DR40 Interview Questions w/ NTG1

S

soursteezle14

Member
I have a DR40 and a NTG1 powered by phantom power. Whenever I record in "mono" for studio interviews/talking head the levels always come back really low. I try and put the input up higher but it peaks very easily. The mic is boomed above the talent about 14" away, but the levels are still very low. Does anyone know what I should be doing different? Should I be recording in stereo and getting rid of one of the channels in post?

Thanks
 
soursteezle14 said:
I have a DR40 and a NTG1 powered by phantom power. Whenever I record in "mono" for studio interviews/talking head the levels always come back really low. I try and put the input up higher but it peaks very easily. The mic is boomed above the talent about 14" away, but the levels are still very low. Does anyone know what I should be doing different? Should I be recording in stereo and getting rid of one of the channels in post? Thanks
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Not exactly sure what you mean by "low" or your set-up. Can you elaborate and post a clip?
The Tascam DR-40 in 'mono' mode, should record input Ext. #1 only, which yields a 'single channel' file and that should be set to 'WAVE'.
 
i just mean that the levels are very low, -40db or so and if I put the input any higher they peak. If you have a dr40 what are the exact settings you would use? thanks
 
What's your mic attenuation set at? I have not used the unit, but my Marantz has presets I setup. One might be mono recording from the line, another might be stereo recording from the internal mics, etc. Each one has a separate mic attenuation. If I have it set at 0 my NTG-2 will be coming in very hot.
 
Don't have a DR-40 so this is just conjecture but the sort of phenomenon you're describing would not likely be due to any settings in the recorder IMHO. My first thought is the talent is moving on and off mic. Are you booming the mic on a fixed boom or do you have a boom operator continually adjusting the mic's aim? When you say the mic is 14 inches above the subject, is it directly above them so it's basically pointing at the top of their head? The mic should be above the camera line in front of the subject so it makes about a 45 degree angle to the vertical and aimed so its axis points directly at the subject's throat. If the subject moves their head a few inches as they talk, the mic must also move to follow - with a shotgun the tolerance is very tight and a few inches variation either side of dead-centre will make a noticeable difference in both the level and timbre of the recorded sound. Set the recording mode to manual, adjust the recording level so the meters are averaging -12dBFS, engage the limiters, and as the take progresses make sure the mic stays pointing exactly where it was and at the same distance it was when you set the levels, regardless of how the subject moves or turns. If the mic was a laser gunsight, the red dot should stay in the same place on their throat no matter how they move or fidget.
 
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Your NTG 1/DR-40 combination should work. In addition to the above recommendations. Read the DR-40 manual
Confirm the below settings
- NTG 1 plugged into left (L) XLR connector (use known functioning mic cable)
- EXT IN switch set to "MIC + Phantom" (upper left/side on DR40)
- REC MODE= "MONO"
- SOURCE= "EXT IN 1"
- LEVEL CTRL= "LIMITER" (To access, DR40 must be in 'Record/Ready' > "QUICK" menu button> click Enter> select> "LIMITER")
_ The NTG 1 can (allegedlly) operate on 24 Volts Phantom power, so either of the following settings should work. "MENU> OTHERS> SYSTEM> PHANTOM VOLT= 48 or 24"
_ THE DR-40 does not have H,M,L mic range switches like the Zoom or Marantz
 
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thanks rick. for some reason when I do all that the levels are just really low still. Do you think it has to do with having a cheap mic cable?
 
soursteezle14 said:
thanks rick. for some reason when I do all that the levels are just really low still. Do you think it has to do with having a cheap mic cable?
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You do need to use a balanced (XLR) cable to connect the NTG-1 to the recorder but if that's what you have and it's not broken, the cheap ones work as well as the expensive ones. The cheap ones just don't last as long. Unless the cable is just plain broken, like it has an broken conductor or a bad solder joint, it's unlikely that the fact it's a cheap cable has any bearing.

When you say the levels peak when you increase the recording level, what exactly is happening? Where do you see this "peaking?" Do you mean the meters are going all the way to the right as you record? Do you mean the waveform is showing clipping when you load it into your workstation and view it in the timeline? What does the peak level indicator alongside the meter tell you?

The triangle mark about 3/4 of the way along the meter scale is the -12dB mark. You should adjust the input level so the meter is bouncing about there while recording.
 
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Sorry I'm a bit of a noobie when it comes to audio. I have a XLR cable, are all XLR cable's "Balanced", could this be the issue? When I say that it peaks, I know how to use the DR40 and when I put the input level up so it's going to -12db, the audio comes in very static (as if it's peaking, but it's not when I look at the meters?) I listen through headphones when recording and it just peaks much easier than it should. When i load it onto my computer it sounds like how I hear it through my headphones, really static even when it was only at -12db. When I record in stereo it records perfectly as it should. Any other thoughts?

Steve House said:
You do need to use a balanced (XLR) cable to connect the NTG-1 to the recorder but if that's what you have and it's not broken, the cheap ones work as well as the expensive ones. The cheap ones just don't last as long. Unless the cable is just plain broken, like it has an broken conductor or a bad solder joint, it's unlikely that the fact it's a cheap cable has any bearing.

When you say the levels peak when you increase the recording level, what exactly is happening? Where do you see this "peaking?" Do you mean the meters are going all the way to the right as you record? Do you mean the waveform is showing clipping when you load it into your workstation and view it in the timeline? What does the peak level indicator alongside the meter tell you?

The triangle mark about 3/4 of the way along the meter scale is the -12dB mark. You should adjust the input level so the meter is bouncing about there while recording.
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By "static" do you mean you hear crackles in the sound when it's at its loudest? How about posting a sample file illustrating the "peaking" you're talking about.

Are you saying it only happens when you're recording with the REC MODE set to MONO? How about when the mode is set to STEREO? That should record a stereo file with a silent right channel - does it do that and does the left channel sound okay? How about trying it with the mode set to DUAL, what do you get?

Have to tried the mic on a different recorder? Have you used a different mic on your DR-40 with the same setup? Got to narrow things down here.
 
soursteezle14 said:
When I say that it peaks, I know how to use the DR40 and when I put the input level up so it's going to -12db, the audio comes in very static (as if it's peaking, but it's not when I look at the meters?)
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Whatever is happening, it is not peaking. Maybe there's some noise that isn't getting amplified when you have a low gain? Could be as simple as a bad connection in the cable.
 
People, it is well documented that the Rode NTG-1/NTG-2 are both low sensitivity mics. Combined with recorders like the DR-40/H4N that both have lame preamps, you're not going to get any sound at all without cranking the gains up to 70-100% which results in ugly noise and hiss. It isn't a matter of microphone/boom placement in this instance, it is the microphone itself and/or the recorder. The marantz recorder & the roland r-26 are two recorders who have sensitivity options that can compensate for the microphones low level sensitivity. Philip Bloom uses the R26 with the NTG-2 and gets superb interviews (see his Ponte Tower video). There is a lot lot lot lot lot of misinformation surrounding the NTG1/2 + DR40/H4n combo. Please do not purchase this combo anymore, either change your mic to a more sensitive one (the more expensive NTG-3) or change your external recorder to one with sensitivity adjustments (R26 or Marantz). Conversely some people have gotten dedicated preamps/mixers to boost the NTG1 or NTG2's low level sensitivity.
 
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