Tape Return vs monitoring at camera

J

Jon Gallo

Member
I posted this question at the AF100 forum and then realized I probably should have posted it in the audio forum.

Hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting the same question in two forums.

I use an FP33 to feed audio to both the camera and an Oade modified DR-100. The FP33 is close enough to the camera position that I could monitor audio at the camera by either plugging headphones directly into the AF100 or by using a tape return to the FP33 and monitoring audio there. Other than the flexibility of being able to monitor either the FP33 or the camera audio when using tape return, are there other pros or cons for either option that I should be considering?

Thank you.
 
Monitoring from the mixer is the best way, simply because it's one less cable running to the camera. Though, it can be a juggle monitoring both camera and recorder and mixer. And if the mixer is that close to the camera, where's the recorder?
 
Monitoring the OUTPUT of the recording device (whether a camcorder or a separate recorder) is always preferable to monitoring only the input. At the very least you should be monitoring the OUTPUT of the PRIMARY recording device (presumably the recorder).
 
Certain mixers (such as SD MixPre-D) allow you to monitor both input and output by pressing a switch. I think this is the best scenario.

Be aware: just like monitoring only the input, there is also a "trap" when monitoring the output of the recording device. Just as having good input does not necessarily mean you are capturing the signal, having good output does not necessarily mean your recording device is actually doing the recording.
 
Richard Crowley said:
Monitoring the OUTPUT of the recording device (whether a camcorder or a separate recorder) is always preferable to monitoring only the input. At the very least you should be monitoring the OUTPUT of the PRIMARY recording device (presumably the recorder).
Click to expand...

Richard, I think he was asking whether to monitor output of the AF100 directly from camera, or through the return to the FP33. Again, using the return channel of the ENG snake is one less cable.

To the OP, using the return channel from the camera to the mixer allows you to switch quickly back and forth between return signal and direct from the mixer. This is helpful for troubleshooting where signal problems pop up, since it's a simple rotation of the monitor select knob on the FP33.

However, adding the external recorder does complicate things. And yes, if that's the primary audio recorder, then that's what should be monitored.
 
I gather that what I should be doing is to go from line out on the DR100 to monitor in on the FP 33. That way I can use the monitor input switch on the FP33 to listen to either audio in from the mics or the output of the recorder. Correct? I could use a set of ear buds to plug into the camera just to make I have audio there.
 
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