background noise trouble...a little help

DeSica

DeSica

Well-known member
I've done some searches on here and read some stuff about hiss/background noise, but I'm still kinda stumped.

I'm running a countryman b3 into my sony pd 100a for some sound tests. I have to shoot a sit down interview tomorrow, and I can't seem to shake that white noise type hiss (like the air/ocean sort of sound.) I'd like to get as good clean sound as possible right from the get-go.

My 15' xlr cable is new. The guys at trew audio put on the xlr end the other day, and the mic is new. I'm using battery power on the camera and phantom on the mic.

When I lower the in camera levels, the sound lessens, but then the audio is too low when I play it back on TV for a check. The closer I get to the mid way level in the camera controls for mic levels, the more pronounced the sound becomes.

I recorded some stuff with the in-camera mic, and the sound is not there....but the recording is thin and tinny.

Listening through headphones with the lav plugged in, you can hear the noise. When you listen with phones to the in-camera mic, it isn't.

I tried playing with the FS 32k/ FS 48k settings, and I think you can hear it a bit more with the 48k, but the sound also sounds better all around.

I've done some recordings in different rooms with the B3, and it's still there. I don't recall having this problem with my Rode NTG-2 on some outdoor shoots.

Any sound advice would be great....pardon the pun.
 
have you recorded and then checked tape on device other than camera? returns on sony dv cams generally suck. not that beta is great either. never used a b3 but make sure phantom on cam is on or that you have a fresh batter to power mic.

NEVER use 32k, always 16 bit 48k
 
as i recall 100 doesnt have phantom power - how do you connect the b-3 ?
or is there a hot shoe adaptor which suply 48v ?
 
The 100a has a hot shoe adapter. I have used it with my NTG-2 and had great results, but that was with outdoor mostly.

I checked playback on two different TVs, one with a 3 rca jack input, and one with just two (just the video and one audio jack). It was definitely there. I don't like using my cam as a deck, and just reviewing these 45 seconds worth of tests is bugging me, but I don't have any other device on hand right now.

As I said earlier, I did do a test using the in camera mic, with the mic level set at the highest level I had set it with the B3 (the mid-way point), and it was not there.

With the B3, when I lower the in camera level enough to get rid of it through phones and on TV, you can barely tell someone is speaking, so I would have to jack up the volume to seriously loud levels on a set or monitor just to make out what is being said. I don't want to record at too low a level, because I want to leave room between the recorded sound and any underlying noise.
 
check if the hot shoe give you 48 v m ,check with polarity reverse cable if it starts working better
 
The first switch on the adapter says level beside it, with ATT STD GAIN printed above, below, and above, each with little lines so you can see where you are setting the switch. I keep it at STD...GAIN created a hum.

The other switch says +48V on the left side, and then OFF and ON. The tests were done with it in the ON position.

I'll check into the reverse polarity cable you mentioned, Oleg. I'm using a regular Digiflex 15' right now. 25' was sold out right now in the places I checked out, and there were no quads available in the 15' length.

Thanks
 
The hotshoe adapter probably doesn't supply balanced inputs (I am guessing) so some of your noise might be coming from interference on the cable run. Check that out. Have you tried the lav with another camera/recorder?

Cheers
 
Nope, haven't tried it on another camera. That was my first thought, but have to get my hands on one.

Some tests I did before getting the XLR cable had that woosh sound, so not sure if the cable is at fault.
 
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