I don't intend to use an external audio mixer - so how good is the EX1' mic-preamp? Can anyone share audio files for demonstration?
Thanks in advance.

Background: I was very pleased with the audio qualities of the FX1. Now I am a little worried about the audio capabilities of the EX1 since Sony forgot to implement a limiter.

While the sound quality can really be great on the EX1 (at least compared to what I got with my V1E), I have recently noticed very nasty artefacts when using external mic with attenuation set to -56dB in the menu. It resembles the wind rumble, only... there was no wind! Please listen to the attached wav file and tell me: is it the clipping due to the lack of a soft limiter (yeah, I know it's too hot - but the point is I have no idea what is making that noise; when I switch to the internal mic, the sound is a bit lower and there are NO cracks like this):

Piotr, did you use a phantom powered external mic?

Yes, Michael - it's the Edirol CS-50 stereo shotgun. It worked great with my V1E (much more sensitive than the poor little shotgun the V1 comes with). Sometimes I did get the wind rumble, but only when it was really windy; also it was much lower frequency. I never used this mic with another camera, so now when I'm getting cracks like this with the EX1, I have no idea what the reason is, as I have nothing to compare it with.. Is it a typical clipping noise? I'm afraid that if I set the attenuation to the default -41dB, it will simply be lower, but still there...

It's certainly not clipped, peaks at -6dB.
Spectrum analysis shows energy all the way down to below 10Hz.
Pretty certain it's wind noise. Some mics are very sensitive all the way down, you need to protect them from any air movement, moving air is sound.
You probably didn't hear this before because of the LF roll off in the V1 that you complained about.

Just to make certain put the mic inside an enclosure that is fairly air tight, just dont let it touch the sides.

It might sound like clipping if your monitors can't handle that much energy at low frequencies.

You probably didn't hear this before because of the LF roll off in the V1 that you complained about.

Thanks Bob, you're the best!

I certainly have been at lost... Peaks high, but not _TOO_ high - it didn't seem like clipping to me, either. On the other hand, it really wasn't _THAT_ windy when I recorded - for sure on the V1E, the same mic wouldn't generate the typical wind rumble in similar conditions. And yet, when shooting now indoors with the EX1, this doesn't occur!

So - with your diagnosis - it seems the EX1 is _REALLY_ much better in the bass department than the V1 - which is good news. Wind, I can take care of...

OK - just an update: switched wind noise protection on in the menu, and the crackings are gone. Sounds obvious, but with the wind we're having now, I wouldn't have to do it with the V1E: its bass response is really poor, compared to the EX1!

EDIT:

And yet, I do have some doubts... It's not completely gone, and when it occures, it's strangely most pronounced in higher frequency range that all wind noise I ever witnessed on other cameras, thus being more difficult to filter out using the simple roll-of around 60 Hz or so.

Anyone has similar experience with wind noise on the EX1?

Sorry for bumping this up, but I nead some more feedback on that. I mean, I jumped on Bob's suggestion as it not only explained the distorsion as not being related to the lack of a soft limiter, but also implied indirectly the EX1 sound section is so much better in the bass department than that of the V1...

However, even with a dead-cat on, the Edirol's own bass roll-off at 60 Hz, and the camera's wind noise suppression on - I still cannot get usable audio outdoors with ever so slight wind... I'd gladly accept the explanation that it's due to the better bass response this camera has when compared to the V1 (which I didn't have any wind problems with the same mic, except for really strong winds), but I have serious doubts because the noise is not most pronouced in the lowest frequencies at all using my THX-certified 5.1 speakers with very efficient subwoofer! Even though the frequency analysis in Audition confirms what Bob said about the most of the energy being all the way down to the bass area, I can actually hear distorsions much higher as well (I guess around 1-2kHz). Therefore, with all the classic wind-protection measures mentioned above, even using the equalizer to considerably lower anything below 100 Hz in Vegas doesn't help!

