dynamat on camera at DVinfo.net

Min Lee · January 22nd, 2006, 05:02 PM

This might be a crazy idea but let me know if you think this would work.

I was thinking about wrapping parts of my camera with dynamat which is a sound deadening material used in car audio. The reason is to reduce the motor noise so that I can get better sound with my on camera shotgun (rode vm). My camera is a Sony HC-1 which has a touch screen and not too many buttons on the outside. Do you think this would be effective? Has anyone tried something like this? If I were to do it, which part of the camera is most of the noise coming out of?

I remember seeing a demo at best buy where they had two bells, one wrapped in dynamat. They both ding when you press them but the one with dynamat doesn't resonate. It seems like this would be effective for one time noises, how do you think it'd react to the constant hum of the camera motor?

Doug Boze · January 22nd, 2006, 10:29 PM

Isn't dynamat an asphalt-based product? I used something like that in my Jeep. I wouldn't put it anywhere near a camera. The best thing is to move the mic farther away.

Bryon Akerman · January 22nd, 2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Min Lee

This might be a crazy idea but let me know if you think this would work.

Famous last words.

I would say...um....no. Just move the mic.

Bryon<><

And yes, it does sound crazy:-)

Steve House · January 23rd, 2006, 05:06 AM

You're describing what film camera operators called a "blimp" back in the days when movie cameras were noisier than they are today. But the bottom line is that unless you are shooting very very close to the action, camera noise is the least of your worries when it comes to getting decent sound. Even very expensive shotgun and hypercardioid mics need to be within a few feet of the sound source to get really high quaility results. So spending time and effort to further sound deaden your camera is going to take you from lousy sound including a little camera whine to lousy sound without the camera noise. But most of what you think of as camera noise is probably camera OPERATOR noise and unless you blimp him with the dynamat it's not going to do much anyway. Focus instead on getting the mic off the camera and close to the action.

January 22nd, 2006, 05:02 PM	#1
Min Lee Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 200	dynamat on camera This might be a crazy idea but let me know if you think this would work. I was thinking about wrapping parts of my camera with dynamat which is a sound deadening material used in car audio. The reason is to reduce the motor noise so that I can get better sound with my on camera shotgun (rode vm). My camera is a Sony HC-1 which has a touch screen and not too many buttons on the outside. Do you think this would be effective? Has anyone tried something like this? If I were to do it, which part of the camera is most of the noise coming out of? I remember seeing a demo at best buy where they had two bells, one wrapped in dynamat. They both ding when you press them but the one with dynamat doesn't resonate. It seems like this would be effective for one time noises, how do you think it'd react to the constant hum of the camera motor?

January 22nd, 2006, 10:29 PM	#2
Doug Boze Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn, Washington Posts: 218	Isn't dynamat an asphalt-based product? I used something like that in my Jeep. I wouldn't put it anywhere near a camera. The best thing is to move the mic farther away. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759

January 23rd, 2006, 05:06 AM	#4
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	You're describing what film camera operators called a "blimp" back in the days when movie cameras were noisier than they are today. But the bottom line is that unless you are shooting very very close to the action, camera noise is the least of your worries when it comes to getting decent sound. Even very expensive shotgun and hypercardioid mics need to be within a few feet of the sound source to get really high quaility results. So spending time and effort to further sound deaden your camera is going to take you from lousy sound including a little camera whine to lousy sound without the camera noise. But most of what you think of as camera noise is probably camera OPERATOR noise and unless you blimp him with the dynamat it's not going to do much anyway. Focus instead on getting the mic off the camera and close to the action. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!