Help! Major audio malfunction on AF100...

N

Nicholas Natteau

Veteran
I have a major audio malfunction that just happened on a recent shoot and I can't understand what went wrong.

I was using an XLR microphone using the Line 1 Mic in port of my AF100. I was using a headset and saw the Ch1 audio meter reading perfectly on my AF100's LCD screen. I also checked that my frame rate was correct at 1080p24 and set to Dial Lock.

Throughout the interview, I heard the audio perfectly through my headset. Yet now when I playback, I have no audio whatsoever.

Has this happened to anyone else??? Does anyone have an idea as to what might have caused this.
 
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Two questions...

1) Was the audio set to LPCM/uncompressed when you recorded it?

2) What were you playing the video back in?

If 1) is "Yes" and 2) is "Windows Media Player", that's the problem. For some reason WMP won't play back the LPCM audio. About gave me a heart attack the first time it happened to me.

Regardless, try playing it back in the camera if you haven't already. If it plays there, then it's a software problem.
 
Hi Mike. Thanks very much for your reply. Audio was set to AC3. I played back the video in the FCP7 Log and Capture window when I first noticed there was no audio. I then put back the card in the AF100 in playback mode and noticed there was no audio there either.

I'm feeling physically sick right now from this disaster. It seems that what happened was that the dial button at the back of the AF100 had been pressed leaving it in "VFR on" mode even though frame rate was set to 24 fps. Unfortunately, I did not have the latest firmware update that would have alerted me. I can't tell you how terrible I feel. This was a major interview for me with a well known figure. And to think that it was all for nothing because a simple dial had been pressed. I don't understand why the VU meters on the screen were reading audio if no audio was being recorded.

But having googled this issue, I see that a number of other people ran into this problem (small consolation) and that a firmware update has finally addressed this issue now giving a warning. I wish I had downloaded that update. Just drowning my sorrows right now. Thank you again.
 
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[insert long chain of expletives here]

Dude, that just freaking sucks. I'm sorry. Is there any chance of redoing the shoot?
 
Sorry to hear about your audio loss, I know the feeling you are talking about. It's a nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach that you get. It won't go away for days...

I and others have said it several times... Panasonic..please.... kill the meters and headphone out if the camera has been set (either intentionally or by accident) to record no audio. That will trump any "no audio rec" icon. If this happened to me the AF would be my last Panasonic camera.

Nicholas- you're feeling pretty low now, but it will pass. I hope your client/ subject will understand.
 
Nicholas,
Just for future reference, the AF100 is set up so you can use mic input #2 (not #1) for recording to BOTH channels. Take a close look at the audio switches behind the LCD door. (and be sure you DON'T select INTERNAL MIC.)

Oh .... and be sure you're not on VARIABLE FRAME RATE. Audio wouldn't record then.

Ken
 
Hello everyone and thank you all very much for your help and sympathy! Thanks Ken. I made sure that INT MIC was not selected.

Correct Paul, it seems now certain that the culprit was VFR. I had left it on 24 fps and locked the dial. But I must have done some 1080p60 work a while back and completely forgot to check that setting.

Hearing perfect sound in my headset, and seeing the CH1 VU meter bouncing perfectly on my LCD screen, I couldn't imagine anything was amiss. You would think that if no sound were being recorded, the VU meter would be at zero and not bouncing, right? I'm glad to see that Panasonic has issued a firmware update for this.

I tried to download the update recently but had trouble extracting it on Mac OS Lion. I understand that some files don't extract properly. If I'd only installed that update, I would known something was wrong.

Oh well, could have, should have, would have.
 
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Jan has stated much of the AF's firmware is burnt to ROM so can't be updated with a patch.

I got burnt by this audio issue prior to the update, & it remains the most persistant concern. I imagine Panasonic would fix it if it didn't require new hardware.
 
Happened to me too, fortunately I was shooting stock and not a paid project. Now I stop at least once during a shoot and playback audio just to be sure. Any new version of the AF had better not have this "feature".
 
mainstreetprod said:
Happened to me too, fortunately I was shooting stock and not a paid project. Now I stop at least once during a shoot and playback audio just to be sure. Any new version of the AF had better not have this "feature".
Click to expand...
You turned VFR on I take it? In a future firmware update, it would be great if the audio level bar would be a thick red
line. That way, you know at a glance you're not taking audio.
 
Firstly, Im very sorry to hear you ran into this problem Nicholas.

Now for a slight lecture. If I do anything "one man band" when I do my audio check - I record it. Once I think my levels are accurate, I stop recording then play back the clip to double check them. This serves two purposes, one: a double check to make sure my audio start point is good and two: to make sure audio is actually being recorded. This doesnt help you at all - but when I first got the AF100 I did some off speed recording, which was followed the next day by section requiring audio. Doing this I quickly saw the setting error and fixed it.

Even with the firmware update, theres always a possibility of something going wrong - I mean who knows sometimes so, Id start doing something similar if I were you.

Sorry for the lecture. But its only in the hope that it may serve to help someone else.
 
Thanks again everyone, and thank you very much Noel. I very much appreciate your advice. It just goes to show that one can never double check enough. I completely agree that if only I had done a test recording right before, I would have spotted the problem. I also now wish I had taken my Zoom H4N as backup, as it's a wonderful audio device and it would have saved me. But I figured out how to install the firmware update, so now I have the warning indicator. For sure, I will never make that mistake again. Experience is everything.
 
Nicholas, we all have experienced that sick feeling after a catastrophic experience. It does go away. The AF-100 can nail you by at least two ways: 1) by not using red focus assist and 2) variable frame rate/audio.
 
Thanks OKC. BY red focus assist, you mean the red peaking that shows when you press the "user" button? That's a great feature. I always use that plus the EVF detail. Those are great features.
 
Nicholas Natteau said:
Thanks OKC. BY red focus assist, you mean the red peaking that shows when you press the "user" button? That's a great feature. I always use that plus the EVF detail. Those are great features.
Click to expand...

Not sure if this is what you meant, but never use both those focus aids at the same time.

It's been discussed to death here, but I'm in the camp of not trusting either, & rely on a external monitor, or more often, EVF.
 
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