What else can be done to enable using this mic outdoors? With the V1E, it was great for recording nice ambient sound when set to WIDE; now the sound is unusable with even the slightest air movement.

You could try something like the DPA Windpac but they're pretty expensive.
If you've got the microphone on the camera then you're going nowhere. As air moves over an object turbulance is created and that makes sound which the microphone will pickup. On a camera with many sharp edges the mic is simply recording what it hears.

Bottom line is, if you're remotely serious about audio you must get the mic off the camera. Not only is it in the wrong place for hearing what it should, it's in the wrong place for hearing what it shouldn't.

Bottom line is, if you're remotely serious about audio you must get the mic off the camera. Not only is it in the wrong place for hearing what it should, it's in the wrong place for hearing what it shouldn't.

Absolutely right Bob - for serious sound recording (like live music), I already have the mic stand, set of good cables, etc.

But for casual recordings of ambience, why was the on-camera placement OK on the V1, and not on the EX1? What I am afraid is that what can be heard in the sample I posted earlier, is actually BOTH the wind noise (in lower freq range), AND some clipping distorsions (heard around 1-2 kHz).

Absolutely right Bob - for serious sound recording (like live music), I already have the mic stand, set of good cables, etc.

But for casual recordings of ambience, why was the on-camera placement OK on the V1, and not on the EX1? What I am afraid is that what can be heard in the sample I posted earlier, is actually BOTH the wind noise (in lower freq range), AND some clipping distorsions (heard around 1-2 kHz).

The sample you posted earlier had no clipping. Clipping is pretty easy to see, look at the highest / lowest peaks. If they've got flat tops / bottoms, then you have clipping. It is possible to get analogue clipping / overload if your gain staging is messed up, then the peaks might be a bit more rounded when they get clipped than pure digital clipping but either way it's pretty easy to pick visually looking at the waveforms.

Now what you might be hearing are sample rate errors. These sounds like very sharp clicks. There's some posts around regarding the EX1 that seem to indicate to me that something like this is going on. Clips sound just fine in the clip browser but not after export. Try listening to the clips direct from or in the camera and compare how they sound after you export them to .mxf and open them in Vegas. I certainly didn't hear any such things in the clip you posted and I'm pretty conscious of them, one client has them real bad an intro he likes to use. The click removal tool in SF used for vinyl restoration can get rid of them but they shouldn't be there in the first place, assuming that's what you're hearing.

Ignore all of that, I just had another listen.

I'll post something in a few minutes.

Take a look at the image I've attached.
At a rough guess what I've highlighted on the waveform from the file you first posted is the cause of your problem. It's hard to say for certain what the problem is but my best guess is sample rate errors. Whatever those nasty sawtooth things are I'd wager good money they shouldn't be there.

What were you recording in?

I've been sticking to 50i and not noticed a problem but if I can find the time I'll do some more tests. Maybe you can try shooting 50i and see if the problem goes away.

You still should get the mic off the camera though :)

Bob, I was recording in HQ 1080/25p (as most of the time). I will certainly try other formats, but:

- from what people are posting about the clicks in Vegas, I understand it happens without relation to the wind noise; I'm NOT getting these without wind (like indoors for example)

- even with some wind, when I switch to internal mic, there is no clicks either (just the usual low freq rumbling when the wind is really noticeable).

I got the Sony ECM 680S (did you know Sony is also offering rebates on mics and monitors with the EX1 purchase?).

I was shooting a 2 person "chamber ensemble" in a small Cafe and found the EX1 Mic sensitivity CRITICAL to getting good sound from the shotgun. I noticed what sounding something like wind noise when I first started shooting even though I was in a very quiet Cafe (no air conditioning, fans or "kitchen" electronics where I was shooting). Adjusting the sensitivity fixed it.

The noise was not coming from the acoustic space as far as I could tell. It's as if the camera pre amp was amplifying low level electronic noise in the signal path.

