AG-DVC30 Audio, XLR, Mic questions

Steve Wake · July 8th, 2005, 10:38 AM

This is a complaint and a plea for advice.

About two weeks after I got my DVC30 with XLR adapter I took a serious and critical listen to audio playback. (Before that I was concentrating on picture - and was amazed). I heard a consistent and very soft buzz (about 60Hz) and sometimes an even softer ticking (about every second). Neither sound was a normal hiss and I was on battery power recording and playing back.

With headphones on and turned up high, I heard the same buzz and tick. Mics or no mics, XLR adapter atttached or not attached. With XLR attached, adjusting the gains on the adapter or changing any of the switches made no difference in the volume or character of the noise. ALC on or off made no difference. And as I mention above, these sounds can be heard on playback.

I brought it to the nearest Panasonic service center. They happened to have another DVC30 so we compared sound with identical settings and mine definitely had a problem. They've had it for almost three weeks, and are waiting for Panasonic Japan to get back to them a second time, since the first suggestion (I don't know what that was) did not work.

They have several other DVC30's in the shop with sound problems (not the same as mine). I e-mailed Panasonic directly through their website 4 weeks ago and have never heard back. PANASONIC, if you are listening, WHAT"S UP WITH THE SOUND ON THIS CAMERA??!!

That's the complaint. Does anyone have advice on how to get Panasonic to move faster, or any guesses as to what the problem might be?

Steve

Jordan Mooney · July 25th, 2005, 10:56 PM

I have heard this from alot of people, but some people say they only have this problem when they are listening through the headphones on there camera, but others say all the time, what is it for you? have you heard more on this or if its doing that all the time or only at certain times with other people? or what? because i am really considering getting this camera, im just concerned about this audio issue..thannks

Steve Wake · July 26th, 2005, 12:46 PM

Panasonic's regional engineer checked out the problem and determined the Panasonic XLR adapter AG-MYA30G is defective. Maybe a bad ground. They are supposed to be in the process of replacing it under warranty. It's been exactly one month since I brought to the Panasonic Service Center.

Roger Averdahl · September 14th, 2005, 01:47 PM

*bump*

/Roger

Rusty Cromwell · October 15th, 2005, 07:55 PM

Hello, I have had my DVC 30 for well over a year, and I jsut have some quick questions....

1. Does anyone know any small portable pocket mixers? Very simple ones for maybe 3 sources?

2. What do you guys use to clean the lenses ?

3. What are your settings for the LCD screen )brightness, color etc

4. What zebra settings do you guys use?

Thanks in Advance

Rusty

Jordan Mooney · October 17th, 2005, 02:33 PM

Hey guys,

I have a DVC30 and I was looking into getting a mic for it. It will mainly be used to film shows/concerts. Anyone have any suggestions on what to get, what kind of mic is best for this setting, any accessories for the mic that i would need, or any accessories i would need in general with it...like an XLR adapter? By the way, nothing too pricey, i dont mind spending some money, but nothing extraordinary. Well, I hope you can help, thanks...

Jonathan Shannon · October 22nd, 2005, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Cromwell

Hello, I have had my DVC 30 for well over a year, and I jsut have some quick questions....
2. What do you guys use to clean the lenses ?
Rusty

Rusty:
I can't help you with questions 1 and 3 (as I just got my DVC30 yesterday), but as far as cleaning the lens, you can get inexpensive lens cleaning kit at any good camera store.

Hope this helps.

Jheronimus Nunca · October 22nd, 2005, 06:43 PM

HI everyone,

I have been using the AG-DVC30 for 16 months now. I shot a short in Puerto Rico and some performances in New York. I am now shooting live bands in different venues.

For the short I used mics together with the panasonic AG-MYA30G adapter which worked quite well. No hum or hiss, but really clear sound for dialogue (and of course some coqui in the background;). I did notice that two mics on phantom power the batteries on AG-DVC30 run down quicker.

For the live music shoots I have been relying on the built in camera mic with very muddy results. Using manual levels improves the quality somewhat, but it is not good enough.

So now I am in the market for a mic. Because of my particular shooting style I like to work with stereo mics. For bands long shotguns are usually overpowered so I am staying away from the longer shotguns.

such as the AT835ST
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...fa7/index.html
or the Sennheisers.

One possibility is the Audio Technica AT825 which runs both on battery and Phantom power and is balanced for use with the adapter. A lot of musicians use it's little brother AT822 with minidisc players to record their sets.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...e09/index.html

But with the audio technica it seems it would be of limited use in the field and really only be good for shooting bands because the spread is so wide. I was even looking at the core-sound mics.

