All Things Audio -- topics from 2002 thru 2004

Paul Chun · May 14th, 2004, 03:27 PM

Anyone with suggestions on which I should get? I've been looking at the Sony wireless mic setup and also the Sennheiser. What I want to do is use a wireless lavalier mic but also have the capability to use the transmitter to connect to a mixing board via XLR or 1/4" adapter. Can both these units do this? Anyone better than the other?

Glen Elliott · May 14th, 2004, 09:22 PM

A videographer friend of mine with a bigger budget than myself just picked up a Neumann-KMR81i shotgun mic for his PD-170. Neumann isn't even a company I'm familiar with- when I think shotguns I think Audio Technica or Senheisser. Does anyone know anything about this mic and how it compares against a, say...., Senheisser ME66? Thanks in advance!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=146370&is=REG

Bryan Beasleigh · May 14th, 2004, 10:29 PM

Neumann basically wrote the book on microphone design.
After WW2 the Neumann factory that was in the allied zone in Berlin kept producing and was eventually bought by Sennheiser.

The location behind "The Iron Curtain" is now known as Micro Tech Geffel. They also have the right to the Neaumann name.

Neuman designs are what everyoine likes to copy or attempt to copy.

http://www.neumannusa.com/pages/products/history.asp

The KMR81i is supposed to be very neutal and smooth. It ought to be at $1200

Paul Bravmann · May 22nd, 2004, 03:50 PM

so i just did a number of audio tests using my GL-2 w/ beachtek adaptor and AT-897 shotgun (camera mounted, battery powered). and i am confused by the results.

-----------
TEST #1:
audio set on "manual"
beach set on mono (splitting the signal, right?)
beach R and L knobs all the way open (10)
R channel on the GL-2 all the way open
L channel on the GL-2 about 2/3 open

note: these settings gave me a signal that was more-or-less peaking at the green VU dot on the LCD monitor.

-----------
TEST #2:
audio set on "auto"
beach set on mono
beach R and L knobs all the way open (10)
R and L channels on the GL-2 disabled (that's what happens when you're in "auto," right?

note: these settings gave me VU readings that peaked, for the most part, below -12, probably more in the -20 range, though perhaps even below.

------------
RESULTS:
in both tests i used my speaking voice at different volumes (from a whisper to quite loud), in a variety of positions--from 2.5' to about 15' away from the mike. the tests took place in my apartment, so were pretty controlled, barring the occasional passing car, blaring rap or salsa music, outside my window.

i was surprised to find that "auto" seemed to give me more signal, less noise then "manual," which gave an appreciable hiss. and i didn't hear any "pumping" or unpleasant auto-gain effects.

that said, the "manual" signal was quite a bit louder. when i watched the tape on my my TV/stereo, i had to bump the volume down a few notches to more-or-less match the volume of the "auto" take.

so my guts telling me to shoot my audio on "auto," 'cause it seems to be cleaner, but i'm mildly concerned about the output--do i need to worry that there may not be enough audio to work with in post if it sounds fine coming through my system at home?

finally, i'm not doing dramatic work. i just need servicible sound for a low-budget documentary. and i'm not in the market for any additional equipment, just want to make the most of what i have.

and let me tack on a boneheaded, somewhat off-topic Q: nowhere in the AT instructions does it explain which mic switch position is the bass rolled off. i'm assuming it's the hyphen graphic turned down slightly at one end. is that correct? (i performed the tests with both settings; it didn't affect the results.)

thanks for any thoughts on the above,
phb

George Zabetas · May 22nd, 2004, 04:53 PM

At 2 feet away from a talking head I am getting about -30dbFS. Is that right?

George Zabetas · May 22nd, 2004, 06:23 PM

Found it. Vegas Audio has a DIM OUTPUT button that was selected by default that drops your master audio levels by 20dB. "so you can hear the pizza delivery or the phone" per the vegas help files. gee thanks vegas, it took me some time to find this.

Miguel Lombana · May 28th, 2004, 04:34 PM

I wanted to share this with the group cause I feel that if you find someone good, that does a great job at a great price and delivers on what you need, it should be shared.

With that in mind I'll paint the picture. You're using your cam and you add an XLR input box such as a Sign Video XLR pro, you mount it under the camera and you suddenly realize that you can't put your hand in the camera strap because there is a 2" long XLR plug feeding the input from your boom mic in the way.

