The line level XLR inputs are located on the audio attachment on the top of the camera. I have two of these cameras and on both of them the line level xlr inputs do not seem to work. Bad distortion starts at -24 db. Please test yours and see if it works.

Guustaaf

hi guys,

bought a pdx-10 - so far it looks very nice - however, after following the step by step setup operation for attaching the XLR adapter and supplied mic, I find that the menu option "XLR SET" still greyed out and unavailable to select.

According to the manual, this means that the camera has not detected the presence of the XLR input and therefore is continuing to use the onboard mic. I have checked and double checked the connections and they seem to be fine - am I missing a step here? Is there some other menu selection that i need to make in order for the camera to detect the XLR input - or is it more likely that there is something wrong with the adapter and/or mic?

Any feedback very welcome.

best,

DW.

You might want to check the connecting of the hot-shoe, make sure to insert the plug at an angle as it said on add-on-sheet-manuals. Also if you accidently turn into memory mode, that xlr setting won't showed up.

This also happened to me and then i found out that I had only inserted the hot shoe to about 95% of the distance it needed to travel.

More carefully sliding it into place and pushing it in the whole way solved the problem.

Regards P

Yeah guys,

i took it back to the store and they went 'Oh, yeah right...' then WHAM!! they rammed the connecter into place and hey presto! Y'know I thought that video equipment should be trated more delicate than that.

Oh, well it's working now. Thanks.

best,

D.

See David,


I told you so !!!!

Regards

P

hello,

I am glad this topic came up, as i had assumed that my XLR connector was attached and working.. but i took a close look at it and low and behold my XLR set was also greyed out.. and i had to yank on the connector to make the camera see the XLR mic !! so this muct be a common errr feature. uumm problem..

is there a way to see if video already shot was shot with the XLR mic versus the cameras normal mic ???

Thanks for bringing this up..

Mike

I just got a pdx 10 and went through this same problem... the connector seemed properly seated, but was greyed out in the menu... this low end dv gear is so fragile, it really did seem well seated... but nope.. it does have to be seemingly forced into place.

To test if the shoe is properly connceted, Switch on Audio metering via the button, and simply tap the mounted mic. You can also rub the area where the standard built in microphone is located.

This will tell you if the show mount is operative.

regards P

Thanks Patrick,

but the connector seemed properly seated.... and it was obvious the on board stereo pickups were operating.

I'm a video engineer and treat this Dv gear with tender care and the pdx10 connector has a very strange feel to it... I tried attaching it several times with no connection until I read (on another board) you have to force it.... I did and it did connect...

But I never would have forced a connector like I did this one unless coached... (for fear of breaking the connection)

Best,

John

When I attach the XLR unit on my PDX10P the menu item XLR SET is still dimmed/greyed out.

Does this mean that there is a problem with the XLR unit or the cam? Do I need to 'reset' anything?

Could be that you haven't pushed the XLR connector into the hot shoe far enough. It really has to be snug - happened to me.
Al

Al-you hit the nail on the head!
I rang my dealer, and he suggested the same.

It has to 'click' into place! I feel like a real goose :)

Its all good. Been there done that!

I want to purchase a Giant Squid mic for my PDX, and Darren said that he could attach an XLR plug to the current model for $6. He stated that it could be plugged directly into the XLR adapter, provided the output on the mic jack was no more than 10V. "However, more than 10 will fry them." I've looked through the online manual, but haven't been able to find anything on the output for the XLR adapter. Can anybody here help me out with that question?

Michael

Hmm. Is this just a silly question, or does nobody have an answer?

OK, since you can toggle the +48V on and off for each input, it would appear that the phantom power is 48v in the on position. By turning it off, does it completely remove all power to the mic jack? In other words, if I connected the Giant Squid directly to the XLR adapter with the +48v in the off position, would the mic not work because of no power? Would the line in, mic in, or mic atten make any difference?

Pardon my ignorance when it comes to audio. If my questions don't make any sense at all, somebody please let me know so I don't continue to sound like an idiot! :)

Michael

Yeah, if you turn off phantom power you won't get any voltage to the mic. Actually, since you have phantom power available, I'm mystified why you would want to use Giant Squid. I ain't knockin' 'em. They're designed to offer reasonable performance when using non-professional gear. In your case, why not just get a real lav?

