MA-200 XLR audio adapter questions

Nathan Gifford · March 8th, 2003, 04:18 PM

Depends on a number of things. There is a good chance the audio output of the avionics are different than the XL-1's input. If you are looking for the best quality possible then you will need an impedance matching device.

Otherwise, you might be able to get by with an audio cable and some kind of decoupling capacitor inline with the audio. You can probably get most or all of this at Radio Shack or musician's supply store.

Dean Sensui · March 9th, 2003, 12:16 AM

I used to fly with a "breakout box" intercom system. The David Clarks plugged into the box and the box plugged into the headphone output/mic input in the Cessna's instrument panel.

The box provided a voice-activated intercom which was overridden anytime the pilot pushed the radio transmit button on the yolk.

It also featured a 1/8" audio output jack into which you could plug-in a standard recorder or feed into a video camera.

It's then a simple matter of adapting the 1/8" connector to an XLR connector -- or one of the RCA jacks -- of the Canon XL1.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Don Palomaki · March 9th, 2003, 07:09 AM

A potential issue may be the impedance and sensitivity of the headphones. Some commonly found headphones draw too much power for the XL1 to drive them adequately.

From the manual, the XL1s hardphone jack has a charactristic impedance of 120 ohms and can provide -25 dBV (aboput 56 mV) into 16 ohms, not very much nower.

ja135321 · March 14th, 2003, 07:55 PM

Can someone help? I have an XL1s with the MA200 attached. I connect the receiver xlr jack to the MA200 and I have the me2 mic attached to the transmitter. No matter what I do I can't get levels above -50 to -40 dBs. I've tried manual settings, and nothing seems to help. I've also cranked the receiver volume. Anyone have any clues?

ja135321 · March 14th, 2003, 08:08 PM

Ok, I tried an XLR mic directly to the MA200 and it was still low. Then I plugged the receiver to where the onboard mic plugs into and I get good levels. Anyone know what to do about the MA200? It seems to be losing juice going thru the MA200.

ja135321 · March 14th, 2003, 08:17 PM

Ok sorry to waste the bandwidth but this was a RTFM problem.
I assumed that when you flipped the switch on the side of the camera it automatically switched the menu options as it appeared to do, but then under Audio1, instead of Line(default) you have to switch it to Mic.

:)

Don Palomaki · March 15th, 2003, 06:51 AM

Don't feel bad. You have a lot of company on that issue. It is far and away the most common single user question regarding XL1 and 1s audio.

Nathan Gifford · March 16th, 2003, 08:55 PM

Yeah, if Chris Hurd had a nickel for every time that happened he'd own Canon!

In other words, you're in good company....

BTW, how do you like the 500? Is the 500's bodypack receiver a diversity system?

Brad Simmons · May 7th, 2003, 10:24 PM

I have the same question, and I am still a little confused.

Basically, I have an MA-200, a Canon Xl1s, and a ME66 Seenheisser shotgun mic. That's all I have and that's all I'm going to have, can't afford another mic.

How do I get this one microphone to record stereo onto the camera, just like I was able to do with a Beachtek/ME66/ VX2000?
I have to do it in post? Tunstin, how is your method not 'true stereo'?

No idea how this works. Is stereo usually done with two mics running through a mixer?

Ken Tanaka · May 7th, 2003, 10:55 PM

Brad,
The answer's the same as Tustin provided, above. It's not true "stereo", as indeed, Tustin also noted, which requires a stereo mic. That is, a mic that's basically 2 mics in one. (Yes, the onboard mic on the XL1 is stereo.)

Brad Simmons · May 7th, 2003, 11:40 PM

Hi Ken,
To clarify, if I got another Sennheiser shotgun mic, connected one to the left, and one to the right...both on audio 1, would it be true stereo? I've never done this before...which is why I'm so confused. I've always used the old beachtek adapter which I guess senses a single input and outputs it to both signals.

If one mic in the left and one in the right isn't stereo either, then would a mixer on set solve this? And if so, would you recommend an affordable one? (preferably something easy to use for someone like me). Or does this always have to be done in post?

(forgive my ignorance, these questions must be really basic, I am definitly NOT a sound guy and this is all new to me, thanks for any info).