I was listening with Sony 7506 headphones.

Piotr:
My sample rate theory does have some holes in it. It doesn't looks like what I'd expect (abrupt jumps in the waveform) and it would be noticeable regardless of content and microphone.
It's quite likely something else and I'm really taking stabs in the dark as I don't have the same mic to try it out first hand and don't really have much information at hand. I can only add the following.

There's only two things that I know of that affect how a mic performs in relation to what it's connected to. Quality of the phantom power supply and load impedance. The latter seems to really only have a major impact on dynamic mics apart from gross mismatches and shouldn't cause what I've seen on those waveforms. Noise on the phantom power supply could be the culprit, different mics have better filtering so results will vary depending on the mic. However I'm not seeing anything odd in the quieter sections of the sample, it could just be the phantom supply running out of power at such low frequencies.
Given that you're saying you don't have the problem indoors I have to discount what Craig is hearing as relating to your problem. At the same time we don't know how your camera is setup. Are you using AGC, what is the mic gain set to in the menu, how sensitive is the mic overall. There's nothing else in the sample to give any indication of the relative level of the wind noise in the first place. I'd even try taking the mic off the camera outdoors and see if that makes a difference, could be induced electrical noise. Does the annoying clicks relate to the operation of focus, zoom or iris servos. You need to do lots of controlled tests before reaching any conclusions. Trying to resolve an issue from what you've shot isn't a good way to resolve the problem. You need to devote time to working through all the variables, changing just one at a time in the different environments.

I am after some more tests. Using either the internal mic, or the ECM-673 shotgun, the only distorsion with even a considerable wind is the low-freq rumble.

With the stereo Edirol CS-50 however, even if I attenuate below the default -41dB, apart from the rumble the higher frequncy clicks/squeals appear. Of course I'd blame the mic, were it not for the fact it worked great with the V1E...

So, I think Bob's theory about the phantom supply running out of power at the low rumble frequencies seems the only explanation. After all, both channels are drawing power - unlike with the ECM-673 which of course is only using one!

Please anyone with either a stereo mic like the Edirol, or with 2 mono shotguns, perform some tests; what is needed is some wind to induce the very low freq rumble and both channels being loaded with the phantom power.

If anyone confirms my findings, I hope this can be adjusted in a firmware upgrade. Anyway, I'll know what to draw the Sony Prime Support attention to.

On the other hand, when I decrease the output volume (AGC off, level at 4-5), the distorsion is gone (only some bass rumble).

I have yet to see this problem.
I will look harder for it.
I have Neumann and Oktavas to try.

If it did turn out to be the phantom power supply, no firmware upgrade will fix this type of issue.

Also, you can't just go by the levels set by the camera, it depends on the source signal.
I'm sure you know this.

If the distortion goes away at 4-5 level set at your loudest passages, that should be your "ideal" level.

Also, I'd like to know what the LCD level display indicates. If it's trim levels to the EX1 mic pres (which it appears), it would
of been nice to have some kind of reference markings . Since levels "just" hitting the far right of the display distort, it
can't be a digital reference with far right being 0dB.

I'd like to see reference makers on this trim meter display. This would give us refence to whether the mic pres are clipping.
Also, I'd like to have another menu option to also view (at the same time), a display at the A/D converter level to let us
know when we maxed the converter "0dB" 16 bit word and also have a digital "clip" display blink to let us know.

I have a Sony ECM 680S which is a stereo microphone. It is 5 pin XLR with a 5 pin XLR to two 3 pin XLR adaptor. I power it from EX1s phantom power. It does not have the wind noise issue Piotr is having with his Edirol stereo mic.

As I stated above, I did hear an issue when I did not have the mic sensitivity properly set. Changing the sensitivity fixed the issue. So I don't think there's any inherent issue with EX1 phantom power to stereo mics.

