All Things Audio -- topics from 2002 thru 2004

Frank Ladner · August 17th, 2003, 05:36 PM

I am about to purchase a Beachtek DXA-6 audio adapter. (Supplies phantom power to both channels, I have read.)

Do I have to use the ME66 (short shotgun) capsule with K6/K6P power modules fed to the DXA-6, or are the K6 modules nothing more than power supplies (K6P being phantom), allowing me to attach the capsule straight to the DXA-6?

Thanks for the help!

Frank Ladner · August 17th, 2003, 05:38 PM

I came back to the audio section looking for replies to my post on this topic, only to find it not here (I thought I didn't submit it or whatever). After I posted this, I realized I put it in the GL2 section.

IGNORE THIS. SORRY!!!

Michael McConnell · August 18th, 2003, 04:53 AM

I think I stressed my ear phone socket out because when i open my lcd screen in vcr--the sound only plays when I push against the ear phone jack with my finger--the audio cant play by it self in vcr with out me doing this--Could I have stressed my socket causing a short and if so how can i fix it?

Alan Tran · August 19th, 2003, 03:10 AM

i plan on buying an m-audio Sonica Theatre which offers 7.1 sound
can anyone recommend some speakers? 4-500 dollars is my budget

Jeff Donald · August 19th, 2003, 06:16 AM

It sounds like you cracked something (solder, circuit board etc.) inside. Probably best to send it to Sony or find a local repair facility that you feel confident in.

Jeff Price · August 20th, 2003, 09:31 AM

I see that Mikemuff now makes a furry windsock for the ME-66. While it's probably not on par with the Rykote or Lightwave it would still seem to provide some benefit for $40. Has anyone used a mikemuff on a shotgun mic yet? Any comments?

Alan Tran · August 20th, 2003, 05:38 PM

i just bought one for my gl2
it only records on the left channel?
any good tips for recording?

Marco Leavitt · August 23rd, 2003, 01:49 PM

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/32469.html

redcanary3 · August 25th, 2003, 05:45 PM

I am producing my first 30 second commercial for a small time television station. I was wondering if there was anything special I should know about the audio levels. Like a standard level or anything? Any tips at all would help. Just a beginner with the whole broadcast thing.

Thanks, Todd

Jeff Price · August 26th, 2003, 09:37 AM

I received my MikeMuff yesterday and it's huge. Apparently the MikeMuff people assume you already have the Sennheiser foam windscreen though they make no mention of the fact on their site. I have a cheap-o foam windscreen on my mic now and the mikemuff is still too large.

Dany Nativel · August 26th, 2003, 10:10 PM

After reading many posts from other DVInfo users using painter poles as mic boom I decided to give it a try.

The head is little bit different as it gives more flexibility (angle and support for virtually any shockmount). http://natzo.com/hardware/boom10.jpg

You can find additonal pictures as well as the full article at : http://natzo.com/article.php3?id_article=14

Dany

Matt Stahley · August 26th, 2003, 11:23 PM

Yeah I pretty much made the exact same pole for the exact set up but i like the angle attachment idea!

Glenn Chan · August 27th, 2003, 07:16 PM

You really have to check with your television station for the way they want your commercial delivered.

Usually they want bars and tone (and then maybe a slate) followed by your commercial. see http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=36798 for what Apple suggests.

Adjusting audio using the Gain slider

Along with the color bars at the beginning of your tape, there should also be a reference tone that matches the duration of your bars. It sounds like a long beep and is a 1 kilohertz (kHz) tone that's adjusted to play at 0 decibels (dB) on analog systems and typically at -12 dB on digital systems.

If you're capturing from a pre-mixed master tape, then all of the audio on your source tape should have been mixed in relation to the level of this reference tone. When you adjust the Gain slider to the appropriate matching level on Final Cut Pro's recording audio meter, none of the audio recorded from that tape should be overdriven.

If you're capturing audio from a tape recorded in the field, even if there is a reference tone at the beginning of the tape, chances are that the audio will vary widely from shot to shot. In this case, it will be important for you to adjust the Gain slider to record the best possible audio levels without overdriving the audio. Sometimes one setting will work for every clip on your tape. Other times, you may find yourself adjusting the audio levels for each clip one at a time. It all depends on how widely the audio levels vary on any given tape. It's important to remember that overdriven audio recorded digitally sounds crackly and distorted, and should be avoided whenever possible.

