Firmware 1.11: Realworld Extreme Tests Verify Efficacy

basspig

basspig

Veteran
I was out shooting the Memorial Day parade yesterday and got some great audio with the upgraded firmware.

I had an 'aggressive' attenuator setting of -35dB during the first half the edited video, where the motorcycles come through and also the first Green Wave marching band, where I noticed that the levels lit the red peak indicators. In my mind, I was concerned that that audio was ruined, so I lowered to -29dB a few minutes later.

I also should note that with this firmware, to achieve 0dB on the meters, a REC volume of almost '6' is required. That setting worked perfectly at the parade.

I was within 3' of snare drums and the exhaust of Harleys in this video, as they goosed the throttle. The EX1's new firmware handled the overload quite transparently. I did nothing to the audio in post--these are the actual record levels.

(Note that the first 2:30 are not camera audio, but an overlayed music and speech that I dubbed in for patriotic effect.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKtDeS-w2wohttp://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=85939823892&h=-_JAT&u=XTU-0&ref=nf
 
It's great to finally have a camera that is as competent at sound recording as at video recording. The EX1 is literally the FIRST camera I've owned that meets that lofty goal of getting great audio on the spot, with no truckload of secondary audio gear.
Master footage looks amazing! YouTube truncates the color sampling to a great extent. The EX1 does meter a little on the hot side when filming in predominantly-shaded areas, but out in the open sunlight, it nails it pretty much dead on.
 
Awesome info basspig, good to have an audio expert slash connoisseur using our camera. I've noticed audio levels seemed generally quiet in comparison to other audio sources with a setting of 5, good to know 6 solves the problem.
 
You may have noted that in the owner's manual (written prior to FW 1.11) Sony makes reference to a dial setting of '5' being '0dB'. I suspect that with FW 1.11, that 0dB level requires a bit higher record level. I found the camera was only able to hit the 0VU (red) dot on the loudest peaks when the level was dialed just shy of '6'.
On that parade footage, the red segments were lighting up when the drummers passed within 3' of my microphone. Interestingly, the peak limiting was rather transparent on this FW. The old FW would have produced nasty and rapid ducking of the levels, causing the overall volume to pulsate or 'pump'. Notice none of that in the parade clip. Sony appears to have aligned the limiter's threshold right at the threshold of clipping, the ideal circumstance.

I'm glad that a few people are starting to understand audio issues as they relate to cameras. Back when I was revealing how bad the V1U was, that got me unceremoniously banned from two other forums. Highly-regarded 'experts' in the field of video took the time to publicly berate my test methods and to manufacture a 'motive' that I was assumed to be pursuing as some unknown agenda. Well, yes, to get Sony to recall and fix that camera (it didn't happen and I sold one of the V1Us and bought another XDCam). But now we have the EX series and audio life is wonderful. :)
 
Great Post, valuable info, I upgraded the firmware as well, is there a difference with 1.12?
Appreciate your time in pointing this out to Ex users.
Cheers
 
Mark...

Thanks for all the info and insights. It really provides me with a better understanding of how the camera's audio system works, and how to make the most of it.
 
I have no experience with FW 1.12. I did read somewhere that the 1.12 version has some enhancements for South American users, so I would guess it means menu language features. The way things are now, I won't touch it because it's perfect the way it is with 1.11.

For a long time, the paradigm was that camera audio has to be awful, so always record a separate high quality audio track. The CineAlta line is going to change that perception, as owners start to discover the quality of the audio system on board.

Back in the 80s, I recorded fireworks with a full mixer, a betacam deck, a switcher and two NewVicon tube cameras, all on the back of a pickup truck. The audio was okay, if you could ignore the 30 hertz purr of the video heads bleeding into the AFM recording track, and the video absolutely was atrocious. We have come so far, it's not even a fair comparison. A hand held camera that can record better sound than you heard in blockbuster movies in the last 30 years would seem incomprehensible back then. I remember feeling a rush of hope for a true "reality capture" device when the Sony EDW-10F was announced in the late 1980s, a 2 CCD camera claiming over 500 TV lines and beta hi-fi audio, but we all know what happened to Extended Definition Beta. ;)
 
At the risk of asking a dumb question, is there any way to record ONLY audio with the EX1? It would be useful for voiceover, etc. to reduce the overall file size.
 
Sean, no there is no audio only mode. However, in the SQ mode, it records PCM audio while reducing the video bitrate to 25Mb/s for longer record times.
 
I just got myself one of those XLR->USB mic adaptors for that purpose. Less messing around and only a bit over US$100.
 
Thanks, I will check out those XLR to USB adapters. They sound like handy devices. No more eating up GB of storage space for simple voiceovers!

BTW, enjoyed the Memorial Day footage... It's nice to hear confirmation that EX1 audio is as good as advertised.
 
I thought I saw somewhere there was a new fiirmware "1.12". Actually I remember. I was talking to a B&H sales rep about a possible purchase of a used EX1 they had for 4,900.00. Almost got it but it was too old to trust. It had original firmware and I didn't want to risk getting one with any issues from early runs of the EX1. However when the sales guy was checking various things concerning firmware, he said the latest was 1.12. I have not seen that anywhere else.

Has anyone heard this?

Chadfish
 
Love the stereo right to left effect - which mic did you use?

and did you boost the signal with a mixer or is this only mic to camera?

Thanks Mark,
Lonnie
(i also asked these on your utube page)
 
Chadfish said:
I thought I saw somewhere there was a new fiirmware "1.12". ...
Chadfish
Click to expand...

I've seen reports of a 1.13 as well, but from everything I can gather, the differences between 1.11 & 1.13 are almost irrelvant. Just a change like, if you restore to default menus, some of the default options have changed.

I know what you mean by buying early gen EX1's second hand. While you can upgrade the firmware to 1.11, you can't fix the battery drain, label wearing & possible lens alignment issues without an expensive repair bill unless it was done under warranty.
 
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