XH-A1 Best Audio Set-up

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bentramer81

Well-known member
I have an A1 an and Audio Technica At815b and want to capture the clearest dialogue possible. What would be ideal to pick up the best audio? Should the gain be turned to -3 like suggested for the picture gain? Should the left and right knobs be turned to a certain spot? Or does left and right knobs even matter since I"m only using one mic, basically mono sound, right?
 
There's no sweet spot for audio gain. The A1 preamp is just ok, not great.. Get the microphone as close as you can and turn the volume control as low as it will go, a good audio level should average around -12db, the green dot, and peak at around -6db. The handling of the mic is more important than the audio setting.
 
Huy Vu said:
There's no sweet spot for audio gain. The A1 preamp is just ok, not great.. Get the microphone as close as you can and turn the volume control as low as it will go, a good audio level should average around -12db, the green dot, and peak at around -6db. The handling of the mic is more important than the audio setting.
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Thanks Huy Vu! The level you are talking about -12db to -6db refers to the level you see on the monitor on the A1, right? Basically what I have been doing wrong is NOT checking the exact db level of my actors to ensure it is atleast reading -12db. Put simply the next shoot I do I should make sure it rarely goes below -12, and I should get good audio assuming it is held steady. And for sure if the mic is on a c-stand. If I am missing anything please let me know.
 
Huy Vu said:
The mic needs to be on a boompole operated by another person for best result. Putting it on a stand isn't the same thing.
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I think a lot of Kevin Smith early films would do just fine with a c-stand, would you not agree? As would a lot of dialogue in a film like El Mariachi, I'm not as advanced as most film makers, just looking to get by with what I have. My boom pole always makes noise. :thumbup:
 
bentramer81 said:
I think a lot of Kevin Smith early films would do just fine with a c-stand, would you not agree? As would a lot of dialogue in a film like El Mariachi, I'm not as advanced as most film makers, just looking to get by with what I have. My boom pole always makes noise. :thumbup:
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El Mariachi was shot MOS and then dubbed in later. Then the studio that bought it spent about $200,000 to completely redo the audio track in order to make it acceptable for distribution.

A boompole is the absolutely minimum for decent sound. It can track the actor and get the mic in closer than a stand can ever do. If you use a shockmount and the operator has fairly steady hand then there should be no noise.
 
Huy Vu said:
El Mariachi was shot MOS and then dubbed in later. Then the studio that bought it spent about $200,000 to completely redo the audio track in order to make it acceptable for distribution.

A boompole is the absolutely minimum for decent sound. It can track the actor and get the mic in closer than a stand can ever do. If you use a shockmount and the operator has fairly steady hand then there should be no noise.
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Sorry to keep bugging you Huy Vu, but could you list some poles models and shock mounts models, and a quality zeplin (I think you call it) for as little money as possible? Do I want two microphones so I can capture true stereo sound? Do they even make a boom that holds two mics? Thanks for all your input on this.
 
A cheap but reliable shockmount is the Rode SM3. I use a Gitzo pole but it's a discontinued model. A search in the audio section would probably yield some recommendations. Carbon fiber boompole is both lighter and transmit less handling noise than aluminum. 9 ft. is minimum but 12 ft. is recommended.

Recording true stereo takes more than just two microphones. You need a mount to position them in the correct orientation (there are severals) and you need to mix them correctly in post. Not really recommended.
 
One thing I always do when recording dialogue direct to cam or via field mixer is set to record on two channels (the max on the A1), what i then do is ensure one channel is recording in the desired range. I record the other channel a fraction lower. This ensures that when / if there is peaking in one section, I can swap that audio in post for the other level. Lately though with a dedicated sound person this has been less of a need, but I still do it.
 
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