GH3 Rode VM Pro/GH3 Help (Wedding/Band Footage)

I

Ianscreations

Well-known member
Help!
I recorded a band last night at a wedding using the GH3 and Rode VM Pro.
The audio never peaked in the red, but it still sounds too 'hot' and distorted....too loud.
Audio is a MAJOR weak point for me.
I have the GH3 set to the lowest mic level (1). I thought I had the Rode set to 0db. I may have accidentally switched to +20db. -16db is also an option.
Does anyone yet have experience shooting a band or other LOUD event using this combo? If so, what are the bet settings or ways to avoid this distorted sound? Better to shoot just using the built-in camera mic? If so, what level should I set this at?
i wish the GH3 had an optional limiter to avoid this. I thought that since the levels weren't peaking in red I was okay :( And it was too loud to hear live even with noise-canceling headphones.
Thank you.
 
Ianscreations said:
I have the GH3 set to the lowest mic level (1). I thought I had the Rode set to 0db. I may have accidentally switched to +20db.
Click to expand...

The limiter on the GH3 is very good, but I suspect that the Rode VM Pro set to +20 dB is a bad combination for loud audio sources. ( i.e. the audio from the VM Pro was distorting )

If the audio is too loud to monitor via headphones, then I think you are just going to have to wing it and go with with manual settings. I would keep your GH3 set to level 1, and then try setting your Rode VM Pro to 0 dB and the -16 dB setting. Record 30 seconds of audio, then go find a quiet place to listen to the playback from the camera itself. You should know right away which setting on your Rode VM Pro works best, any distortion in the recording should be obvious.

For normal dialog recording levels, I recommend setting your Rode VM Pro to the +20 dB setting, but you are going to have to do a quick test when recording under very loud conditions.

For music, the built-in camera stereo mics might be ok as long as they don't distort. Again, you have to do a quick test to confirm this.
 
Allan Black said:
I'd bet on that, you're learning the hard way, you won't do that again.

You've got to check everyTHING before a shoot, make out a complete checklist and keep it with the camera.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I agree. Fortunately, I volunteered to film this footage so it was not part of the contract and/or billing...more of a "bonus" if I could get it. The video itself looks awesome, just the audio is bad :(. Good idea to record a test clip and then check it in a quiet place. I will try that next time.
 
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