AKG Blue Line vs. ULS series

[Kris Bird]

I'm understanding that I should use the Hyper indoor, but I thought it would be boomed about 18-24". Does it need to be closer?

18-24" should get you good sound so long as the room isn't too reflective. Look into sound blankets. The more reflective the room, the closer you'll have to be to mask it. 6-10" should get you solid sound even in a non-ideal place. 24" is starting to get iffy. ps I'm not a sound guy, but I do one-man shoots (news, docu) regularly, so learning 'acceptable' and 'not acceptable' compromises is important. For film/cine, you need to be CLOSE. Anything else is a compromise too far.

The Shotgun picks up a hum when I use a long cord. It's not the mic - plugged it directly in my A1U and no hum. Is the cord NG? It is a cheap xlr cord, about 20'. Are there good cords and bad? Recommendation for good low cost xlr cord?

Don't know- I'm not used to debugging such problems. Could be an impedance issue (the cam not being able to deal with bad cable or bad mic)? Try different mics and cables to narrow it down. I'm not an expert here at all.

Finally, what are the setting on the mic Line/75/10db?

75 is a 75Hz low-cut, helps limit boom handling noise/rumble. Always switch on when booming, or hand-holding mic. -10db pad is for when you're too close to a very loud sound source, like live music. It helps limit internal mic clipping/distortion (ie the sound getting distorted before it even arrives at your camera).

[Lonnie Bell]

...on the se-300b module there is also the "line" switch... what does this do? (does it pass a hotter signal?)

And, my marantz pmd670 has mic/line in connectors, but, for what it's worth, the line in's are RCA, so i've never used them. My mic in's are XLR, so I use them instead. And I also leave the preamp module (se-300b) on 75hz cut, because it's always on a boom...

Any suggestions or perhaps a different setup you would recommend?

Thanks,
Lonnie

[Kris Bird]

Don't know what you mean by 'line' switch, do you lean "Lin" ? This means linear ... ie. normal, not "low-cut"!

[Lonnie Bell]

glad i asked - i assumed it meant "Line"... see what happens when a video guy messes around in the audio!

Thanks Kris, so by "Linear" or "Normal", it means no altering of the signal, just a straight shot?

Thanks again,
Lonnie

[Kris Bird]

Exactly, it's just "normal", "low-cut" or "padded".... unfortunately you can't do "padding+lowcut", but this has never been an issue for me.

[Paul Cascio]

Thanks Kris. I too thought it meant Line.

Still wish I could figure out the hum. Only happens with the SG; not the HC. Same thing when I went through a mixer, but it comes and goes so I think it's picking up interference from something. Are shotguns more prone to that?

[Lonnie Bell]

Paul, i got a hum once when my recorder (phantom power source too) was plugged into a wall - found out the house's wiring was screwy... Tried batteries instead- Fixed it! Since then - batteries only for audio. No more hum.

Lonnie

[Hyun De Grande]

I notice that everyone here is talking about the Blue Line series, while the ULS is more or less never mentioned...
Is there any particular reason why you guys all have the Blue Line mic's, and not the ULS ones.. ??

Am I missing something ?

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Hyun De Grande

I notice that everyone here is talking about the Blue Line series, while the ULS is more or less never mentioned...
Is there any particular reason why you guys all have the Blue Line mic's, and not the ULS ones.. ??

Am I missing something ?

Mainly it's price - for example, at B&H the ULS series power module and CK63 hyper capsule are US$1058 while the Blueline power module and CK93 hyper capsule are US$478. Also, for those interested in M/S mic techniques, the Blueline series has a figure-8 capsule available while the ULS series does not

[Kris Bird]

Also, from what I hear, the ULS is far more sensitive to handling noise... I've heard it mentioned more than once that the ULS is only really safe in the hands of pros, with decent shockmounting, etc.. which I'm sure is enough to scare away beginners and/or those wanting robust general-purpose mics which won't be overly fussy about expensive shockmounting and the need for skilled boom ops.

And, second-hand knowledge again, I hear the ULS's hyper is only a slight improvement over the blueline's hyper.. The shotguns are leagues apart, but I can see how at this point how it might not make sense to pay so much more for a 'slightly better but handling noise prone' hyper and a better shotgun... when you can get the blueline plus a separate shotgun (416 or 4073)

[Hyun De Grande]

Thanks, didn't know about the handling noise thing..

[Jay Massengill]

If the hum is just isolated to the shotgun capsule and switching to the hyper capsule without changing any other variable fixes the hum, then I would look for dirt or oxide on the shotgun capsule contacts or the insulating material near the contacts.
I haven't used the Blue Line but do have the ULS and while I don't think the ULS is more prone to handling noise, I do think the handling noise you get is of a higher frequency than normal handling noise. So it's harder to roll off and sounds more noticeable. The ULS power module and capsules are very thin-walled and lightweight. I think this is what creates their particular handling noise. With a good shockmount, proper cable routing and proper technique, I don't find it to be a major problem but I can understand why it gets that reputation.

[Pavel Tomanec]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

How do you like that shotgun? Are you able to say how it compares to the ME66, AT897 and AT4073?

Actually I cannot really say how does it compare to other systems as I do not have enough experience nor the other gear in hand.


Why I bought the Blue Line system is for several reasons:

1) really handy fast switch the capsules on location

2) Price/performance ratio

3) Lightweight, small and cute.

4) three years warranty


I got it specifically for my personal video project about Holy men in Himalayas.

Will keep you updated how it works in real situation.

Having said that I like the shotgun it is a good compromise if you need something portable and decent quality. The pick of the sound is also good (to my ears)

The CK 91 is a little better and it sound more naturally, very clean indoor pick up. I will use it for indoor recording.


On the Canon XH A1 I have noticed a problem with the zoom servo, the mics pike up the noise of the motor. What is the best way to eliminate the zoom noise when having mic on the camera? Normally I do use zoom sparingly but just in the case...

Thanks

Pavel

[Pavel Tomanec]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Hello Pavel,

If the audio on one channel flakes you have it on the other. In post, if both tracks survive and you import them together, the total audio is a little loude because it's on two tracks.

When operating without a good limiter (or mixer) it helps to set one level a bit lower. If someone screams, the louder track may distort, but hopefully the lower one won't.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Thank you Ty.


This is a good news that the mono mike can be recorded on two tracks and each track set to different volume level level.

Regarding cable length, the Canon XH A1 manual says cables over 3 meters are not recommended. I just got premium quality Audio Technica 10m cable would that have any dramatic effect on the sound?

Any suggestions?

Thank you.
Pavel

[Ty Ford]

I don't think so.

Regards,

Ty