VX2000 + Sennheiser Evolution G100 at DVinfo.net

Milosz Krzyzaniak · April 30th, 2006, 03:23 PM

Hello.

I have a VX2000 and a Sennheiser Evolution G100 wireless lav mic.

Basically, in my G100 receiever there is a preamp that allows me to output sound at wide range of amplyfing levels, so in a way I am able to adapt it for my camera's needs . The question is, what sound recording level should I target for to get best sound in my VX2000?

First, there is an option of choosing out of "MIC" and "LINE" setting in camera.
While choosing MIC, when gaining past 50% I get noise. But, when I dim it to let's say 10% the sound seems distorted.

While gaining the output from G100 to +24dB and switching to "LINE" in my camera, the sound seems ok.

What strategy to use???

regards

Mike Rehmus · April 30th, 2006, 09:36 PM

Trust your ear isn't a bad start but at some point you should run some real world tests with sine waves.

At different combinations of camera/receiver settings, sweep a 1 Khz sine wave in loudness from 0 to max and then look at the resulting captured signal on your computer. Look for the best mix of dynamic range and minimum distortion.

I suppose you could also do a frequency sweep but that probably won't tell you a lot about the sweet spot unless the systems are very non-linear with regard to frequency response. But the test will tell you how the system responds with regard to the incoming frequencies.

Steve House · May 1st, 2006, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milosz Krzyzaniak

Hello.

I have a VX2000 and a Sennheiser Evolution G100 wireless lav mic.

Basically, in my G100 receiever there is a preamp that allows me to output sound at wide range of amplyfing levels, so in a way I am able to adapt it for my camera's needs . The question is, what sound recording level should I target for to get best sound in my VX2000?

First, there is an option of choosing out of "MIC" and "LINE" setting in camera.
While choosing MIC, when gaining past 50% I get noise. But, when I dim it to let's say 10% the sound seems distorted.

While gaining the output from G100 to +24dB and switching to "LINE" in my camera, the sound seems ok.

What strategy to use???

regards

Setting the camera to LINE and setting the receiver output level to -6dBu should give you a pretty good level match, recording at normal levels with the camera controls about 60% - 75% up.

David Ennis · May 1st, 2006, 04:07 PM

Make sure that the transmitter's input sensitivity is set appropriately too.

Milosz Krzyzaniak · May 2nd, 2006, 05:28 PM

Hello.

Thank you for your income.

The settings you've just proposed do not work. When switching the receiever output to -6 dB while my camera is on LINE and recording level in camera set to 75%, the resulting sound peak in camera is -30 dB, so I guess a bit too low. To get reasonable peak level of -12 dB, I have to increase the receiever output up +18 dB.

I just figured out, there are two possibilities:

1) receiever output +18dB, camera set to LINE, camera recording level set to 75% --> resulting in camera peak level of -12 dB
2) receiever output -24dB, camera set to MIC, camera recording level set to 30-40% --> resulting in camera peak level of -12 dB

Both settings give reasonable quality with comparable level of noise (not too much of it), but somehow the voice is a bit defferent in both cases. I'm not a "absolute ear" master, hard to tell which is better.

So, still needs suggestions.

David Ennis · May 2nd, 2006, 07:31 PM

You haven't mentioned what the G2 transmitter sensitivity is set at. I find that -10 dB works well most of the time.

Your number 2 settings would be reasonable for many cameras. But the VX2000 is known to be a noisy camera. It is said to do better with its volume controls set lower and the input signal higher. So you might want to try the camera level at about 20% and increase the receiver output.

Milosz Krzyzaniak · May 3rd, 2006, 02:14 AM

Indeed, the transmitter sensitivity that I set it up to is -10 dB. Seems the best.

And once again indeed, switching to MIC and amplifying the level past 50% introduces noise. That would theoretically suggest keeping is as low as possible. But, when I set it up such a way that the level is up to 0-10%, that introduces some type od distortion to the recorded voice.