EDIT - nevermind my very first question, I didn't read your post correctly. I now understand it will not be true stereo unless you get a stereo mic. The main question I have then is how to capture two signals and mix them properly I guess.

Ken Tanaka · May 8th, 2003, 01:07 AM

Brad,
Two shotguns would be stereo, in that you would now have two independant channels of sound. But you would be using two super cardiod, narrow-field mics. I don't think it would achieve much.

Is your goal to simply avoid duplicating a single channel in post, or is it to capture a true stereo sound field with accurate left and right channels?

Sennheiser does make a stereo shotgun mic (I think it's their MK416 model, but not sure). Also, Audio-Technica makes a very good stereo mic, their AT-822, which features a much wider field.

Don Palomaki · May 8th, 2003, 04:04 AM

Two mics can be two channel, stereo is a special case of two channel in that it attempts to form a sound image that reflects the relative placement of the sound sources during playback. Go to the Shure.com web site and check their paper about mic pacement for recording.

http://www.shure.com/pdf/booklets/mics_for_music_studio.pdf

Ther are a numbr of other interesting papes there as well.

Michael Estepp · May 8th, 2003, 07:48 AM

I think I made yet another stupid mistake... I got the MA 200 for my xl1s so that I could go BNC into my video card. I have a Voodoo 64 with SDI ins... was this stupid? or am I just missing some sort of setup?

Michael

Ed Smith · May 8th, 2003, 08:10 AM

The MA200 is really meant for audio (XLR) THe BNC is a nice little feature but all it is doing is converting the phono connection (A/V) into BNC. You could go down to your local Video store and pick up a Phono to BNC adapter for a couple of £'s/ $' that will do the same job.

Another thing the ouput on the XL1/s is composite and not SDI therefore it will not work.

SDI input/output are found on betacam equipment not DV.

Ed

March 8th, 2003, 04:18 PM	#76
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	Depends on a number of things. There is a good chance the audio output of the avionics are different than the XL-1's input. If you are looking for the best quality possible then you will need an impedance matching device. Otherwise, you might be able to get by with an audio cable and some kind of decoupling capacitor inline with the audio. You can probably get most or all of this at Radio Shack or musician's supply store. __________________ Nathan Gifford Southern Cyclist Magazine & Productions For quick answers try our Search! To see me and Rob Lohman click here

March 9th, 2003, 12:16 AM	#77
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	I used to fly with a "breakout box" intercom system. The David Clarks plugged into the box and the box plugged into the headphone output/mic input in the Cessna's instrument panel. The box provided a voice-activated intercom which was overridden anytime the pilot pushed the radio transmit button on the yolk. It also featured a 1/8" audio output jack into which you could plug-in a standard recorder or feed into a video camera. It's then a simple matter of adapting the 1/8" connector to an XLR connector -- or one of the RCA jacks -- of the Canon XL1. Dean Sensui Base Two Productions __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

March 14th, 2003, 07:55 PM	#79
ja135321 Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 90	Sennheiser Evolution 500 Can someone help? I have an XL1s with the MA200 attached. I connect the receiver xlr jack to the MA200 and I have the me2 mic attached to the transmitter. No matter what I do I can't get levels above -50 to -40 dBs. I've tried manual settings, and nothing seems to help. I've also cranked the receiver volume. Anyone have any clues?

March 14th, 2003, 08:08 PM	#80
ja135321 Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 90	MA200 Problem Ok, I tried an XLR mic directly to the MA200 and it was still low. Then I plugged the receiver to where the onboard mic plugs into and I get good levels. Anyone know what to do about the MA200? It seems to be losing juice going thru the MA200.

March 14th, 2003, 08:17 PM	#81
ja135321 Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 90	Waste of Bandwidth Ok sorry to waste the bandwidth but this was a RTFM problem. I assumed that when you flipped the switch on the side of the camera it automatically switched the menu options as it appeared to do, but then under Audio1, instead of Line(default) you have to switch it to Mic. :)

March 9th, 2003, 07:09 AM	#78
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	A potential issue may be the impedance and sensitivity of the headphones. Some commonly found headphones draw too much power for the XL1 to drive them adequately. From the manual, the XL1s hardphone jack has a charactristic impedance of 120 ohms and can provide -25 dBV (aboput 56 mV) into 16 ohms, not very much nower.

