Audio Xh-a1

C

CriddleGrip

Member
Hey everyone,

I just wanted to get your feedback on some audio questions in reference to the XH-A1.

DON'T WORRY THIS BELONGS IN THIS FORUM, NOT IN THE GENEREL "AUDIO" FORUM.

I have the Rode NTG-2 shotgun which I have used in the past for dialogue.
My question is, if I want to use the on board mic to capture environment/ ambient noise what settings do I put on the camera to make sure that the shotgun and the on-board mic are recording on different channels?

I would also like for both the shotgun audio and the on-board audio to be both independently stereo... Is that possible?

How bad would you rate the on board mic? I don't have the budget to afford a hypercardiod mic, however a friend of mine has a decent... Yamaha hypercardiod mic that he uses for recording his instrumentals... Do you think it would be better to go with the on board mic or my friends Yamaha. (I'm sorry I don't have the model number of the hc mic... I think he bought it or ~100)

Thanks in advanced!
 
This is one of the things I hate about the A1. If you plug in mic to the XLR, it disables the onboard mic.
I guess the only thing you could do is buy another mic and use it for ambient sound.
 
why does the xh-a1 have the most confusing audio set up?

I've also been meaning to ask if getting a mixer is necessary?

I'm kinda new to the audio game... Are the volume controls on the camera good enough? I was thinking of just making sure I never go red line and boost the bass or treble with adobe soundbooth.
 
CriddleGrip-
for dialogue and general ambient sounds I have found the auto mode for audio - allowing the camera to ride the levels for you - quite good. (Can't speak of the built-in mic. Have never used it) Of course, for anything crucial it's always a good idea to have some redundancy, i.e. separate audio recording, if possible.
 
In my experience of operating as a one man crew when ever I can to keep my margin higher, lighting, camera, audio. (basically any time I know I will be totally stationary or only do simple camera or dolly moves with stationary subjects). Is that I can't let the ball drop in any area's. My problem mainly came from audio monitoring, I was let down on some occasions because through my headset I wasnt picking up some bad sounds or what sounded good (not being able to constantly check the levels) was sometimes not.

This doesnt apply to the A1 alone but any camera. My audio improved 10 fold when I invested in my own premixer. As a one man crew, I can pickup any tiny ding through my headset. It also allowed me to get a much better audio set up before shooting began, much better levels and a much cleaner sound. Of course wiith a sound guy monitoring it, it's even more effective. I don't have an ultra sophisticated sound set up by any means. A bunch of mics suitable for different situations, a premixer, some blankets (not real sound blankets) but thick grey blankets I picked up cheap, some foam material that I can use to cover floors with when needed, couple of rycote softies and a zeppelin, canare XLR cables, headphones (need replacement through wear right now), wired and wireless lavs.

It's enough to allow me probably not the greatest sound recording in history, but solid, predictable, usable sound.

I have used this setup with A1, HVX, HPX and XDCam.

CriddleGrip - forget the onboard mic. Use your freinds mic and just make sure you get them in as close to the speaking subject as is possible. EVen with the above, without doing this one simple thing I may as record from the onboard.
 
CriddleGrip said:
why does the xh-a1 have the most confusing audio set up?
Click to expand...

just remember hdv is limited to two channels of audio, unlike the dv spec of 4 channels. the onboard mic is stereo and needs both available channels when it's on.

CriddleGrip said:
I've also been meaning to ask if getting a mixer is necessary?
Click to expand...

any decent dedicated mixer, as njce pointed out, will give you far more control of your audio than the onboard controls on any camera. better preamps and electronics should lead to a cleaner signal through the chain. better meters will help you monitor levels, and the best mixers will have adjustable limiters to help prevent audio from clipping.

CriddleGrip said:
I'm kinda new to the audio game... Are the volume controls on the camera good enough? I was thinking of just making sure I never go red line and boost the bass or treble with adobe soundbooth.
Click to expand...

the problem with recording sound too low is that the noise floor goes up as you gain up in post. you want to keep audio post processing minimal -- try to get the best sound you can during acquisition. try and record audio as loud as possible without clipping. a correctly positioned mic, a good mixer with limiters and/or a dedicated sound person riding the level pots/dials would be your best bet.
 
sound devices mixers are very highly regarded here and elsewhere. if you can afford it, by all means, steer in that direction. mixers by wendt, psc, and shure are also pretty popular among efp/eng folk. if the budget is tight, you can look at lower cost mixers by psc, signvideo, and rolls. keep in mind that features get a little sparser and the sound/preamps gets a little bit noisier as you move down the line.
 
Wow... I'm amazed by the feedback! Thanks so much guys! Has anyone here rented a mixer from b&h? if so, which one? and how was the quality?
 
{My audio improved 10 fold when I invested in my own premixer.}

Thanks ncje,
What model of protech do you have? Is there and english language site for them? Do you ever do broadcast video? Are mixers portable for run and gun?
Thanks again
 
I read in Barry Green's HVX-XH A1 comparison that the A1 will only do either line or mic, not both. What are some examples of using mic vs line? When would you use one over the other? Anyone know if the A1's MPEG-Layer II, 384kbps audio is good enough for broadcast? I'm wanting to shoot broadcastable, informational, educational, humorous pilots.
Thanks.
 
Line or mic refers to whether you're using the internal A1 preamp or an external preamp, say, from a mixer. A better preamp allows you to record hotter audio with a lower noise level. The A1 preamp is ok, not great but servicable.
 
jade8472 said:
Line or mic refers to whether you're using the internal A1 preamp or an external preamp, say, from a mixer. A better preamp allows you to record hotter audio with a lower noise level. The A1 preamp is ok, not great but servicable.
Click to expand...
Thanks jade,
I heard that it's best to use the "line in" for mics rather than "mic in" because "line in" makes it a stronger signal. What's ya'll's opinion? Do ya'll think the A1's audio is broadcast ready?
Thanks.
 
bballis said:
Thanks jade,
I heard that it's best to use the "line in" for mics rather than "mic in" because "line in" makes it a stronger signal. What's ya'll's opinion? Do ya'll think the A1's audio is broadcast ready?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

You only use line in when you have an external preamp, and that means investing in a mixer. The compressed audio doesn't really affect much. If you get good audio to start with then it will be fine.
 
It should be noted that the A1's LINE setting is different from any other camera. Canon decided to use the consumer level LINE setting (I want to say +10db) instead of the usual +4. This means that for most professional level mixers, the LINE level will be too low, and the MIC level will be too hot.

Just to take into account.
 
GordonF said:
It should be noted that the A1's LINE setting is different from any other camera. Canon decided to use the consumer level LINE setting (I want to say +10db) instead of the usual +4. This means that for most professional level mixers, the LINE level will be too low, and the MIC level will be too hot.

Just to take into account.
Click to expand...

Gordon is spot on. I had such a huge problem with that on my last project where no matter how hot the level my soundman sent me through his mixer, it still comes through the A1 way too low. Definitely a major step back for Canon.
 
GordonF said:
It should be noted that the A1's LINE setting is different from any other camera. Canon decided to use the consumer level LINE setting (I want to say +10db) instead of the usual +4. This means that for most professional level mixers, the LINE level will be too low, and the MIC level will be too hot.

Just to take into account.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gordon. If I'm not using a mixer or external recorder, but just using external XLR mics, would it be best to use MIC-IN instead of LINE-IN?
 
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