Is the A1 right for me?

I have a Sony PCM-D50 sound recorder so I suppose that can be used, lining up seperate audio tracks would be annoying though. I read about this rolling shutter here on this site, and you are right it looks like a serious concern. Considering we are doing lots of special effects and green screen i'm not sure if CMOS is an option.... so here we are are back to square one :(
 
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I honestly don't think people are that in tune with the micro differences in audio between HDV compression & pure PCM. They are however more likely to notice macro blocking for example.

I stopped reading audio magazines years ago because they made me feel so inferior - like if I wasn't using a Neuman tube condenser mic through an Avalon compressor I was somehow less of a human being :huh:
If that really was the case, people would have never bought MP3 players & Ipods.

How many people watch TV or movies in an audio tuned viewing room? Not many!!
 
I feel the same, because:
1) Most people can't distinguish between music at 128kbps and uncompressed.
2) People don't record music on a movie set; they record dialog which requires far less bits.
3) HDV records 384kbps, which is 3 times what music requires. For dialog, it must be much much more than enough.
 
Ok heres my take. Tha A1 can record dialogue fine. I would always use a fieldmixer to adjust levels.

The rode video mic is not a mic really designed for recording dialogue. Its a consumer mic designed to mount on a camera and catch better quality ambient audio than the built in mic. Which it does. But for professional application youre going to need to look further if youre considering a shotgun. The Rode NTG1 or 2 would be better as long as its boomed.

Interior audio is different again. The octava is good bang for the buck as far as cardioids go. I have just purchased 2 of Olegs (see him in audio forum) Chiniz friends. And use Sanken cs3s for exterior. You dont need to get a cs3, but you need to get it in there. I would never consider recording audio direct to a consumer cam. The A1 is min. IMO.
 
Its a consumer mic designed to mount on a camera
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No, no, no, no, no. I use the rode videomic with a boom pole also made by rode. A shock-mount is built in, too. In outdoor conditions, I slip on a $30 rode deadcat and activate the built in high pass filter. It works really well.

I don't have to worry about mixers and whatnot. I just plug it in and adjust the audio level manually in my camcorder. The Rode videomic is the audio equivalent of a Canon HV30. It's massively, massively under-rated.
 
seunosewa said:
No, no, no, no, no. I use the rode videomic with a boom pole also made by rode. A shock-mount is built in, too. In outdoor conditions, I slip on a $30 rode deadcat and activate the built in high pass filter. It works really well.

I don't have to worry about mixers and whatnot. I just plug it in and adjust the audio level manually in my camcorder. The Rode videomic is the audio equivalent of a Canon HV30. It's massively, massively under-rated.
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I've done the same thing and agree with you about it's performance. But like with the cameras and hv30, just because the hv30 gives amazing quality doesn't mean there isn't better or a better way of doing things.

If there weren't the rode video mic would be the audio standard on every set, and it isn't.
 
Yes, but the other guy was making it sound as if the hV30 and Rode Videomic will give you terrible audio. "Just don't record audio with it"

High end gadgets are generally more robust and more flexible, but you can achieve great results with the right low-end gadgets if you know what you're doing. People should stop behaving as if the low-end stuff is useless for 'professional' work.
 
seunosewa said:
Yes, but the other guy was making it sound as if the hV30 and Rode Videomic will give you terrible audio. "Just don't record audio with it"

High end gadgets are generally more robust and more flexible, but you can achieve great results with the right low-end gadgets if you know what you're doing. People should stop behaving as if the low-end stuff is useless for 'professional' work.
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The other guy has a name. I never said dont record audio with it. I motioned it wasnt the best option.

Ecking thank you for approaching it with reason.

Check out what this guy did with the HV20 , a field mixer and ntg2. -------> http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=141169
 
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seunosewa said:
You don't need the field mixer and you don't need the NTG2 - is what I'm saying.
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There's "good" and then there's "good enough," it's not all about your skill as an operator; they can only take you so far before limitations in your equipments starts to inhibit you. I did have an A1 and an HV20 on a shoot last weekend, and even though I can probably get the HV20 to deliver comparable image performance, it would have taken me twice as much work and three times as much time, and that's where the difference between consumer and professional gear starts to show. Same thing with audio gear. You can get good results with a Videomic, but it'll take you more time and effort than a shotgun and a mixer. The saying "Good, cheap, fast, pick any two" applies here.
 
Two points:
1) The Rode Videomic is a shotgun mic.
2) A mixer doesn't improve the quality of the audio.
3) A mic plugged directly into the cam is much less cumbersome.
 
It comes down to what sort of work you're doing & the budget you have :)

* Someone shooting a fictional video would be recording sound independently with the aid (luxury) of an audio guy and has the freedom to choose the best outboard technology they can afford

* Someone documenting a live event has to rationalise equipment for run-n-gun work. An audio guy with mixer & boom might be a little impractical in that situation ;)
 
seunosewa said:
Two points:
1) The Rode Videomic is a shotgun mic.
2) A mixer doesn't improve the quality of the audio.
3) A mic plugged directly into the cam is much less cumbersome.
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That's actually 3 points, but I digress. And yes, a mixer DOES improve the quality of the audio. It provides a better preamp so you get a lower noise level, limiter so you don't clip and just in general makes your life easier. And how is a mic going into the camera less cumbersome unless you're somehow booming and operating the camera at the same time? Having someone else monitor the audio and ride the level will net you much better results.
 
Having someone else monitor the audio and ride the level will net you much better results.
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Hmmm. I see your point. But, isn't riding the levels inadvisable
because it causes the background tone to vary in loudness constantly?
 
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