Audio Popping/ Cracking???

So how old are people's camcorder with this issue? Mine is coming in today, hoping its the first run with the issue :S. Can I tell if it's having this issue while monitoring with headphones?
 
I've shot probably 3-4 hours that day with mostly outdoor scenes. And for the outdoor scenes, I didn't have any issues with sound.
During the indoor shoot for the voice over, I'd have to admit that the audio levels did reach the reds at times as the voice of the talent was pretty loud. Also, I held the mic (external) close to the talent to get the best audio I could. I do think when the sound source is loud, the camera has issues handling it. (It was nothing blaring though)
Sound is critical, and this issue is real. I'm going to contact Panasonic via email to find out what could be done.
 
Here's the response I received from Panasonic:

 Our engineering is researching symptom you described.
We will contact you as soon as we know the permanent solution to the issue with your AGHMC150P, J8TDA0882 camera.

Regards,​
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company​
Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America​
Technical Support Center (USA)​
pbtscservice@us.panasonic.com

I'm glad that they're looking into it. Hopefully something like a firmware update will fix the problem.
​
 
Let's hope so. But my gut tells me it's hardware related (i.e. cheap or faulty parts).

It's been exactly a month since I first sent them an email about it. Never heard back from them after the first reply.
 
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booggerg2 said:
What do you mean? What # did you call? Did you reach a technical before they hung up on you or was it an automated phone board?
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Lol idk I just said I had a question about the hmc and they transfered me then I think my iphone dropped the call actually. But it makes a good story to say they hung up on me
 
MattRobertson said:
I called panasonic up. They hung up on me.

LOL
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When people are this hot under the collar about stuff, best not to make such remarks. Doesn't really help anything.

FWIW, My HMC was one of the original batch I think, and I haven't had any popping/crackling sound... and I'm taking live sound off of a mixer every week.
 
Well after much nervousness about audio issues for my first wedding with the 150, I can tentatively say I'm in the clear. I did lower the audio levels on the side to about 35% the whole day (down from the default 50% center setting). That was really the only precaution I took. At the reception, I stood right next to a DJ's speaker for at least 5 minutes and all is good.

I have found that the occasional minor pop/crackle seems to be a timeline playback issue with native files, just as the video you're seeing isn't flowing perfectly smooth.

IF I hear a gentle pop in a certain place, it will go away when I come back to that clip a second time.

However, my new Varizoom controller DID screw up. It kept slowly drifting into a tight shot, without me even touching the rocker. It was driving me nuts. It goes back to B&H tomorrow.
 
D.R. Gates said:
Well after much nervousness about audio issues for my first wedding with the 150, I can tentatively say I'm in the clear. I did lower the audio levels on the side to about 35% the whole day (down from the default 50% center setting). That was really the only precaution I took. At the reception, I stood right next to a DJ's speaker for at least 5 minutes and all is good.

I have found that the occasional minor pop/crackle seems to be a timeline playback issue with native files, just as the video you're seeing isn't flowing perfectly smooth.

IF I hear a gentle pop in a certain place, it will go away when I come back to that clip a second time.

However, my new Varizoom controller DID screw up. It kept slowly drifting into a tight shot, without me even touching the rocker. It was driving me nuts. It goes back to B&H tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I thought the HMC didn't have a lanc port?
 
So I take it that people here have sent e-mails to Panasonic support regarding the audio pop issue and they received the templated reply which had your serial number within the e-mail indicating that the engineers are working on the problem? How long has it been now since you sent the e-mail?

I sent them an e-mail and was slightly excited when I got the response thinking they've just recognized the issue, but I guess they've been sending out replies like that for months already?
 
Boogergg2, this thread has grown too long for me to read all of the details but I followed it early on. I remember a couple people saying that they shoot rock/grunge bands and were having trouble so I wanted to chime in with my two cents.

I have a Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic and on two different cameras including the HMC-150, I have had crackling/popping and now I don't believe it is the HMC-150. My last gig I was shooting a wedding with the HMC-150 and during the reception there was a 15 second interval where the audio began to distort and crackle/pop. The sound system at the reception was fairly high and I noticed from the footage that it distorted when I was in the vicinity of one of the big speakers.

Most microphones have a sound pressure level(SPL) where they will work effectively and if you go above this, such as when shooting loud bands with the wrong type of mic, then the mic and not the camera will begin to distort even if you turn down the levels on the camera because the volume is distressing the capsule beyond its capabilities.

I think that we are seeing a lot of this happening here. I am not talking about you, so please don't take offense, but I think that the HMC-150 has gotten to the price point that a lot of people can now afford one, especially inexperienced people who have not had years of working with video and the complications of audio. The only time I have had any trouble with the audio on the HMC-150 was in very loud environments, never when shooting standard stuff, and I think that the limit here is not the camera but the SPL handling capabilities of the mic that I am using. I have not read where any professionals that I know who are using the camera are having any issues with the audio.

I read where you tired recording drums which happen to have very harsh SPL levels, and if you are using a shotgun mic or something with a thin diaphram, then that is without a doubt the wrong tool because they can't handle it. Try using a shotgun on even a vocal that gets too loud and it will definitely distort. I think you just need a mic that can handle higher SPL levels like a dynamic mic for drums and loud bands and not a condenser mic. I have experienced the same issue that many are complaining of here, and it was my fault, not the HMC-150.

Just a thought.
 
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I posted this in another thread but here is my audio experience.I have not experienced any audio problems with my HMC150. I now have about 40 hours of footage and amongst the footage are two locations where I was shooting live music patched into a board one hard wired and the other on a Sennheiser wireless. I have several interviews some shot in controlled environments and some done "run and gun". I have stock shot material by the sea shore with great wave and water sounds. Manufacturing locations where the overall level is loud and yet there is still definition in the audio. The mics I use are, Sennheiser MKH 60 shotgun, Tram TR50s for interviews as well as Sennheiser MKE2s and I use a Chinese made APEX Hypercard for some interior dialogue. All pretty standard kit and the audio I have been getting is A-1. Maybe I am lucky?
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