Microphone problem...need suggestions at DVinfo.net

Peter Warren · September 19th, 2003, 03:47 PM

Hi,

I ordered one of those Pana hotshoe mikes, VW VMH3, to use with the cam. It does not seem to work...unless I am missing something. When I put in the hotshoe, the camera "sees" it..and an mike icon appears on the LCD screen. Also, the build-in mike is disabled. BUT, I don't get any audion input from the mike. I have tried other external mikes(not hot shoe)...they work fine.

I assume that this thing is powered off the camera power supply since I don't see anyplace for a battery or other power input.

It has to be either the mike itself, the hotshoe, or something in the setup....

Any brilliant suggestions? I would be most gratefuly... I think I will have a hard time getting anyying from Price Japan.

Peter

Allan Rejoso · September 19th, 2003, 05:38 PM

Sorry Peter, this might be a stupid question, how do you know you don't get audio input...there is no sound? The fact that the icon is displayed means the cam recognizes the hot shoe mic properly.

Try the following:

1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound.

2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response.

3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu)

4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu)

Peter Warren · September 20th, 2003, 12:01 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso : Sorry Peter, this might be a stupid question, how do you know you don't get audio input...there is no sound? The fact that the icon is displayed means the cam recognizes the hot shoe mic properly.

Try the following: ALLAN, SEE BELOW:

1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound.
I DID AND THERE IS NOT REPONSE ON THE LEVEL INDICATOR

2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response.

3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu)

WHEN THE MIKE IS ATTACHED, THESE ARE BLUED OUT!!!

4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu) -->>>

TRIED BOTH SETTINGS...EVEN RESET TO FACT DEFAULTS.....

ANY MORE IDEAS HOW TO PROCEED? THIS IS A BIT OF A BUMMER.
AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR TRYING TO HELP.

Patricia Kim · September 20th, 2003, 02:29 AM

Is your battery at full power? Or do you have the microphone jack connected to something else? Apparently connecting it disables the internal mike - that would at least account for why you can't access the zoom mike and audio level controls.

Peter Jefferson · September 20th, 2003, 03:54 AM

What kind of camera is it?

Try the following:

1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound.
I DID AND THERE IS NOT REPONSE ON THE LEVEL INDICATOR

Some mics have a power switch, or can be switchable. this might sound silly but its easy to mistake the av jack for the mic input.

2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response.

((Lo-Cut is another word for wind cut. i dunno bout the GS itself, but th ecam wil run a filter cut off to get rid of the boomy wind sound mics pick up))

3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu)

WHEN THE MIKE IS ATTACHED, THESE ARE BLUED OUT!!!

((If things are unselectable in a Pana cam's menu, it means its been disabled OR It may well be that your mic isnt zoom capable...
the model you mention is the one whih is supposed ot carry a zoom function??
If this isnt switchable from the menu then, i would suggest you take it to a service centre and get them to help you configure it.
The fact that when its plugged in that menu option is unselectable tells me that the cam HAS indeed recognised the connection...
Sounds more like a power issue...

When i plug in my VMS2E, zoom mic is disabled as the mx500 recognises that its runnign an external mic. Mind you this mic takes an AAA battery))

4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu) -->>>

TRIED BOTH SETTINGS...EVEN RESET TO FACT DEFAULTS.....

((this wouldnt really change the way the cam recognises the mic, however it seems that the mic itself is either switched off, not recieving power, or plugged into the wrong socket (which i doubt)

ANY MORE IDEAS HOW TO PROCEED? THIS IS A BIT OF A BUMMER.
AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR TRYING TO HELP. -->>>

if its NOT one of the 3 suggestions above, id contact a service centre for assistance.

good luck

Bogdan Vaglarov · September 20th, 2003, 11:42 PM

As this is very proprietary zoom mic for GS70/100 it should work only with them.

The only option is as mentioned from Allan in the last menu to set the mic in normal or low cut mode which shouldn't have influence on the main sound coming in.

So you can't chose to use this mic as zoom or normal stereo (blued menu) - Blah!

