DVX-100 and the AT-835 b

[Matthew Kaplan]

hey--

I going to be using the DVX-100 and the audio technica shotgun mic.

This is the first time I'm going to use an XLR mic.

Before that I either made short films with nagra or just made video using the on camera mic.

so this is fun.

It seems that I simple plug the XLR mic into the XLR connector.

--Is there a reason to plug it into a certain channel?

--Do I get stereo sound? Or do I need to do somehting to get that?

If you put it into one channel it seems that is mono, but also I thought the XLR would have stereo built in somehow. Like S-Video has everything in one connector.

Phantom Power

- How do you turn it off? My mic take AA batteries and they last plenty long.

Any other tips for a newbie sound man.

thank you.

[Jay Massengill]

First, if you use the 835b, you'll get mono sound no matter what you do. It's a mono microphone. However, you can set the DVX-100 so that the sound from the mic is sent to both channels. You can then set one channel at a good full volume and set the other channel a little lower to guard against distortion on peaks.
Even if you do send the mic to both channels, it's still two-channel mono, not stereo.
You can also engage the camera's ALC which is a limiter only, you still have to set the levels properly. Read the manual regarding how to do all all this.
You will need to set the camera's audio sensitivity to the correct setting too, either -60db for quiet situations or -50db for louder situations or hotter mics.
It's beneficial for the mic's performance, especially in loud situations, to run it with phantom power from the camera. It will slightly increase the drain on the camera's battery. If you're not operating in a loud environment, a strong AA cell should be fine too. Again, read the manual regarding how to turn off the phantom power.

[Matthew Kaplan]

It's mono. really. never heard that. It was the mic recommend by many dv books and a few posters.

Why would someone recommend a mono microphone?

And how bad does it sound compared to stereo?

What is a good stereo mic then?

[Alan Tran]

most shotgun mics record in mono
you can acheive "stereo sound" in post by just copying audio channels

[Ken Tanaka]

Matthew,
Don't be distracted by the stereo -vs- mono topic. Mono is relatively standard for much film/video recording. As you've certainly seen from your film school work, you ultimately mix together multiple audio tracks to build the final sound for a film or video. Copying a monophonic track to a 2nd track to achieve 2-channel is not required with editors like Final Cut Pro. You can simply "pan" 1 track between left and right channels.

No, it really doesn't make any difference if you use channel 1 or 2 to connect your mic. I'd just recommend that you be consistent throughout your shooting.

Yes, there are stereo mics. They are basically two mics in one casing. But if you're trying to record clean voices free of background ambient noise you are probably not looking for a stereo mic.

[John Britt]

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka :

No, it really doesn't make any difference if you use channel 1 or 2 to connect your mic. I'd just recommend that you be consistent throughout your shooting.

-->>>

Assuming that the DVC80 mic info applies to the DVX100:

If you want to record your audio to both the L&R channels (and avoid having to pan in your NLE), then your mic must be plugged into the Input 2 jack. You must then switch both of the CH SELECT switches (behind the LCD screen) to INPUT 2. Input 1 will only record to Channel 1.

Again, recording to Input 2 gives you "mono stereo" -- but it also saves you the trouble of having to fill out the other channel in your NLE (and saves you the trouble of forgetting to do that!).

[Jake McMurray]

for dialogue etc most people I know record in mono