Various GL1 / XM1 questions

Barry Goyette · November 22nd, 2002, 12:14 AM

Regarding the distorted sound, Have you tried turning on the Mic Attenuator?...I've found that with the gl1 this helps to manage even deafening noise levels. Regarding the blue and green stripes...can you be more specific as to what is happening, and when?

Barry

Eric Emerick · December 21st, 2002, 11:36 AM

When I put a certain tape in, the power light blinks and viewfinder says eject. All transport controls are frozen. Is it a corrupt tape? I cleaned the heads, no help. Other tapes work fine. BTW, i put it in my XL1s with the same results. If it is corrupt, can it be saved?

Ken Tanaka · December 21st, 2002, 11:49 AM

It sounds like the camera is not able to properly thread the tape over the rollers and heads. You can carefully open the tape cassette's door to see if there is anything obviously wrong in there. If not, and if there's something you absolutely have to get off of that tape you can try loading it into a different camera and capturing from there. Otherwise don't take chances: pitch the tape.

Giampy Car · January 20th, 2003, 09:35 AM

Hi everybody,
nice to meet you all in this nice forum.
i would like to ask you something like external mic.
Because i've to shoot same concerts of my choir group, what kind of external mic i've to consider to have the best result in the price range 150-200€.
tnx for your reply

Graham Bernard · January 20th, 2003, 10:59 AM

Giampy - Welcome to THE XM2 Forum!

You've asked a simple question, which has many and comlex answers.

But, from what I understand, it will be driven by what level of quality you wish to attain. We all know that the audio part of AV has been often regarded as an after thought - myself included - SHAME on you Grazie!

However, here are some basic concerns you need to consider when you approach this activity:

* Can you have access to the sound desk, if this is happening at the event?

* What type of acoustics are there present in the place where you wish to film?

* Do you need to have "wireless" mics fo those taking part?

* What type of wide range mic/s are to be used?

There will be more feedback from others.

Bottom line, with the correct type of audio recording you will get some tremendous "sounds" available to you to "mix" in over your video tracks.

Big question: "Could one rely on the onboard mic?" Ermmm . . . you pays yer money yer takes yer choice!

Sooo . .

Let's see what others say

Grazie

Giampy Car · January 20th, 2003, 01:31 PM

Hi Grazie,
thanks for your reply.
Here below some my personal consideration.
I've just tried to shoot some live events of my group and the result with the onboard mic was not so good.
The acustic is generally the acustic of cathedrals and very often auditorium. So there is more reverberating effect that the on board mic is no able to reduce (because it's omnidirectional aperture). The result is very often a very confused mix of voice with some voices more present than the others (like soprano voices).
I've read some rewievs about the Adzen SGM-2X with the beacteck audio adapter seems to be the better choice in it's price range. The problem is that in Italy is very difficult to obtain those pieces so i can only consider the Canon DM50 as a potential improvement.
Do you Know something about this mic?
Is it a good choise?

Giampy

Graham Bernard · January 20th, 2003, 02:03 PM

Hmmm . . . I don't know the Canon mic you speak of. I use a Sennihieser shotgun mic. Very directional.

I think you need to research what is needed to capture audio in the setting you speak of - yes?

I can't think of anything more difficult to record than that in a cahtedral. You have a problem. Audio adaptors tend to be something you can "fix" to the body of the cammy allowing you supplemetary channels to record on. Yes, these can be "sent" to your cammy, but you would still need coherent audio signals to record. My rule of thumb - I am not a sound egineer - if it sounds difficult for me to hear it, distinctively, chances are a mic will have a similar problem - yes? I would think you need to rethink how you can record in such a complex arena. You may be looking at separate mics - placed in strategically, selected audio-quality areas. Then these audio lines being sent to a mixing desk or at least some form of 4 or 8 track mixing desk. I don't see a way around this - yes? Of course it does depend on what the "job" requires. And that often equates with the amount of cash/capi
tal you can invest in such a project.

This is a vast area of activity. I wouldn't do you the disservice of suggesting one audio system over another - hmmmmmm.

Grazie

Giampy Car · January 20th, 2003, 02:46 PM

OK I think there was a little misuranderstanding.
I don't want to reach a professional recording, i would like just to improve the sound of the on board mic such as bass response, better stereo separation and latest noise reduction.
I know that the Adzen or Sennheiser can meet my requirements but i ve to make a compromise with the Canon DM50 (very easy to purchase).
Do you think will be the correct choise?
Tnx

Brandon Mueller · February 25th, 2003, 11:56 AM

I've tried and tried, and have heard it can be done. But I can't seem to get it to go. I have a G4 w/ FCP, and would like to use my GL1 as an analog to digital passthrough device. Could anyone share the secret to doing this, if it is indeed do-able with this setup? Thank you.

