Sony PD150 Audio

Mike Rehmus · March 31st, 2003, 10:18 AM

here is a good place to start: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm

or

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/webapp/ModelInfo?m=0&sm=0&p=2&sp=11&id=57126

or here if you want the manual
http://www.sony.ca/dvcam/manuals/DSR-PD150.pdf

There are plenty of high-end Stereo microphones available. Go to the web sites of the microphone manufacturers to find them.

Audio Technica's URL http://www.audio-technica.com/guide/type/index.html#stereo

The XLR connectors are the only audio inputs.

Eivind Vaa · April 2nd, 2003, 05:59 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : You don't say if you've got a VX or a PD Mark. If the former then you'll need a Beachtec DXA-4 so that you can independently vary the input levels to the audio.

tom. -->>>

I didn't quite understand this. What's a "Beachtec DXA-4" and why do you need it to manually control input-levels on two mics (wireless or not) while recording? The PD150 gives you full control of audio-input while recording, and if set to "ch1" both channels are recorded separately and should remain seperate after capturing to disk for editing. Perhaps this differs from one editing suite to another, but I haven't tried that many.

Boyd Ostroff · April 2nd, 2003, 06:45 PM

> I didn't quite understand this. What's a "Beachtec DXA-4"

The Beachtek is a little box with XLR plugs and level controls. It is used to enhance camcorders that don't feature builtin XLR inputs, like the Sony VX-2000 (close cousin of the PD-150). I've got one and have been very happy with it. But with the PD-150 you don't need a Beachtek.

Garret Ambrosio · April 2nd, 2003, 08:23 PM

I guess I can add to this discussion. I actually own 9 cameras and they are all still in my possession. To hit the proverbial bullesye on the first hit, wow. But come to think of it had I simply saved for several years I'd probably have two PD150's in my aresenal. :)

CCD-TRV65 (2) One was a gift and the other I bought used from a client of mine while consulting (networks).
DCR-TRV330
DCR-TRV11
DCR-TRV30
DCR-VX9000
DCR-VX2000
Panasonic DV252
Panasonic VHS-C

After getting the VX2000 that's when the hobby became a little more than that. I really don't use all of them, I guess I'm sort of a pack rat for Camcorders. The TRV30 for vacations and regular family stuff. The TRV65 was because of the interesting fact that the Nightshot saw through clothes, but was too afraid to buy the IR filter...darn would have been great here in the financial district of San Francisco because it is starting to warm up...:) j/k anyway, back to what I was saying I have disciplined myself to not buy another cam atleast until this hobby starts paying off some of the accumulated costs, but I got my eye on either the PD150 or its replacement (depending whenever this may be), a Canon XL1S(again or it's replacement) or a Panasonic AGDV100. (I think the model number is correct). :)

Jeff Natalie · April 2nd, 2003, 08:48 PM

Glad to hear about hitting the mark....

Hi all, new to this forum, been posting for a couple of weeks over on the Canopus site.

Looks like I have something in common with you all, went out bought the PD150 for the same reasons, especially the low light ability.

Also bought the Canopus Storm2 plus to put in a shiny new P4 2.66 computer. Hoping to do some wedding work on the side, maybe give up the day job (I'm a therapist, lots of hard work there for sure).

In any case, always wanted to be creative and love computers, seems like a good match.

Hope I can find a place here with you all.

Eivind Vaa · April 3rd, 2003, 07:56 AM

Aah....I'm sorry Tom, I just read your post wrong, I thought you said that the PD needed the XLR enhancement. You're obviously quite right.

Tom Hardwick · April 3rd, 2003, 08:43 AM

That's OK Eivind, I could see your skip reading wasn't up to par :-)

Mark Thomas · May 6th, 2003, 01:36 PM

the manual doesn't explain to me all that I want to know about this camera. I have a few questions:

1. ok the camera offers two separate sound channels while recording - for two mics or for a dub.

A) how do you switch to each channel on playback?

b) what will two channels on one mic do?

2. does higher audio (48k) affect the picture?

3. will using the AA Battery in my Me66/k6 mic for Phantom Power make my Lithium Battery last longer during a shoot?

Stylianos Moschapidakis · May 6th, 2003, 01:42 PM

Mark, take a look at this link:
http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/pd150sound.htm

Hope it helps...

