holy crap shotgun audio distortion

Barry_Green said:
If the grand conspiracy theorists out there aren't through accusing us of everything in the world, perhaps you can suggest a better title? Perhaps "Audio distortion when using shotgun?" Or maybe some of you won't be happy unless we go directly to "All things Panasonic suck and I wish they would die?"
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Don't count me quite among the conspiracy theorists, but it definitely might not be fair to purposely identify the microphone brand in the title of this particular thread if it hasn't quite been that narrowed down (especially when some of the DVXUser site sponsors are trying to sell Azden products, it could damage their sales of those products without just cause). It's one thing for a user to come on here and title a thread "Azden is crap" but quite another for a mod to identify the problem as such without good proof (yet....).

For what it's worth, I've always erred on the side of Panasonic. I haven't yet owned a single Panny product that failed me, and I've gotten tons of great footage and work done over the years on their products.

Oh, and yeah, I agree it might be better just to say "distortion while using shotgun" or "...NOT on-board mics," since the O.P. did clarify that he didn't have either channel selected, just the shotgun. But honestly, I wasn't trying to micromanage your duties too much - you guys do a great job around here, seriously. I just thought it was unfair to associate Azden so closely with this problem when it could have been a bad cable, a bad XLR connector, loose wire, bad SDHC card or buggy software....or end user, for all I know.

Barry_Green said:
We occasionally change thread titles here, usually when something is misspelled and that will make it more difficult for someone to find it in the future
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Ah, too bad all the people searching for "holy crap" will never find this thread (or maybe, thanks to my post, now they will) :)

Thanks for the clarification Barry.
 
Superfresa66 said:
I had a sennheiser shotgun mic doing a similar problem (not even a month after buying it) i thought it was a battery problem source, soo i change to diferent ones with no improvement.
I just returned it for a new one (same mic) and all worked well

The noise was almost identical, it worked fine one shoot and 2 minutes later it went bye-bye

Azden is not known for great audio (on the low-end) but they're ok in the mid price... i have a 500UDR wireless kit (lapel trans, xlr trans, and true diversity receiver) and it has served me well
Maybe the same is true for the shootgun mics =)
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Interesting... I'm hoping it's mic as well. Do you guys think low battery power would increase the chance of relatively poor quality mics to malfunction? I know for sure the battery wasn't fresh for that shoot. I used it for a previous event but I know there was enough reserve based on experience with the Mic. So the Sennheiser produced the same sound when it crapped out? Would it be safer to invest in a mic that accepts phantom power?

I've used this Azden since 2003 and never have I experienced this issue. Then on my first shoot with the HMC - Boom! the audio craps out on me. "hopefully" it was indeed the mic. I've got another shoot in a few hours.. I'll patch the mic thru only on one channel and hope for the best.
 
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Good luck with the coming shoot... i think having a phantom power mic means not having to worry about having to change one more battery (i change too many batteries already before every shoot)
 
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i would definitely recommend a mic that requires phantom over battery. maybe try the Rode series for bang for the buck.
 
Bucknfl beat me to it. Wear headphones and monitor the audio when you shoot. I am curious to know if you playback from the camera does the distortion still occur? Just wondering if something may have happened during the file transfer.
 
I think you would also be best served in doing a test with the same mike and cable going into another camera and do that to rule out if it was this setup or the 150. Always good to isolate the problem.


I too think that the battery powered solutions aren't so great and they do tend to add unwanted noise and problems that sometimes show up in the mix. For my money, I love the AT 835 M/S Stereo mike. I've used it for 4 years for interviews, concerts and when I need something with stereo imaging.


Also, in closing. I believe that Barry and staff are beyond reproach. He calls things exactly how he sees them without bias and without hesitation. He has been such a great resource on info and I believe that there isn't a better person on the net to do evaluations, reviews and such. I think we all owe him a great deal of gratitute for being a man of such integrity, honor and boundless energy to help us all out. I don't see him in any way as a fanboy cause he will say when other products are good and or better than the panasonic ones. Barry is a true friend to all people looking for clear and honest opinions and guidence.


