks
J
 
some like to run the second as a safety channel, so it is capturing at a lower level in case someone shouts or laughs or screams, etc. that way, when channel one clips, you have the option in post to go to channel two -- which should be cleaner, if not, clean.
 
In general they arent "needed" for one source. Usually I give one source to one channel as you've described. But if you only have one source (for whatever reason) then you can set one channel high and one channel low to cover quiet/loud talking. Can be handy if you have a very dynamic talker and cant ride the levels.

eta- dang, beat by Zak!
 
Being able to set different levels is a great advantage.

There's also another practical reason -- if you record only to one channel, then if you play the tape to a stereo source, you get sound out of only one speaker. Recording to both channels evens out the sound. It doesn't cost you anything to do it -- the one channel would be silent otherwise -- so there's no particular reason not to do it if you have only one microphone.
 
Thanks fellas.
So my understanding is that its great for backup to have a channel for clipping safety. That makes good sense. Though I think next time say for a wedding shoot, I'll assign a channel to the onboard. Its an inferior mic, but perhaps I can use it as an ambient sound cut away as it were.
I still dont understand how assigning 2 channels to the same input source create "stereo" as opposed to using only one channel. Wouldnt you get the same result by copying the 1 channel in editing so as to have a pair ?
I realize the onboard mic has a left and right side but what about shotguns and lavs?
What I'm after is the best setup for shooting with only one audio source in addition to the camera.
I suppose its different with every situation. The clipping safety seems important. Perhaps its 6es--I can assign a channel for clipping safety or choose to have half the onboard mic for general sync audio sound/noise what have you.
It would be nice to use both my good mics- a shotgun and lav in tandem but for a wedding? Shootz, I wish I got paid that well.
Anyhow feel free to correct me I'm all ears.

thanks
Josh Haroldsen
 
Nope you've got it Josh. I think what david was getting at is that it would save you the step of copying the audio channel over or if you were playing back off of a deck for people it would be there on both channels. It won't create a true "stereo" effect from a mono mic.

If it were me and all I had was a shotgun on camera then I'm going to go with a hi/lo setup with both channels and forget the built in mic. However if my only mic was a lav then I would be more likely to go with 1 channel for the lav and the other for the built in mic. In reality though I would raise my rates and by another mic so you are backing up a lav with a shotgun on camera. That little built in mic is just not a pretty sound to be cutting in.
 
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