My Final Post on Audio Equipment! (hopefully)

Chris Wright · March 19th, 2005, 02:27 PM

Hmm, now I'm confused again. :-)

Should I get the K-Tek suspenders or not?

David Ennis · March 19th, 2005, 03:57 PM

What Pete says about securing the mic makes sense, and either suspenders should insulate the mic from vibrations in the shock mount's body. And you can always order K-Tek suspenders later if you want to try them.

By the way, I did some comparative testing of the GL2's on-board mic vs. the AT3031 at one foot and at ten feet. The GL2's mic is not bad at one foot, but the 3031 sounds much better. At a distance of ten feet in my narrow basement family room, the AT3031 smoked the on-board. It was stronger and almost free of echo, making the reverb from on-board sound pretty bad.

Chris Wright · March 19th, 2005, 06:47 PM

Thanks Fred, that's exactly what I wanted to hear about the AT3031

And thanks for the tip on the shock mount. I think I'll start with the standard AT8415 for now and add the K-Tek suspenders later if I think I need too.

Ok, I have a couple more quick questions...

First off, what is this?:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=155416&is=REG

I saw it mentioned in another thread (not sure which one), but the ground lift switch was interesting. What exactly does it do? and is it something I would find useful?

Also... I was looking at this 2-shoe mount adapter:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=146293&is=REG
Since the Senn. G2 kit comes with a shoe mount adapter, would this part let me mount the receiver vertically like it's supposed to be, and still have room for a mic on top?

Thanks

Pete Wilie · March 19th, 2005, 06:55 PM

If you READ the B&H description (Features) you can answer your own question.

Chris Wright · March 19th, 2005, 07:00 PM

uh... thanks...

I guess I should be more clear. I know that box provides attenuation, but does it really do anything that the DXA-8 combined with the AT8202 attenuator won't do?

David Ennis · March 19th, 2005, 08:01 PM

That ROLLS device is called a direct box. Its main function is to take an unbalanced (two section) 1/4" plug and convert it to a balanced 3 pin XLR jack. One common application is to take the output directly from an electric instrument to a sound board rather than amplify it and pick up the sound with a microphone. There are also 1/4" unbalanced outputs on sound boards that can be converted to balanced XLR for a cable run to your camera position, but you would find that use rare because there is usually a better option. The ground lift switch can often alleviate a ground loop hum. There is a gound lift switch on the DXA-8 also.

Chris Wright · March 23rd, 2005, 06:56 PM

Thanks for the info, Fred...

I have a quick question... I was just getting ready to place my order tonight, when I noticed something: I can't tell from the pictures if I can mount the Mini Rover between the DXA-8 adapter and the camera. It doesnt look like there is enough depth to the Mini Rover to do this... but if It's mounted underneath the DXA-8, then the handle would be too low and feel awkward.

Can someone please (quickly) assure me that the Mini Rover can be sandwitched between the Beachtek box and the GL2?

Thanks

Chris Wright · March 29th, 2005, 10:07 PM

hey everyone... just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for their help (in this thread and the others i started). My order arrived today.

Here's some pics if anyone's interested:
http://homepage.mac.com/cwright3/PhotoAlbum49.html

I haven't had a whole lot of time to test everything yet, but it seems to be working great. The Senn G2 is awesome, but I haven't tried it at any great distances yet.

Here's one thing that bugs me though... with the AT3031 on the camera, I can't seem to get it's volume up loud enough, compared to the GL2's on-board speaker, without alot of hiss. MIC ATT is turned on, as well as the limiters on the Beachtek. Whenever I put the mic an inch or two away from the source, it sounds great, but at any further distance (like across a small room) the GL2's on-board mic is louder (albeit echo-y, but still louder).

