Letus Extreme Mic picking up motor at DVinfo.net

Doug Davis · January 26th, 2008, 05:06 PM

I have the A1 with the Letus Extreme and have an issue with my boom mic. I am using a Rode Shock mount mounted on the hot shoe. Even with the shock mount I am still hearing a low hum of the Extreme in my audio... Any tips or suggestions on avoiding this?

Thanks in advance...

Chris Hurd · January 26th, 2008, 06:03 PM

The camera body is the single worst place to put a microphone.

Move the mic off the camera and you'll be fine.

Bill Pryor · January 26th, 2008, 08:40 PM

Truer words were never spoken.

Doug Davis · January 27th, 2008, 03:19 PM

I appreciate that feedback however for run and gun situations and a single camera operator without a boom operator... What can I do?

Chris Hurd · January 27th, 2008, 03:37 PM

Doug, I hate to be the one to say it, but the *best* solution is to hire a boom operator, *especially* for run and gun situations.

Stu Siegal · January 27th, 2008, 04:21 PM

Hey Doug,

I do a great deal of run & gun, understand that at times it's physically or economically impossible to have a boom op, but truth is, you have few options in these types of situations. You can either forgo nat sound and do VO later, you can use a wireless, you can get lots of tone and take a swing at reducing the hum in your favorite audio post program, or perhaps you can get a cheap mixer with a low cut filter and run your mic through that and into the camera from there - you'd need to fashion a strap on the mixer case so you could wear it, but it might help.

Stu

Doug Davis · January 27th, 2008, 05:09 PM

Stu-

Thanks for your tips... Obviously in a pro (paid) situation I'm going to get the mic optimally placed... But I was really curious if a situation like taking my dog to the park and I want to tape her chasing a ball... I'm not going to go to extreme lengths to get good audio but just run and gun basic sketchy situation...

Thanks Stu...

Bill Pryor · January 27th, 2008, 08:59 PM

In a run-and-gun situation you probably wouldn't be using the Letus, would you? I'd take it off for those times.

It's also a good idea to have a wireless lav. Even a cheap one is going to give you better sound in an interview situation than a mic on the camera.

Steve Yager · January 28th, 2008, 12:04 AM

I know... no one here gets you. You want to shoot with the adapter for fun. No one understands. Here's what I'd do. When you're done cutting your footage together, just run the audio through a low cut filter in whatever post system you have. Your mic might even have a low cut setting on it. Double check. Some of them do to cut out wind noise and cars and such.

Brian David Melnyk · January 29th, 2008, 02:53 AM

i also would love to have a better solution for camera noise. i do use an off-camera mic, but sometimes need to fill in with the on-camera mic when sounds overload on off-camera mic from unpredictable sources, or levels in spots are better with the on-camera mic. But EQing to get rid of the hum makes it hard to match the mics...
Is there no system of isolating the mic that renders the hum managable? I've experimented with shock mounts and foam, but am unsatisfied with the results so far...
any ingenious engineers out there with suggestions?

Don Palomaki · January 29th, 2008, 07:45 AM

You could try record some motor noise only, use it to build a noise profile in your favorite audio editing program, and apply noise reduction to the audio in post.

The Letus site reads "Virtually silent vibration system that will not interfere with microphones" Perhaps you have a defective model?.

Consider the pick-up pattern of your mic. You need to be sure that the mic is positioned to place the Letus in a minimum portion of the pattern.

Or just put a wireless mic on the dog and let audio AGC take care of the levels.

January 26th, 2008, 05:06 PM	#1
Doug Davis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Birmingham Alabama Posts: 259	Letus Extreme Mic picking up motor I have the A1 with the Letus Extreme and have an issue with my boom mic. I am using a Rode Shock mount mounted on the hot shoe. Even with the shock mount I am still hearing a low hum of the Extreme in my audio... Any tips or suggestions on avoiding this? Thanks in advance... __________________ "The only thing the camera sees is light..." http://www.GoWildOlive.com

January 26th, 2008, 06:03 PM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	The camera body is the single worst place to put a microphone. Move the mic off the camera and you'll be fine. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

January 27th, 2008, 03:19 PM	#4
Doug Davis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Birmingham Alabama Posts: 259	I appreciate that feedback however for run and gun situations and a single camera operator without a boom operator... What can I do? __________________ "The only thing the camera sees is light..." http://www.GoWildOlive.com

January 27th, 2008, 03:37 PM	#5
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Doug, I hate to be the one to say it, but the best solution is to hire a boom operator, especially for run and gun situations. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

January 27th, 2008, 04:21 PM	#6
Stu Siegal Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Boston Posts: 151	Hey Doug, I do a great deal of run & gun, understand that at times it's physically or economically impossible to have a boom op, but truth is, you have few options in these types of situations. You can either forgo nat sound and do VO later, you can use a wireless, you can get lots of tone and take a swing at reducing the hum in your favorite audio post program, or perhaps you can get a cheap mixer with a low cut filter and run your mic through that and into the camera from there - you'd need to fashion a strap on the mixer case so you could wear it, but it might help. Stu __________________ www.stusiegal.com

January 26th, 2008, 08:40 PM	#3
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Truer words were never spoken.

January 27th, 2008, 05:09 PM	#7
Doug Davis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Birmingham Alabama Posts: 259	Stu- Thanks for your tips... Obviously in a pro (paid) situation I'm going to get the mic optimally placed... But I was really curious if a situation like taking my dog to the park and I want to tape her chasing a ball... I'm not going to go to extreme lengths to get good audio but just run and gun basic sketchy situation... Thanks Stu... __________________ "The only thing the camera sees is light..." http://www.GoWildOlive.com

January 27th, 2008, 08:59 PM	#8
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	In a run-and-gun situation you probably wouldn't be using the Letus, would you? I'd take it off for those times. It's also a good idea to have a wireless lav. Even a cheap one is going to give you better sound in an interview situation than a mic on the camera.

January 28th, 2008, 12:04 AM	#9
Steve Yager Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 157	I know... no one here gets you. You want to shoot with the adapter for fun. No one understands. Here's what I'd do. When you're done cutting your footage together, just run the audio through a low cut filter in whatever post system you have. Your mic might even have a low cut setting on it. Double check. Some of them do to cut out wind noise and cars and such.

January 29th, 2008, 02:53 AM	#10
Brian David Melnyk Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Winnipeg Canada Posts: 532	i also would love to have a better solution for camera noise. i do use an off-camera mic, but sometimes need to fill in with the on-camera mic when sounds overload on off-camera mic from unpredictable sources, or levels in spots are better with the on-camera mic. But EQing to get rid of the hum makes it hard to match the mics... Is there no system of isolating the mic that renders the hum managable? I've experimented with shock mounts and foam, but am unsatisfied with the results so far... any ingenious engineers out there with suggestions?

January 29th, 2008, 07:45 AM	#11
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	You could try record some motor noise only, use it to build a noise profile in your favorite audio editing program, and apply noise reduction to the audio in post. The Letus site reads "Virtually silent vibration system that will not interfere with microphones" Perhaps you have a defective model?. Consider the pick-up pattern of your mic. You need to be sure that the mic is positioned to place the Letus in a minimum portion of the pattern. Or just put a wireless mic on the dog and let audio AGC take care of the levels. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com