I have just started using my DVC30 for some backup shots and am having trouble getting my shotgun mic to feed to the camera. The manual is not very clear on setting the input device to external, has anyone used an external feed on the DVC30 or is the DVX100 close enough to reason it out?

I would like to use the Mic off my old XL1 but it would not feed either.

Any clues?

I mounted a shotgun on my DVC30 and connected it - worked the first time - no menu selections at all. I am not using XLR.

I just read an earlier thread:
www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39808

Is there an audio problem with the DVC30? Do all of them have this problem when you use the XLR connector? I was just about to order a new DVC30. For me this could be a very serious problem.

I have Sennheiser - ME66/K6 and was expecting to get pro quality sound.

From what I read, a ten cent mic or four hundred dollar mic will have hiss in the audio. Are other DVC30 owners having this problem? ...... HELP

sorry can't be of any help, but would like a response on this topic also...

I have a post in

"sound for the agdvc30"

with a link to an example of the noise that relates to this question.

hoping for some expert opinions...

Hi Guys,

I just upgraded my DVC-30 with the MYA30G-XLR box.
I wanted to do some real time comparisons between the
internal mic and some XLR mics.
Is there any way to record the one side of the internal mic
on one channel and one external mic on the
second channel, so I can do a side by side?

Also, heard good things about the AT4073A.
I would like something less directional, like a Sein ME-64.
Is there an AT mic with the quality of the 4073A, but has a
wider pattern (and about the same cost)?

Thanks,
Isaac

Isaac, I've moved your post to the Panasonic DVX/DVC board so that other DVC30 owners can see your post.

Isaac,

I'll have to double check but I think when you use the xlr box it disables the onboard mike.

Can someone verify this?

Hi Reid,

Yup, you are right. I plugged in the MYA30G-XLR box into my DVC30, and the internal mike is disabled. Plus, the record levels that you access via the menu are also disabled. The MYA30G does have very small manual dials for level control.

So, my big issue with using the MYA30G is these small manual dials are hard to see and get at in the dark. I record local musicians, and the first time I used the MYA30G, I kept on bumping it trying to find the dials, which added thumping noises to the recording. Even if I was very careful, I still managed to lightly hit the box enough to be heard on the recording. This is very annoying, since I'm adjusting the recording levels often during a show. Even though the menu levels required a few clicks to get to the levels, it was much easier to adjust the levels and you could do it without bumping the unit and adding noise.

I know I could get one of those rubber band mike mounts for better isolation, but I still think it would be very difficult to constantly tweak the levels with the MYA30G without adding noise.

I had a BeachTek before, and it had nice big manual level controls which sat below the DVC30, so it was far from the mike. The reason I upgraded was I read here that many didn't like using the mike jack connector, since it is not a "quality" connector, and the MYA30G has a much better "XLR-like" shielded connector. Well, given the hassles of using the MYA30G manual dials, I think I would rather use the inferior mike connector with the BeachTek.

Now, I am thinking of recording the audio from my external mikes separately (using the new Marantz 660). That way I have audio from the internal mike on the DV tape, and audio from the external mike on the Marantz 660 - which seems to give you the most flexibility when recording.

Later,
Isaac

Don't you do sound checks before you start recording and set you levels then? Why in the midst of recording would you monkey with the settings?

Hi Stephen,

Alot of time the sound checks are not open to the public. Alot of times I get there just when they are starting. So the music starts, and you start adjusting the levels fast. It seems I'm always tweaking the level throughout the show, especially if the musicians change during the show.

Anyways, I was able to trade the MYA30G back for the Beachtek 2S, and I am much happier. I'm still looking at getting a Marantz 660 with the Oade brothers pre-amp mod to record from the mike separately from the internal mike.

Isaac

Hi,

I use mainly the onboard mic for ambient only and hardly ever use the XLR for getting live video during a music shoot. Do you have a laptop? You can get plugged in audio most of the time if your shooting in a club. I use the M-audio PreUSB connected to a laptop and Sonar XL.

