audio problems

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kyleb

Well-known member
i am a audio guy by trade and just getting into video. i've tested the onboard mic (hvx200), a shotgun (audio technica) and a lavalier (audio technica). in all 3 i can't get that true audio sound i'm use to hearing. i'm sure it's a matter of acoustics in the onboard mic and maybe the choice of mics in the shotgun and lavalier. i've read the numerous threads on this subject with no definitive answer. it sounds like i will have to take what i can get and fix it in post.

is it me or does audio stink when using a video camera ?
 
kyleb said:
i am a audio guy by trade and just getting into video. i've tested the onboard mic (hvx200), a shotgun (audio technica) and a lavalier (audio technica). in all 3 i can't get that true audio sound i'm use to hearing. i'm sure it's a matter of acoustics in the onboard mic and maybe the choice of mics in the shotgun and lavalier. i've read the numerous threads on this subject with no definitive answer. it sounds like i will have to take what i can get and fix it in post.

is it me or does audio stink when using a video camera ?
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Two words - working distance. As an audio guy you would know that a mic has to be close-in and personal to sound good. When it comes tousing the on-board mic, the proper place to put a camera to get good pictures is almost never going to be a good place to put a microphone to get good sound. That holds true whether you're using the on-board or have replaced it with a shotgun. Even 'guns need to be up-close, within 36 inches or less away from the talent when recording dialog. Camera-mounted mics, either on-board or upgraded are really only for ambient noise or run-and-gun news gathering where sound quality is secondary to bringing home the story.

What sort of space were you recording in? 'Guns are good for outdoors but not so good for interiors in normally reflective spaces (ie, not a soundstage). In realworld interiors hypercardioids will help avoid the hollow sounding recording you'll get with most 'guns used inside.

As for your trouble with the lav, you haven't provided enough information for comment. Wired or wireless? How placed? What mic?

Make sure you're recording in 48lHz/16bit mode and not 32kHz/12bit mode.

Where are you setting your levels?
 
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ZeroContent said:
Not to mention i'm sure that the mic preamps on the camera suck anyways.
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Can't address that issue specifically but in terms of where to look to fix poor sounding audio I'd put issues with the camera preamps fairly far down the list. But I'd make sure the technique was good first.
 
ZeroContent said:
Not to mention i'm sure that the mic preamps on the camera suck anyways.
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That's definitely NOT the problem... it's mic placement and distance. The HVX200 pre-amps are good enough to record live music and have 98% of the population hear it as CD quality.

The tonal quality and audible separation from unwanted environmental sounds has more to do with "how good is this mic and what type of mic is it?"

The more intimate and articulate sound of the actors' voices is about proximity. That's why we use boom poles... it's to get the mic as close as possible and yet still out of the shot.
 
i was trying to use a gun indoors. i pointed it at the TV and i couldn't hardly hear anything. i was about 3 feet away.
the lav (wired) was clipped to a wife-beater in the middle. i got hardly any pickup at all. audio set to 48khz. audio technica pro 70 is the lav mic.
maybe it's my settings inside the HVX200 or maybe i'm thinking the audio should be blasting in my headphones like making a music track.
 
kyleb said:
i was trying to use a gun indoors. i pointed it at the TV and i couldn't hardly hear anything. i was about 3 feet away.
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There are so many problems with that. A TV speaker indoors is really the least effective way to test a shotgun mic. Try it outside with some one standing two feet away and speaking. Again, as others have said, we use fish poles and mic booms for a reason... to get the mic off the camera and as close to the dialog as possible. But even camera-mounted within 2' of the subject, you'll still be able to see how a shotgun mic works. And though 3' is the maximum working distance, testing at 2' will allow you a strong intake to play with level settings in the camera.

kyleb said:
the lav (wired) was clipped to a wife-beater in the middle. i got hardly any pickup at all. audio set to 48khz. audio technica pro 70 is the lav mic.
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And who was wearing the mic? You? Were you trying to hear your own voice, another person's voice, or the TV?

kyleb said:
maybe it's my settings inside the HVX200 or maybe i'm thinking the audio should be blasting in my headphones like making a music track.
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Just a shot in the dark, but have you checked to make sure that your camera is set to take the XLR ins, and not the mic that's built into the handle?
 
kyleb said:
i was trying to use a gun indoors. i pointed it at the TV and i couldn't hardly hear anything. i was about 3 feet away.
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What C2V said ... and what were your camera's meters showing? Are you sure the inputs were set to mic level and not line level?
the lav (wired) was clipped to a wife-beater in the middle. i got hardly any pickup at all. audio set to 48khz. audio technica pro 70 is the lav mic.
Click to expand...
Sure that phantom power was turned on and or you have a fresh battery in the mic power suppy?
maybe it's my settings inside the HVX200 or maybe i'm thinking the audio should be blasting in my headphones like making a music track.
Click to expand...
Are you sure the problem wasn't that you had the headphone gain turned down? (I'm not so sure that audio should be "blasting away" in one's ears even if you ARE making a music track.)
 
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i was wearing the wifebeater and listening on my headphones. and yes i checked the inputs on the side of the HVX200. unless i missed something in the setup menu. the inputs were showing just a little movement, not much. when i spoke DIRECTLY into the lav i got positive results. could it be uni-directional ? how stupid can i be !!!
fresh battery purchased yesterday and it was turned on.
the shotgun is the AT897.
 
kyleb said:
i was wearing the wifebeater and listening on my headphones. and yes i checked the inputs on the side of the HVX200. unless i missed something in the setup menu. the inputs were showing just a little movement, not much. when i spoke DIRECTLY into the lav i got positive results. could it be uni-directional ? how stupid can i be !!!
fresh battery purchased yesterday and it was turned on.
the shotgun is the AT897.
Click to expand...

Well, the Pro70 is a cardioid mic, not the best choice for dialog, but that wouldn't explain the low levels. It keeps sounding like you got something wrong in the camera setup or the switch settings.
 
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