Brandon

Ken Tanaka · February 25th, 2003, 01:43 PM

Page 103-104 of the manual presents the Analog-to-Digital process. To be accurate, are you

a. trying to send ANALOG footage through the camera to your computer, or

b. trying to send DIGITAL footage from your computer through the camera to an analog device such as a VHS tape?

Rick Foxx · February 25th, 2003, 01:43 PM

Last night I was on a shoot with my older GL1. I usually manually white balance before each location change, but I was following action in and outdoors in the same take, so I used the auto white balance. Everything was fine at first, but then the GL1 colors shifted dramatically to orange over about 5 seconds. There was no change in the lighting of the room I was shooting in. When I switched to manual white balance, I didn't have a problem with it drifting.

Have any of you had this issue, and if so, what did it cost to get it fixed? I'm long out of warranty, and if it's going to cost too much, I'll be much better off applying the cost of the repair to a new camera.

Thanks mucho!!

Rick Foxx
Photographic Memories

Brandon Mueller · February 25th, 2003, 01:57 PM

Hi Ken

a. trying to send ANALOG footage through the camera to your computer

this would be the correct description of what I am trying to do. I will look in the manual where you said. I must have missed that. Thank you.

Brandon

Rob Lohman · February 25th, 2003, 05:08 PM

Can you tell us a bit more about your shooting conditions? Was
it quite dark for example (this can leave the auto white balance
guessing)?

Ken Tanaka · February 25th, 2003, 05:13 PM

Rick,
Does your problem sound similar to the one in this recent thread?

Auto white balance can be a very tenuous propostion, especially in mixed artificial lighting.

Rick Foxx · February 25th, 2003, 07:55 PM

I was following my subjects from a sunlit patio outdoors into a room with incandescent lighting. There was no window, so I was only dealing with the single light source. The auto white balance was fine outside, and adjusted properly as we went inside. (edit: the indoor lighting was moderate, and I was shooting at F2.0 with 0db gain). After a few minutes of continuous filming, the color began to drift towards orange. There was no change to the light temperature or intensity. We stopped filming, I manually white balanced, and everything was fine.

I've used the auto white balance before in similar situations and have never had an issue. I almost always manually white balance, but when I'm following a subject through multiple types of lighting, I have to rely on the auto in order to maintain a single fluid shot.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Rick

December 21st, 2002, 11:36 AM	#227
Eric Emerick Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 171	GL1 power light blinking When I put a certain tape in, the power light blinks and viewfinder says eject. All transport controls are frozen. Is it a corrupt tape? I cleaned the heads, no help. Other tapes work fine. BTW, i put it in my XL1s with the same results. If it is corrupt, can it be saved? __________________ esquared

December 21st, 2002, 11:49 AM	#228
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	It sounds like the camera is not able to properly thread the tape over the rollers and heads. You can carefully open the tape cassette's door to see if there is anything obviously wrong in there. If not, and if there's something you absolutely have to get off of that tape you can try loading it into a different camera and capturing from there. Otherwise don't take chances: pitch the tape. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

January 20th, 2003, 09:35 AM	#229
Giampy Car New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 18	External mic ---> XM1? Hi everybody, nice to meet you all in this nice forum. i would like to ask you something like external mic. Because i've to shoot same concerts of my choir group, what kind of external mic i've to consider to have the best result in the price range 150-200€. tnx for your reply __________________ Giampy

January 20th, 2003, 01:31 PM	#231
Giampy Car New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 18	external mic ---> XM1 Hi Grazie, thanks for your reply. Here below some my personal consideration. I've just tried to shoot some live events of my group and the result with the onboard mic was not so good. The acustic is generally the acustic of cathedrals and very often auditorium. So there is more reverberating effect that the on board mic is no able to reduce (because it's omnidirectional aperture). The result is very often a very confused mix of voice with some voices more present than the others (like soprano voices). I've read some rewievs about the Adzen SGM-2X with the beacteck audio adapter seems to be the better choice in it's price range. The problem is that in Italy is very difficult to obtain those pieces so i can only consider the Canon DM50 as a potential improvement. Do you Know something about this mic? Is it a good choise? Giampy __________________ Giampy

January 20th, 2003, 02:46 PM	#233
Giampy Car New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 18	OK I think there was a little misuranderstanding. I don't want to reach a professional recording, i would like just to improve the sound of the on board mic such as bass response, better stereo separation and latest noise reduction. I know that the Adzen or Sennheiser can meet my requirements but i ve to make a compromise with the Canon DM50 (very easy to purchase). Do you think will be the correct choise? Tnx __________________ Giampy

November 22nd, 2002, 12:14 AM	#226
Barry Goyette Trustee Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: San Luis Obispo CA Posts: 1,195	Regarding the distorted sound, Have you tried turning on the Mic Attenuator?...I've found that with the gl1 this helps to manage even deafening noise levels. Regarding the blue and green stripes...can you be more specific as to what is happening, and when? Barry

