What pre-amp really does

Oleg 2 said:
dont be histirical :-) no body really would know ,
i never liked the dvx audio chain to much and if the technitian is right about that the line level is just another 40 db pad i wouldnt besurprise at all .
for regullar work it is more then fine , for cinema relies i wouldnt go stright to dis camera , for tv - it is serving about 1/3 of the shows shown on israely tv .
so if youy set the levels right and dont push your luck to ioverlloqad the input stage you may be will survive ,
about the technition that doesnt know people use external preamp and mixerr with that camera i wouldnt be surprise he may be dont know if it passing or not , ill try to find the schems next week really answer that stupid question .
.
the external gain / limmiter control would be better solution to get the right level , so my sudgestion go what was already invented :-)
Click to expand...

so nice to have you make fun of me lol
I was hoping the settings would be something you guys would be able to give me off the top of your heads...
on regards to looking for the schems for the HVX thank you in advance

I know this is something I should be able to figure out once the MM-1 gets here, but it is allways nice to hear what actual audio pros make of it for that extra peace of mind,:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
well yes, I know that, this is just one line, and pros work with mixers and expensive recorders and all kinds of other scanning equipment, pros also have many mics and a couple of boom poles, and enough XLRs to spend all of my budget on them, but you guys understand everything in and out so I figured you guys might spare a minute to tell me how you'd use this set up if you were stranded on a deserted island with nothing but these tools

and if you are going to ask why film on a deserted island I am going to have to kill you Oleg, lol
 
the reason , i dont think it is good decision to work with this one is not as it not good as preamp , but it has luck of variable gain ( only steps and you hear them very clear ) and metering you need to see when you work.
this device general use , it amplify microphones for sending them on long lines or as many use it for abooman send its output to another mixer .
i know people adapting things for the purposes these not really intended to be but it doesnt say it is the best way to do it .
look for used mix pre ,there is no need scratch your right ear with left hand .
about dessert island - i dint get the joke, sorry
 
how to work , with limiter , ride the gain till you hear the limiter actually works , then go 10 db down and ride you camera levels to the point you have your picks go for -10 dbfs .
desert island - bring many hasler as you find :-), dont forget the movie The People vs. Larry Flynt
Milosh Forman
 
Hi USLatin,

I recommend you do some quick and dirty signal-to-noise tests on your own, especially since your equipment may not be known quanitites to folks here. Have you tried your various audio inputs, cranking up the gain to 0db on your meters using a test tone, then removing the input and noting the S/N ratio? (hopefully your NLE software will provide this functionality).

Once you've got a baseline, next fiddle with different input levels that allow you to obtain 0db by adjusting your camera pots above or below midrange. You get the idea - get to know *your* equipment configuration and what works best. If your overall S/N is less than 60db, the noise floor is hissy, etc, then you'll have a better basis to talk serious turkey here. Otherwise, continuing conceptual dialog here with your given configuration may not take much further down the road of enlightenment. Something to think about...

Regards, Michael
 
As some of you may know that I am no expert about audio, I, anyway, read the manual and find the following information, which I am not sure if it is relevant to the issue about if LINE actually by-passes the pre-amp of HVX.

The manual talks about the XLR input as LINE: 0 dBu, and MIC: -50 dBu/-60 dBu (selectable in meun).

Actually, to be honest, I am not sure what it means.

Thanks.
King
 
saneproductions said:
Go to http://www.trewaudio.com/

They just shipped my 302 to me in less than 24hours from the time I called.

THey have US and Canadian stores, so you may be able to bypass the whole customs thing.

Get a 302, settle for nothng less!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. But they don't ship out of Northern America. Somehow, SD doesn't let the sellers in US and Canada ship the items internationally, well, kind of business plan, I understand.
 
moonlitnite said:
Hi USLatin,

I recommend you do some quick and dirty signal-to-noise tests on your own, especially since your equipment may not be known quanitites to folks here. Have you tried your various audio inputs, cranking up the gain to 0db on your meters using a test tone, then removing the input and noting the S/N ratio? (hopefully your NLE software will provide this functionality).

Once you've got a baseline, next fiddle with different input levels that allow you to obtain 0db by adjusting your camera pots above or below midrange. You get the idea - get to know *your* equipment configuration and what works best. If your overall S/N is less than 60db, the noise floor is hissy, etc, then you'll have a better basis to talk serious turkey here. Otherwise, continuing conceptual dialog here with your given configuration may not take much further down the road of enlightenment. Something to think about...

Regards, Michael
Click to expand...

THANKS! :thumbsup:
Do you think I should ship it back and purchase the MIX PRE as Oleg points out?


c3kings said:
The manual talks about the XLR input as LINE: 0 dBu, and MIC: -50 dBu/-60 dBu (selectable in meun).

Actually, to be honest, I am not sure what it means.
Click to expand...