I just recently got the videomic and the DXA-2 but when i try to hook them up they won't work. The videomic works perfectly going thru the mic jack on the camera but when i run it thru the DXA-2 there's no sound at all. anyone out there have this same problem?

This thread may help:

http://www.pana3ccduser.com/showthread.php?t=1764&highlight=beachtek

Hi!

I have a DVC30 and all sound i record has a +20dB boost in the 15500Hz to 15800Hz range with a peak at 15600Hz. This is present even if the microphone is not connected to the camera and thus recording only silence.

I have tested with and without the XLR-box AG-MYA30 with the same result, so it is not related to the microphones or the XLR-box . If i set the input volume to 0 the high frequence is still present. I have tested this on two DVC30's with the same results...

This can be fixed with a notch filter in post production so its not a big issue but quite irritating.

The question is, do you have the same boost in those high frequences?

I have used the Frequeuncy Analysis in Adobe Auditon to actually see those frequences.

/Roger

This is a complaint and a plea for advice.

About two weeks after I got my DVC30 with XLR adapter I took a serious and critical listen to audio playback. (Before that I was concentrating on picture - and was amazed). I heard a consistent and very soft buzz (about 60Hz) and sometimes an even softer ticking (about every second). Neither sound was a normal hiss and I was on battery power recording and playing back.

With headphones on and turned up high, I heard the same buzz and tick. Mics or no mics, XLR adapter atttached or not attached. With XLR attached, adjusting the gains on the adapter or changing any of the switches made no difference in the volume or character of the noise. ALC on or off made no difference. And as I mention above, these sounds can be heard on playback.

I brought it to the nearest Panasonic service center. They happened to have another DVC30 so we compared sound with identical settings and mine definitely had a problem. They've had it for almost three weeks, and are waiting for Panasonic Japan to get back to them a second time, since the first suggestion (I don't know what that was) did not work.

They have several other DVC30's in the shop with sound problems (not the same as mine). I e-mailed Panasonic directly through their website 4 weeks ago and have never heard back. PANASONIC, if you are listening, WHAT"S UP WITH THE SOUND ON THIS CAMERA??!!

That's the complaint. Does anyone have advice on how to get Panasonic to move faster, or any guesses as to what the problem might be?

Steve

I have heard this from alot of people, but some people say they only have this problem when they are listening through the headphones on there camera, but others say all the time, what is it for you? have you heard more on this or if its doing that all the time or only at certain times with other people? or what? because i am really considering getting this camera, im just concerned about this audio issue..thannks

Panasonic's regional engineer checked out the problem and determined the Panasonic XLR adapter AG-MYA30G is defective. Maybe a bad ground. They are supposed to be in the process of replacing it under warranty. It's been exactly one month since I brought to the Panasonic Service Center.

*bump*

/Roger

Hello, I have had my DVC 30 for well over a year, and I jsut have some quick questions....

1. Does anyone know any small portable pocket mixers? Very simple ones for maybe 3 sources?

2. What do you guys use to clean the lenses ?

3. What are your settings for the LCD screen )brightness, color etc

4. What zebra settings do you guys use?

Thanks in Advance

Rusty

Hey guys,

I have a DVC30 and I was looking into getting a mic for it. It will mainly be used to film shows/concerts. Anyone have any suggestions on what to get, what kind of mic is best for this setting, any accessories for the mic that i would need, or any accessories i would need in general with it...like an XLR adapter? By the way, nothing too pricey, i dont mind spending some money, but nothing extraordinary. Well, I hope you can help, thanks...

Hello, I have had my DVC 30 for well over a year, and I jsut have some quick questions....
2. What do you guys use to clean the lenses ?
Rusty

Rusty:
I can't help you with questions 1 and 3 (as I just got my DVC30 yesterday), but as far as cleaning the lens, you can get inexpensive lens cleaning kit at any good camera store.

Hope this helps.

HI everyone,

I have been using the AG-DVC30 for 16 months now. I shot a short in Puerto Rico and some performances in New York. I am now shooting live bands in different venues.

For the short I used mics together with the panasonic AG-MYA30G adapter which worked quite well. No hum or hiss, but really clear sound for dialogue (and of course some coqui in the background;). I did notice that two mics on phantom power the batteries on AG-DVC30 run down quicker.