March 15th, 2003, 06:51 AM	#82
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	Don't feel bad. You have a lot of company on that issue. It is far and away the most common single user question regarding XL1 and 1s audio.

March 16th, 2003, 08:55 PM	#83
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	Yeah, if Chris Hurd had a nickel for every time that happened he'd own Canon! In other words, you're in good company.... BTW, how do you like the 500? Is the 500's bodypack receiver a diversity system? __________________ Nathan Gifford Southern Cyclist Magazine & Productions For quick answers try our Search! To see me and Rob Lohman click here

May 7th, 2003, 10:24 PM	#84
Brad Simmons Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Washington DC Posts: 304	I have the same question, and I am still a little confused. Basically, I have an MA-200, a Canon Xl1s, and a ME66 Seenheisser shotgun mic. That's all I have and that's all I'm going to have, can't afford another mic. How do I get this one microphone to record stereo onto the camera, just like I was able to do with a Beachtek/ME66/ VX2000? I have to do it in post? Tunstin, how is your method not 'true stereo'? No idea how this works. Is stereo usually done with two mics running through a mixer?

May 7th, 2003, 10:55 PM	#85
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Brad, The answer's the same as Tustin provided, above. It's not true "stereo", as indeed, Tustin also noted, which requires a stereo mic. That is, a mic that's basically 2 mics in one. (Yes, the onboard mic on the XL1 is stereo.) __________________ 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

May 7th, 2003, 11:40 PM	#86
Brad Simmons Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Washington DC Posts: 304	Hi Ken, To clarify, if I got another Sennheiser shotgun mic, connected one to the left, and one to the right...both on audio 1, would it be true stereo? I've never done this before...which is why I'm so confused. I've always used the old beachtek adapter which I guess senses a single input and outputs it to both signals. If one mic in the left and one in the right isn't stereo either, then would a mixer on set solve this? And if so, would you recommend an affordable one? (preferably something easy to use for someone like me). Or does this always have to be done in post? (forgive my ignorance, these questions must be really basic, I am definitly NOT a sound guy and this is all new to me, thanks for any info). EDIT - nevermind my very first question, I didn't read your post correctly. I now understand it will not be true stereo unless you get a stereo mic. The main question I have then is how to capture two signals and mix them properly I guess.

May 8th, 2003, 01:07 AM	#87
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Brad, Two shotguns would be stereo, in that you would now have two independant channels of sound. But you would be using two super cardiod, narrow-field mics. I don't think it would achieve much. Is your goal to simply avoid duplicating a single channel in post, or is it to capture a true stereo sound field with accurate left and right channels? Sennheiser does make a stereo shotgun mic (I think it's their MK416 model, but not sure). Also, Audio-Technica makes a very good stereo mic, their AT-822, which features a much wider field. __________________ 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

May 8th, 2003, 04:04 AM	#88
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	Two mics can be two channel, stereo is a special case of two channel in that it attempts to form a sound image that reflects the relative placement of the sound sources during playback. Go to the Shure.com web site and check their paper about mic pacement for recording. http://www.shure.com/pdf/booklets/mics_for_music_studio.pdf Ther are a numbr of other interesting papes there as well.

May 8th, 2003, 07:48 AM	#89
Michael Estepp Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 95	Ma 200 I think I made yet another stupid mistake... I got the MA 200 for my xl1s so that I could go BNC into my video card. I have a Voodoo 64 with SDI ins... was this stupid? or am I just missing some sort of setup? Michael

May 8th, 2003, 08:10 AM	#90
Ed Smith Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 1,545	The MA200 is really meant for audio (XLR) THe BNC is a nice little feature but all it is doing is converting the phono connection (A/V) into BNC. You could go down to your local Video store and pick up a Phono to BNC adapter for a couple of £'s/ $' that will do the same job. Another thing the ouput on the XL1/s is composite and not SDI therefore it will not work. SDI input/output are found on betacam equipment not DV. Ed __________________ Ed Smith Hampshire, UK Good things come to those who wait My Skiing web www.Frostytour.co.uk For quick answers Search dvinfo.net \| The best in the business: dvinfo.net Sponsors