best 2 mic setup for XL2?

[Jeffry Alan]

I am doing a lot of outdoor camera work and have to switch between camera mic, and Audio 1 input with my with my Sennheiser G2 wireless mic going into the XLR channels 1/3 plug in the back of the camera (audio set for 12 bit). I would like to see about using the camera mic and another mic (preferably the G2 lav's) to pick up ambient sound in addition to dialog. Is there a way to go XLR into channels 2/4, or is the only option to use an RCA adapter and go into the Audio 2 plugs on the side of the camera

[Zach Anderson]

lol...I was going to post this question last night...
And I'm looking forward to some suggestions...

[Carl Hataway]

Hey Jeff,
I have a videography company and we use two XL2's with the Canon MA300 on each cam that way we can hook four mics to each if needed at 12-bit and use channel 1,2,3+4. Shooting outdoor weddings, corporate events, etc. the multi mic hook up is great for multi voice and ambient sound too. If you're going to use the MA-300 in the hot shoe I also recommend the Canon CH-910 double battery charger/holder. The CH-910 on each camera with two BP-945 batteries gives us four and a half to six hours of shooting without having to replace batteries.

I hope this was down the line you were looking for

Carl

[Declan Smith]

Originally Posted by Jeffry Alan

Is there a way to go XLR into channels 2/4, or is the only option to use an RCA adapter and go into the Audio 2 plugs on the side of the camera

Yes, but the channels are paired 1&2 & 3&4.

Open up the Audio door and ensure that for audio 1 the input selector is set to front mic, this will record the onboard mic onto channels 1&2, then for the audio 2, move the input selector to REAR, this will then patch the two XLR connectors to channel 3&4 respectively.

Obviously to get all 4 channels recording you need to select 12-bit recording from the menu. Also, you may need to press the "Audio Monitor" button to actually hear the audio whilst recording. This toggles between channel 1&2, channel 3&4 and ALL channels.

Not sure what NLE you will be using to capture the audio to your computer, but not many of them deal with 4 channel audio very well. The best one I have found is Scenalyzer which gives you the option to save the additional two channels to a separate audio file.

[Jeffry Alan]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried in the past to set Audio2 to rear and bring in the XLR's that way, used in combination with Audio1 set to mic, but it didn't work. This is the most obvious solution, and I will double check, but I know we have tried this before and were unable to get it to record right.
The other option would be to add the box but I was hoping to avoid that.

thanks - *J

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Jeffry Alan

Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried in the past to set Audio2 to rear and bring in the XLR's that way, used in combination with Audio1 set to mic, but it didn't work. This is the most obvious solution, and I will double check, but I know we have tried this before and were unable to get it to record right.
The other option would be to add the box but I was hoping to avoid that.

thanks - *J

The way Declan described it should work just fine...Let me just stress what he mentioned about toggling the audio output with the audio monitor button. Many folks miss that one. You'll need to push it to the correct setting in ordr to hear the audio from ch 3 & 4.

The system should work fine for what you described as your intent. You should not need the extra mic input box described earlier. If it is not working, than it is either because of either a busted camera, a faulty mic or cable, or incorrect settings.

In the end, you will have the standard stereo mic audio on your channels 1 & 2 stereo field. Your channels 3 & 4 are also a stereo field so your ch 3 input will only play on the left side and ch 4 will be on the right. You will have to mono these tracks in post.

A search through these forums (using the search function) should generate a whole lot of posts on this subject as it has been generously laid out in great detail.

Good luck.
-Jon