Hiss with Sony UWP D11 Wireless Radio Mic

M

mactas

Member
Hi there,

I have two sets of the Sony UWP D11 radio mics and they both produce quite an annoying amount of background hiss. I have them set up at +6 db so that there is a strong enough signal to record from. I have tried changing a load of the settings on the receiver and transmitter but the hiss is still there even when monitoring directly from the headphone output of the transmitter.

Is it possible that the hiss is coming from the actual Sony ECM-77BMP microphone? I have been considering upgrading my lav mics to the Rode lavalier ones but don't want to do this if it is the transmitter/receiver that is causing the hiss.

Any ideas?
 
A +6 setting on what? If that's a transmitter gain adjustment, the 'proper' setting would depend on the SPL of the source, the receiver output level, would depend on the device you are feeding The Sony ECM-77 is a good mic and would not produce more noise than most other pro lavalieres... unless it's broke... (troubleshooting 101.. confirm the mic works properly and work downstream from there). Elaborate on what you're feeding; camera/recorder make/model; bal/unbal; mic or line level.
 
There is NO +6 setting on the Tx unit, there is only attenuation settings.......... The +'gain' settings are on the Rx unit.

Have you set the mic level on the Transmitter correctly and indicating at the correct level?
This is the first part of 'gain staging' without this correct then you will have an uphill battle.
Is the RF power setting set to the best for the situation?
Now is the signal level indicating on Receiver unit meter correctly?
What have you plugged the Rx unit into mixer or recorder?
Is the input of that set to mic or line?

ALL Radio mic systems need some knowledge of how to get the best out of them, they are not just 'plug and play'.

PS. sorry Rick we must have been typing at the same time.
 
My receiver output level is currently set to +6. The hiss is coming even when I have my headphone plugged directly into the output of the receiver and not plugged into anything like a mixer or camera. I have two sets of these radio mics which are brand new and it is happening on both so I know it isn't a fault with the microphones. Straight out of the box there was hiss without changing any settings (even if i reset to factory settings) there is hiss that can be heard with them.
 
Last edited:
I have a set of these too. They started making some awful noise in the middle of an interview, in the middle of the desert. They are now in the middle of my bin.
 
I recall reading the UPW system was noisy, I wouldn't think to the point of being unusable though. I was thinking of picking one up for a second wireless boom as the butt plug has 48V Phantom Power, maybe not such a good idea.
 
mactas said:
My receiver output level is currently set to +6. The hiss is coming even when I have my headphone plugged directly into the output of the receiver and not plugged into anything like a mixer or camera. I have two sets of these radio mics which are brand new and it is happening on both so I know it isn't a fault with the microphones. Straight out of the box there was hiss without changing any settings (even if i reset to factory settings) there is hiss that can be heard with them.
Click to expand...

BUT what was the transmitter settings? The system needs to be set correctly to get the best performance.

I have 3 sets of the Sony UWPD-16 and love them particularly the plug on Tx unit with phantom power, it makes boomed interviews a treat.... NO cables, rapid set up, easy as.

The only thing odd I have found is that the batteries will go flat if left in the units for more than a week or so.
 
OzGizmo said:
BUT what was the transmitter settings? The system needs to be set correctly to get the best performance.

I have 3 sets of the Sony UWPD-16 and love them particularly the plug on Tx unit with phantom power, it makes boomed interviews a treat.... NO cables, rapid set up, easy as.

The only thing odd I have found is that the batteries will go flat if left in the units for more than a week or so.
Click to expand...

On transmitter Attenuation is set to 0, LCF off, In level is mic. On receiver Phones 12, clr scan gp 00, out level +6, band TV33-35. Where am I going wrong?
 
Mactas, you still did not state what device you are feeding or the devices operating level.

"The hiss is coming even when I have my headphone plugged directly into the output of the receiver and not plugged into anything like a mixer or camera"
> Lots of budget gear has under-powered HP amps that are n o i s y. The D11 portable receiver specs state (10mW), which is very low, and if low sensitivity HPs are used.. lots of noise would most certainly be expected. It also states -60dBV main output which is (a low) mic level, so a clean/quiet mic preamp would be wanted...
 
Rick R said:
Mactas, you still did not state what device you are feeding or the devices operating level.

"The hiss is coming even when I have my headphone plugged directly into the output of the receiver and not plugged into anything like a mixer or camera"
> Lots of budget gear has under-powered HP amps that are n o i s y. The D11 portable receiver specs state (10mW), which is very low, and if low sensitivity HPs are used.. lots of noise would most certainly be expected. It also states -60dBV main output which is (a low) mic level, so a clean/quiet mic preamp would be wanted...
Click to expand...

i use it with many things. Sony fs5, zoom h6, Sony a7s. The radio mic is noisy before plugging this into a camera or portable recorder.
 
Is the Rx unit noisy without the transmitter turned on,
Is there any indication of the Rx unit receiving ANYTHING without the TX unit on?

If the above are clean then turn on the Tx unit without any mic plugged in.... is it still clean?
 
The receiver is clean without the transmitter on. When the transmitter is on without mic plugged in there is noise but it is not as loud as when the mic is then plugged in but it is present just quite faint.
 
Try other RF frequencies. Have you tried a different mic? The ecm77 or it's cable/connector may be compromised.. but hiss isn't a typical symptom of that.
 
subscribed!
o.png
o.png
 
This all is sounding quite odd to have 2 systems with the same problems... Just a few random things that have crossed my mind are....

Is the 'commander' setting correct on both the Tx and Rx units?
Are 2 systems running on the same frequency?
Try a vastly different frequency in another group or a long way from the frequency you are currently using on just one of the systems.
There is no other adaptors used to get the signal into the camera / recorders?
Is the gain up to high for some reason, factory default is -9db of attenuation in the Tx and +0db of gain in the Rx. If you run 0db of attenuation and +6 of gain there is a total of +15db of gain in the system and you would expect to hear some hiss.
What does it sound like on the original supplied mic.
Is the ECM77 a new mic or has the 3.5mm plug ever been worked on?
Is the Sony system being compared to .... a piece of cable, or a Lector system, or a Sennheiser G2 / G3 system?
Is the OP a frequent user of radio mic systems or is the first system?
Are you talking into the mic at a normal talking presentation voice level or a whispering level?
 
"Is the 'commander' setting correct on both the Tx and Rx units?"
- Good point Oz. BTW, that's "compander", probably an auto correct error.
 
I seem to have this issue that popped up recently too. But the specifics of my problem are:

1. It's not so much a hiss(I don't know how to describe. I can provide a sample however)
2. It only happens when it's plugged directly into my C100 Mark 2. (Does not happen when I plug it into my H6)
3. Have troubleshoot all possible combinations(changed the XLRs/mini-jack cable to those of the 3rd party) and it's still there.
4. The sound is there, even when the the RX is off.

All the above is based on using the provided lapel mic, although point 4 is astounding in itself, which strongly suggests that the problem lies with my camera's top handle.

All the reasons stated above point to my C100 Mark 2's top handle as the problem, but when I use a different wireless set, namely the Audio Technica System 10 On-camera wireless system, it doesn't exhibit this behaviour.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top