Hi I have a Canon XH-A1. I'm using a rode NTG-2, shotgun mic. The mic works good on a boom, and mounted on the camera, however because it is not shielded, it picks up cell phone when they are scanning, or receiving a call. Does anyone know if they fixed this in the NTG-3 model?

I don't wanna ditch my NTG-2 just yet, but dealing with cell phones will be an ongoing thing, and if these mics are going to cause audio problems due to picking up cell phones, I consider it being a major design flaw...

Just a thought, could you have a faulty XLR cable, I have a Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic and never experienced this problem.

I've had similar problems like that with my NTG 2 and it was always because the mic cable was lying across or near another cable, like the power cord or extenion cord. Make sure that your mic cable touches nothing with any kind of signal running throught it.

In other words, your cable should just touch the stand, the camera, and the floor. But I've even had to adjust the cable on certain parts of the floor.

Hope this helps.

I've had similar problems like that with my NTG 2 and it was always because the mic cable was lying across or near another cable, like the power cord or extenion cord. Make sure that your mic cable touches nothing with any kind of signal running throught it.

In other words, your cable should just touch the stand, the camera, and the floor. But I've even had to adjust the cable on certain parts of the floor.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Danny. That just might be it. But is the NTG-2 shielded? Because its the same sound that you get when your cell phone goes off while listening to music on non-shielded speakers..

Just a thought, could you have a faulty XLR cable, I have a Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic and never experienced this problem.

Hey Paul,

Thanks for your reply. It could be I guess, but I used a few different cables and still had the same problem. It's the same problem you get when you are listening to music and you here the cell phone noise through the speakers (non-shielded)...

However your point is worth checking out. One cable is one I made back when I was an intern, so far it hasn't giving me problems until possibly now...

But is the NTG-2 shielded? Because it's the same sound that you get when your cell phone goes off while listening to music on non-shielded speakers..

Mike, the interference you quote is RF (radio interference).

NTG-2 RF immunity is achieved by: The electronics and capsule are housed inside a metal body which acts as a shield to RF interference. The filters in the XLR output of the NTG-2 are engineered to reject RF interference that is induced in the line.

You do need to inspect your mic cable for defects.

The NTG-3 RF shielding is far superior to the NTG-2, being RF biased the capsule impedance is low having superior immunity to RF interference. The filters in the XLR output are better than the filters implemented in the NTG-2 in rejecting RF interference.

It's more expensive than the NTG-2 of course, with impressive sound in the pro arena
rivalling shotguns costing much more. HTH.

Cheers.

Moved from Canon XH to All Things Audio (this isn't a camcorder question; it's a mic question).

Moved from Canon XH to All Things Audio (this isn't a camcorder question; it's a mic question).

Sorry chris, couldn't find the appropriate channel tried to see if it was a problem with the camera, or the mic...

Mike, the interference you quote is RF (radio interference).

NTG-2 RF immunity is achieved by: The electronics and capsule are housed inside a metal body which acts as a shield to RF interference. The filters in the XLR output of the NTG-2 are engineered to reject RF interference that is induced in the line.

You do need to inspect your mic cable for defects.

The NTG-3 RF shielding is far superior to the NTG-2, being RF biased the capsule impedance is low having superior immunity to RF interference. The filters in the XLR output are better than the filters implemented in the NTG-2 in rejecting RF interference.

It's more expensive than the NTG-2 of course, with impressive sound in the pro arena
rivalling shotguns costing much more. HTH.

Cheers.

Thanks I didn't know all that. I'll have to check those cables. Is there a specific brand of cables that are considered more superior?

this problem was detected on a couple cables, which is why I didn't believe the problem was entirely a cable problem.

Thanks for the feedback

Any quality name brand audio cables should be Ok. I use Canare cables with Neutrik XLR plugs from BnH NY.

Another point slightly off topic. You may not be recording with enough level on your tapes.

This has come up in other strings here and other forums. The audio meters on the A1 are Canons idea of peak reading meters. For a lot of new owners, peak reading meters are also new, they jump up quick and worry folk. They're afraid of over loading the audio chain resulting in distortion .. which can't be repaired.

Folk reading about this, at first tend to under record (even forgetting about the audio while attending to the picture.)

If you do that, when you raise the level in post or just to hear it, up comes the residual noises of the camera.

There's a classic case on another forum, the guy was trying to record a stage play rehearsal for the cast. He's in the front row with the cam mic and there's a lot of shouting (acting) going down. To avoid distortion he wound the audio right down and of course on turning up the playback, up comes the cam noise. I couldn't hear any cam zoom noises because there's so much tape noise.

Not having audio limiters on the Canon A1 was one of my real disappointments, I believe Canon knew this (marketing) and out comes the A1s with limiters and other upgrades.

Anyone in love with the A1 and using it a lot, certainly considers upgrading to the A1s.

I did but added a Sound Devices SD 302 mixer, a much better option, bypassing the A1 mic pre-amps altogether.

But having said all that, there's always the rare possibility you may have a faulty NTG-2. Run some more tests.

Cheers.