Dissapointed with Sanken CS-1! Need help! at DVinfo.net

Dan Lahav · December 3rd, 2003, 01:38 AM

Maybe I'm doing something wrong.. but so far im dissapointed with the CS-1. I was playing around with it in my room with no noise whatsoever and I hear this VERY aparant hissing sound in my headphones. I told my girlfriend to talk at different levels and it sounded very echoey plus a strong hiss in the background. I later captured it onto my computer to see if the echo would go away but it was still there. I plugged the DVX through the DC and had headphones on so it cant be the tape record mechanism. I lowered the volume knobs on the DVX settings to less than 1/4 and it gets rid of it however its a very low volume! How do i get rid of this?? I'd expect more from an $800 mic. is there something im missing?

Jay Massengill · December 3rd, 2003, 09:37 AM

Do you have the camera's audio menu setting at -60db or -50db?
That will make a substantial difference when recording in quiet environments. (I'll assume the input was set to MIC level)
What is the space like where you recorded? Is it fairly small with hard walls? If so, then even a very good short shotgun like the CS-1 will have some noticeable problem with echo.
What headphones are you using?
Even though the CS-1 isn't a really quiet mic, I think you may be falling into a trap that's easy to do when testing a mic in a quiet environment. It's very easy to monitor at a level that exaggerates the noise floor beyond what would happen in a practical situation.
I'd set up a more realistic test. Make sure all your camera settings are correct. Record outside on a quiet day with the mic placed properly (between 1 and 4 feet from the subject). Have the person speak at a normal volume. Capture the tape into your editing system and then listen on good monitors at a realistic level for editing normal program material.

Dan Lahav · December 3rd, 2003, 12:26 PM

Hi Jay,
the camera is set at -50db. THe space i recoreded was a small room (maybe 10'x15') with hard walls so perhaps thats my problem. I'm using some old sony studio headphones. They're pretty good actually. What settings should i be weary of on the DVX? Also, what proper volume should the knobs be at in a relatively quiet environment? thanks.

Jay Massengill · December 3rd, 2003, 02:23 PM

For quiet sounds i'd set the camera menu to -60db. For louder sounds, especially with a hot mic like the CS-1, the AT4073a or the ME-66 you'll need to set it back to -50db. If you get distortion during loud sounds regardless of what the meters show and turning the inputs down, then you're overloading the input and need to attenuate the signal even more.
The settings for the camera audio knobs are always going to vary depending on the mic's sensitivity, pick-up pattern, the sound volume and distance, the camera menu settings etc.
Generally if you've got them somewhere around the middle of their range, are getting good metering and aren't hearing any distortion on your headphones, then you should have a useable signal for editing. The headphone amp on most cameras is pretty poor and some people use the "Boosteroo" for the DVX-100, Canon XL-1, etc to get better volume. I don't think it helps with the hiss that's often a problem with poor headphone outputs though. You can also loop the audio out from the camera to a better device for headphone monitoring, even if it's just for a test and not to use in the field.

December 3rd, 2003, 01:38 AM	#1
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	Dissapointed with Sanken CS-1! Need help! Maybe I'm doing something wrong.. but so far im dissapointed with the CS-1. I was playing around with it in my room with no noise whatsoever and I hear this VERY aparant hissing sound in my headphones. I told my girlfriend to talk at different levels and it sounded very echoey plus a strong hiss in the background. I later captured it onto my computer to see if the echo would go away but it was still there. I plugged the DVX through the DC and had headphones on so it cant be the tape record mechanism. I lowered the volume knobs on the DVX settings to less than 1/4 and it gets rid of it however its a very low volume! How do i get rid of this?? I'd expect more from an $800 mic. is there something im missing?

December 3rd, 2003, 09:37 AM	#2
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	Do you have the camera's audio menu setting at -60db or -50db? That will make a substantial difference when recording in quiet environments. (I'll assume the input was set to MIC level) What is the space like where you recorded? Is it fairly small with hard walls? If so, then even a very good short shotgun like the CS-1 will have some noticeable problem with echo. What headphones are you using? Even though the CS-1 isn't a really quiet mic, I think you may be falling into a trap that's easy to do when testing a mic in a quiet environment. It's very easy to monitor at a level that exaggerates the noise floor beyond what would happen in a practical situation. I'd set up a more realistic test. Make sure all your camera settings are correct. Record outside on a quiet day with the mic placed properly (between 1 and 4 feet from the subject). Have the person speak at a normal volume. Capture the tape into your editing system and then listen on good monitors at a realistic level for editing normal program material.

December 3rd, 2003, 12:26 PM	#3
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	Hi Jay, the camera is set at -50db. THe space i recoreded was a small room (maybe 10'x15') with hard walls so perhaps thats my problem. I'm using some old sony studio headphones. They're pretty good actually. What settings should i be weary of on the DVX? Also, what proper volume should the knobs be at in a relatively quiet environment? thanks.

December 3rd, 2003, 02:23 PM	#4
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	For quiet sounds i'd set the camera menu to -60db. For louder sounds, especially with a hot mic like the CS-1, the AT4073a or the ME-66 you'll need to set it back to -50db. If you get distortion during loud sounds regardless of what the meters show and turning the inputs down, then you're overloading the input and need to attenuate the signal even more. The settings for the camera audio knobs are always going to vary depending on the mic's sensitivity, pick-up pattern, the sound volume and distance, the camera menu settings etc. Generally if you've got them somewhere around the middle of their range, are getting good metering and aren't hearing any distortion on your headphones, then you should have a useable signal for editing. The headphone amp on most cameras is pretty poor and some people use the "Boosteroo" for the DVX-100, Canon XL-1, etc to get better volume. I don't think it helps with the hiss that's often a problem with poor headphone outputs though. You can also loop the audio out from the camera to a better device for headphone monitoring, even if it's just for a test and not to use in the field.