DVX100 zoom noise

magoo

magoo

Member
Hi,
When I zoom i get a kind of a clicking gear sound that is - very disappointingly - in my audio as it picked up on the internal mics. You know the quiet bit where they say "I do" now has a gear noise all over it.

The question: Is this normal for the DVX100E? (E... same as A). How can I avoid it? Maybe bracket with shotgun mic... or is the noise transferred in casing and anything attached will get it?
 
The internal mics* on the DVX are terribly susceptible to noise from the camera: tape transport, servo zoom, user handling, etc. They aren't well isolated from the camera chassis. Plus, they have a very wide response and hear everything around the camera. Don't expect great - or even good - audio from the internal mics.

So yes, it's normal for the internal mics to hear all sorts of junk from the camera.

An external shotgun mic with a proper shock mount is a start, but on-camera is the last place you really want to have a mic. Especially for wedding audio, it's better to have at least one wireless mic in the mix... usually on the priest/pastor or the groom. If you are in a space that has a house sound system with mics on the priest and other key points, and you can draw a feed from that board, you'll have audio from anything that has a mic feeding their system. Use a shotgun or cardioid condenser on a stand as a room/ambience mic and mix that with the board feed and you'll be in a pretty good spot.



*The internal mics on the DVX are not intended to provide professional audio recording. As with most cameras, Panasonic could not sell the DVX if it could not record at lest some audio right out of the box. Rather than waste the R&D resources on something that is stellar in quality, and knowing that a built-in mic isn't that helpful anyway due to it's susceptibility to camera noise, the solution is something that is "good enough" for the consumer (read: soccer mom) user.
 
My DVX100A makes the grinding noise too... I may be getting it serviced soon and hope it will go away.

In the end, a separate mic is the way to go for almost all applications, as C2V states. I only use the internals when recording ambient sound, which they do a great job at, such as restaurant noise, the airport, etc..

Other than that, it's not optimal.
 
C2V said:
The internal mics* on the DVX are terribly susceptible to noise from the camera: tape transport, servo zoom, user handling, etc. They aren't well isolated from the camera chassis. Plus, they have a very wide response and hear everything around the camera. Don't expect great - or even good - audio from the internal mics.

So yes, it's normal for the internal mics to hear all sorts of junk from the camera.

An external shotgun mic with a proper shock mount is a start, but on-camera is the last place you really want to have a mic. Especially for wedding audio, it's better to have at least one wireless mic in the mix... usually on the priest/pastor or the groom. If you are in a space that has a house sound system with mics on the priest and other key points, and you can draw a feed from that board, you'll have audio from anything that has a mic feeding their system. Use a shotgun or cardioid condenser on a stand as a room/ambience mic and mix that with the board feed and you'll be in a pretty good spot.



*The internal mics on the DVX are not intended to provide professional audio recording. As with most cameras, Panasonic could not sell the DVX if it could not record at lest some audio right out of the box. Rather than waste the R&D resources on something that is stellar in quality, and knowing that a built-in mic isn't that helpful anyway due to it's susceptibility to camera noise, the solution is something that is "good enough" for the consumer (read: soccer mom) user.
Click to expand...
Thnks C2V,

At least my mind is more at rest knowing my zoom noise is not indicating some pending failure. I did get a copy of recorded sound from the sound desk and can add it in the edit.

Do you have any tips for online shopping for the "cardioid condenser on a stand "?

Magoo
 
magoo said:
Thnks C2V,

At least my mind is more at rest knowing my zoom noise is not indicating some pending failure. I did get a copy of recorded sound from the sound desk and can add it in the edit.

Do you have any tips for online shopping for the "cardioid condenser on a stand "?

Magoo
Click to expand...

For a mic for general room ambience I think I'd go with an omni instead of a cardioid, though the cardioid would certainly work. There's bunches of each on the market at price points ranging from the low hundreds to the several thousands of dollars. The Audio Technica 40- series is typical, fairly economical, and are pretty decent performers, the AT4021 cardioid ($350 from B&H) or AT4022 omni ($280 from B&H). Any old mic stand from your local music store will do, less than $50.
 
Thanks Steve,
Just went onto Ebay and considering a wireless kit. i x lapel and 1 x wireless mic. I could buy the stand anywhere as you say. This is a Soundart system at $300 au. Thats about $350 us. Will do some research on soundart. I am thinking this might be nicer as i can move myself around if I need to without stretching cables. Nearly tripped over a groomsman last week!
 
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