There is no mic cable with jack or power - everything is trough the hot shoe. Check well if you really insert it the right way. If you see the icon it might mean the power is OK but for some reason the audio contacts are not activated. In Japan is easy the contacts to get rust or patina - so observe this. Can not think of anything else exept checking again the mic level - put in Manual AGC and speak (if you are quite rarely even one bar will apear).

Peter Warren · September 21st, 2003, 08:48 AM

So far, I am not having any success with any of these great suggestions. I think my next move is to send the mike to somebody else who has the GS100k and see if it works on their camera. If it does, then I have a hotshoe problem. If it doesn't,then I have a mike problem. Pain in the neck!

ON another note, is anybody using the cga-21du battery with success? I see them available on ebay for less than $50 and they "look" like they should work ok.... I know that this is mentioned elsewhere...

Patricia Kim · September 21st, 2003, 02:29 PM

What about checking two things first. Is the cam set to 16-bit recording? And, as Bogdan said, is the mike seated properly (manual says to pull the viewfinder out towards you before inserting the mike). Since the mike is called a zoom stereo mike, the choices re zoom and stereo may be blued out because you can't use it in any mode that remotely resembles anything else. I'm finding for editing purposes in little old iMovie, for example, that one must use 16-bit while recording, which I gather is the professional standard...

Allan Rejoso · September 21st, 2003, 04:18 PM

Perhaps you'd have an easier time finding an owner of the GS70 instead. Assuming the US version is the same as the Jap GS70, that mic should also work with the GS70.

I think the mic options in the Menu is blued because such selection should be done through the mic itself. If I'm not mistaken, there is a slide switch at the back of the mic?

Peter Warren · September 21st, 2003, 04:20 PM

Hmmm, I will try that with the viewfinder...there is a funny little flap on the hotshoe that the mike contacts must slide under. It looks so delicate to me that it seems a miracle that it could work. Take a peak at it...at first it is not noticable in the hotshoe, but if you look carefully and probe around a bit you can see where the contacts...about 10 or em--must mesh...

By the way, I shot some nice Fall colors in the Rockies today. How do I post so that people can see on the forum?

Pat, you are wonderful....thanks

Peter Warren · September 21st, 2003, 04:24 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso : Perhaps you'd have an easier time finding an owner of the GS70 instead. Assuming the US version is the same as the Jap GS70, that mic should also work with the GS70. ALLAN, I HAVE CHAP WITH A GS100..BUT I WILL HAVE TO MAIL THE MIKE TO HIM. NOT A BIG PROBLEM.

I think the mic options in the Menu is blued because such selection should be done through the mic itself. If I'm not mistaken, there is a slide switch at the back of the mic? -->>>
YES, THERE IS A SLIDE SWITCH...AND THIS MAKES SENSE. WHAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE IS THE LACK OF AUDIO COMING OUT OF THE DARN THING....GRRRRR! OTHERWISE, THIS CAM IS A GEM. I SHOT SOME FALL COLORS TODAY..IN PROGRESSIVE MODE...THEY LOOK VERY GOOD. NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS MY NIKON D100 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA, BUT FOR A SECONDARY FUNCTION, THEY ARE IMPRESSIVE INDEED.

Peter Warren · September 21st, 2003, 04:26 PM

Allan, I have been trying to email you re some quotes. Have you received my emails? I have heard that GS100's and some accessories are suddenly in short supply. Thanks,

Peter

Allan Rejoso · September 21st, 2003, 04:46 PM

No Peter I haven't received yet, but probably it's in my other address which I'll see later today.

You mean you did not pull out the VF when you attached the mic? Perhaps the mic is not properly seated then (hopefully that's the only problem).

Bogdan Vaglarov · September 21st, 2003, 09:08 PM

I think the US GS70 has only cold shoe - that's have been discussed on other forum. So good Peter have the GS100 conection.

What the switch on the mic says? I'm interested as it's not specified or visible on the pics.

Yes the hot shoe contacts are protected by plastic sliding covers. You should slide the mic carefully from behind (pulling the viewfinder first) and firmly press to the end or click (don't break the mic base!!!)

Peter Warren · September 21st, 2003, 11:25 PM

I pulled out the VF...switched to 16 bit audio...still no dice. I am at a loss with this one...maybe a real loss...

