XlR Cable Noise with Shotgun Mic on Camera...

tokun1

tokun1

Well-known member
Hello Group,

I have a short XlR cable that is very noisy, just purchased a new Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun mic. I plug it directly into the Camera Xlr input (Panasonic Lumix GH5 Xlr Audio Adapter), and I'm getting LOTS of noise when I move the camera around, the mic moves when I move the camera going handheld, or gently touch the cable, getting scratching noise, or bumping noise, and I do have it in a good shock mount too. . I've included a photo of the shotgun cord. I'm not sure what to do I'd like to shoot with it on camera but can't work with that kind of noise. I've been using a older Panasonic short shotgun mic that has the XLR attached to the mic, which is great, no noise at all!

It also is VERY sensitive to the touch on my extended XLR cables when using it for interviews, this I can deal with easier because I can just tape down the cable and not touch it during the interviews.

Is there a great cable out there I need to purchase, Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

*photos
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If Phantom Power is used, even a slightly compromised cable can be extremely noisy, where it may not exhibit any noise at all on a dynamic or self-powered mic.
That said, I'm partial to the Canare L-4E6S Star Quad cable stock and the newer Neutrik XX type connectors. Silky smooth, super flexible and a pleasure to work with. The L-4E6S is available in many colors as well. Canare also makes a mini star quad and a mini single pair for thinner cables. If you make the cables yo'self, the L-4E6S cable stock is about $ 0.55 (USD) per foot and the XLRs about $3 each. My first Canare cables are 20+ years old and have seen all kinds of abuse and conditions and the only thing that actually wore out was the Neutrik NCX XLR connector boots, which were easily changed desoldering/resoldering one end.
 
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Ya, I've used the same Canare star-quad cable as Rick for about 20 years, too. Some have been abused and retired, but some are still working fine despite abuse. And the cable's still flexible which I think keeps down the noise a bit. I use Neutrik connectors, too. There's also good cable from Belden, but I'm not as familiar with their model numbers.
http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=53


A few things to consider:

Maybe a right-angle XLRF off the mic will help you get the cable out of the way and minimize it being bumped (especially with a longish mic like the ME66). That seems to work for me.

If you're not up for making your own cables (not all that hard, and a good skill to have, but not worth it for everyone), get good pre-made cables that are built for our industry. In other words, don't just buy Hosa cables from Guitar Center. Back in the day, Markertek made decent cables. I think they now sell them under the Sescom name:
https://www.markertek.com/category/xlr-cables?brand=Sescom

And Remote Audio makes good off-the-rack cables that some dealers carry:
http://remoteaudio.com/camera/

But a good dealer, including the ones who hang out here, should be able to set you up with a custom cable with the length and specs you need.

Also, if a different cable doesn't do it, maybe another shock mount would help? Like the Rycote Invision mounts designed for camera mounting:
http://rycote.com/microphone-windshield-shock-mount/camera-mic-shock-mounts/
http://mymic.rycote.com/products/shock-mounts-suspension/invision-video/invision-video-hot-shoe/
 
Thanks for your information Jim!...So, I just purchased this audio cable from Adorama and I'm still experiencing the exact same issues. Remote Audio 12" Balanced Jumper Cable with XLR3F RA to XLR3M Connector. I tried with phantom power and without phantom power, same noisy result. Maybe it's the xlr adapter for my Lumix Gh5, I never had issues with my Panasonic AC -130 broadcast camcorder. Not sure what to do at this point.

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Post an example of the noise. It's not clear to me what you are trying to eliminate; a mechanical noise or a electrical noise. At first I assumed you meant an electrical noise, but now I'm not sure.
 
Let's see if we can narrow down the problem. Can you take your mic and both cables, your old one and the new RA one, and plug it into another recorder or mixer and see if you still hear the problem? If you don't have the equipment you need, perhaps a video or musician friend could let you stop by and try on their equipment?

Might help you figure out if the issue is with your GH5 adapter or with the mic and/or cable...or perhaps the mount?

Paul makes a good point & suggestion. What sort of noise are you dealing with?
 
Sorry guys, I think I did not explain the situation properly. I'm not getting noise, or buzzing from the mic or mic cord, what I'm wanting to do is to run the new Sennheiser Me66 as a shotgun "camera-mounted" mic. When I plug it into the camera's xlr adapter (using either phantom or no phantom power) every time I move around with the camera I get noise, banging, scratching from the mic cord, the cord is overly sensitive to touch and any movement of the mic even slight movement it makes noise. I'm using the shock mount and mic as posted in an earlier photo *see above. So, the problem, I can't move around to get audio while the mic is on the camera, this is a problem, I do run and gun style videography with my Lumix Gh5 and need to get audio on the fly, sometimes even an impromptu interview too.

I currently use an older Panasonic Shotgun mic with the xlr cable attatched to the mic and i have no sound from the cable or mic ( unless you grab the mic itself) the mic works great!...It is not as good a mic as the new Sennheiser so I'd like to replace it, the current panasonic mic is over 10 years old now. *see photo.

Thanks for your help!

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I would check the XLR connectors to make sure everything is tight. If the pins can move then the screw that locks it in place is probably loose. THat screw is also important for grounding so if it's loose you can get all kinds of movement related "noise".

And don't discount that you are just moving to suddenly for your setup. Even with the best shock mount in the world you still have to move carefully or you will get movement noise.

But "sensitive" cable really points to a loose or bad connection. OR dirt. If the pins are not shiny clean them up. This is rarely a big issue these days since everything is nickel or gold plated but older connectors would oxidize.
 
The shock mount does nothing to help with mechanical noise from the cable since the cable is directly connected to the microphone. You need to tape the cable down firmly to whatever you can find so it does not move.
 
If it's really THAT sensitive, it's possible that you have some sort of damage to the mic that is causing the casing or connection to become microphonic. I had that happen when a large diaphragm condenser mic got knocked over. I had it repaired and all is now fine. The easy test for that is if you can plug that mic into a different source from your camera. If you still have the noise, then it would be a problem with the mic, since you have already tested using a different cable. Anyway, good luck!
 
Use a cloth cable. You might not be able to find one off the shelf, but K-Tek has it in stock. You can call them at 760-727-0593. Talk to Karen. Tell her Dave Fisk told you to call her and that she'd be able to sell you an XLR cloth cable at whatever length you need. She'll take care of you. They will make it for you.

For those that don't know; cloth cable has actual cloth on the outside of the cable instead of the rubber/plastic sheath. It makes it much quieter, less susceptible to handling noise, and more flexible. It also wears out faster, so you need to replace it every so often.
 
doubledark said:
would be good for K-Tek to put a link here for others who may want to grab one of these cables
Click to expand...

It's not a standard off the shelf part. They have it because it is used in their wired hand grip. I only know about being able to do this because I used to work there and we'd make these for people from time to time.
 
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