PD170 mic vs. mic att settings at DVinfo.net

Abby Djin · March 15th, 2004, 02:13 AM

Hi. Can someone please help me with the mic settings. My question is what is the difference between mic and mic att and when would one use or not use each setting.

I just bought a PD170 and did some testing on the various mic settings and it seems to me that the best sound comes with the settings at mic att with +48V on and with the sound levels manually adjusted through ‘audio level’ turning AGC off. The mic setting seems to produce much higher sound levels (without any adjustments) but there seems to be more hissing and background noise.

I also changed the preset audio settings from the menu from +32K to +48K. Will this have any effect on the +48V switch. Thank you.

Mike Rehmus · March 15th, 2004, 10:31 AM

The attenuator does exactly what it says. It attenuates the sound level by 10 dB. In a very loud environment or with a really hot microphone you may need to use it.

The 23/48K refer to the sample rate of the audio circuit and has nothing to do with 48 Volt phantom power.

Abby Djin · March 15th, 2004, 03:32 PM

Thanks very much Mike for your response on this and my zoom ring problem. I guess my zoom ring is faulty.

Does it make more sense to set the input level to 'mic' rather than 'mic att' (with manually adjusted sound levels) in normal (not very loud settings)? I seemed to hear more hissing at the 'mic' setting.

Thanks again.

Mike Rehmus · March 15th, 2004, 04:48 PM

You are hearing more room sound, that's all AFAIK. I normally don't use the -10 dB setting with a microphone but with feeds I get from sound boards. They are invariably, in output level, right between line and microphone. Sometimes the -10 is enough and sometimes I have to insert a -10 dB pad in series with the cable.

Mainly, I suspect, because of the difference in reference levels between the equipment.

March 15th, 2004, 02:13 AM	#1
Abby Djin New Boot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Accra, Ghana Posts: 15	PD170 mic vs. mic att settings Hi. Can someone please help me with the mic settings. My question is what is the difference between mic and mic att and when would one use or not use each setting. I just bought a PD170 and did some testing on the various mic settings and it seems to me that the best sound comes with the settings at mic att with +48V on and with the sound levels manually adjusted through ‘audio level’ turning AGC off. The mic setting seems to produce much higher sound levels (without any adjustments) but there seems to be more hissing and background noise. I also changed the preset audio settings from the menu from +32K to +48K. Will this have any effect on the +48V switch. Thank you.

March 15th, 2004, 10:31 AM	#2
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	The attenuator does exactly what it says. It attenuates the sound level by 10 dB. In a very loud environment or with a really hot microphone you may need to use it. The 23/48K refer to the sample rate of the audio circuit and has nothing to do with 48 Volt phantom power. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

March 15th, 2004, 04:48 PM	#4
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	You are hearing more room sound, that's all AFAIK. I normally don't use the -10 dB setting with a microphone but with feeds I get from sound boards. They are invariably, in output level, right between line and microphone. Sometimes the -10 is enough and sometimes I have to insert a -10 dB pad in series with the cable. Mainly, I suspect, because of the difference in reference levels between the equipment. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

March 15th, 2004, 03:32 PM	#3
Abby Djin New Boot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Accra, Ghana Posts: 15	Thanks very much Mike for your response on this and my zoom ring problem. I guess my zoom ring is faulty. Does it make more sense to set the input level to 'mic' rather than 'mic att' (with manually adjusted sound levels) in normal (not very loud settings)? I seemed to hear more hissing at the 'mic' setting. Thanks again.