This brings me to a latest discovery which is a new Edirol balanced stereo mic, the CS-50 which was designed for their R-4 Four Channel Portable Hard Disk Recorder. It has a switchable wide stereo and narrow polar pattern. It needs 48v Phantom Power, which the Panasonic AG-MYA30G can supply, at 3.8mA.

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/cs50.html

Does anyone have experience with this mic? BH sells it only special order so no dice in trying it out with the AG-DVC30 before purchasing. Perhaps someone knows someone in New York renting it?

Cheers

Michael Fossenkemper · October 22nd, 2005, 08:31 PM

Rode is coming out with a funky cool looking stereo mic that mounts on top of a camcorder. They had the proto type at the AES show.

Stephen L. Noe · October 24th, 2005, 11:30 PM

Hi, Do you currently own the XLR adapter for the DVC30?

Jheronimus Nunca · October 26th, 2005, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Fossenkemper

Rode is coming out with a funky cool looking stereo mic that mounts on top of a camcorder. They had the proto type at the AES show.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the reply. Do you have any more information on this mic?

I found a link to the videomic by Rhode, but it is not stereo or balanced, which makes it quite different from the Edirol.

http://www.rode.com.au/multimedia/videomic_high.mov

cheers

Jordan Mooney · October 26th, 2005, 06:52 PM

no, i dont own one, but im getting one whenever i order a mic that i decide on...

Kevin Spahr · October 28th, 2005, 04:59 AM

I have the Pannasonic AG-MC100 and I would NOT recommend it. It's very average and I hardly ever use it.

Dan Burnap · November 5th, 2005, 05:45 AM

Hi

Do I need an XLR adaptor to use a AGMC100G mic with the DVC30?

Has any one tried the AG-MC15P mic?, it just comes with 3.5 jack

Thanks

P.S

Any suggestions on a mounted light for the DVC30 would be very useful too.

Evan C. King · November 7th, 2005, 04:13 AM

Yeah you need an xlr adaptor to use the agmc100g, I used to have that exact same setup.

The agmc100g sounded alright but the rode videomic is better, if your gonna mount a mic on camera just get the rode it's 3.5 and sounds great.

And when I moved up to the xlrs on the dvx I simply got the vslr adaptor for it and now it sounds great on the dvx!

July 8th, 2005, 10:38 AM	#16
Steve Wake New Boot Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 18	DVC30 Audio Problem This is a complaint and a plea for advice. About two weeks after I got my DVC30 with XLR adapter I took a serious and critical listen to audio playback. (Before that I was concentrating on picture - and was amazed). I heard a consistent and very soft buzz (about 60Hz) and sometimes an even softer ticking (about every second). Neither sound was a normal hiss and I was on battery power recording and playing back. With headphones on and turned up high, I heard the same buzz and tick. Mics or no mics, XLR adapter atttached or not attached. With XLR attached, adjusting the gains on the adapter or changing any of the switches made no difference in the volume or character of the noise. ALC on or off made no difference. And as I mention above, these sounds can be heard on playback. I brought it to the nearest Panasonic service center. They happened to have another DVC30 so we compared sound with identical settings and mine definitely had a problem. They've had it for almost three weeks, and are waiting for Panasonic Japan to get back to them a second time, since the first suggestion (I don't know what that was) did not work. They have several other DVC30's in the shop with sound problems (not the same as mine). I e-mailed Panasonic directly through their website 4 weeks ago and have never heard back. PANASONIC, if you are listening, WHAT"S UP WITH THE SOUND ON THIS CAMERA??!! That's the complaint. Does anyone have advice on how to get Panasonic to move faster, or any guesses as to what the problem might be? Steve __________________ PEACE Steve

July 26th, 2005, 12:46 PM	#18
Steve Wake New Boot Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 18	Panasonic's regional engineer checked out the problem and determined the Panasonic XLR adapter AG-MYA30G is defective. Maybe a bad ground. They are supposed to be in the process of replacing it under warranty. It's been exactly one month since I brought to the Panasonic Service Center. __________________ PEACE Steve

October 15th, 2005, 07:55 PM	#20
Rusty Cromwell New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 16	DVC30 Questions Hello, I have had my DVC 30 for well over a year, and I jsut have some quick questions.... 1. Does anyone know any small portable pocket mixers? Very simple ones for maybe 3 sources? 2. What do you guys use to clean the lenses ? 3. What are your settings for the LCD screen )brightness, color etc 4. What zebra settings do you guys use? Thanks in Advance Rusty Last edited by Rusty Cromwell; October 15th, 2005 at 08:47 PM. Reason: I found the answer to some of my questions is a manual.