In the past I'd have ordered the connectors, torn up a cable and soldered up a new cable to fit my needs. Those days and my eyes as well as patience are gone.

After much looking around on the web, I stumbled on several companies however I had a very specific request, I needed RIGHT ANGLE MALE XLR's to input into my XLR-Pro, everyone was offering straight males and right angle females to connect at the mic.

Then I got an eMail from Jim at AVCABLE.com who said he could do the cables, exactly at the lenghts that I wanted and with nice high quality Neutrix connectors which were (you guessed it) right angle!

I also needed a very specific screw on type connector for my Sennheiser 100 receiver as I wasn't in the mood to have it come loose during a shoot. Since the manufacturer chooses to use a screw on conectors I asked if he could spec it as well.

Bottom line (which is the way I shop anyway), is that this shop means business and customer satisfaction. The order that I needed was for (2) 1' XLR mic cables each with a right angle connector for my boom mic and (2) 1' 3.5mm mini-plug with screw on to XLR Male with right angle. Total cost about 85 bucks plus shipping.

This is very reasonable considering that you can drop 20 bucks on a mic cable without blinking (yes that would be for 20 feet) but consider that there is custom work and love in these cables!

Anyway, if anyone finds themselves in my situation and wants to clean up their cable mess on their cam, AVCABLE.COM and Jim Woodier is the man!

His tag line on his email is:

jwoodier@avcable.com
877-229-3601 (toll free)
"Cable Assemblies for Professionals Who Demand Quality"

I am in no way connected to or employed by avcable and this is strickly my personal opinion.

Mike Rehmus · May 28th, 2004, 10:17 PM

This was an excellent class with Jeffrey and Douglass. I learned enough in the first hour to more than pay for the class.

Acid is much more than a loop-based music-maker. It really is a good multi-channel mixer and video scoring tool that can also help you make very good music. I think it just displaced Sound Forge as my most important video sound finishing tool.

If you have an opportunity, take this class even if you have no interest in using Acid. You will learn a lot about how to think about scoring a video and how to proceed to complete the project. Douglass adds many fine points about using music to create emotions. As a teaching tool, he made a video clip of a sunset become the prelude to almost any genre of movie just by changing the music.

The sound sweetening tips he gave us for voice-overs were, alone, worth the price of admission. And the tip about using a Senn 416 shotgun for those deep voice narrations was really valuable too.

Tired of your old Royalty-Free sound library. Jeffrey and Douglass will teach you how to spice it up so it sounds new. Perhaps even better than new.

Furthermore, this was no 5 hour class. We started at 9 AM and walked out at 6 PM. Ya get more than your money's worth from this crew. The freebies were nice too.

If you went to the same kind of film school I did, they ignored the contribution music makes to the success of any production. Nothing but lip service.

VASST paid me no money for this unsolicited commercial (nor any expensive gifts, either).

Douglas Spotted Eagle · May 30th, 2004, 09:54 PM

Dang, Mike! Thanks for the very cool review of the day. I've forwarded this to Jeffrey.
As you can see from my absence here on the forum this past week, traveling has kept me from being as active as I usually am and like to be.
It was a great pleasure meeting you, too.
Jeffrey and I love doing the ACID classes, and the Vegas, PPT, Advanced Vegas, Premiere, After Effects, Soundtrack, Now Hear This, and other VASSTs upcoming are just as fun, and hopefully as value-filled as you perceived this day to be.
Thanks again for the kind words, these are what makes it wonderful to be part of VASST.

Stewart McDonald · June 5th, 2004, 10:34 AM

I will be using a GL2 to make a short movie. I have been researching different mics and read through many threads in this forum, but am still confused. I have been looking at the AT897 mainly, and need to know a few things.

Can I get an XLR to mini-plug adapter and attach the mic to the top of the camera and still get good sound? Or do I need something like an XLR-pro?

Will I need to use the mic on a boompole above actors heads? Or can I just aim from the top of my camera? The short is going to be filmed in a small quiet room.

Does the mic come with attachments for the top of the camera?

