XLR Microphone Problem.

[askes]

I am having an issue with my azden sgm 1x mic. It is an XLR mic that goes through a beachtek converter. When I use the mic, only 1 audio channel works. At first I thought it might be the cable, so I bought a new one and the problem continues. I noticed that when the cable is plugged into the left XLR input, only the left audio channel works, and vis versa with the right.

thanks for any help

 

[THoff]

I just looked at the specs, it's not a stereo microphone, so you will get mono audio:

http://www.azdencorp.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=93298

You can select the same INPUT for both channels and get a stereo recording in the camera, or you can do it in post. Please note that the former will not get you real stereo, just the same mono audio coming from both channels. If you do it in post, you can at least create some separation to create an apparent stereo recording.

 

[Dick Campbell]

You can select the same INPUT for both channels

Note that you can only do this with INPUT 2.

 

[Ted Spencer]

I just looked at the specs, it's not a stereo microphone, so you will get mono audio:

http://www.azdencorp.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=93298

You can select the same INPUT for both channels and get a stereo recording in the camera, or you can do it in post. Please note that the former will not get you real stereo, just the same mono audio coming from both channels. If you do it in post, you can at least create some separation to create an apparent stereo recording.

Just a note on stereo vs duplicated mono, from someone who has made a career in audio engineering:

For audio to be heard as stereo, the left and right signals *must* be different. This naturally happens with separate left and right mics, even when they are fairly close together, because what they pick up isn't *strictly* identical. If identical signals are on both the channels, as will be the case when you send the HVX's right XLR to both sides, the result will "sum to mono" as the parlance goes. That means it will sound like a mono point-source coming from a spot inbetween the speakers. Just as though it was coming from an invisible third speaker right in the center.

It's the reason why lead vocalists on music recordings sound like they're in the middle of the soundfield (or in the case of headphones, your head). In the mix of a song, the vocal track (and for that matter, usually also the bass, bass drum, snare drum and most solo instruments) is placed in the center by the use of a "pan-pot" on the mixing console, which is similar to a balance control on a stere playback system. This means a (usually) mono track of the voice is fed equally to both channels, producing the aformentioned identical information in each. The result is the illusion that the voice comes from the middle.

This what you'll get when you send the HVX's right XLR to both channels. Center channel mono. Not stereo.

There are some ways to create fake stereo in post, but the good ones require more sophisticated processing, such as the PAZ-Stereo Audio Units (Mac) plug-in by Waves. It uses a sophisticated combintion of equalization, filtering, phase shift and delays to simulate differences between the two sides.

An easy but generally inadvisable method is to shift one side slightly earlier or later than the other, but this primarily causes either a shift to one side of the image (very short delay) or a noticeably fake doubling effect (larger delays).

There's nothing wrong with recording the HVX's audio as described above, and it will make it come out of both speakers, but it won't be stereo.

 

[ozduc]

As has been said you can not get a stereo recording from a mono mic. If you wish to have the mic recorded on Ch's 1 & 2 of the HVX then plug it into CH. 2... Then on the side of the camera, behind the LCD, switch Ch. 1 input select to input 2 and ch. 2 input select to input 2. This will allow you to record your signal to both channels but as stated it will just be 2 mono recordings NOT stereo. So to make use of this feature I would recommend setting one of the channels about 6db lower than the other. That way you have a "Protection" channel should the other channel peak. In post you would still only use the dominant channel unless it peaks and distorts, in which case you have your safety channel to go to.