h4n with shure fp32a, signal clipping in zoom

Z

ZKSTUDIO

Member
Hey guys, hope you can help

For years I have been shooting ENG and sending audio directly to the camera from Wireless mics. Were getting ready to shoot a short with a 7D. Just picked up a H4N and and dusted off our shure mixer and did some tests. Sent tone to the H4N and set levels, with the master gain at 0 and the channel gain at about middle. But it seems the zoom is clipping before the mixer reaches that point. It also seems that I have to increase the gain on the mixer to get any kind of decent movement on the VU meters. I havn't worked with a mixer before, am I missing a step? Thanks guys, let me know if you need more info!
 
You need to pad the +4 line output of the shure to match the -10 line input of the H4n.
Also use the TRS inputs of the Zoom for line level, as the XLR inputs activate the mic pres.

All the Best!

Dave
 
And an addendum, the "line-input" of the Zoom isn't either a +4dBu "professional" line or a true -10dBV "consumer" line either. It's actually an "instrument level," intended for guitar pickups and keyboards, etc., so even more padding may be needed. But I think my first try would be to use XLR/XLR patch cables to send mixer main output to the Zoom's mic inputs and set the mixer output level switches to mic level.

To set up the mixer, channel faders all the way down, master output gain at unity (0). Send tone and adjust mixer channel 1 (controls tone level) so the mixer meters indicate 0VU. Adjust the recording level control to indicate -20dBFS on the recorder's meter, then don't touch the recorder level controls further, all operating level adjustments are with the mixer's channel faders. Tone off and adjust the mixer's channel fader to indicate 0 to +4 on the mixer's VU meters on a normal speech signal. Note that recording levels of -20dBFS on a 0VU continuous tone sinewave signal correspond to an average recording level of about -12dBFS as indicated on the Zoom's peak reading meters for normal speech at 0VU on the mixer. Meters read differently for tone versus speech for signals with the same actual average level
 
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