Thanks

Douglas Spotted Eagle · June 7th, 2004, 09:44 AM

Gang,
if you aren't registered for the FREE SONY SOFTWARE SHOWCASE EVENT in NYC for tomorrow, (june 8) GET REGISTERED NOW!
Due to security reasons, the 550 Madison avenue building will NOT allow anyone into the showcase unless they are pre-registered.
We will be turning off registration at 11:00 p.m. EST
http://www.vasst.com/registration/?sony to get registered.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · June 7th, 2004, 01:10 PM

FAiled to mention for those attending, bring PHOTO ID to get into the building~~!!

Gavin Thomas · June 8th, 2004, 03:32 AM

hi there,
i know this might be a stupid question but i cannot find anyother thread on this. can someone tell me if its worth building my own boom mic and what do you recommend for the mic, maybe even the mic that comes standard with the xl1? also should i make or buy the cable cord for the boom mic,

has anyone got a boom mic? please post pictures thanks!.

Regards,

Frank Ladner · June 8th, 2004, 10:59 AM

Hi Gavin!

I am assuming you have the microphone and are talking about making a boom-pole. Correct?

I bought one of those yellow light bulb removers from Home Depot, removed the bulb-gripper part, and added a section to the end that came from an old microphone stand. This works fine. As with any boom pole, don't extend the sections all the way so that it doesn't flex too much. Also, look into insulating the hand-end of the pole. I didn't try to run the wire through the pole...not sure that it's big enough...so I just use clips on the outside.

Currently, I boom with a cardiod studio microphone.

http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_online/browse.cfm/action/details/item/00488040/wc/2A2A23/fam/WM/tcode/3/studi.cfm

What I am lacking is a shockmount for the end, but with careful handling, I get by just fine.

,Frank

Bogdan Apetri · June 8th, 2004, 02:22 PM

Hello!

I have the Sennheiser ME-67 microphone with the K6 powering module and the AG-DVX100A camera.

Does anyone know about a particular audio setting with this camera called MIC GAIN? You have to set it either at the -50db or the -60db. The manual says it depends on the mic's sensitivity.

Can someone elaborate on that?

Thanks you very much!

May 14th, 2004, 03:27 PM	#301
Paul Chun Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 132	Sony vs Sennheiser Wireless Anyone with suggestions on which I should get? I've been looking at the Sony wireless mic setup and also the Sennheiser. What I want to do is use a wireless lavalier mic but also have the capability to use the transmitter to connect to a mixing board via XLR or 1/4" adapter. Can both these units do this? Anyone better than the other?

May 14th, 2004, 09:22 PM	#302
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Anyone hear of a Neumann-KMR81I shotgun mic? A videographer friend of mine with a bigger budget than myself just picked up a Neumann-KMR81i shotgun mic for his PD-170. Neumann isn't even a company I'm familiar with- when I think shotguns I think Audio Technica or Senheisser. Does anyone know anything about this mic and how it compares against a, say...., Senheisser ME66? Thanks in advance! http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=146370&is=REG

May 14th, 2004, 10:29 PM	#303
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	Neumann basically wrote the book on microphone design. After WW2 the Neumann factory that was in the allied zone in Berlin kept producing and was eventually bought by Sennheiser. The location behind "The Iron Curtain" is now known as Micro Tech Geffel. They also have the right to the Neaumann name. Neuman designs are what everyoine likes to copy or attempt to copy. http://www.neumannusa.com/pages/products/history.asp The KMR81i is supposed to be very neutal and smooth. It ought to be at $1200 __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ".......holy smokin rubber lips...what a ride!"

