Varicam 2700 Unislot ALC question

[Peter Richardson]

Hi all,

I am using a Unislot dual receiver (Lectro) on my Varicam. The unislot is going into channels 3 and 4 (shotgun going into 1 and 2). The problem I'm having is that there are only two options for setting levels on channels 3 and 4: Auto Level or Off. There are no pots for these channels. Off is no good, and the ALC is quite bad -- not a limiter, but actually trying to control the levels, which makes everything sound very compressed. Any thoughts on how to solve this problem?

Thanks!

Peter

[Andy Shipsides]

Hey Peter

Unfortunately Ch3 & Ch4 have no manual adjustment. This is a frequently asked question for me and there is not way to directly control them. You can turn the Auto Level off which will turn off AGC and the Limiter on those channels but you're level will still be fixed at some average level.

On the Lectro you should be able to adjust Audio output level on the setup screen. I would turn off the Auto Level on 3&4 and then adjust the wireless output level as you watch the audio monitor. This isn't quick but it can get you around the right level.

If that dosn't work, I would suggest setting your Wireless to 1&2 and your Shotgun to 3&4 with auto on. This way you can better control the wireless input and have your shotgun be more of an ambient mic.

Hope that helps

Andy

[Peter Richardson]

Hey Andy,

This is really fanastic info. Thank you for the thorough reply. I will give your suggestions a try and see how they work.

What I don't understand is why Panasonic included 4 pots on the HPX500, but didn't on the Varicam. One could make the argument that, presumably, if you're shooting with the Varicam then you have a dedicated sound recordist and this isn't an issue. However, even in this scenario, there wouldn't be a way for a sound recordist to control the levels of the Unislot receiver. Strange and frustrating. It would be nice if, at the very least, there was a Limiter only option for Channels 3 and 4, instead of the AGC.

I will play around with the Lectro and see if I can get an acceptable level in the meantime. Thanks again for the great info!

Peter

[Dan Brockett]

Andy:

Not threadjack but is the new HPX300 setup this same way or does it have four audio pots ala HPX500?

Dan

[Andy Shipsides]

I believe the 300 is the same as the Varicam in this regard. The 300 has a Mono mic input in the front, as opposed to the stereo mic on the Varicam. But the audio level controls were the same - just manual control over Ch1 & 2.

What I'd like to see Panasonic do is use the Front VR audio control to work control the front mic level regardless of the channel setting. Right now the Front VF can only control the front mic if it is set to ch1 or 2. If this was changed, then wireless could be set to 1&2 and set manually on the back and the front Mic could be set to 3&4 and controlled by the Front audio knob.

Andy