For the live music shoots I have been relying on the built in camera mic with very muddy results. Using manual levels improves the quality somewhat, but it is not good enough.

So now I am in the market for a mic. Because of my particular shooting style I like to work with stereo mics. For bands long shotguns are usually overpowered so I am staying away from the longer shotguns.

such as the AT835ST
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/b92dc794916f0fa7/index.html
or the Sennheisers.

One possibility is the Audio Technica AT825 which runs both on battery and Phantom power and is balanced for use with the adapter. A lot of musicians use it's little brother AT822 with minidisc players to record their sets.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/f43693e797dfbe09/index.html

But with the audio technica it seems it would be of limited use in the field and really only be good for shooting bands because the spread is so wide. I was even looking at the core-sound mics.

This brings me to a latest discovery which is a new Edirol balanced stereo mic, the CS-50 which was designed for their R-4 Four Channel Portable Hard Disk Recorder. It has a switchable wide stereo and narrow polar pattern. It needs 48v Phantom Power, which the Panasonic AG-MYA30G can supply, at 3.8mA.

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/cs50.html

Does anyone have experience with this mic? BH sells it only special order so no dice in trying it out with the AG-DVC30 before purchasing. Perhaps someone knows someone in New York renting it?

Cheers

Rode is coming out with a funky cool looking stereo mic that mounts on top of a camcorder. They had the proto type at the AES show.

Hi, Do you currently own the XLR adapter for the DVC30?

Rode is coming out with a funky cool looking stereo mic that mounts on top of a camcorder. They had the proto type at the AES show.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the reply. Do you have any more information on this mic?

I found a link to the videomic by Rhode, but it is not stereo or balanced, which makes it quite different from the Edirol.

http://www.rode.com.au/multimedia/videomic_high.mov

cheers

no, i dont own one, but im getting one whenever i order a mic that i decide on...

I have the Pannasonic AG-MC100 and I would NOT recommend it. It's very average and I hardly ever use it.

Hi

Do I need an XLR adaptor to use a AGMC100G mic with the DVC30?

Has any one tried the AG-MC15P mic?, it just comes with 3.5 jack

Thanks

P.S

Any suggestions on a mounted light for the DVC30 would be very useful too.

Yeah you need an xlr adaptor to use the agmc100g, I used to have that exact same setup.

The agmc100g sounded alright but the rode videomic is better, if your gonna mount a mic on camera just get the rode it's 3.5 and sounds great.

And when I moved up to the xlrs on the dvx I simply got the vslr adaptor for it and now it sounds great on the dvx!

I have not used the AG-MC15P. I do have the Rode VideoMic, and it sounds great. I also have the XLR input module that allows me to use the Rode (with an XLR converter) and a second Mic (i.e. lavaliere) at the same time. If you ever think you'll need to use two mics, these are great to have.

I have no idea if any single mic would be able to capture a concert well... if you want ambient sound along with quality stage sound, see if you can get a feed from the board and run that directly into your camera. Then buy a Rode VideoMic and use that to capture the ambient sound.

I have little experience with this type of setup, but I've been involved with some stage production recordings and we use this technique to capture audience reaction.

The Rode VideoMic runs about $150 USD.

I think I get pretty good results by using two omni dynamic mics connected to a sennheiser wireless system and fed into the camera. It's real easy to set up, I can put the mics where I want them since there's no wires and it works for a wide range of events. I have three examples all of which used the same mics

http://spahrproductions.com/musicproduction/music.html

Yea it's not 5.1 tripple THX superduper remastered megamix but people are happy with it and it doesn't cost me tons of labor in setup or post.

I talked to a guy today about doing a dvd of his band and he wants to record 16 channels from the board at a live show and remix it in his recording studio for 5.1 surround. GREAT! I'm ready to go for it but not everyone can afford that and he's got the equipment and the staff to do it!