January 20th, 2003, 10:59 AM	#230
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Giampy - Welcome to THE XM2 Forum! You've asked a simple question, which has many and comlex answers. But, from what I understand, it will be driven by what level of quality you wish to attain. We all know that the audio part of AV has been often regarded as an after thought - myself included - SHAME on you Grazie! However, here are some basic concerns you need to consider when you approach this activity: * Can you have access to the sound desk, if this is happening at the event? * What type of acoustics are there present in the place where you wish to film? * Do you need to have "wireless" mics fo those taking part? * What type of wide range mic/s are to be used? There will be more feedback from others. Bottom line, with the correct type of audio recording you will get some tremendous "sounds" available to you to "mix" in over your video tracks. Big question: "Could one rely on the onboard mic?" Ermmm . . . you pays yer money yer takes yer choice! Sooo . . Let's see what others say Grazie

January 20th, 2003, 02:03 PM	#232
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Hmmm . . . I don't know the Canon mic you speak of. I use a Sennihieser shotgun mic. Very directional. I think you need to research what is needed to capture audio in the setting you speak of - yes? I can't think of anything more difficult to record than that in a cahtedral. You have a problem. Audio adaptors tend to be something you can "fix" to the body of the cammy allowing you supplemetary channels to record on. Yes, these can be "sent" to your cammy, but you would still need coherent audio signals to record. My rule of thumb - I am not a sound egineer - if it sounds difficult for me to hear it, distinctively, chances are a mic will have a similar problem - yes? I would think you need to rethink how you can record in such a complex arena. You may be looking at separate mics - placed in strategically, selected audio-quality areas. Then these audio lines being sent to a mixing desk or at least some form of 4 or 8 track mixing desk. I don't see a way around this - yes? Of course it does depend on what the "job" requires. And that often equates with the amount of cash/capi tal you can invest in such a project. This is a vast area of activity. I wouldn't do you the disservice of suggesting one audio system over another - hmmmmmm. Grazie

February 25th, 2003, 11:56 AM	#234
Brandon Mueller Tourist Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2	GL1 as Analog Passthrough Device? I've tried and tried, and have heard it can be done. But I can't seem to get it to go. I have a G4 w/ FCP, and would like to use my GL1 as an analog to digital passthrough device. Could anyone share the secret to doing this, if it is indeed do-able with this setup? Thank you. Brandon

February 25th, 2003, 01:43 PM	#235
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Page 103-104 of the manual presents the Analog-to-Digital process. To be accurate, are you a. trying to send ANALOG footage through the camera to your computer, or b. trying to send DIGITAL footage from your computer through the camera to an analog device such as a VHS tape? __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

February 25th, 2003, 01:43 PM	#236
Rick Foxx Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tooele, UT Posts: 78	GL1 White Balance Problem Last night I was on a shoot with my older GL1. I usually manually white balance before each location change, but I was following action in and outdoors in the same take, so I used the auto white balance. Everything was fine at first, but then the GL1 colors shifted dramatically to orange over about 5 seconds. There was no change in the lighting of the room I was shooting in. When I switched to manual white balance, I didn't have a problem with it drifting. Have any of you had this issue, and if so, what did it cost to get it fixed? I'm long out of warranty, and if it's going to cost too much, I'll be much better off applying the cost of the repair to a new camera. Thanks mucho!! Rick Foxx Photographic Memories __________________ There is no problem so large that can't be solved with a suitable application of high explosives.

February 25th, 2003, 01:57 PM	#237
Brandon Mueller Tourist Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2	Hi Ken a. trying to send ANALOG footage through the camera to your computer this would be the correct description of what I am trying to do. I will look in the manual where you said. I must have missed that. Thank you. Brandon

February 25th, 2003, 05:08 PM	#238
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Can you tell us a bit more about your shooting conditions? Was it quite dark for example (this can leave the auto white balance guessing)? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 25th, 2003, 05:13 PM	#239
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Rick, Does your problem sound similar to the one in this recent thread? Auto white balance can be a very tenuous propostion, especially in mixed artificial lighting. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

February 25th, 2003, 07:55 PM	#240
Rick Foxx Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tooele, UT Posts: 78	I was following my subjects from a sunlit patio outdoors into a room with incandescent lighting. There was no window, so I was only dealing with the single light source. The auto white balance was fine outside, and adjusted properly as we went inside. (edit: the indoor lighting was moderate, and I was shooting at F2.0 with 0db gain). After a few minutes of continuous filming, the color began to drift towards orange. There was no change to the light temperature or intensity. We stopped filming, I manually white balanced, and everything was fine. I've used the auto white balance before in similar situations and have never had an issue. I almost always manually white balance, but when I'm following a subject through multiple types of lighting, I have to rely on the auto in order to maintain a single fluid shot. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Rick __________________ There is no problem so large that can't be solved with a suitable application of high explosives.