September 19th, 2003, 03:47 PM	#1
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	Microphone problem...need suggestions Hi, I ordered one of those Pana hotshoe mikes, VW VMH3, to use with the cam. It does not seem to work...unless I am missing something. When I put in the hotshoe, the camera "sees" it..and an mike icon appears on the LCD screen. Also, the build-in mike is disabled. BUT, I don't get any audion input from the mike. I have tried other external mikes(not hot shoe)...they work fine. I assume that this thing is powered off the camera power supply since I don't see anyplace for a battery or other power input. It has to be either the mike itself, the hotshoe, or something in the setup.... Any brilliant suggestions? I would be most gratefuly... I think I will have a hard time getting anyying from Price Japan. Peter

September 19th, 2003, 05:38 PM	#2
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Sorry Peter, this might be a stupid question, how do you know you don't get audio input...there is no sound? The fact that the icon is displayed means the cam recognizes the hot shoe mic properly. Try the following: 1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound. 2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response. 3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu) 4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu)

September 20th, 2003, 12:01 AM	#3
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso : Sorry Peter, this might be a stupid question, how do you know you don't get audio input...there is no sound? The fact that the icon is displayed means the cam recognizes the hot shoe mic properly. Try the following: ALLAN, SEE BELOW: 1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound. I DID AND THERE IS NOT REPONSE ON THE LEVEL INDICATOR 2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response. 3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu) WHEN THE MIKE IS ATTACHED, THESE ARE BLUED OUT!!! 4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu) -->>> TRIED BOTH SETTINGS...EVEN RESET TO FACT DEFAULTS..... ANY MORE IDEAS HOW TO PROCEED? THIS IS A BIT OF A BUMMER. AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR TRYING TO HELP.

September 20th, 2003, 02:29 AM	#4
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Is your battery at full power? Or do you have the microphone jack connected to something else? Apparently connecting it disables the internal mike - that would at least account for why you can't access the zoom mike and audio level controls.

September 20th, 2003, 03:54 AM	#5
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	What kind of camera is it? Try the following: 1. Set mic level adjustment to manual (to display the volume/mic level indicator), and see if the indicator responds properly to any sound. I DID AND THERE IS NOT REPONSE ON THE LEVEL INDICATOR Some mics have a power switch, or can be switchable. this might sound silly but its easy to mistake the av jack for the mic input. 2. Within the menu, the hotshoe mic can be set to either Normal mode or Lo-Cut mode. Try to play with that and check if there is any difference/improvement in response. ((Lo-Cut is another word for wind cut. i dunno bout the GS itself, but th ecam wil run a filter cut off to get rid of the boomy wind sound mics pick up)) 3. Check if your mic is set to Zoom (Menu) WHEN THE MIKE IS ATTACHED, THESE ARE BLUED OUT!!! ((If things are unselectable in a Pana cam's menu, it means its been disabled OR It may well be that your mic isnt zoom capable... the model you mention is the one whih is supposed ot carry a zoom function?? If this isnt switchable from the menu then, i would suggest you take it to a service centre and get them to help you configure it. The fact that when its plugged in that menu option is unselectable tells me that the cam HAS indeed recognised the connection... Sounds more like a power issue... When i plug in my VMS2E, zoom mic is disabled as the mx500 recognises that its runnign an external mic. Mind you this mic takes an AAA battery)) 4. Check if Wind Noise Reduction is activated (Menu) -->>> TRIED BOTH SETTINGS...EVEN RESET TO FACT DEFAULTS..... ((this wouldnt really change the way the cam recognises the mic, however it seems that the mic itself is either switched off, not recieving power, or plugged into the wrong socket (which i doubt) ANY MORE IDEAS HOW TO PROCEED? THIS IS A BIT OF A BUMMER. AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR TRYING TO HELP. -->>> if its NOT one of the 3 suggestions above, id contact a service centre for assistance. good luck

September 20th, 2003, 11:42 PM	#6
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	As this is very proprietary zoom mic for GS70/100 it should work only with them. The only option is as mentioned from Allan in the last menu to set the mic in normal or low cut mode which shouldn't have influence on the main sound coming in. So you can't chose to use this mic as zoom or normal stereo (blued menu) - Blah! There is no mic cable with jack or power - everything is trough the hot shoe. Check well if you really insert it the right way. If you see the icon it might mean the power is OK but for some reason the audio contacts are not activated. In Japan is easy the contacts to get rust or patina - so observe this. Can not think of anything else exept checking again the mic level - put in Manual AGC and speak (if you are quite rarely even one bar will apear).

