mono mic with V1? at DVinfo.net

Len Imbery · February 26th, 2009, 02:58 PM

Hi...I'm new to the V1 but I've had many consumer and a few 3-chippers along the way....I just got my V1 today and am wondering about the stock mic....since it's only got one connector, I'm assuming that it's mono?....this is the first camcorder I've come across without a stereo mic....and I "Like" my stereo sound.....no problem, as I've also got a stereo AKG mic.....but I was just wondering why they'd put only a mono mic on the thing?

Seth Bloombaum · February 27th, 2009, 11:43 AM

The V1 is more like a pro broadcast camera in this. As you step up in the prosumer cameras, included mics tend to be mono short shotguns.

The reason is that in pro work, stereo is usually created in post, not at the time of acquisition. When shooting, you'd typically be recording in 2-channel mono, perhaps the shotgun in one channel and a hand-mic or lav in the second channel. Or, perhaps a lav in each channel. Or, when working with a location sound operator, he or she will send 2 channels from their mixer - could be a lavs mix in one channel and a boom in the other.

There is almost no stereo recording in pro work, except for some musical performances and sometimes background ambience (which is what a consumer camera does well, with its built-in stereo mic).

Now I tend to think of this as a great thing - my V1 interfaces to the world of pro audio. Your mileage may vary ;-)

Len Imbery · February 27th, 2009, 12:39 PM

Yes, I suppose it's nice to be playing with the "big boys" and with my stereo mic, I've still got the best of both worlds.....My stereo mic fits fine in the V1's boom holder as well....

Ken Campbell · February 28th, 2009, 02:52 PM

It is a mono mic, but you can select it to record to both channels giving a stereo file in the end. You can also add a second mic and record stereo that way. Anyway, the mic on the V1 is not that bad, but it still is on the camera. It is so hard to get good audio with the mic on the camera. I tend to think of the camera mic as a convenient way to sync up the video to the audio I recorded externally.

John Cline · February 28th, 2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Campbell

It is a mono mic, but you can select it to record to both channels giving a stereo file in the end.

I'm going to get pedantic here...

More accurately, it would be a dual-mono file, both channels would contain exactly the same information.

True stereo would have two microphones placed in specific locations relative to each other and the sound source and recording each microphone separately and simultaneously. The two recorded channels will be similar, but each will have distinct time-of-arrival and sound-pressure-level information. During playback, the listener's brain uses those subtle differences in timing and sound-level to triangulate the positions of the recorded objects. None of this can happen using a single microphone, whether it's recorded on one track or two.

Victor Wilcox · February 28th, 2009, 09:24 PM

My FX7 has a stereo mic but when there's mic seperation, the stereo effect is nill. I finally added a Rode NTG-1 shotgun and I love the results. Like the man said, you need to get the mic off the camera.

February 26th, 2009, 02:58 PM	#1
Len Imbery Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada Posts: 106	mono mic with V1? Hi...I'm new to the V1 but I've had many consumer and a few 3-chippers along the way....I just got my V1 today and am wondering about the stock mic....since it's only got one connector, I'm assuming that it's mono?....this is the first camcorder I've come across without a stereo mic....and I "Like" my stereo sound.....no problem, as I've also got a stereo AKG mic.....but I was just wondering why they'd put only a mono mic on the thing?

February 27th, 2009, 12:39 PM	#3
Len Imbery Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada Posts: 106	mono mic w/v1u Yes, I suppose it's nice to be playing with the "big boys" and with my stereo mic, I've still got the best of both worlds.....My stereo mic fits fine in the V1's boom holder as well....

February 28th, 2009, 09:24 PM	#6
Victor Wilcox Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Iron Horse Guest Ranch, Waller County, TX Posts: 340	My FX7 has a stereo mic but when there's mic seperation, the stereo effect is nill. I finally added a Rode NTG-1 shotgun and I love the results. Like the man said, you need to get the mic off the camera. __________________ Vic Wilcox, http://wilcoxvideoproductions.com/Default.aspx Sony FDR-AX100, DJI Phantom 4 Pro, GoPro Hero 8 Blk, Vegas Pro 15, DaVinci Resolve 18

February 27th, 2009, 11:43 AM	#2
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	The V1 is more like a pro broadcast camera in this. As you step up in the prosumer cameras, included mics tend to be mono short shotguns. The reason is that in pro work, stereo is usually created in post, not at the time of acquisition. When shooting, you'd typically be recording in 2-channel mono, perhaps the shotgun in one channel and a hand-mic or lav in the second channel. Or, perhaps a lav in each channel. Or, when working with a location sound operator, he or she will send 2 channels from their mixer - could be a lavs mix in one channel and a boom in the other. There is almost no stereo recording in pro work, except for some musical performances and sometimes background ambience (which is what a consumer camera does well, with its built-in stereo mic). Now I tend to think of this as a great thing - my V1 interfaces to the world of pro audio. Your mileage may vary ;-)

February 28th, 2009, 02:52 PM	#4
Ken Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Milan, Italy Posts: 140	It is a mono mic, but you can select it to record to both channels giving a stereo file in the end. You can also add a second mic and record stereo that way. Anyway, the mic on the V1 is not that bad, but it still is on the camera. It is so hard to get good audio with the mic on the camera. I tend to think of the camera mic as a convenient way to sync up the video to the audio I recorded externally.