Craig,
Thanks for that info. I'll search your mic specification to compare it with mine; in the meantime please tell me which attenuation level you find optimal with your Sony mic (default is -41dB), and - when you use it with this optimum attenuation setting - whether it's louder or quiter than the internal mic. TIA

Piotr

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/NAB/docs/ECM680S_spec.pdf

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/ProductPrint?id=88990&m=0&sm=0&p=10&sp=81

I do remember having to alter the sensitivity a significant amount from the default.

I'll check the number when I use it with the new replacement EX1 I should receive from Sony tomorrow.

The specs are very similar to the Edirol's with two exceptions:

- directional pattern are different
- impedance (100 Ohms Sony vs 200 Ohms Edirol)

I wonder how the latter influnce the load on phatom power...

Craig,

I'm happy for you that the new camera you've got has the handle zoom problem resolved. Could you please check the mic settings you promised? I wonder what attenuation is needed for a stereo shotgun like ours to work properly... I am afraid, however, that this is going to be way too low.

I've been wondering if anyone knows an explanation of the distortion nature ...

Definitely, it's only occuring with certain combinations of a specific microphone and the EX1 audio section. It's impossible to blame either of the two separately, as the mic (Edirol CS-50 in this case, but also others - according to this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=117354) is capable of distortion-free output, as is the EX1 with other microphones. Also, it's a penomenon that the pro cameramen / sound engineers must be familiar with - it's NOT specific to the EX1. Today I heard a live broadcast on TV, where (before they corrected it) a guy was talking to the microphone with huge fur on it, and yet I could hear exactly the same kind of distortion: the powerful bass rumble of the wind, accompanied by those clicks...

Hi all:

I have been reading this thread with great interest since I am on the fence about whether or not to dump my HVX in favor of the EX-1. I did a shoot with the EX-1 last week and the bigger chips and better S/N ratio, etc. are big pluses to me but this thread has me concerned.

Historically, almost all Sony sub-$10,000.00 camcorders have had audio that ranges from mediocre (Z1) to unusable (VX-2000/2100 PD-150/170) and I have been waiting to hear some critical ears on doing some audio tests with the EX-1. The shoot I did last week was tabletop so audio never entered into the equation.

What are all of your impressions of the audio quality of the EX-1 including the specific issue in this thread and of the general audio quality. I must say that the HVX has pretty good quality audio for a camcorder.

Bad audio quality rules out the EX-1 for me so let me know what your thoughts are.

Best,

Dan

Rest assured - the audio quality on the EX1 can be great (in fact, it's a DAT quality). The problem discussed in this thread is just one of the many EX1's... well... peculiarities? :)

Rest assured - the audio quality on the EX1 can be great (in fact, it's a DAT quality). The problem discussed in this thread is just one of the many EX1's... well... peculiarities? :)

Hi Piotr:

Hmm...I think I am talking myself out of the EX-1 for the time being. Too many of those peculiarities. I make a living with my camcorders and if they don't work correctly 100% of the time, it can cost me clients and reputation. Its 2008 and dealing with all of these initial factory defects sounds like too much of a pain to me.

The shoot I did, I liked the camera and the picture was impressive but that was in a studio on sticks. A lot of these other issues that you guys are running in to sound as if they could really screw me over on a shoot.

Let's take a look at the running tally

1. Vignetting debacle
2. Back Focus/ND debacle
3. Chromatic aberration issues
4. Paint flaking off of new camcorders

and now add this thread as a possible...

5. Sound issues with "phantom wind noise"...

Too many issues for me to consider at this time. Let's see what NAB brings and if Panasonic is ready to introduce something that will compete with the EX-1. I am sure that by the end of the year, Sony will have worked out most of these issues although you should be aware that when we went through the audio hiss/super low S/N ratio, bad tinny audio" debacle with the VX-2000,2100, PD-150, PD-150, the only thing that got Sony to even acknowledge that the problem existed was the threat of a class action lawsuit.