Note: When capturing DV audio, the gain level is already set and cannot be modified.

To adjust the audio Gain setting:

1. Make sure your video deck is connected to the capture card in your computer.
2. Cue the videotape to the reference tone recorded at the beginning of the tape.
3. Do one of the following:
Cue the videotape to the reference tone recorded at the beginning of the tape, if there is one and if you're recording from a pre-mixed tape.
Cue the videotape to the clip with the loudest audio signal of all the clips you want to capture on that tape.
4. Play back your tape.
5. Adjust the Gain slider so that the visible bars of the audio meter average around -12 dB, represented by the green section of the audio meter.

Your audio can peak anywhere between -12 dB and -3 dB (represented by the yellow section of the audio meter). To avoid distortion, the audio should not hit higher than 0 dB.

How you adjust the gain depends on the dynamic range of your clip. Dynamic range refers to the difference in decibels between the loudest and the softest part of your recording. You don't want to record your material at levels too low because you'll end up with a soft audio signal that doesn't sound clear. If you're capturing material that ranges between very soft and very loud, adjust the gain for the very loud sections to avoid periodic distortion.

For more information on setting levels properly, see Working with audio.

Federico Prieto · August 30th, 2003, 07:52 PM

I just want to know if the Sony ECM-Z37C Microphone is better than the built in in the VX-2000....

thanks

Mike Rehmus · August 31st, 2003, 09:06 PM

Hard to say. You need to define what you mean by better than.

August 17th, 2003, 05:36 PM	#121
Frank Ladner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Poplarville, MS Posts: 453	Me66 -> Gl2 I am about to purchase a Beachtek DXA-6 audio adapter. (Supplies phantom power to both channels, I have read.) Do I have to use the ME66 (short shotgun) capsule with K6/K6P power modules fed to the DXA-6, or are the K6 modules nothing more than power supplies (K6P being phantom), allowing me to attach the capsule straight to the DXA-6? Thanks for the help!

August 17th, 2003, 05:38 PM	#122
Frank Ladner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Poplarville, MS Posts: 453	SORRY! I came back to the audio section looking for replies to my post on this topic, only to find it not here (I thought I didn't submit it or whatever). After I posted this, I realized I put it in the GL2 section. IGNORE THIS. SORRY!!!

August 18th, 2003, 04:53 AM	#123
Michael McConnell Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: corona,ny Posts: 66	Did I add too much...to my vx-2000--help I think I stressed my ear phone socket out because when i open my lcd screen in vcr--the sound only plays when I push against the ear phone jack with my finger--the audio cant play by it self in vcr with out me doing this--Could I have stressed my socket causing a short and if so how can i fix it? __________________ co-owner www.gakcity.com

August 19th, 2003, 03:10 AM	#124
Alan Tran Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121	speakers for my powerbook? i plan on buying an m-audio Sonica Theatre which offers 7.1 sound can anyone recommend some speakers? 4-500 dollars is my budget

August 19th, 2003, 06:16 AM	#125
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	It sounds like you cracked something (solder, circuit board etc.) inside. Probably best to send it to Sony or find a local repair facility that you feel confident in. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

August 20th, 2003, 09:31 AM	#126
Jeff Price Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Chico, California Posts: 357	Mike muff for ME-66 I see that Mikemuff now makes a furry windsock for the ME-66. While it's probably not on par with the Rykote or Lightwave it would still seem to provide some benefit for $40. Has anyone used a mikemuff on a shotgun mic yet? Any comments? __________________ Jeff Price Flickerflix Nature Videos flickerflix@yahoo.com

August 20th, 2003, 05:38 PM	#127
Alan Tran Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121	mke300 question i just bought one for my gl2 it only records on the left channel? any good tips for recording?

