Audio issue's when capturing XM1 footage at DVinfo.net

Thomas Pykett · July 6th, 2008, 11:32 AM

Hello, my first post on this forum.
I have a XM1 which im filming a skateboarding video with, i also have a JVC cheap mini DV to capture with cause i dont want to cause to much damage to my XM1 Heads.. Well down to the problem.. when im capturing footage on the JVC .. (i use premiere cs3 by the way) the audio on the footage seems to just fade about and be really quite.. even when played back on the camera the audio is very very quiet.. i can turn the gain up on shots.. but on certain scenes etc the audio is still quiet with mainly ones with speaking on them .
Just hoping someone can shed some ligth on this problem and hopefully give me some advice..
Thanks in advance

David L. Holmes · July 6th, 2008, 08:59 PM

Need some troubleshooting done... First, does the audio sound OK when you playback on the XM1? Considering that is the camera that captured both the video and audio, check that first to make sure everything is working normally. Second, if the audio is not OK, try using an external microphone and compare the results. If your on-camera microphone is not working correctly, then it's off to Canon for repair :(

If everything is fine, then try a second camera to capture your footage into CS3.

Just for grins and giggles, run a head cleaning tape through both cameras and try again. Sometimes it's a simple solution :)

Let us know what you find!!

Thomas Pykett · July 7th, 2008, 01:20 PM

well.. ive tried everything.. and ive found out that the audio on the xm1 also doesnt play back.. well it does it just theres no volume to the audio. i dont know if there are setting or something i can change to increase the audio volume.. also this is the same when using a external MIC

Frank Simpson · July 7th, 2008, 03:54 PM

My first thought is to back up to the recording process. Did you monitor audio levels through headphones? Are you positive that good audio levels were being recorded? Perhaps a setting got changed inadvertently on the camera before recording. I know the GL2 (xm2) has a mike attenuating setting for use with line-level settings. I use this setting rather often and forgot to turn it off one time. Fortunately it didn't matter as I was capturing the audio separately on another recorder, but sometimes I'll use the camera's audio for a lazy-man's sync. In this case the audio was there but very quiet.

I would start there merely from the standpoint of trouble-shooting so that it can either be confirmed or eliminated as a possibility.

Don Palomaki · July 9th, 2008, 04:52 AM

The most likely cause of low audio levels with a GL1/XM1 is having MIC ATT enabled in low sound level venues, or just being in a low sound level environment. (There is only so much gain available for the audio.)

You can also end up with low audio levels using an external mic it it is not well matched to the GL1. But keep in mind that the GL1 will record audio at an "average" level that is perhaps 12 dB below peak record level, so it may sound lower than in soem other recordings.

July 6th, 2008, 11:32 AM	#1
Thomas Pykett New Boot Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: England, Nottingham Posts: 6	Audio issue's when capturing XM1 footage Hello, my first post on this forum. I have a XM1 which im filming a skateboarding video with, i also have a JVC cheap mini DV to capture with cause i dont want to cause to much damage to my XM1 Heads.. Well down to the problem.. when im capturing footage on the JVC .. (i use premiere cs3 by the way) the audio on the footage seems to just fade about and be really quite.. even when played back on the camera the audio is very very quiet.. i can turn the gain up on shots.. but on certain scenes etc the audio is still quiet with mainly ones with speaking on them . Just hoping someone can shed some ligth on this problem and hopefully give me some advice.. Thanks in advance

July 9th, 2008, 04:52 AM	#5
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	The most likely cause of low audio levels with a GL1/XM1 is having MIC ATT enabled in low sound level venues, or just being in a low sound level environment. (There is only so much gain available for the audio.) You can also end up with low audio levels using an external mic it it is not well matched to the GL1. But keep in mind that the GL1 will record audio at an "average" level that is perhaps 12 dB below peak record level, so it may sound lower than in soem other recordings. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

July 6th, 2008, 08:59 PM	#2
David L. Holmes Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Detroit, MI USA Posts: 96	Need some troubleshooting done... First, does the audio sound OK when you playback on the XM1? Considering that is the camera that captured both the video and audio, check that first to make sure everything is working normally. Second, if the audio is not OK, try using an external microphone and compare the results. If your on-camera microphone is not working correctly, then it's off to Canon for repair :( If everything is fine, then try a second camera to capture your footage into CS3. Just for grins and giggles, run a head cleaning tape through both cameras and try again. Sometimes it's a simple solution :) Let us know what you find!!

July 7th, 2008, 01:20 PM	#3
Thomas Pykett New Boot Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: England, Nottingham Posts: 6	well.. ive tried everything.. and ive found out that the audio on the xm1 also doesnt play back.. well it does it just theres no volume to the audio. i dont know if there are setting or something i can change to increase the audio volume.. also this is the same when using a external MIC

July 7th, 2008, 03:54 PM	#4
Frank Simpson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bozeman, MT Posts: 217	My first thought is to back up to the recording process. Did you monitor audio levels through headphones? Are you positive that good audio levels were being recorded? Perhaps a setting got changed inadvertently on the camera before recording. I know the GL2 (xm2) has a mike attenuating setting for use with line-level settings. I use this setting rather often and forgot to turn it off one time. Fortunately it didn't matter as I was capturing the audio separately on another recorder, but sometimes I'll use the camera's audio for a lazy-man's sync. In this case the audio was there but very quiet. I would start there merely from the standpoint of trouble-shooting so that it can either be confirmed or eliminated as a possibility.