Hi all.
I just got my DVC30 yesterday from B&H. This is my first DV. It is awesome and it is the only one i can afford in this category (i am a grad student).
I havent yet got on too much testing on the footage, but i just noticed that when I switched on the SNS, there is a quite loud click sound. And when the camera is turned off, there is also a kind of click sound around the lens when I tilt or flip it. I doubt it is also about the SNS switch there. It sounds like a plastic object flippled or sliding open and shut at something.
Is it normal?
Many thanks.

yes it's normal. both noises. freaks everyone out at first.

yes it's normal. both noises. freaks everyone out at first.
Thanks a lot! I hope panny shoulda mentioned it in the manual in the first place (or cos I havent read it through..:)

The clicking sound near the lens ought to be the Optical Image Stabilizer. When you power up the camera, gyroscopes keep it centered. When you power it down, it flops around. Just the nature of OIS.

What does SNS stand for, anyway?

The clicking sound near the lens ought to be the Optical Image Stabilizer. When you power up the camera, gyroscopes keep it centered. When you power it down, it flops around. Just the nature of OIS.

What does SNS stand for, anyway?

SNS is that super nightlight shooting or whatever, that button on the left panel, for I noticed the noise is quite similar when you switch on the IR shooting mode with that button.
thanks for another piece of reassuring information.

I just purchased a new DVC30. I'm extremely impressed with the build quality and feature set. I am having problems with the XLR mic adapter. Regardless of being set to line or mic or even with the levels all the way down, I'm picking up a low level audio hiss on tape. (I verified that it wasn't the headphone monitor out on the camera.) I suspect that the XLR adapter is bad because I don't get any noise using the internal on-camera mic at various levels.

Please tell me that this isn't normal, as I was planning to use the DVC30 in two weeks with my AT897 to shoot a corporate training video. Audio will be important. I'm going to return the XLR adapter to B&H and try to get a new adapter sent to me.

Thanks for any comments.

no, this isn't normal. some things you want to check: make sure the atten switch is off. If you are using 1 mic, put it in input 2 and select channel 1-2 on the input 2 selector on the xlr adapter. Clamp the clam shell on the mic cable going into the xlr adapter. work the level controls to make sure they are working. I find that I have to turn down the monitor level a bit when I'm using an external mic. Also try a different mic if you have one, it could be an impedance issue.

I am having problems with the XLR mic adapter. Regardless of being set to line or mic or even with the levels all the way down, I'm picking up a low level audio hiss on tape. (I verified that it wasn't the headphone monitor out on the camera.) I suspect that the XLR adapter is bad because I don't get any noise using the internal on-camera mic at various levels.
I have the same problem. It is a loud hiss peaking at 15.6Khz that goes away if i use the built in mic, but who wants to use the built in mic? (And even if you remove the 15.6Khz peak the hiss is still very noticable.)

Does the same hiss occur if you plug in a mic into the 3.5mm mic in? On my camera it is no difference if i use the AG-MYA30 or the 3.5mm plug.

Panasonic has my camera right now for repairing it and has confirmed the problem and are working on it. I hope they solve it because the hiss ruins the audio.

You will get less hiss if you use a BeachTek DXA-6 instead of Panasonics AG-MYA30, thats why i bought it.

So yes, the DVC30 seem to be a camera with a audio containing noticable hiss, with or without the AG-MYA30. I am dissapointed.

I have tried this, with the same results every time:
XLR adapter: AG-MYA30
XLR adapter: BeachTek DXA-6 + DXA-8
Mic: AT 835ST
Mic: AT 825
Mic: Sennheiser ME-66
Mic: Sony ECM-MS907

/Roger

Thanks for the quick comments and suggestions. I did try the XLR adapter with and without attenuation as well as with levels all the way down without any success. Even at line level I still had the hiss. B&H said that there was definitely a problem and will be sending a new AG-MYA30 next week.

I will try using the mini-jack mic in and see what happens in the meantime. I assumed that since the hiss was gone when using the internal mic that I would be out of the woods once I recieved a new XLR adapter. My only problem is I don't have an XLR to 3.5mm adapter. I'd like to run the mic through a mixer and then into the camera, but I suppose then I would need to take the signal from line level to mic level to use the mini-jack. Too bad the camera isn't switchable from the menu. Maybe the internal camera mic has a different pre-amp or something? That seems weird, but who knows.