Hopefully if this is a real "known issue", Sony will acknowledge it and get a fix for it to all of you without having to resort to the threat of a class action suit.

Good luck,

Dan

For what it's worth I've used the EX1 with a Rode NT3 mic. I found I had to reduce the input sensitivity by 20dB to avoid LF clipping from bumps or plosives. I suspect that's what's causing the problems here. The LF wind noise is overloading the preamps. There maybe some LF attenuation further along in the cameras audio ciruits however by then the damage has been done.
This ties is with what the waveforms looked like, typical analogue clipping, somewhat rounded tops. Possibly increasing input attenuation will cure the problem however if you're trying to keep as much gain as possible then the only answer would seem to be to stop the wind noise in the first place.

Dead cats are only part of the fix. The mic lead itself and the shock mounts need to be upto the task. Both of these will couple LF sounds into the mic. The best mic leads are the fabric covered ones that are very flexible.
For shock mounts not too certain what to recommend, the cats cradle kind of mounts seem to work well for my LDCs but are rather big. You'd also need to ensure that the rubber bands don't create whistles as the wind blows over them unless they're inside a zeppelin and then that's not going to fit on a camera.

Bob,

You are certainly correct on this one. I don't believe that there is any problem with the EX1 audio - I have not been able to fault it, but I always use a mini-zeppelin and dead cat on all of my microphones - even indoors. I have used the Senn MKH416, Audio Technica 835ST, Senn ME64, Rode NTG1, Rode NT3 - all with no problems at all. Also use a Sound Devices 302 mixer with Sony ECM88 lav with no problems. The symptoms that Piotr describes are classic digital clipping of low frequencies - I think that he needs a 10dB pad on the mic as well as using the low cut filters. I don't know the Roland mic, but if it is hot (like the Senn's) you might need to be careful about how much gain you use. Piotr could try running the mic through a mixer and see if this fixes the problem - agree that this will not be great for run and gun work - but it will prove if there is a problem with camera.

Hope this helps.

I am one of the people who has also had issues with their sound, with a Sennheiser ME66 on my EX1 producing the same distortion Piotr is getting. I noticed just now that when I adjust the gain level for channel 1 manually (which my shotgun is plugged into), I hear a slight clicking sound as the camera adjusts the level up or down to match what I am setting it at with the knob. Does anybody else get this sound? I tried recording a clip with this while I adjusted the level to see if it would get recorded and it in fact was recorded. I am now under the impression that something is wrong with my camera as that seems pretty unacceptable to me along with the other issues I'm having.

I am not sure whether my audio problems (high frequency clicking, accompanying the usual bass rumble - e.g. from the wind) are the same as those described in the similar thread here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=117354

- but anyway, I'd like to update you that they are NOT limited to certain microphones use, as I thought earlier (just to remind you: earlier in this thread, I posted a sample of the distortion I was getting from my sensitive Edirol CS-50 stereo shotgun, indicating that nothing like this ever happens with other mics, including the EX1's onboard stereo microphone).

Well, with a really strong wind I seem to be getting exactly the same distortion from other mics, as well! Which means this is definitely the internal, EX1's audio section related, problem.

In this context, I'd like to draw your attention to very valuable observations of the person under the nick of "Basspig", who has been performing in-depth testing of various cameras' audio capabilities, but - due to some reasons - was stopped posting here ;)

Just read his comments scattered elsewhere, like e.g. here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=131244

The bottom line is: we need to limit the input sensitivity way below what sounds "loud and nice", or - once the mic gets heavily loaded (like with a stronger wind blow) - the limiter will let you know it actually IS there, in a very nasty way.

I tried and tested Basspig's suggestions, and indeed - most of the distortion can be avoided.

Piotr,
you might find my post here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=864394&postcount=35
rather interesting. Haven't had a chance to check this out on the EX1 yet but what we found happening with the V1 today is interesting.