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

March 19th, 2005, 02:27 PM	#16
Chris Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Posts: 146	Hmm, now I'm confused again. :-) Should I get the K-Tek suspenders or not? __________________ www.interactiverecipes.com

March 19th, 2005, 03:57 PM	#17
David Ennis Fred Retread Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hartford, CT Posts: 1,227	What Pete says about securing the mic makes sense, and either suspenders should insulate the mic from vibrations in the shock mount's body. And you can always order K-Tek suspenders later if you want to try them. By the way, I did some comparative testing of the GL2's on-board mic vs. the AT3031 at one foot and at ten feet. The GL2's mic is not bad at one foot, but the 3031 sounds much better. At a distance of ten feet in my narrow basement family room, the AT3031 smoked the on-board. It was stronger and almost free of echo, making the reverb from on-board sound pretty bad. __________________ "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence..." - Calvin Coolidge "My brain is wired to want to know how other things are wired." - Me

March 19th, 2005, 06:47 PM	#18
Chris Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Posts: 146	Thanks Fred, that's exactly what I wanted to hear about the AT3031 And thanks for the tip on the shock mount. I think I'll start with the standard AT8415 for now and add the K-Tek suspenders later if I think I need too. Ok, I have a couple more quick questions... First off, what is this?: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=155416&is=REG I saw it mentioned in another thread (not sure which one), but the ground lift switch was interesting. What exactly does it do? and is it something I would find useful? Also... I was looking at this 2-shoe mount adapter: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=146293&is=REG Since the Senn. G2 kit comes with a shoe mount adapter, would this part let me mount the receiver vertically like it's supposed to be, and still have room for a mic on top? Thanks __________________ www.interactiverecipes.com

March 19th, 2005, 07:00 PM	#20
Chris Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Posts: 146	uh... thanks... I guess I should be more clear. I know that box provides attenuation, but does it really do anything that the DXA-8 combined with the AT8202 attenuator won't do? __________________ www.interactiverecipes.com

March 19th, 2005, 08:01 PM	#21
David Ennis Fred Retread Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hartford, CT Posts: 1,227	That ROLLS device is called a direct box. Its main function is to take an unbalanced (two section) 1/4" plug and convert it to a balanced 3 pin XLR jack. One common application is to take the output directly from an electric instrument to a sound board rather than amplify it and pick up the sound with a microphone. There are also 1/4" unbalanced outputs on sound boards that can be converted to balanced XLR for a cable run to your camera position, but you would find that use rare because there is usually a better option. The ground lift switch can often alleviate a ground loop hum. There is a gound lift switch on the DXA-8 also. __________________ "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence..." - Calvin Coolidge "My brain is wired to want to know how other things are wired." - Me

March 19th, 2005, 06:55 PM	#19
Pete Wilie Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 331	If you READ the B&H description (Features) you can answer your own question.

March 23rd, 2005, 06:56 PM	#22
Chris Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Posts: 146	Thanks for the info, Fred... I have a quick question... I was just getting ready to place my order tonight, when I noticed something: I can't tell from the pictures if I can mount the Mini Rover between the DXA-8 adapter and the camera. It doesnt look like there is enough depth to the Mini Rover to do this... but if It's mounted underneath the DXA-8, then the handle would be too low and feel awkward. Can someone please (quickly) assure me that the Mini Rover can be sandwitched between the Beachtek box and the GL2? Thanks __________________ www.interactiverecipes.com

March 29th, 2005, 10:07 PM	#23
Chris Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Posts: 146	hey everyone... just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for their help (in this thread and the others i started). My order arrived today. Here's some pics if anyone's interested: http://homepage.mac.com/cwright3/PhotoAlbum49.html I haven't had a whole lot of time to test everything yet, but it seems to be working great. The Senn G2 is awesome, but I haven't tried it at any great distances yet. Here's one thing that bugs me though... with the AT3031 on the camera, I can't seem to get it's volume up loud enough, compared to the GL2's on-board speaker, without alot of hiss. MIC ATT is turned on, as well as the limiters on the Beachtek. Whenever I put the mic an inch or two away from the source, it sounds great, but at any further distance (like across a small room) the GL2's on-board mic is louder (albeit echo-y, but still louder). Am I doing something wrong? Thanks __________________ www.interactiverecipes.com