I will let you know what I find out. I guess worst case scenario I send it to Panasonic and let them take a look. Thanks again.

I just wanted to post a follow-up. I received a new AG-MYA30 XLR adapter from B&H today and I still have the same problem. A little disappointing for sure. Just as Roger said the problem is in the camera. Perhaps I should have sent back the entire unit. I'm beginning to think the DVX100a might have been a better route.

On the bright side, the hiss is certainly much more noticable through headphones listening to silence then when monitoring dialog off of a television or other consumer audio system. I think I can squeak by on the upcoming training video especially if I take a laptop for direct to disk recording of voice-over, etc.

Panasonic is usually very good about warranty service, so maybe I will try that route once this first project is finished. If the audio was even a little cleaner it would be a great camera. I still would buy it in second over a GL2 even with the bad audio.

I just wanted to post a follow-up. I received a new AG-MYA30 XLR adapter from B&H today and I still have the same problem. A little disappointing for sure. Just as Roger said the problem is in the camera. Perhaps I should have sent back the entire unit. I'm beginning to think the DVX100a might have been a better route.

On the bright side, the hiss is certainly much more noticable through headphones listening to silence then when monitoring dialog off of a television or other consumer audio system. I think I can squeak by on the upcoming training video especially if I take a laptop for direct to disk recording of voice-over, etc.

Panasonic is usually very good about warranty service, so maybe I will try that route once this first project is finished. If the audio was even a little cleaner it would be a great camera. I still would buy it in second over a GL2 even with the bad audio.


Your levels aren't set to AUTO, are they? :)

Your levels aren't set to AUTO, are they? :)
When using the AG-MYA30 you can not set any input levels to auto.

/Roger

[QUOTE=Roger Averdahl]When using the AG-MYA30 you can not set any input levels to auto.

Do you know if the DVC-30 can be set to auto mic level as with a Sony TRV900 or VX2000?

I have the DVC62 full size version of the DC30 and can't find "auto level control" anywhere in the menu. Very disapointing!

When using the AG-MYA30 you can not set any input levels to auto.

Do you know if the DVC-30 can be set to auto mic level as with a Sony TRV900 or VX2000?

I have the DVC62 full size version of the DC30 and can't find "auto level control" anywhere in the menu. Very disapointing!
The only volume controls you can set to auto in the DVC30 is: The built in microphone and any source connected to the 3.5mm mic in plug.

How to do it on a DVC30:
Press the Menu button on the camera and keep it pressed for about 1-3 seconds. This brings up the Audio Level Setup on the DVC30 and let you choose from there.

I guess it works the same on DVC62.

Did it work on the DVC62?

/Roger

Roger

Thanks for the reply but no the DVC62 has manual winders on the left side of the cam so no need to go into the menu. Thats OK but still there seems to be no auto level/compression on the camera which is just crazy.

Hoping there are some other DVC62 camera users out there who can shead some light on this!

Have you checked to see if the phantom power switch is on or off?

Years ago I had a camera that would hiss if I plugged in a mic that did not need juice but the phantom power switch was in the "on" position.

I'm assuming (yes, always dangerous) you have a switch on that camera to engage or disable the phantom power function for each audio input.

Check to see that it is off.

You claim the problem goes away when you use the built in mic. Those usually require phantom power while most hand mics do not.

This can also be a problem if you are using a wireless. You may have a wireless receiver hooked up to the camera, a battery inside the receiver, and additional juice coming into the wireless receiver because the phantom power switch is activated. That is not good and, again, can cause audio problem.

Lots of people don't understand you can not leave the phantom power on all the time. It's only to be used with mics that need a battery, like a lav or maybe a shotgun mic. Turn it off if your mic set up does not require the extra volts.

Using other mics, and having that little extra juice running up the line can give you a variety of audio hums, hisses and/or hits, depending on the mic or camera.

Just my thoughts.

...I still would buy [a DVC30] in second over a GL2 even with the bad audio...Why? Just curious.