First, I apologize. There is probably a thread about these questions, but I'm living in the dark ages and when I try to search I get blank pages. It could be a Mac OS 8.6 thing or could be a line speed of 24 Kbps thing. [I have a Mac G5 with OS 10, but with no alternatives to dial-up in my area, I'm keeping my old iMac connected. Any positive experience with Direcway out there?]

Okay, but I digress. What I'd really like to know is how to deal with clapping and coughing, etc. that peaks at 0db if I'm set up manually when filming events and interviews.

You can record everything at a lower level.

You can ride the gain (for clapping--won't help for coughing).

You can buy a device that offers limiting, such as a mixer or a Beachtek DXA-8.

Or, you can use the trick that many people use. Record one channel at normal level and the other 10-20 dB lower.

Thanks F.R. for the suggestions.

On your final suggestion, how do I record the channels at different levels? Would that be beyond the capacity of my Sony VX-2100 (I don't see discussion of that possibility in the manual nor anything that indicates that on the menu)?

Hopefully it's not beyond my camera's capacity and it's just a matter of being beyond my current knowledge. That's where this forum comes in... and I'm very grateful!

A microphone with a narrower pickup pattern and its placement could reduce noise. I think some microphones are available that cancel noise from other directions.

Sam, with the VX2100 you would have to have an attenuator in one channel. There are several ways to accomplish this, but with external mics only. If you have only one external mono mic and no adaptor or mixer it would inlvolve a scheme like using a splitter, inserting an attentuator on one side then recombining with a y-connector to go into the camera.

The people who use this technique normally have one or two mics going into an adaptor or mixer before the camera.

Thank you Fred. That'll give me some direction to experiment around with. Perhaps after I spend a few days getting acquainted with my new Rode videomic and Beachtek 4 (and some borrowed mics from my local community theater)

The people who use this technique normally have one or two mics going into an adaptor or mixer before the camera.

Do you have a link for an adapter that would do this? I bought one similar to this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=252347&is=REG&addedTroughType=search from radio shack as well as another stereo adapter from an audio place and neither work. Even if I put a mic in only one jack the sound would still get recorded on both tracks. The camera I'm working with is a sony hc1. Thanks!

I'm afraid that when I said "adapter" I meant something like a Beacktek XLR apdapter, which costs about $150.

It can be done with inexpensive cable adapters, but you would have to do some cutting, stripping and soldering.

Unfotrunately I have a PC, but since you have a Mac, if you have Soundtrack Pro, you should be able to VERY easily remove the coughs, and fairly easily reduce the claps. Check out the video on apple's site...its pretty easy to use (I've used it a couple of times on a friend's machine)