Connecting dvx100a to a mxing board at DVinfo.net

Andre Andreev · May 12th, 2004, 01:16 PM

I'll be taping a music performance and am planning to connect my dvx100a to the mixing board. Any experience with this?

Anything I should tell the sound guy? Anything I should do to adjust the board's output level - is it possible that it'd be too high or too low for the camera?

Any advise will be appreciated.

Thank you.

-- Andre

John Britt · May 12th, 2004, 01:38 PM

If possible, I'd recommend recording the board mix to a separate medium -- DAT, CD, Tape, whatever. Even better is if you can borrow or rent a multi-track mixer and capture as much of the raw feed as possible. You should also capture the room sound to the DVX to use (possibly) in the mix and for sync.

I say this because most soundpeople are going to optimize the sound for the room, not for later listening on a stereo or in a video. For example, if we are discussing a rock concert, the drums may be nonexistent on the board mix because the drummer is a really heavy player. Or maybe there won't be much guitar in the board mix because the guitarist plays really loud to begin with. The board mix may not be ideal for later listening.

A friend of mine was in town last week shooting a live performace for a DVD and they had a dedicated sound guy who patched into the club's system with his own multi-track setup. This is probably beyond your resources, but it's just an example of something recent I was watching...

If you simply have to get your audio off the board, see what the soundman has for output options. He may have a separate line-out that he can tweak the volume on without disturbing his room mix. Basically, the same rules for audio apply as in any other situation: Keep it out of the red (although a little bit of red in the DVX isn't too bad). Don't boost the signal using the DVX volume controls -- keep your controls in the middle and boost the signal from the board. If there is a soundcheck, be there. Set up during soundcheck and make sure everything is in place.

Hmm... maybe it would help if I knew what sort of event your were shooting.

Andre Andreev · May 12th, 2004, 02:30 PM

thank you for the swift reply.

I will be shooting 2-person band - voice, guitar, and another guitar/bass/drum.

You're right, It's logical to expect that the drums will be very low as the venue is pretty small. I'll ask for an output with a different balance or a straight "out" mix.

In the future I'll consider getting a mixer. But how would that work?

I mean, if I patch my mixer before the stage mixer, how do I get all the straight (non-modified) inputs to the stage mixer? Should I buy a special model which has as many outputs as inputs as well as a mixed down output? What would you recommend?

Yes, I know nothing about mixers.

John Britt · May 12th, 2004, 03:05 PM

I don't know that the soundperson will be able to supply a different mix than the one s/he is using; I would discuss that as soon as possible with the venue.

And ideally I would recommend a whole separate multi-track recording device, not just a mixer -- a mixer implies that your will do a real-time mix at the event, which you will commit that mix to tape. I'm thinking more of 8-track digital recorder, which would allow you to remix the audio at a later date. That way you only have to worry about getting clean signal for each track, and you don't have to mess with the actual mix until later on, when you can focus on it. A quality digital 8-track starts around $700, last time I looked. Don't quote me on that, though :)

For something as small as 2-piece, you can get away with a 4-track. If you are willing to fix any sync problems, you could even get a relatively inexpensive analog cassette tape 4-track. Not as ideal as a nice digital one, especialy sound-quality wise, but you can get a good analog 4-track for closer to the $100-$200 range. (again, don't quote me on these prices!)

There are various ways to get the signal, so you don't necessarily have to place your multi-track recorder right in the middle of the chain. The soundbaord may have raw outs for each input, for example.

May 12th, 2004, 01:16 PM	#1
Andre Andreev Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 98	Connecting dvx100a to a mxing board I'll be taping a music performance and am planning to connect my dvx100a to the mixing board. Any experience with this? Anything I should tell the sound guy? Anything I should do to adjust the board's output level - is it possible that it'd be too high or too low for the camera? Any advise will be appreciated. Thank you. -- Andre

May 12th, 2004, 02:30 PM	#3
Andre Andreev Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 98	thank you thank you for the swift reply. I will be shooting 2-person band - voice, guitar, and another guitar/bass/drum. You're right, It's logical to expect that the drums will be very low as the venue is pretty small. I'll ask for an output with a different balance or a straight "out" mix. In the future I'll consider getting a mixer. But how would that work? I mean, if I patch my mixer before the stage mixer, how do I get all the straight (non-modified) inputs to the stage mixer? Should I buy a special model which has as many outputs as inputs as well as a mixed down output? What would you recommend? Yes, I know nothing about mixers.

May 12th, 2004, 01:38 PM	#2
John Britt Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 621	If possible, I'd recommend recording the board mix to a separate medium -- DAT, CD, Tape, whatever. Even better is if you can borrow or rent a multi-track mixer and capture as much of the raw feed as possible. You should also capture the room sound to the DVX to use (possibly) in the mix and for sync. I say this because most soundpeople are going to optimize the sound for the room, not for later listening on a stereo or in a video. For example, if we are discussing a rock concert, the drums may be nonexistent on the board mix because the drummer is a really heavy player. Or maybe there won't be much guitar in the board mix because the guitarist plays really loud to begin with. The board mix may not be ideal for later listening. A friend of mine was in town last week shooting a live performace for a DVD and they had a dedicated sound guy who patched into the club's system with his own multi-track setup. This is probably beyond your resources, but it's just an example of something recent I was watching... If you simply have to get your audio off the board, see what the soundman has for output options. He may have a separate line-out that he can tweak the volume on without disturbing his room mix. Basically, the same rules for audio apply as in any other situation: Keep it out of the red (although a little bit of red in the DVX isn't too bad). Don't boost the signal using the DVX volume controls -- keep your controls in the middle and boost the signal from the board. If there is a soundcheck, be there. Set up during soundcheck and make sure everything is in place. Hmm... maybe it would help if I knew what sort of event your were shooting.

May 12th, 2004, 03:05 PM	#4
John Britt Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 621	I don't know that the soundperson will be able to supply a different mix than the one s/he is using; I would discuss that as soon as possible with the venue. And ideally I would recommend a whole separate multi-track recording device, not just a mixer -- a mixer implies that your will do a real-time mix at the event, which you will commit that mix to tape. I'm thinking more of 8-track digital recorder, which would allow you to remix the audio at a later date. That way you only have to worry about getting clean signal for each track, and you don't have to mess with the actual mix until later on, when you can focus on it. A quality digital 8-track starts around $700, last time I looked. Don't quote me on that, though :) For something as small as 2-piece, you can get away with a 4-track. If you are willing to fix any sync problems, you could even get a relatively inexpensive analog cassette tape 4-track. Not as ideal as a nice digital one, especialy sound-quality wise, but you can get a good analog 4-track for closer to the $100-$200 range. (again, don't quote me on these prices!) There are various ways to get the signal, so you don't necessarily have to place your multi-track recorder right in the middle of the chain. The soundbaord may have raw outs for each input, for example.