The panasonic tech said that is simply the setting of 0 bBu to accept a signal that comes from a mixing board and/or other equipment, so I gather that the camera expects the signal to allready be where you want it to be, and with the Mic setting you have options as to -50 and -60 dBu to adjust the signal for best recording by the camera's recorder given that mic signals are usually within a particular strengh/level/volume (don't know what word to use and don't want to get yelled at)
 
Just talked with a rep from SD and he took 35 minutes out of his day to explain and teach in kiddie terms what the MM-1 and the MIX PRE do, and what those things mean... he didn't seem to care much about which one I chose, was not trying to upsell me...

the MM-1 doesnt have a variable gain control just steps... it also doesn't have bars,it doesn't have a high pass, it only had one line (MIX PRE also has a balance for stereo control on location if you wanted to), or a switch for hearing either the mics - the signal going out - or the recorded signal from the camera (it doesn't have an input from the camera to monitor the recorded signal), it doesn't have a power input for when you get a different power source...

so I am returning my MM-1 when it gets here and getting the MIX PRE, probably today from one of the guys that have it in stock down the street... In the end I am spending $665 instead of $350 so basically %200 for a device that does more than %200... two lines and a whole lot more control over these, and more bells and whistles. Since this is my whole audio kit I should spend the money now and get.

THANK YOU GUYS!!! Sorry I bugged you again... but this is the only way I have to understand and learn and keep from making bad investments...

:D
 
The MM-1 does have a highpass filter at three settings, off, 80hz -6db, and...
ah, I forgot the exact frequency for the third setting, but I think it was 140hz -6db. I use the MM-1 to give to my boom op because I haven't gotten around to get a wireless headset set up and I like to keep as few cables running between me and him as possible.

MixPre is probably the better investment because you have the added option of 2 inputs, stepless gain, metering, a slate mic, and the ability to send 1khz tone.
 
80, OFF and 160

yes, that's what I saw in it... Thank you so much for this post! I didn't get enough feedback before
I went and got it, just a couple of other guys... every positive post helps me feel better about the $
spent, I just can't wait to be done with the purchases and start dedicating my efforts to actual
work! I feel all this pressure to get the most versatile equipment with our budget since we won't be
spending any more than what we initially budgeted for a month ago till we see it grow by itself

Now I just have to figure out if I should get a little porta brace or how to make it comfortable. That little
porta brace seems like a waste of money... but if I got a bigger one it won't fit so well... maybe a Petrol...
But I was really hoping it would have a belt clip like the MM-1. Right now I can slip the shoulder strap
that came with the HVX on it or I could do this wich is more of a a cool joke than anything else since
it is kinda choking me... but it might fit Michelle real well, and it makes it so that it is easily set down,
and I just tried to pull as hard as I could to see if the plastic clip would bust open and I would have
crapped my pants way before it gave...

1169875536.jpg
 
I can't find the article but Jay Rose did some audio test on the DVX when it came out. It was his tests that actualy confirmed the DVX was (and I believe still is) the best prosumer camera when it came to audio. He also was able to get something like an 8 to 10 db s/n improvement with good extrernal preamps. I seem to remember the THD+N was significantly improved with extermal pres too.

Latin, if you can afford it I would spend the extra cash to get a larger case; Petrol is really good, but some prefer PB. Go down to LS and check out which you like. As you build up you gear your case can grow with you instead of having to upgrade it later.

Cheers
 
wabbit said:
I can't find the article but Jay Rose did some audio test on the DVX when it came out. It was his tests that actualy confirmed the DVX was (and I believe still is) the best prosumer camera when it came to audio. He also was able to get something like an 8 to 10 db s/n improvement with good extrernal preamps. I seem to remember the THD+N was significantly improved with extermal pres too.
Cheers
Click to expand...

Hi Wabbit,

Jarret and Barry thought the DVX was better than its peers, including the pre-amp bypass feature omitted on the XL2. For what it's worth, in another article I noted the DVX100B had important audio/noise improvements over the 100A.

Regards, Michael
 
wabbit said:
I can't find the article but Jay Rose did some audio test on the DVX when it came out. It was his tests that actualy confirmed the DVX was (and I believe still is) the best prosumer camera when it came to audio. He also was able to get something like an 8 to 10 db s/n improvement with good extrernal preamps. I seem to remember the THD+N was significantly improved with extermal pres too.

Latin, if you can afford it I would spend the extra cash to get a larger case; Petrol is really good, but some prefer PB. Go down to LS and check out which you like. As you build up you gear your case can grow with you instead of having to upgrade it later.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Thanks Wabbit! You are much nicer than Oleg is to me... lol I think he likes to pick on me because of how all over the place my posts are, lol

Yes, I always want to go over so I don't waste it... but I already snagged $350 from my also small lighting budget to get the MixPre over the MM-1... so I might not be getting a bag right away, and though I refuse to get the MixPre portabrace bag because of how tiny t is, I probably won't get a hughe one either because I just won't fill it up... I'd end up asking one of you guys to work for me way before I invest $20+ into the equipment that would...
I looked at the small PB bags although they are ridicolously expensive for being so tiny. When this is the best deal you just gotta look up a step or elsewear. There are bags for $160 HERE that could work like the second one down on the right or even better the third one down on the right which would probaly be a natural upgrade to go to a recorder and then a 442. I love the all out hughe ones... I want a blue bag because it screams PRO to talent and clients. But since the combination PB for the 442 might not fit my significantly smaller and shallower MixPre unless I were able to get a big battery right away then there is only orange and blue in the size I need... that I know of anyway. I saw a very nice Petrol size today, but I can't find it in the website. It was smaller than the ones they have pictures for. What's the deal with Porta Brace's AND Petrol's websites not having pictures of all their bags!

Anyway, i might have to get an XL even if it will come down to my knees, just so that when I get bigger I grow into it. Till them I could stuff it with my Pick n' Pluck foam! Hey! that's an idea!

Who likes the DVXuser key-chain set up though?
Like Borat: "NIIIIIIIIIIIICEE!"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top