Audio Problems

[TripFilms]

Hello Friends--

I just took my new DVX100B on a trip, and I'm having some serious audio issues. They may not have to do with the DVX100B specifically, but I'm hoping you pros out there can help me out:

(1) The Sound is too low!
I'm using a Rode NTG-2 shotgun and am fairly close (with 4 ft) of my interview subjects, but the sound is so low (between -42 and -30) when I import it. I only just realized that the "red" zone in the audio monitor corresponds to -6 to -12, which is what I want! So, for the future I know where I want the audio monitor to be. But are there also different settings I should have the camera on?

(2) I'm getting Audio Distortion when I import
I know this one is not specific to the DVX (since I also got audio distortion with another camera), but this is really worrisome. I get very noticeable audio distortion randomly (every 5-10 seconds or so) throughout the footage. What is causing this and how can I make it stop???

(3) WIND
Not sure if/how I can help this one, but when I was interviewing outside in mildly windy conditions (NOT even a particularly windy day), the wind nearly destroyed the sound I was getting from the NTG-2 shotgun. Any ideas?

Thanks so much for any suggestions/advice you might have. In general, should I be recording sound from two separate sources (shotgun and built-in mic), or should I direct both channels to the shotgun only?

Thank you, Thank you!!!

 

[Robbie Comeau]

For the wind, grab a wind fur. Its something you put over top the mic itself, and it absorbs the wind before it gets to the actual mic, so the wind fur basically kills off the wind. Look up Dead Cat wind fur

 

[Smithyman]

Hello Friends--

(2) I'm getting Audio Distortion when I import

You might have already thought of this, but make sure everyone's cell phones are turned OFF when you're shooting - they communicate with the cell tower every so often, and if they're near anything with an amplifier (i.e. a camera with a mic), the amp picks up the signal and it sounds like a buzzing or beeping noise.

Or do you not hear the noise through your headphones when you're shooting? If it's just a volume spike every 10 seconds when you're importing, I have no idea.

 

[ullanta]

(1) The Sound is too low!
I'm using a Rode NTG-2 shotgun and am fairly close (with 4 ft) of my interview subjects, but the sound is so low (between -42 and -30) when I import it. I only just realized that the "red" zone in the audio monitor corresponds to -6 to -12, which is what I want! So, for the future I know where I want the audio monitor to be. But are there also different settings I should have the camera on?

Power the NTG-2 with phantom power from the camera. Make sure the XLR in on the camera is set to MIC. Adjust the gain levels on the camera appropriately. Check which mic level (-50 or -60 in the recording setup menu, I think) works best. Make sure you're listening to the Rode and not the internal mic - INP rather than INT! Make sure your talen't isn't just mumbling. Sorry if some of these are too basic... just covering all bases!

(2) I'm getting Audio Distortion when I import
I know this one is not specific to the DVX (since I also got audio distortion with another camera), but this is really worrisome. I get very noticeable audio distortion randomly (every 5-10 seconds or so) throughout the footage. What is causing this and how can I make it stop???

Can you give some more detail? What do you mean "when I import" - are you saying there is audio distrortion on computer playback that you don't hear in camera playback? What does it sound like? Is it only in loud parts of the audio or certain frequencies?

Keep in mind computers often generate analog noise that can be heard over headphones/speakers but which doesn't exist in the digital audio itself... what's your monitoring setup?

(3) WIND
Not sure if/how I can help this one, but when I was interviewing outside in mildly windy conditions (NOT even a particularly windy day), the wind nearly destroyed the sound I was getting from the NTG-2 shotgun. Any ideas?

Wind protection is the most important part of any outdoor recording setup. The foamy windscreen that comes with the mic is almost useless in even light wind. Rode sells the DEADCAT at a reasonable price, which helps a lot. For a step up from there, go to something like a Rycote blimp.

Remember, moving the mic around makes "wind". Make sure you can distinguish wind noise from handling noise!

Thanks so much for any suggestions/advice you might have. In general, should I be recording sound from two separate sources (shotgun and built-in mic), or should I direct both channels to the shotgun only?

It's a trade off of sorts. If you direct the shotgun to both channels, you can set one, say, 12dB lower to give yourself some protection from levels that go too high on your primary, high-quality mic. If you use internal mic on one channel, you have a backup from a completely different mic - which may in some situations save you from wind noise, handling noise, the mic banging into something, etc., and possibly provide some more ambient sound. But both of these types of "backups" should be real desperation measures - get the main sound right!

Also, some people prefer to do their critical listening with both ears when possible; if you're monitoring audio from the camera (especially since its headphone amp is pretty weak), you may want to record the same signal to both tracks just so you can monitor equally in both ears!

 

[TripFilms]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I really appreciate it.

The audio distortion I'm experiencing is that the sound just blows out and gets all electronic distorted at random points for about 1/2 second. It's definitely not from moving the mic or cell phones, though. It only happens once I import into FCP, not on the tape playback in the camera. The distortion only happens in audio, not in visual. It's so frustrating!

Thanks again.

 

[ullanta]

Are you capturing from the same camera?

Sometimes differences in alignment between different recording/playback devices can cause dropouts, sometimes of only audio or only video. Make sure you try capturing from the same device that plays it back well! Also, sometimes re-capturing even a problematic tape will result in dropouts in DIFFERENT places, which can be stitched together. When re-capturing to try this, make sure you don't do it in a way that REPLACES the first capture; you want to have both attempts at capture on-line at the same time. Once, with a really problematic tape that I really needed, it took six captures, but I did finally cover all the problems!

Also, see if the distortion occurs at the same place every time when you play it back, or at different places; and if you can see the distortion in the waveforms. This will help distinguish a playback vs. data problem.

 

[gco]

If for some reason Ullantas answers dont nail it (they probably do), check out the audio forum.