g2 lav levels

F

fenigirl

Active member
What do you guys set your levels at? I use the factory dvx audio channel levels at I believe 50% (the dials are halfway) and put the reciever at -06db and transmiter at-10db and the audio was a little loud. The audio levels bars on the lcd were really hitting the reds. So I turned the camera levels down to 25 percent and it was better. But......just to try out a different approach, I went to -12db on the reciever and -20 db on transmitter and set camera audio levels back to factory 50% and it was great. Btw, this is for a poetry reading, not for an audience, just a private reading.

What settings do you all use for dialogue, loud arguments, music etc? Both for the camera and the g2 system? Do you use the 48 khz or 32? If you use the 48 you cant dub, but I am tapeless, so does that matter?

Thanks.
 
I don't actully use the G2 myself but I remember -10db on the tx is usually good for conversational levels with the mic at sternum level, -20db for loud talking, -30 for shouting, and 0db for very low talkers.

It's tempting to set the tx levels lower and over compensate on the rx but you will get much noisier audio this way. A TINY bit of overmodulation is preferrable to losing 10 db of s/n IMHO. YMMV

Cheers
 
With an EMW the levels at -20db give you more control over your environment... i.e. a more "sterile" sound... even if you gain them up at the RX... at -10db the lav will sound more open and you have less control. For a B6 I generally go with -20db and it's a middle of the road setting anyway.

To best answer your question requires you to state what mic you're using... but I think my experiences with Countrymans (and MKE2) will apply to most other lavs as well.

Wabbit's answer works pretty good for me too... but I find that -10db levels can blow easily... so I tend to avoid that and gain up at the RX.

YMMV
 
the best way to set wireless levels is to look at the AF meter on the bodypacks. it is calibrated for the optimum performance from the transmitter through the receiver. adjust transmitter gain (menu item SENSIT) until the meter shows 4 or 5 out of 7 segments for normal voice, this usually leaves enough headroom for a loud burst or laugh. test it by speaking VERY loudly or nearly shouting, checking for distortion. if the AF PEAK light comes on you are probably distorting.

after this is set, adjust the receiver gain (menu item AF OUT) to make the recorder input happy. If you are feeding a line input, set between 0 and +12. For a mic input -30 should be about right.
 
greg, -30 is WAAAAY low. and the peak light is also indicating limiter action at the tx, not necessary distortion. just my opinion...

i agree with -20 being sterile and -10 being more open. Its an interesting tool to use to your advantage... although a -20 and gain up at the receiver situation would results in more system noise, sometimes if the environment is noisy this is a welcome and unnoticable trade.
 
alwais - first calibrate the transmitter so you get as much as possible signal
then the reciever out depends on camera input
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am using the stock me-2 mic, as it is all I can afford.

So its better to read the meters on the senn or the audio bars on the dvx lcd? I was looking at the lcd because I was worried about hitting the dvx's audio system too hard.

Do you all leave the audio level dials on the dvx at halfway (factory) or do you adjust those as well?

And does it matter if I use 48k instead on 32k if I am tapeless? I am not dubbing....

Thanks.
 
You really shouldn't trust the meters either -- use them as a guide to set the initial audio levels and to look for clipping, but you really should monitor via headphones. The last thing you want is for part of the audio to be noise, and the meters won't tell you that.
 
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