Cheers.
 
scapsinger said:
but it definitely might not be fair to purposely identify the microphone brand in the title of this particular thread if it hasn't quite been that narrowed down
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Point noted, thread title updated.



Ah, too bad all the people searching for "holy crap" will never find this thread (or maybe, thanks to my post, now they will) :)
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Well, see, I thought about that but -- yep, point taken, proper spelling implemented.
 
Justyn said:
I think you would also be best served in doing a test with the same mike and cable going into another camera and do that to rule out if it was this setup or the 150. Always good to isolate the problem.
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Agreed. Always strive to eliminate as many variables as possible.

I too think that the battery powered solutions aren't so great and they do tend to add unwanted noise and problems that sometimes show up in the mix.
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Does this particular mic support phantom power? If so, you should always use phantom, instead of an internal battery. Most mic spec sheets that i've looked at (maybe all of them) state that a dual-power mic (either battery or phantom) performs better on phantom power than by battery power. Plus, by using phantom, it's one less thing to worry about (one fewer battery to keep track of).

Hmmm, just looked at the specs on Azden's site, and it doesn't say anything about accepting phantom power there. So it looks like it's probably battery-only.
 
The mic is battery power only. After realizing the audio problem, I tested the same mic with the actual battery used at the shoot and there were no issues. Just got back in town from another wedding. Used the same mic + brand new battery... haven't watched all the footage yet but preliminary playback in the camera seemed fine. I also used both H2 recorders just to be safe and also have audio from my 2nd cam.
 
For what it's worth, add me to the list of phantom power supporters.

Between using a Rode NTG-1 and NTG-2 (former being phantom only, latter being dual power capable) I've found that the phantom power does provide a slightly stronger signal. And there's also the obvious benefit of knowing when your battery is going dead (readout on the LCD/viewfinder). With the AA battery on the NTG-2, I would never know unless my audio suddenly crapped out, and then it's pretty much too late.

I have a battery tester that I've used to try to measure battery life on various shoots, and the upside to the AA option on the NTG-2 is that the battery life is pretty good. I've gotten over 6 hours on a single AA (standard battery, nothing special, non-rechargable).
 
scapsinger said:
I've gotten over 6 hours on a single AA (standard battery, nothing special, non-rechargable).
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What!? haha the Azden SGM1X mic I use is advertised for up to 1000 hours per AAA battery.. .HA! why the discrepancy? Is this a sign that the mic I have is total BS? Ha at that rate, I can leave the mic on continuously for a month and still go out and shoot a wedding without worry about the battery.. at least that's the cushion I thought I had. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/238826-REG/Azden_SGM_1X_SGM_1X_Shotgun_Mic.html#specifications
 
booggerg2 said:
What!? haha the Azden SGM1X mic I use is advertised for up to 1000 hours per AAA battery.. .HA! why the discrepancy? Is this a sign that the mic I have is total BS? Ha at that rate, I can leave the mic on continuously for a month and still go out and shoot a wedding without worry about the battery.. at least that's the cushion I thought I had. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/238826-REG/Azden_SGM_1X_SGM_1X_Shotgun_Mic.html#specifications
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Who knows...after a full day's shooting, I tested and had less than 50% on the battery. It may be there is a huge inefficiency on the Rode NTG-2 (or perhaps a reason for the drainage...better microphone from Rode?).

It's also possible that it is BS from Azden or whoever does the write-ups for B&H. Or maybe someone fell asleep on the "0" key while working out the specs.

If it gets that much usage, good for them (and good for you!).

For what it's worth, when I bought my NTG-2 I never could find anything/anyone that mentioned how much battery life I might get. Just had to figure it out on my own. But from my own testing, I would never expect the Rode to get 1000 hours. Oh well.
 
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