September 21st, 2003, 08:48 AM	#7
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	So far, I am not having any success with any of these great suggestions. I think my next move is to send the mike to somebody else who has the GS100k and see if it works on their camera. If it does, then I have a hotshoe problem. If it doesn't,then I have a mike problem. Pain in the neck! ON another note, is anybody using the cga-21du battery with success? I see them available on ebay for less than $50 and they "look" like they should work ok.... I know that this is mentioned elsewhere...

September 21st, 2003, 02:29 PM	#8
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	What about checking two things first. Is the cam set to 16-bit recording? And, as Bogdan said, is the mike seated properly (manual says to pull the viewfinder out towards you before inserting the mike). Since the mike is called a zoom stereo mike, the choices re zoom and stereo may be blued out because you can't use it in any mode that remotely resembles anything else. I'm finding for editing purposes in little old iMovie, for example, that one must use 16-bit while recording, which I gather is the professional standard...

September 21st, 2003, 04:18 PM	#9
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Perhaps you'd have an easier time finding an owner of the GS70 instead. Assuming the US version is the same as the Jap GS70, that mic should also work with the GS70. I think the mic options in the Menu is blued because such selection should be done through the mic itself. If I'm not mistaken, there is a slide switch at the back of the mic?

September 21st, 2003, 04:20 PM	#10
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	Hmmm, I will try that with the viewfinder...there is a funny little flap on the hotshoe that the mike contacts must slide under. It looks so delicate to me that it seems a miracle that it could work. Take a peak at it...at first it is not noticable in the hotshoe, but if you look carefully and probe around a bit you can see where the contacts...about 10 or em--must mesh... By the way, I shot some nice Fall colors in the Rockies today. How do I post so that people can see on the forum? Pat, you are wonderful....thanks

September 21st, 2003, 04:24 PM	#11
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso : Perhaps you'd have an easier time finding an owner of the GS70 instead. Assuming the US version is the same as the Jap GS70, that mic should also work with the GS70. ALLAN, I HAVE CHAP WITH A GS100..BUT I WILL HAVE TO MAIL THE MIKE TO HIM. NOT A BIG PROBLEM. I think the mic options in the Menu is blued because such selection should be done through the mic itself. If I'm not mistaken, there is a slide switch at the back of the mic? -->>> YES, THERE IS A SLIDE SWITCH...AND THIS MAKES SENSE. WHAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE IS THE LACK OF AUDIO COMING OUT OF THE DARN THING....GRRRRR! OTHERWISE, THIS CAM IS A GEM. I SHOT SOME FALL COLORS TODAY..IN PROGRESSIVE MODE...THEY LOOK VERY GOOD. NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS MY NIKON D100 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA, BUT FOR A SECONDARY FUNCTION, THEY ARE IMPRESSIVE INDEED.

September 21st, 2003, 04:26 PM	#12
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	Allan, I have been trying to email you re some quotes. Have you received my emails? I have heard that GS100's and some accessories are suddenly in short supply. Thanks, Peter

September 21st, 2003, 04:46 PM	#13
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	No Peter I haven't received yet, but probably it's in my other address which I'll see later today. You mean you did not pull out the VF when you attached the mic? Perhaps the mic is not properly seated then (hopefully that's the only problem).

September 21st, 2003, 09:08 PM	#14
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	I think the US GS70 has only cold shoe - that's have been discussed on other forum. So good Peter have the GS100 conection. What the switch on the mic says? I'm interested as it's not specified or visible on the pics. Yes the hot shoe contacts are protected by plastic sliding covers. You should slide the mic carefully from behind (pulling the viewfinder first) and firmly press to the end or click (don't break the mic base!!!)

September 21st, 2003, 11:25 PM	#15
Peter Warren Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: DEnver, Colorado , US Posts: 45	I pulled out the VF...switched to 16 bit audio...still no dice. I am at a loss with this one...maybe a real loss...