Yes Bob - I read this and the similar one on the Vegas SCS forum, and frankly your posts inspired me to update this thread.

Do you see a direct relation between the two problems?

Far, far from certain but clearly Sony on at least one camera have changed the way things work on their mic inputs. Elsewhere in the midst of all the stuff about the EX1's audio performance some mention was made of some mics having grounding issues with the EX1. Now if whatever design was used in the V1 was also used in the EX1 then indeed there's a significant issue.
Does this have anything to do with your LF problem, probably not. However if the EX1 like the V1 has an issue with the mic input ground being connected to the camera's chassis then who knows. I think this deserves further investigation though before we can say if there's any relationship or not.

Been following these posts regaurding this audio issue and I am having the same. My test is as simple as standing behind the camera with a set of head phones on and simply blowing towards my sennheiser me66k6 mic and I get the same clipping crackle as others have. I tried the same test on my other EX 1 and get the exact same results. Does anyone have any kind of solution for this. Even with my rycote softie on it still does it. Thanks in advance.

Mark, how exactly did you find a solution to the problem with the V1? Was it a particular type of XLR cable? I'm not entirely clear on that, and I'd like to know as my EX1 is currently in for repairs for this very problem. Thanks.

Been following these posts regaurding this audio issue and I am having the same. My test is as simple as standing behind the camera with a set of head phones on and simply blowing towards my sennheiser me66k6 mic and I get the same clipping crackle as others have. I tried the same test on my other EX 1 and get the exact same results. Does anyone have any kind of solution for this. Even with my rycote softie on it still does it. Thanks in advance.

I was testing my new EX1 this week and tried two of my mic combos and had no issues that I could detect. However, I'll repeat the tests in another day or two and post my settings. The two setups I ran were:

1. Sennheiser MKH60 and MKH30 in a Rycote w/o dead cat - 48v phantom power on both mics; recording made for later M/S stereo decoding

2. Sennheiser evolution G2 wireless mics - pair of them running into XLR jacks at Mic Level w/o phantom power

I need to go back and repeat the tests since I didn't make notes as to the input sensitivity levels (menu dB levels), but so far, my results were fine. Also, if the phantom power supply on the EX1 is anemic or barely able to supply 48v, you can run into ALL KINDS of weird sonic anomalies depending on the brand of mic. Some mics are very demanding of the phantom power and some are not. Also, if audio quality is paramount in your project, I'd suggest using an outboard mixer (Sound Devices is my favorite) and send a Line Level signal into those XLR's instead of depending on Sony's mic pre's.

just something to add to this thread.

my sound guy when recording onto the EX1 could hear something that sounded like a tape mechanism when the camera was running. Very bizzare, we never got to the bottom of it partly because 99% of the time we were recording to a separate recorder and also because i couldn't hear it and if i can't hear it - it's not there :)

But in reality if i strained even i could pick this up. So is there a chance that the rumble is actually internal electronics, perhaps the lens moving?

cheers
paul

I guess what you're referring to is indeed the lens - specifcally, in those rare recordings with AF on, I can hear very distinct motor noises in the audio (would not describe it as a "rumble" however). Am not sure wheter it's directly picked up by the mic, or internal electronic interference. But frankly, I don't care - it is not a show stopper.

Compare with everything Manual!

Akira, I have not yet fixed the problem and I'm looking for a solution. Has anyone been able to fix this yet, and if so what was it. Thanks

The Sony repair folks have been completely unable to diagnose the problem and have no idea how to fix it. They've had my camera for literally a month now and I've finally heard word that, after my complaints, they're sending me a replacement camera. If this new replacement still has the same audio problems, then Sony has some serious issues.

Yesterday I did a shoot using Sony 680S stereo shotgun in Stereo mode. Winds were buffeting us at about 20+miles per hour. I heard the crackle on wind gusts. I changed the mic sensitivity from -41 to about -20 (in both channels) and the crackle stopped.

