Audio Questions (Help \ Rant)

[Angelo Caruso]

Hello to all,

I have been shooting video for about 12 years and I never really had any major audio issues until about a year ago. I use a vx-2100 with a beachtek and a Canon A1.

I shoot a lot of event videos, (Wedding, Mitzvahs, etc..) I have been trying to improve my audio at receptions by using double mic techniques. For example, main mic on camera & wireless 1-2 feet away from djs speaker. I am getting huge problems with both cameras. With my 2100 setup, I set the beachtek on both inputs about halfway, leaving the camera on AGC. I am getting distortion. Sometimes my wireless drops audio on both tracks when my diversity switches antennae switches from a to b & vice versa. This only happens when the dj is pounding with a heavy base line. The beachtek is currently going back to beachtek for repair. I used to use the camera on auto, but sometimes the djs base, not volume, distorts my audio.

I used my Canon A1 on a job this past weekend, (Auto audio, on camera mic) and I got distortion on the base line again. I just recently purchased a AT-835b. A friend let me use it on a job with pretty good results.

My questions\problems are this:

1. Has this happened to anyone else? Or is just my imagination?
2. Can anyone suggest on camera mic techniques for a reception.
3. Has anyone else had problems with thier beachtek unit?
4. Anybody else have problems with the dj audio?

Thank you for taking the time reading this post. And thank you in advance for any help.

Angelo

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I work with similar equipment but I'm not an audio expert.

1. the microphone you are using might not be able to handle the high decibels. you might want to look at dynamic mics for concerts.

2. 1-2 ft might be too close to the dj speakers. i'd suggest moving your mic farther away. usually i just want the ambient sound of the whole reception, are you trying to just get the music, if so you'd be better off getting a line out from the source. if not get a dynamic/omni directional on a mic stand directed at the ceiling to pick up the atmosphere sound.

3. are you wearing headphones? do you the camera set to manual gain? when in manual mode i always wear headphones to monitor for distortion. the gain will have to be adjusted especially with on and off loud music. you might need to stick to auto gain.

[Don Bloom]

Depending on th esituation whether its a band or a DJ I use 1 of 2 mics going to my wireless.
1) An AT 897 shotgun set either behind the DJ speaker (top speaker) or about 2 to 3 feet in front of it if there's room

2) for a band it's the AT897 set a couple feet in front of the mains.

However if they have a bass speaker (band or DJ) I use the Sennheiser E604 which is a drum mic and set it about 1 foot infront of and a few inches above the bass speaker. Since it's a drum mic it takes the pressures of the sound quite well. I run that to 1 channel and the on camera mic I generally use indoors for this stuff is a hypercaroid AKG SE300/CK93 capsule. This way I get both ambient room sound and a nice clean track of music. I ask the DJ or band to do a sound check at the levels they would normally be at and set my levels. Just gotta be careful when the DJ or band leader is talking over softer music like for the intros as they have a way of really overpowering the whole system.
I've been doing this for a while now and have had nothing but really good audio that takes no time at all to mix in post.

Don

[Angelo Caruso]

Hello,

Gentlemen, thank you both for your input. ;)

Angelo

[Jarrod Whaley]

Set your levels manually, too--turn off the AGC. If a loud sound comes along suddenly, it will clip before the AGC ever has a chance to do anything about it. You'll also avoid any "pumping and breathing."