Noisy mic AG-MC100G

M

mckayview

Member
The Panasonic mic AG-MC100G I bought has a humming sound.
I sent it back to the dealer. Panosonic replaced it. The new one is the same: camera mounted, in silent rooms you hear an unacceptable hum.
I had a Sennheiser ME 80 attached to the camera that I now use on boom pole for interviews.
But I need clean audio on the camera mic as well.
I bought the Panasonic mic because it doesnt record the internal sounds of the camera (autofocus) - which it actually doesn't, and because it's less clumsy attached to the camera than the Sennheiser.
The dealer says there's nothing wrong with the AG-MC100G.
Is it just that bad?
I searched, but nobody on this forum seems to have any clear ideas on the "original" Panasonic mic?:)
 
Hum or buzz? I don't know this mic but hum and buzz are usually from out side sources. It might not be well shielded and be picking up the LCD backlight - more of a buzz. Or it could have a wiring problem. Some mics are more susceptible to RF than others. I have a stereo Sennhieser that sounds pretty decent most of the time but it picks up RADAR... If Im around military bases it's unusable and I live in the SF bayarea so there are a lot of bases and airports. I tried lifting grounds so there was only one return, no go. It will also pick up hum from power lines buried under ground, or maybe its the Navy ULF antennas??? I know there are places I can go and use it like a giger counter to follow underground somethings. Anyway the point is that it may just be that the mic is picking up the cameras RF, and there maybe not much you can do about it except change mics.
It could also be a bad connection at the camera. Have you tested other mics in the same position and connection and not had this problem?
SK
 
I have tried other mics - the inbuild mic of the DVX is clean, the Sennheiser ME 80 is clean, but the Panasonic AG-MC100G is creating this low frequency hiss that you notice only in silent situations. All rooms sound alike: nature has birds with this hiss that is present, distant voices in rooms make themselves heard covered by this hiss/hum/buzz.
As this is the second mic Panasonic sends me I'm wondering if the mic at about 200 dollars worth can be that bad.
(I'm using the mic in tv reports, so I appreciate Hunter's statement)
 
I was just about to post a topic similiar to this, but since it seems to have branched off into other mics as well, I don't think that it will be too random.

I bought an Apex 175 shotgun mic as just a small upgrade from my onboard mic. It really is awesome for the price ($100 CDN) and is loads better than the on camera mic. There is a small problem though. On all outdoor shoots, the mic performs great. There's hardly ever any problems other than wind and I think I just need a better wind sock. Indoors though is a totally different thing. I shot a scene in a basement with a wireless router, a few cell phones and a modem and I got this low buzzing sound that irritated the hell out of me!

At first I called the place I purchased it as it was the first time shooting inside and I thought the mic was at fault. They said it may be a grounding issue, but I used it again outdoors and it was clean. The only time that the buzzing was present was indoors with a lot of wireless equipment. I know shotgun mics shouldn't be used indoors but if this is the case, should I leave this mic for outdoor use and buy myself a hyper cardiod mic? Thanks in advance.

-Kegan
 
Well, you got yourself a mess of issues there. Cell phones will often send out a "search" signal when on that will be picked up on your mic. No matter how many times you tell a crew to turn the phones OFF and not just on mute they don't get it. Computers put out all sorts of excess noise that you will pick up. Lastly, you are correct in the idea of getting a hyper for indoors (a basement no less). Shotguns add coloration to the reverb making it ugly and unacceptable for professional uses.

Also, alot of basements have water heaters, furnaces, and breaker boxes that give off extreneous noise.

Cheers
 
Well I'm a bit stumped. The Hum Hunter is talking about is RF and very similar to my problems with the Senn. But low pitched hiss? That sounds like noisy electronics. So it could be the mic? Try it pluged into something else like a mixer. A quick search came up with very little info, but from limited specs I could find this seems to be a quite noisey mic. If you can I would seriously consider returning it and getting something along the lines of the Rode NTG1. A much better mic at around the same price. From the pictures it looks like the MC100G is made out of plastic with a fixed cable, both bad things in a mic.
Sorry
SK
 
Thanx, Noiz2. I had already tested with a mixer, and the noise I heard made me send back the first mic. Panasonic replaced it, but the second mic wasn't any better. I have made tests with nature and inside recordings comparing the MC 100 with the DVX inside mic and a Sennheiser ME 80.
I could send you 4 short mp3 files by mail if you'd care to check them out - I would need your mail address, though.
But it really looks like it's self noise of the Panasonic mic. Unacceptable white noise as compared to even the lesser quality internal microphone of the DVX.

You recommend the Rode NTG1 and it looks a great piece to me, but it's too long for my DVX use.
The nice thing about the MC 100 its short and doesnt disturb in crammed situations like shooting inside a sportscar.
Any recommendations for a shorter piece than the Rode?
 
As others have recommended, in a close indoor location like that I would look for a hyper. Though I like the Oktavas a lot they have a lot of bottom and would probably not be a great choice if the car is moving.
SK
 
I sent the mp3 files to my dealer and he said yep, mic no good, money back. But what to do now?
Do you have a recommendation for a short hyper that fits the DVX mount and is outdoor/indoor capable?
 
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