My God, what an art of compromise.

Dave Largent · May 3rd, 2006, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Retread

You haven't mentioned what the G2 transmitter sensitivity is set at. I find that -10 dB works well most of the time.

Your number 2 settings would be reasonable for many cameras. But the VX2000 is known to be a noisy camera. It is said to do better with its volume controls set lower and the input signal higher. So you might want to try the camera level at about 20% and increase the receiver output.

Sometime ago I read where someone sent a 2000 into
an audio lab for testing. They came back with the
finding that the best signal-to-noise ratio was to
be found with the manual setting of "5 to 6 notches
down from the halfway point (i.e. the 'halfway
point' being 50% manual gain level)".

April 30th, 2006, 03:23 PM	#1
Milosz Krzyzaniak Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 64	VX2000 + Sennheiser Evolution G100 Hello. I have a VX2000 and a Sennheiser Evolution G100 wireless lav mic. Basically, in my G100 receiever there is a preamp that allows me to output sound at wide range of amplyfing levels, so in a way I am able to adapt it for my camera's needs . The question is, what sound recording level should I target for to get best sound in my VX2000? First, there is an option of choosing out of "MIC" and "LINE" setting in camera. While choosing MIC, when gaining past 50% I get noise. But, when I dim it to let's say 10% the sound seems distorted. While gaining the output from G100 to +24dB and switching to "LINE" in my camera, the sound seems ok. What strategy to use??? regards

April 30th, 2006, 09:36 PM	#2
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Trust your ear isn't a bad start but at some point you should run some real world tests with sine waves. At different combinations of camera/receiver settings, sweep a 1 Khz sine wave in loudness from 0 to max and then look at the resulting captured signal on your computer. Look for the best mix of dynamic range and minimum distortion. I suppose you could also do a frequency sweep but that probably won't tell you a lot about the sweet spot unless the systems are very non-linear with regard to frequency response. But the test will tell you how the system responds with regard to the incoming frequencies. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

May 1st, 2006, 04:07 PM	#4
David Ennis Fred Retread Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hartford, CT Posts: 1,227	Make sure that the transmitter's input sensitivity is set appropriately too. __________________ "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

May 2nd, 2006, 07:31 PM	#6
David Ennis Fred Retread Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hartford, CT Posts: 1,227	You haven't mentioned what the G2 transmitter sensitivity is set at. I find that -10 dB works well most of the time. Your number 2 settings would be reasonable for many cameras. But the VX2000 is known to be a noisy camera. It is said to do better with its volume controls set lower and the input signal higher. So you might want to try the camera level at about 20% and increase the receiver output. __________________ "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

May 2nd, 2006, 05:28 PM	#5
Milosz Krzyzaniak Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 64	Hello. Thank you for your income. The settings you've just proposed do not work. When switching the receiever output to -6 dB while my camera is on LINE and recording level in camera set to 75%, the resulting sound peak in camera is -30 dB, so I guess a bit too low. To get reasonable peak level of -12 dB, I have to increase the receiever output up +18 dB. I just figured out, there are two possibilities: 1) receiever output +18dB, camera set to LINE, camera recording level set to 75% --> resulting in camera peak level of -12 dB 2) receiever output -24dB, camera set to MIC, camera recording level set to 30-40% --> resulting in camera peak level of -12 dB Both settings give reasonable quality with comparable level of noise (not too much of it), but somehow the voice is a bit defferent in both cases. I'm not a "absolute ear" master, hard to tell which is better. So, still needs suggestions.

May 3rd, 2006, 02:14 AM	#7
Milosz Krzyzaniak Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 64	Indeed, the transmitter sensitivity that I set it up to is -10 dB. Seems the best. And once again indeed, switching to MIC and amplifying the level past 50% introduces noise. That would theoretically suggest keeping is as low as possible. But, when I set it up such a way that the level is up to 0-10%, that introduces some type od distortion to the recorded voice. My God, what an art of compromise.