May 22nd, 2004, 03:50 PM	#304
Paul Bravmann Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 44	GL-2 Signal vs. Noise; Auto vs. Manual so i just did a number of audio tests using my GL-2 w/ beachtek adaptor and AT-897 shotgun (camera mounted, battery powered). and i am confused by the results. ----------- TEST #1: audio set on "manual" beach set on mono (splitting the signal, right?) beach R and L knobs all the way open (10) R channel on the GL-2 all the way open L channel on the GL-2 about 2/3 open note: these settings gave me a signal that was more-or-less peaking at the green VU dot on the LCD monitor. ----------- TEST #2: audio set on "auto" beach set on mono beach R and L knobs all the way open (10) R and L channels on the GL-2 disabled (that's what happens when you're in "auto," right? note: these settings gave me VU readings that peaked, for the most part, below -12, probably more in the -20 range, though perhaps even below. ------------ RESULTS: in both tests i used my speaking voice at different volumes (from a whisper to quite loud), in a variety of positions--from 2.5' to about 15' away from the mike. the tests took place in my apartment, so were pretty controlled, barring the occasional passing car, blaring rap or salsa music, outside my window. i was surprised to find that "auto" seemed to give me more signal, less noise then "manual," which gave an appreciable hiss. and i didn't hear any "pumping" or unpleasant auto-gain effects. that said, the "manual" signal was quite a bit louder. when i watched the tape on my my TV/stereo, i had to bump the volume down a few notches to more-or-less match the volume of the "auto" take. so my guts telling me to shoot my audio on "auto," 'cause it seems to be cleaner, but i'm mildly concerned about the output--do i need to worry that there may not be enough audio to work with in post if it sounds fine coming through my system at home? finally, i'm not doing dramatic work. i just need servicible sound for a low-budget documentary. and i'm not in the market for any additional equipment, just want to make the most of what i have. and let me tack on a boneheaded, somewhat off-topic Q: nowhere in the AT instructions does it explain which mic switch position is the bass rolled off. i'm assuming it's the hyphen graphic turned down slightly at one end. is that correct? (i performed the tests with both settings; it didn't affect the results.) thanks for any thoughts on the above, phb

May 22nd, 2004, 04:53 PM	#305
George Zabetas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Argos, Greece Posts: 70	getting low dialogue levels on the oktava At 2 feet away from a talking head I am getting about -30dbFS. Is that right?

May 22nd, 2004, 06:23 PM	#306
George Zabetas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Argos, Greece Posts: 70	Found it. Vegas Audio has a DIM OUTPUT button that was selected by default that drops your master audio levels by 20dB. "so you can hear the pizza delivery or the phone" per the vegas help files. gee thanks vegas, it took me some time to find this.

May 28th, 2004, 04:34 PM	#307
Miguel Lombana Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Litchfield Park, AZ (W/of Phoenix) Posts: 502	Custom Cables for XLR Boxes and DV Cams I wanted to share this with the group cause I feel that if you find someone good, that does a great job at a great price and delivers on what you need, it should be shared. With that in mind I'll paint the picture. You're using your cam and you add an XLR input box such as a Sign Video XLR pro, you mount it under the camera and you suddenly realize that you can't put your hand in the camera strap because there is a 2" long XLR plug feeding the input from your boom mic in the way. In the past I'd have ordered the connectors, torn up a cable and soldered up a new cable to fit my needs. Those days and my eyes as well as patience are gone. After much looking around on the web, I stumbled on several companies however I had a very specific request, I needed RIGHT ANGLE MALE XLR's to input into my XLR-Pro, everyone was offering straight males and right angle females to connect at the mic. Then I got an eMail from Jim at AVCABLE.com who said he could do the cables, exactly at the lenghts that I wanted and with nice high quality Neutrix connectors which were (you guessed it) right angle! I also needed a very specific screw on type connector for my Sennheiser 100 receiver as I wasn't in the mood to have it come loose during a shoot. Since the manufacturer chooses to use a screw on conectors I asked if he could spec it as well. Bottom line (which is the way I shop anyway), is that this shop means business and customer satisfaction. The order that I needed was for (2) 1' XLR mic cables each with a right angle connector for my boom mic and (2) 1' 3.5mm mini-plug with screw on to XLR Male with right angle. Total cost about 85 bucks plus shipping. This is very reasonable considering that you can drop 20 bucks on a mic cable without blinking (yes that would be for 20 feet) but consider that there is custom work and love in these cables! Anyway, if anyone finds themselves in my situation and wants to clean up their cable mess on their cam, AVCABLE.COM and Jim Woodier is the man! His tag line on his email is: jwoodier@avcable.com 877-229-3601 (toll free) "Cable Assemblies for Professionals Who Demand Quality" I am in no way connected to or employed by avcable and this is strickly my personal opinion.

