DR100 and ew100 lavalier connection issues

S

Stelvium

Well-known member
Hallo,

i wanted to ask you what's the right workflow to make it work the TASCAM Dr100 audio recorded with the lavalier sennheiser with the RX connected trough XLR cable into the Tascam. I don't know wht the XLR of the RX connected with the power on in my tascam doesn't work. I think i should get a different cable. The phantom button is on the TX and RX work perfectly when connected to my old sOny HDV cam but they don't work connected to the Tascam DR100.
Thank you for taking time to help me
 
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The Sennheiser EK 100 series portable receiver's output is unbalanced. So the cable must be specifically wired for unbalanced operation.
- 3.5mm TRS plug's Tip terminal to XLR pin 2
- 3.5mm TRS plug's Sleeve to XLR pins 1 and 3
- 3.5mm TRS plug's Ring is floated (not connected)

Or purchase the Sennheiser CL-1 cable https://en-us.sennheiser.com/cl-1

In the DR-100, Phantom Power should be OFF and the input set to MIC level.
 
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Rick what a pleasure to hear from you! The CL 1 cable you are talking about is the one that comes with the kit? I thought i had to plug the XLR cable CL100 inside the DR100
 
Sorry, I got the Sennheiser cables mixed up, the CL-100 is the locking/3.5mm TRS plug to XLR cable for the 100 series portable receivers The CL-1 is the 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable.
Plug the CL-100 XLR connector into the DR-100's XLR input and confirm the input is set to MIC level.
I am not intimately familiar with the DR-100 but the DR-40 has MIC-LINE hardware switches. Line level being +4dB (nominal) so feeding mic level would likely not show any audio signal.
 
Phantom power should be OFF. The ew100 receiver does not require phantom power to operate, and the voltage can cause signal issues and potentially even damage the receiver.

I’ve also found the included CL-100 cable that comes with the ew100 kit to be a bit lacking. Not sure if there’s a dealer accessible to Italy, but upgrading to the Cable Techniques unbalanced cable is a good idea, especially since the output cable from the receiver doubles as a second antenna.
 
Dear Rick and Alex, first of all thank you for helping me out! I always had a sound guy who dealt with the audio world in that kind of interviews but not this time. Here's what i did:
- I plugged the Cl 100 cable in the XLR input
- I switched the input to XLR (not to line)
- I switched the + 48v to OFF
- I set the audio limiter to off
- i set the Mic Gain to MEDIUM
- I set the lateral wheel of the L/R Input to 10 (maximum)
I can hear the recorded voice trough my headphones but the audio seems too low. Did i do everything correct?
Really appreciate your help guys
 
There are two other points in proper gain staging with this setup:

Have you checked the Sensitivity setting on your G2 transmitter? This needs to be set so that normal speech level meters at about 2/3 - 3/4 full on the transmitter’s display. Once that’s done...

Have you checked the AF Out setting on the G2 receiver? 0dB means no boost and no reduction in gain on the output. If it’s set low, you might try raising it to lower the amount of gain needed in the DR-100.
 
Alex my friend, i wrote you in PM last week..
Thank you and Rick for trying to help me out. After you suggestions here's what i did:
in the Transmitter i set the Sensitibility to - 10 dB
in the Receiver i set AF out to - 12
I set the GAIN level on the DR100 to M
Now playing back it seems i don't have any hiss. Do you think are good the TX and RX db settings?
Thank you my friends
 
Stelvium said:
After you suggestions here's what i did:
in the Transmitter i set the Sensitibility to - 10 dB
in the Receiver i set AF out to - 12
I set the GAIN level on the DR100 to M
Now playing back it seems i don't have any hiss. Do you think are good the TX and RX db settings?
Click to expand...

-10dB sensitivity in the transmitter seems unusually high, but I also don’t know which lavaliere mic you’re using. Either way, these are just numbers. Are they good? I can’t tell based on numbers. My question to you: at -10dB sensitivity, is the meter on the transmitter’s display hitting about 65-75% full at normal speech volume (and with the lav properly placed)? Because that’s what you’re aiming for, no matter what the actual setting is.

As for the receiver, once you have the transmitter’s level set properly, you might start out with AF Out at 0dB (meaning there’s no signal boost in the receiver, but also no signal reduction). If that is clipping (distorting) on the input to the DR-100, it’s too high so drop it to -6dB, and then -12dB if needed. If it’s still way too low and you’re having to make up that gain in the DR-100, then boost the AF Out level as needed.

The ew112 receiver doesn’t put out a signal strong enough to really work as line-level with your DR-100, so the idea is to get your gain stages set properly, starting in the transmitter, so that you’re using the least amount of pre-amp gain possible in the DR-100 while still getting a clean signal. Too much signal coming into the DR-100 and you get clipping. Too little, and you have to use so much pre-amp gain that you add noise (hiss).

If, where you have your settings now, you’re getting clean signal and no added noise, and your record levels are right, then you should be good to go.
 
A -10 Tx sensitivity setting seems a bit high, As I recall, my settings were in the -20 neighborhood with Tram, Countryman or OST mics, but it depends on the mic and the source SPL. Obviously you will need more gain for a low-talker and less for someone yelling. As Alex stated, look at the Tx meter. The yellow peak indicator will illuminate if it clips (or comes close to clipping).
The EK 100 portable receiver at the max 'AF out' setting (+12 as I recall) will adequately feed a -10dB (nominal) input if the Tx is gain stage properly. It is not hot enough for a +4dB line level though. It will have more than enough gain for mic level.
 
Hey Rick! Thank you! i sent you a file via wetransfer

Thank you so much for taking time to help me guys
 
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