extremely low sound level

R

Realdvxuser

Well-known member
Hi all,

Recently purchased a DVX100Ae and the thing is absolutly brilliant. It's my first pro-cam, so I am fairly new to certain aspects. One of them is sound.

I have a problem with my camera, as the sound level that the camera records is extremely low. I need four tracks in my edit software to get to a reasonable output-level that is comparable to all my other audio, and while capturing I can hardly hear anything. Also when I output a film edited in my computer to my DVX, the sound is recorded at the same low level again.

My question to you: Is this related to some settings that are not right on the camera at the moment, or does this imply malfunctioning of the camera?

Cheers!

Henk
 
Need more info. Using the built-in camera, or an external one? Do the bar-graph level meteres register properly (one or 2 red bars is a good range for proper levels).

Dan
 
Thanks Dan. I sofar used the built in mic, and an XLR-once. The XLR gave of course a much tighter sound, but still the overall level seemed far too low.

The bar graph level meters seem to be registering proper sound levels...

Cheers

Henk
 
Rectification on my previous post, the bar levels only seem to be registering in red when I talk quite loud very near the microphone. With a radio on in the room at fair sound level I only get 2-4 white blocks...
 
I don't own a DVX so I can't help you with specific controls, but I may be able to help a bit theoretically. Your camera has the capability to adjust sound levels manually or (I think) "automatically". You MUST operate in manual mode for good audio (this is universal and not camera specific). Once in Manual mode adjust the gain until you reach the -12db to -6db (you'll have to look at your manual or on this board to see where on your meter that is).

Another key here is mic placement. On camera mics, unless used in an ENG type setting, suck (and even then they suck). You want to record the hottest signal possible with the lowest noise possible.
 
Thanks MattC. I've seen something on that in the menu. Factory setting is -50 Db, but as far as I know I can only adjust this to -60 and nothing else. It would seem logical to be able to adjust this manually I guess...

Anybody with a DVX who knows more about this?

The onboard mic sucks indeed and need something else for that quickly. But the weird thing is that it also records at an extremely low level from my NLE...
 
He's talking about the small dials on the side of the camera below where the LCD screen flips out. You'll have to crank those to get higher audio levels.
 
Ah yes! Of course, those. :-) That gets it up in to red levels on the LCD.

But do you also crank these up in normal situations? The manual said that it comes advisable to keep these in the middle most of the time. That cannot be advisable, when output is that low, right?

Will test it on my NLE now too...
 
You need to adjust the audio dials below the LCD screen in order to get higher audio levels. A good level for whatever you're recording would be when the bar graphs on the the LCD peak at a few red bars.

When recording from your NLE, how do you determine that you have low audio levels?
 
Thanks.

I played a tape back directly on the television and had to put the volume more than double than for anything else to hear it properly. Same goes for the speaker on the camera; it hardly gives out sound (also on max), while if I insert a tape recorded on another cam, it is much louder.
 
Check the output audio level on your NLE. For TV, it should peak at about -10dB. If you had been using the video recorded with low audio levels, then you need to boost the audio in your NLE. (BTW, the first red bar on the dvx audio meter is at -10dB).
 
Thanks Sumfun. Good tip on the -10 level.

The volume in the NLE was boosted normally however, with good output on the speakers and just in the red part of the volume-indicator of the NLE. When I boosted it any further I could hear distortion. Nothing else than I did on other camera's...

Has anybody else had any trouble on this before getting started? Or was it 'out of the box-acceptable'?
 
If your audio is being recorded at -10db at the camera you should be good. When you say you "hear distortion" do you mean that you get true digital distortion, which is a REAL ugly and loud sound which breaks up the actual audio, or do you mean that you hear a lot of his and background noise? Based on what you've already told us, I'm going to assume it's the latter? Where was your mic placed in relation to your subject?

You should stop messing with that footage and do a test. Set up your camera with proper levels, record some dialog and bring it into your editor and see what results you get. What monitors (speakers) are you using?
 
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