October 17th, 2005, 02:33 PM	#21
Jordan Mooney New Boot Join Date: May 2005 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 20	Mic for DVC30 Hey guys, I have a DVC30 and I was looking into getting a mic for it. It will mainly be used to film shows/concerts. Anyone have any suggestions on what to get, what kind of mic is best for this setting, any accessories for the mic that i would need, or any accessories i would need in general with it...like an XLR adapter? By the way, nothing too pricey, i dont mind spending some money, but nothing extraordinary. Well, I hope you can help, thanks... __________________ laaaaaaaaaater -Jordan

October 22nd, 2005, 06:43 PM	#23
Jheronimus Nunca New Boot Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 8	Stereo Mic for DVC30 HI everyone, I have been using the AG-DVC30 for 16 months now. I shot a short in Puerto Rico and some performances in New York. I am now shooting live bands in different venues. For the short I used mics together with the panasonic AG-MYA30G adapter which worked quite well. No hum or hiss, but really clear sound for dialogue (and of course some coqui in the background;). I did notice that two mics on phantom power the batteries on AG-DVC30 run down quicker. For the live music shoots I have been relying on the built in camera mic with very muddy results. Using manual levels improves the quality somewhat, but it is not good enough. So now I am in the market for a mic. Because of my particular shooting style I like to work with stereo mics. For bands long shotguns are usually overpowered so I am staying away from the longer shotguns. such as the AT835ST http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...fa7/index.html or the Sennheisers. One possibility is the Audio Technica AT825 which runs both on battery and Phantom power and is balanced for use with the adapter. A lot of musicians use it's little brother AT822 with minidisc players to record their sets. http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...e09/index.html But with the audio technica it seems it would be of limited use in the field and really only be good for shooting bands because the spread is so wide. I was even looking at the core-sound mics. This brings me to a latest discovery which is a new Edirol balanced stereo mic, the CS-50 which was designed for their R-4 Four Channel Portable Hard Disk Recorder. It has a switchable wide stereo and narrow polar pattern. It needs 48v Phantom Power, which the Panasonic AG-MYA30G can supply, at 3.8mA. http://www.edirol.com/products/info/cs50.html Does anyone have experience with this mic? BH sells it only special order so no dice in trying it out with the AG-DVC30 before purchasing. Perhaps someone knows someone in New York renting it? Cheers

July 25th, 2005, 10:56 PM	#17
Jordan Mooney New Boot Join Date: May 2005 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 20	I have heard this from alot of people, but some people say they only have this problem when they are listening through the headphones on there camera, but others say all the time, what is it for you? have you heard more on this or if its doing that all the time or only at certain times with other people? or what? because i am really considering getting this camera, im just concerned about this audio issue..thannks

September 14th, 2005, 01:47 PM	#19
Roger Averdahl Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Stockholm - Sweden Posts: 344	bump /Roger

October 22nd, 2005, 08:31 PM	#24
Michael Fossenkemper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NYC, weeee. Posts: 417	Rode is coming out with a funky cool looking stereo mic that mounts on top of a camcorder. They had the proto type at the AES show.

October 24th, 2005, 11:30 PM	#25
Stephen L. Noe Trustee Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,214	Hi, Do you currently own the XLR adapter for the DVC30?

October 26th, 2005, 06:52 PM	#27
Jordan Mooney New Boot Join Date: May 2005 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 20	no, i dont own one, but im getting one whenever i order a mic that i decide on... __________________ laaaaaaaaaater -Jordan

October 28th, 2005, 04:59 AM	#28
Kevin Spahr Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Carlisle, PA Posts: 451	I have the Pannasonic AG-MC100 and I would NOT recommend it. It's very average and I hardly ever use it.

November 5th, 2005, 05:45 AM	#29
Dan Burnap Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 335	Dvc30 & Agmc100g Hi Do I need an XLR adaptor to use a AGMC100G mic with the DVC30? Has any one tried the AG-MC15P mic?, it just comes with 3.5 jack Thanks P.S Any suggestions on a mounted light for the DVC30 would be very useful too.

November 7th, 2005, 04:13 AM	#30
Evan C. King Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 532	Yeah you need an xlr adaptor to use the agmc100g, I used to have that exact same setup. The agmc100g sounded alright but the rode videomic is better, if your gonna mount a mic on camera just get the rode it's 3.5 and sounds great. And when I moved up to the xlrs on the dvx I simply got the vslr adaptor for it and now it sounds great on the dvx!