I think it's a case where the mic preamp is over driven by the wind.

The annoying thing about it is that until the gust hits you have no way to anticipate the issue and if the gust dies you have no idea if you brought down the sensitivity enough until the next gust hits.

I briefly turned on the camera's internal wind filter but I don't like the way that sounds. The mic also has a roll off switch but for the same reason I didn't attempt to use it.

I think it's a case where the mic preamp is over driven by the wind.

The annoying thing about it is that until the gust hits you have no way to anticipate the issue and if the gust dies you have no idea if you brought down the sensitivity enough until the next gust hits.


I agree - the preamp is most likely being overdriven in the low end.

How about blowing into the mic? I am sure with practice you could come up with a test that consistently works to simulate the wind you might encounter.

Craig, what kind of wind protection do you have on your shotgun?

Just the Sony cover. I suspect if I got a big furry beast (I refuse to call them dead cats) that would help immensely.

Craig, what kind of wind protection do you have on your shotgun?


How about blowing into the mic? I am sure with practice you could come up with a test that consistently works to simulate the wind you might encounter.

It may be impacted by the force of the wind. I'm not sure how to do 20mph breath vs 10mph breath. To simulate gale force I could sneeze.

If that Sony cover is a foam cover, there's your problem. They are almost useless in anything above a whisper of a breeze. The key to making these things work is to create a zone of dead air around the openings and vents of your mic. A Rycote, or similar, is the best, albeit expensive, way to go. Even that plastic basket needs a dead c..., er, rodent to work in the kind of wind you are talking about.

I wouldn't even call it "foam." It's more brittle than the cover on the shotgun that came with the PD-170. Yes I need to get a proper cover for it. I wish I could try before I buy. Rycote is trustworthy/expensive and has many choices from short hair on camera to windjammers, etc..

The Windpac-L from DPA is probably the most effective device for stopping wind. It's way too big for use with a camera mounted mic and is expensive. It does however give almost no HF attentuation. The design would seem to provide the protection in much the same way as a popper stopper on a studio mic.
If you've got the budget probably worth a look at as DPA is not a company that comes to mind with field audio.

Please anyone with either a stereo mic like the Edirol, or with 2 mono shotguns, perform some tests; what is needed is some wind to induce the very low freq rumble and both channels being loaded with the phantom power.


I noticed the excessive wind noise with an Audio Technica shotgun mic with the standard foam microphone sheath. The low-cut switch was on. I've used the microphone outdoors with my Sony Z1U, and I never had this sort of trouble. Hmmmm. I have AGC off and the wind cut parameter off. In fact, I've had quite a bit of adjustment needed since switching from a Z1U/FX1 pair to this EX1. In the past, I just plugged in mics and adjusted the external gain knows. The EX1 seems to require some futzing.

5. Sound issues with "phantom wind noise"...

Too many issues for me to consider at this time. Let's see what NAB brings and if Panasonic is ready to introduce something that will compete with the EX-1.


I had similar issues initiall with the VX2000. I think we were hoping that microphones will work the same way when stuck on the EX1. With the default input trim settings, the microphone signal level is too low, forcing us to crank up the input gain with the external knob.

Yesterday I did a shoot using Sony 680S stereo shotgun in Stereo mode. Winds were buffeting us at about 20+miles per hour. I heard the crackle on wind gusts. I changed the mic sensitivity from -41 to about -20 (in both channels) and the crackle stopped.


So Craig, it seems the recipe I have given earlier in this thread is working:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=864443&postcount=30

Nevertheless, I don't like the fact that to be protected from _potential_ overloading, one needs to set the trim level really low; already with -38dB, the waveform display I'm getting after importing to Vegas is almost flat...

Luckily enough, the overall sound quality of the EX1 is sufficient to be able to effectively turn the sound level up in post, without introducing too much noise.