Honestly, I'm trying to find some adequate solutions on a limited budget. I have a wireless lav, but it's 1/8 mini and not XLR. Unfortunately, the mini overrides the XLR input. I'd like to use two mic sources. There are several other pieces of equipment I'm going to have to purchase soon, and fit within a very tight budget.

I do have the option of borrowing some high-end audio equipment, but I wanted to explore the quality from an economical solution like the Giant Squid, as well.

Thanks for the input.

Michael

You might take this as a silly response but, why not make a 1/8" back to XLR adapter cable and use what you have? Make 2, one short and one long, or make one short adapter cable and one long mic cable to extend it while your making cables.

Adapter cables will always come in very handy. Especially one like this. 1/8" is very common for inexpensive mics. I always make up a whole series of adapter cables for everything I own, including video, audio and power. I can adapt pretty much anything to anything.

Sean McHenry

Hello. I searched around the forums, but couldn't find something to accomodate this problem. It's not my camera, it's a friend's, but we've been using it for a couple of short films and we had to use thi on-camera mic because the XLR unit isn't recognized by the camera. When you go through the menus to configure it or whatever it is you want, it appears in dark grey. We do hear a "click", it seems to be connected correctly, but still the sound doesn't at any point come from the external mic.
The camera has been like this since he bought it (around 6 months ago), but he didn't actually notice the problem before a month ago. He does have a warranty, but down here it's a real hassle and tremendous loss of time to use its "benefits", so he could just go to some technician to tell him what it is or fix it if the camera needs that.
But, if this is a dumb and easy-to-resolve problem, I might as well ask you and tell him (he doesn't speak English and there aren't very useful forums around in Spanish, AND you people are the best shot at asking something like this; I trust you, guys!).
So, if maybe you know or have any ideas on what the deal could be with the PDX10, I'd really appreciate if could tell me. Sound is very important to us, and we're really spoiling it without the XLR.
Thanks in advance!

This problem is usually caused by the connector not being seated properly. You really have to push hard, and it will "click." but if you're sure you've done that then I'd look carefully at the contact fingers on the plug and the contacts on the shoe itself (slide the cover plate back). One of the fingers might be bent, or maybe the contacts on the camera need cleaning.

If no luck there, then inspect the cord between the connector and the XLR box for signs of damage. Aside from that, it's probably going to require a repair. It would be nice if you could find another one to try, which might tell you whether the problem is in the camera or the XLR adaptor itself. I believe the HVR-A1 uses the same XLR box if that helps.

You can order parts directly from Sony here: https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/sony-parts.aspx

Enter "dsrpdx10" in the model number box and follow the links.

Thanks, I'll try that. Whatever news I got, I'll tell. Thank you.

This problem is usually caused by the connector not being seated properly. You really have to push hard, and it will "click."
I had this problem. :) I got my second hand PDX10, so I was afraid that XLR was broken... Brutal force solved the problem

You're not the first person to be caught out by this, and nor will you be the last. It takes a surprising amount of force to seat the adapter - and it just begins to feel wrong.

I know it's been some time, but I wanted to debrief you on what happened after all. I was at Leonardo's home (he's the owner of the camera) and told him to bring the camera, he did and we discussed a bit about the problem. So, he started placing the XLR where it goes as he was repeating again that he always heard a click. He pushed and we all heard a "click". The camera was on, and he showed me the LCD. The XLR option was still greyed out. Leo said "See? It made a 'click'", and I said "Then push 'til you hear a 'crack'". "No, I can't. Look at how strong I have to push..." CRACK... The XLR option went white. Ha-ha! It worked!
So I wanted to thank you guys. I can perfectly see why it will still happen to a lot of people. We were truly FRIGHTENED (not to mention the owner, he almost pooped his pants) when trying to put the damn thing in its place. It's too unnatural. But happiness prevailed at last, so we are all satisfied. Thanks again, and we'll read each other soon...