August 23rd, 2003, 01:49 PM	#128
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Check this out http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/32469.html

August 25th, 2003, 05:45 PM	#129
redcanary3 Tourist Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Luis Obispo, CA Posts: 3	Audio for Broadcast commercial I am producing my first 30 second commercial for a small time television station. I was wondering if there was anything special I should know about the audio levels. Like a standard level or anything? Any tips at all would help. Just a beginner with the whole broadcast thing. Thanks, Todd

August 26th, 2003, 09:37 AM	#130
Jeff Price Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Chico, California Posts: 357	I received my MikeMuff yesterday and it's huge. Apparently the MikeMuff people assume you already have the Sennheiser foam windscreen though they make no mention of the fact on their site. I have a cheap-o foam windscreen on my mic now and the mikemuff is still too large. __________________ Jeff Price Flickerflix Nature Videos flickerflix@yahoo.com

August 26th, 2003, 10:10 PM	#131
Dany Nativel Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Odenton, MD Posts: 106	YAHDB - Yet Another Home Depot Boom After reading many posts from other DVInfo users using painter poles as mic boom I decided to give it a try. The head is little bit different as it gives more flexibility (angle and support for virtually any shockmount). http://natzo.com/hardware/boom10.jpg You can find additonal pictures as well as the full article at : http://natzo.com/article.php3?id_article=14 Dany

August 26th, 2003, 11:23 PM	#132
Matt Stahley Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Waynesboro, PA Posts: 648	Yeah I pretty much made the exact same pole for the exact set up but i like the angle attachment idea!

August 27th, 2003, 07:16 PM	#133
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	You really have to check with your television station for the way they want your commercial delivered. Usually they want bars and tone (and then maybe a slate) followed by your commercial. see http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=36798 for what Apple suggests. Adjusting audio using the Gain slider Along with the color bars at the beginning of your tape, there should also be a reference tone that matches the duration of your bars. It sounds like a long beep and is a 1 kilohertz (kHz) tone that's adjusted to play at 0 decibels (dB) on analog systems and typically at -12 dB on digital systems. If you're capturing from a pre-mixed master tape, then all of the audio on your source tape should have been mixed in relation to the level of this reference tone. When you adjust the Gain slider to the appropriate matching level on Final Cut Pro's recording audio meter, none of the audio recorded from that tape should be overdriven. If you're capturing audio from a tape recorded in the field, even if there is a reference tone at the beginning of the tape, chances are that the audio will vary widely from shot to shot. In this case, it will be important for you to adjust the Gain slider to record the best possible audio levels without overdriving the audio. Sometimes one setting will work for every clip on your tape. Other times, you may find yourself adjusting the audio levels for each clip one at a time. It all depends on how widely the audio levels vary on any given tape. It's important to remember that overdriven audio recorded digitally sounds crackly and distorted, and should be avoided whenever possible. Note: When capturing DV audio, the gain level is already set and cannot be modified. To adjust the audio Gain setting: 1. Make sure your video deck is connected to the capture card in your computer. 2. Cue the videotape to the reference tone recorded at the beginning of the tape. 3. Do one of the following: Cue the videotape to the reference tone recorded at the beginning of the tape, if there is one and if you're recording from a pre-mixed tape. Cue the videotape to the clip with the loudest audio signal of all the clips you want to capture on that tape. 4. Play back your tape. 5. Adjust the Gain slider so that the visible bars of the audio meter average around -12 dB, represented by the green section of the audio meter. Your audio can peak anywhere between -12 dB and -3 dB (represented by the yellow section of the audio meter). To avoid distortion, the audio should not hit higher than 0 dB. How you adjust the gain depends on the dynamic range of your clip. Dynamic range refers to the difference in decibels between the loudest and the softest part of your recording. You don't want to record your material at levels too low because you'll end up with a soft audio signal that doesn't sound clear. If you're capturing material that ranges between very soft and very loud, adjust the gain for the very loud sections to avoid periodic distortion. For more information on setting levels properly, see Working with audio.

August 30th, 2003, 07:52 PM	#134
Federico Prieto Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Caracas, Venezuela Posts: 117	Sony ECM-Z37C Mic. I just want to know if the Sony ECM-Z37C Microphone is better than the built in in the VX-2000.... thanks

August 31st, 2003, 09:06 PM	#135
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Hard to say. You need to define what you mean by better than. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!