May 28th, 2004, 10:17 PM	#308
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	VASST Tour Student Report - Acid Class This was an excellent class with Jeffrey and Douglass. I learned enough in the first hour to more than pay for the class. Acid is much more than a loop-based music-maker. It really is a good multi-channel mixer and video scoring tool that can also help you make very good music. I think it just displaced Sound Forge as my most important video sound finishing tool. If you have an opportunity, take this class even if you have no interest in using Acid. You will learn a lot about how to think about scoring a video and how to proceed to complete the project. Douglass adds many fine points about using music to create emotions. As a teaching tool, he made a video clip of a sunset become the prelude to almost any genre of movie just by changing the music. The sound sweetening tips he gave us for voice-overs were, alone, worth the price of admission. And the tip about using a Senn 416 shotgun for those deep voice narrations was really valuable too. Tired of your old Royalty-Free sound library. Jeffrey and Douglass will teach you how to spice it up so it sounds new. Perhaps even better than new. Furthermore, this was no 5 hour class. We started at 9 AM and walked out at 6 PM. Ya get more than your money's worth from this crew. The freebies were nice too. If you went to the same kind of film school I did, they ignored the contribution music makes to the success of any production. Nothing but lip service. VASST paid me no money for this unsolicited commercial (nor any expensive gifts, either). __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

May 30th, 2004, 09:54 PM	#309
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	Dang, Mike! Thanks for the very cool review of the day. I've forwarded this to Jeffrey. As you can see from my absence here on the forum this past week, traveling has kept me from being as active as I usually am and like to be. It was a great pleasure meeting you, too. Jeffrey and I love doing the ACID classes, and the Vegas, PPT, Advanced Vegas, Premiere, After Effects, Soundtrack, Now Hear This, and other VASSTs upcoming are just as fun, and hopefully as value-filled as you perceived this day to be. Thanks again for the kind words, these are what makes it wonderful to be part of VASST. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

June 5th, 2004, 10:34 AM	#310
Stewart McDonald Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK Posts: 130	AT-897 questions I will be using a GL2 to make a short movie. I have been researching different mics and read through many threads in this forum, but am still confused. I have been looking at the AT897 mainly, and need to know a few things. Can I get an XLR to mini-plug adapter and attach the mic to the top of the camera and still get good sound? Or do I need something like an XLR-pro? Will I need to use the mic on a boompole above actors heads? Or can I just aim from the top of my camera? The short is going to be filmed in a small quiet room. Does the mic come with attachments for the top of the camera? Thanks

June 7th, 2004, 09:44 AM	#311
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	last chance for Free NYC showcase Gang, if you aren't registered for the FREE SONY SOFTWARE SHOWCASE EVENT in NYC for tomorrow, (june 8) GET REGISTERED NOW! Due to security reasons, the 550 Madison avenue building will NOT allow anyone into the showcase unless they are pre-registered. We will be turning off registration at 11:00 p.m. EST http://www.vasst.com/registration/?sony to get registered. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

June 7th, 2004, 01:10 PM	#312
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	FAiled to mention for those attending, bring PHOTO ID to get into the building~~!! __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

June 8th, 2004, 03:32 AM	#313
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	can i make a boom mic? hi there, i know this might be a stupid question but i cannot find anyother thread on this. can someone tell me if its worth building my own boom mic and what do you recommend for the mic, maybe even the mic that comes standard with the xl1? also should i make or buy the cable cord for the boom mic, has anyone got a boom mic? please post pictures thanks!. Regards,

June 8th, 2004, 10:59 AM	#314
Frank Ladner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Poplarville, MS Posts: 453	Hi Gavin! I am assuming you have the microphone and are talking about making a boom-pole. Correct? I bought one of those yellow light bulb removers from Home Depot, removed the bulb-gripper part, and added a section to the end that came from an old microphone stand. This works fine. As with any boom pole, don't extend the sections all the way so that it doesn't flex too much. Also, look into insulating the hand-end of the pole. I didn't try to run the wire through the pole...not sure that it's big enough...so I just use clips on the outside. Currently, I boom with a cardiod studio microphone. http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_online/browse.cfm/action/details/item/00488040/wc/2A2A23/fam/WM/tcode/3/studi.cfm What I am lacking is a shockmount for the end, but with careful handling, I get by just fine. ,Frank

June 8th, 2004, 02:22 PM	#315
Bogdan Apetri Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York, USA Posts: 117	dvx100A microphone setting Hello! I have the Sennheiser ME-67 microphone with the K6 powering module and the AG-DVX100A camera. Does anyone know about a particular audio setting with this camera called MIC GAIN? You have to set it either at the -50db or the -60db. The manual says it depends on the mic's sensitivity. Can someone elaborate on that? Thanks you very much!