Seminar audio question

[Brian Manning]

Thats a relief!
Im probably just being over careful. Its just that I work alone (mostly self-taught) with no training in most areas I work in and no friends or support that do what i do to show me tips and tricks.

Its quite disconcerting when faced with a new project, that you dont know if it will throw up some horrible anomoly I have never heard of.

I fixed the house mics at the last confrence I filmed at when noone else could, just by being techy enough to figure it out logically, even though Im no sound guy.

Its reassuring to hear that the answer will probably be that I plug a female xlr in my camera and a male in the mixer and itll work, along with my other backups of course. Anyway, I have the audio guy yet to get back to me about it. Im sure we will tease it out between us before the day.
I feel better now, thanks!

[Steven Reid]

Sorry to mention something else that might be obvious (but if not it will become painfully obvious): just make sure to match mixer and camera levels, i.e., line output to line input, or mic output to mic input. The audio mixer guy can probably give whatever you need (but CHECK!), so the question is what does your camera take: mic or line inputs (or either)? Feed line output into your camera set to mic input, and you're in for a noisy disaster. Mic-->line and the level will be much too low.

[Brian Manning]

I have the Panny af101. I think its both mic or Line. But I will make sure to match them. thanks for that. its the little things! Thanks for thinking of it.
B

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Steven Reid

The audio mixer guy can probably give whatever you need (but CHECK!),

MOST analog audio consoles only have Line output. To get Mic level, the audio tech would likely need to throw an impedance matching box into the mix, if he/she has one available. I carry 4 of them in my kit. Whirlwind makes VERY affordable and simple to use ones.

[Don Bloom]

+1 for what Steven said and I forgot to mention in my previous lengthy post....Forget about using an on board mic of any kind as a "backup" source. You'd be better off doing shorthand writing and then doing a VO to match the speakers lips moving. ;-)
I've done seminars where I'm 150 back from the stage and audio world is a good 60 to 75 feet away from me off to the side and the speakers which are set up on stands are from 50 to 100 feet away IF they have fill speakers set up. So a shotgun or hypercaroid on the camera would be a complete waste. HOWEVER, if you can set up a stand alone recorder like a Tascam DR-05, or 40 or anyother name brand from the mixer great, if not maybe a mic set up on a stand in from of one of the speakers going to the recorder if not frankly don't worry about it. Get in early enough to set up, fax everything out (do a sound/record test and play it back for you to see and hear even if only thru a small playback monitor and headphones) then do it again. Make sure. Live events, you only get to do it once.
BTW just to be truthful here, in all of the live events I've done (seminars, conferences) I've never set up a secondary audio source. I trust what I've got from the board if I'm pulling from the board. IF I'm covering a smaller event and there is no board, that's a different story.
First rule of seminars...Never let them see you sweat! You'll get it done. Have fun!

[Steven Digges]

One addition to Steven's post above. If you have coiled XLR cable left over on your run, don't throw the coiled cable on top of the extra coiled AC cable you may have laying under your tripod. A 60Hrtz hum sucks!

Steve

[Steven Reid]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

A 60Hrtz hum sucks!Steve

Even more a consternation in the UK! :P

[Don Bloom]

Steven D, good catch. Yeah I've seen sound guys do that and I feel I have to say something even if I'm not pulling any audio to my camera. Audio and power, like fire and gas. Don't mix!

Steven R, yeah a 60 mHz hum in Europe could be a sign of a larger issue! :-0

I'll bet we could tell some great stories! ;-)

[Al Gardner]

Originally Posted by Brian Manning

Thats a relief!
I
Its reassuring to hear that the answer will probably be that I plug a female xlr in my camera and a male in the mixer and itll work, along with my other backups of course. Anyway, I have the audio guy yet to get back to me about it. Im sure we will tease it out between us before the day.
I feel better now, thanks!

Its reassuring to hear that the answer will probably be that I plug a female xlr in my camera and a male in the mixer and itll work, along with my other backups of course. Anyway, I have the audio guy yet to get back to me about it. I'm sure we will tease it out between us before the day.
I feel better now, thanks![/QUOTE]

Brian, Unless you have some new fangled camera you will be plugging the male XLR into your camera. What happens on the house end is questionable, but a female XLR to male 1/4inch will usually do the trick if needed.Seminars are what I do for a living, here in the States and in Canada. The best advice I could give you is make contact early. Engage the audio people from the venue and your client in the conversation. If your client is paying for your audio feeds that's best case scenario. It will be on the spec sheet. I usually look at room diagrams if I'm traveling and request a riser and a audio feed in the best possible spot. On the day of the show get there real early (2h hr min). Make friends with the A/V guy. Test your feeds as soon as you are setup. 15 minutes to show time test again. I've never had a tested audio feed fail. Even if it does fail, a wireless wont do any good, because at that point the failed house audio will put everything on hold anyway. I say just have a couple of turnarounds and a attenuator. You should be good.