Recording for voice overs

[robertwerden]

Im working on a project where I need to ad narrations. The only problem is im recording to a laptop. The mic Im using is the shotgun from my HVX, but the computer is creating a hiss and buzz. Is there any way to stop that or should I use a different recording device?

 

[mainstreetprod]

Are you using the on camera mic? Not a good idea. But recording with a real shotgun or regular mic and using the HVX as an easy way to get audio in your computer works great. Just record video/audio clips and import, then separate the
video from audio in FCP. No hiss or noise should be generated this way if
your camera levels are correct and all mic related switches are set correctly.

 

[Steve House]

Im working on a project where I need to ad narrations. The only problem is im recording to a laptop. The mic Im using is the shotgun from my HVX, but the computer is creating a hiss and buzz. Is there any way to stop that or should I use a different recording device?

Do you mean you have removed the mic from the camera and are running it directly to your laptop? How are you doing that exactly? Are you going straight to a soundcard input, through an audio interface, what? Do you have a mixer or preamp of some sort between the mic and the laptop? Need all the details of your recording chain to offer much help.

 

[robertwerden]

I have an external shotgun mic I bought for my HVX200 and im running it directly into the mic input on my laptop.
I thought this would be a easy way to narrate while watching my footage.

I can easily do the same thing on my HXV, I just wanted to avoid having to dump it to the computer. The HVX records the audio perfectly with no noise so it is probably better to do it that way. I just was wonderin why the same high quality mic that works perfectly on the HVX has a Hiss and Buzz on my laptop mic input.

 

[Oleg 2]

are you feeding it direct true some cheap sound card with the battery powered mic ?
there are plenty cheap preamps with usb or fire wire connection

 

[Steve House]

I have an external shotgun mic I bought for my HVX200 and im running it directly into the mic input on my laptop.
I thought this would be a easy way to narrate while watching my footage.

I can easily do the same thing on my HXV, I just wanted to avoid having to dump it to the computer. The HVX records the audio perfectly with no noise so it is probably better to do it that way. I just was wonderin why the same high quality mic that works perfectly on the HVX has a Hiss and Buzz on my laptop mic input.

Computer sounds cards often have a 5 volt or so bias voltage on the mic input to supply 'mic power' to cheap consumer grade computer-store mics. If it's not blocked with a capacitor it can interfere with the operation of a better grade mic. And as Oleg suggests, it may just be a matter of the lousy preamps that are often fiound on generic soundcards. See if you can borrow or rent a preamp or mixer for the mic and feed it to the soundcard line level input and see if the noise goes away.

 

[Noiz2]

Also if your hooking a balanced mic into the sound card inputs, how? If not done properly you have created a big antenna that will pick up all kinds of electronic noises and hums.

And sound cards (the ones that come with the computer) are notorious for bad shielding and picking up noise. Higher end cards go to great lengths to shield them selves from the very noisey environment in side a computer.