Your GL2 Audio Setup and Advice

[Rob Zeigler]

Hey all,

First off, let me thank all of you for posting your thoughts on this forum. I've been lurking around and searching old posts for about a week now and I've learned some valuable information to be sure.

Unfortunately...I'm still ultimately confused. Sometimes a week of searching old posts yields more questions then answers. : )

I was wondering if those of you who own GL2s could share the details of the audio equipment that you use for your own productions.

My personal production will need the use of a lav mic for interviews and a shotgun mic for large outdoor crowd scenes (general crowd shots and sometimes to isolate specific people picked from the crowd to speak). From what I've read, and it's still too early to make solid conclusions, I'll probably be looking into an AT831B as a lav and an AT897 as the shotgun. As you can see, budget is a concern.

Besides the two pieces of equipment listed above, what else must be purchased to ensure compatibilty with the GL2's connectors?

Many thanks in advance for sharing your setups and your advice.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

For us, with the GL2 means carrying a lav kit, wireless, and AT shotgun.
Levels are always set to as close to -3dB as we can get on peaks. This gives max resolution while assuring that we don't ever cross zero. For critical shoots with our Philips cams, we generally use hardware devices for compression, so that we have a slightly hotter signal to the master, without fear of dynamics.
The meters in the GL2 are very good, so don't be afraid of them.

[Rob Zeigler]

DSE,

Do you think the AT831B and the AT897 will be a good budget-concious audio solution? Anything else I'll need to go with these products?

Thanks for your help. : )

[Joe Sacher]

My setup is typically for movie production, lately. So I will use the GL-2 with an XLR-Pro adaptor. On top I have a Sennheiser ME66 in a Lightwave Mount, with a Lightwave dead cat wind cover. In the other channel I attach a longer XLR cable to a second boom mounted ME66. This gives me more options than just using the single boom mic.

I hope to pick up the Sennheiser $500 wireless lav and mic system to use when the GL-2 is on my Magiqcam steadicam. It seems like I should be able to plug the mic XLR adaptor into the ME66 and get the same audio, or just use the lavs.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Rob, those are really great selections for someone on a budget. Even if you weren't, you won't get a *whole* lot more out of better mics for these situations.

[Ben Lynn]

In order to connect the mics to the camera you'll need to order an XLR to 1/8" cable. Then you'll work with the camera's audio levels for sound adjustment. The cable will run straight from the mics xlr output to the camera's mic input.

I ordered my cable through markertek and it's worked fine.

Later, if you need to support two mics at once or if you want more control of the sound your getting, you'll need to invest in a preamp. But to get you started with those two mics you'll need that one adapter cable.

Hope that helps.

Ben Lynn

[Rob Zeigler]

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies!

Ben: As far as using two mics at once is concerned, can the GL2's built-in mic record audio at the same time as say, a lav mic plugged into it's mic in? Thus giving you a source of "room sound" and a good, clear voice as well?

I'm sure this is covered in the manual, but I'm still about a month away from getting a GL2. : )

Thanks again!

[Ben Lynn]

No, that's the problem. Once you plug into the mic input you'll lose the on camera mic. So in order to get the room sound you would need the lav mic, plus an additional mic running to the camera.

And the problem with that is that there is only one 1/8" input on the camera. I don't know of any cables being sold right now that would keep the two inputs seperate into the camera. Every one that I've seen will combine the two mic inputs into a mono 1/8" feed to the camera that hits both channels so there is no way to mix it from the camera.

That's why you need the pre-amp. The pre-amp not only cleans up the sound (if it's a good one) but it can keep the mics on seperate channels to the camera and let's you control each channel's levels serperately. Then in post you decide which channel you want to use for the final output.

You could buy the MA-300 and run the lav and the shotgun direct into it, one on each channel, and then the on camera audio levels would be used.

Ben Lynn

[Rob Zeigler]

Thanks Ben!

These are exactly the kind of "baby steps" I need to get me in the right direction as far as audio is concerned.

I appreciate you taking the time to help out!

[Rob Zeigler]

Couple more last minute questions to add:

1. AT897 vs. the AT835B that I was just clued in about. $40 price difference. A substantial upgrade to the AT897 or should I save the money and go with the AT835B?

2. XLR -> GL2's inputs, the MA-300, etc. What's the deal with phantom power? Would the mics use the camera's batteries in this case? Doe the MA-300 provide this phantom power? If not, what does?

Thanks a million, fellas.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

The cam mics don't supply phantom power, no. There are adaptive devices such as those by Dolgin that will do this, but you're better off with a phantom supply. Unfortunately this means cables.
One thing to consider is to run two mics, or one mic into 2 inputs. Put the attenuation of one channel/mic 10dB down from the other. In the event of clipping at the input, the second channel saves your butt. This is how most audio is done for tight film shoots, getting more than one channel of the same audio at different levels.
I've never used the 835, but the 830 series are quite good. The 897 is a great mic too.

[Rob Zeigler]

DSE,

So essentially phantom power is just having the mic plugged into say, the camera, thereby getting it's power from the batteries of the camera?


Your advice is great as always. Thanks again.