Rob Katz · May 10th, 2003, 10:21 AM

just purchased a very lightly used pd150. (less than 10 hrs head time)

i tested the camera the best i could. picture was perfect, every function performed as should, the camera felt very tight

along w/the purchase came the senn66 shotgun. during my testing i plugged the senn66 in, monitored sound via a pair of sony v6 headphones and all seemed well.

i've had the camera week. yesterday, i bought a used sony lav from a local sound guy. (ecm 55b)

i plugged both mikes into the 2 channels, was able to "hear" the difference from each mic and was satisfied.

when i disengaged both mics from the pd150 and while i still had the headphones on, i was surprised to "hear" a discernible amount of noise. it was as if the floor level was too high. i turned down the level in the headphones to 1/2 of what it was, but the sound was still there.

now i wonder if i have the dreaded "hiss" problem. nothing was plugged into any audio and still there was noise when i thought there should have been dead silence, nothing, nada.

if any of u pd150-ers powered up, put on standby, plugged in a headphone but NO mic, what would u hear? sound/noise or dead silence?

i shot some footage this morning without plugging in any mic. i patched the pd150 into my monitor. i then screened this mos (mit out sound) footage. if i turned up the monitor to 90% full (very loud) i could hear the noise floor.

is this the dreaded "hiss" problem?

if so, can i ask/beg sony to "fix" the problem?

will they perform the fix, w/o me having the original sales receipt?

approx cost of fix?

any idea of turnaround time?

does sony do the fix in one specific location or any of the 3 sony business repair centers?

i feel pissed at myself for not "hearing" this sooner. but what is done is done.

now, i need to fix the problem

if i actually have a problem

is your pd150 dead silence w/phones on but no mic?

any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

thank u in advance

be well

rob katz
harvest film
nyc

Bryan Beasleigh · May 10th, 2003, 11:08 AM

If you had the sound turned off how could the "dreaded ' hiss be sony's fault.

Go to your high end stereo and turn on the amp and preamp with no input, crank it. You'll hear hiss

Jack headphones into any audio device and listen. with no input and the gain up, you'll get a hiss

I really doubt that you have the dreaded hiss. This problem was resolved several years ago. Read through the literature in some of the companion links they do list a serial number cut off.

Derek Beck · May 10th, 2003, 11:30 AM

This site:

http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/hiss.htm

says the serial numbers after 1001579 don't have the problem.

Rob Katz · May 10th, 2003, 11:57 AM

my serial number is: 1000510

does that mean i have the hiss problem?

did ALL pd150s below the cut off number have the "hiss" problem?

what do i do IF i have the "hiss" problem?

anyone know how to contact sony?

what is their responsibility to correct this defect?

will they correct without an original sales receipt?

any and all info would be greatly appreciated

be well

rob

<<This site:

http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/hiss.htm

says the serial numbers after 1001579 don't have the problem.>>

Bryan Beasleigh · May 10th, 2003, 12:55 PM

Have you run any audio tests. Play the tests back on something other than your Camera (your stereo) and use the main speakers. Don't just look at a seial number and panic. Relax the PD150 is a great camera.

If you still have a problem contact Sony. Just be nice to them , you are the second ownera nd you really don't know if you have a problem. Most of the people that stir this hiss cr@p up don't own sony's and have never actually heard the problem. petty jealousies I guess.

Rick Spilman · May 10th, 2003, 01:27 PM

One question - can you record the "hiss" on to tape?

If the answer is yes, you have a problem. if the answer is "no" you have no problem.

I suspect the answer is "no".

The dreaded "hiss" in the PD150 is/was a specific problem related to turning off the AGC. When you turned it off, the amount of hiss rose dramatically. Note: you could hear a hiss with good earphones with the AGC turned on or off, it just went up when it was turned off. Hiss over the earphones is neither unusual nor necessarily a bad thing.

I have an early PD150 and the hiss definately goes up when the AGC is off. I talked to a Sony tech type about and he convinced me that it was a good thing, though I can't clearly recall why (something about dynamic range.) What is important to me is that I cannot record the hiss to tape. I tried really hard and I can't. If it doesn't record, as far as I am concerned it ain't there.

So back to the initial question - Can you record the hiss? If not, don't worry about it.

March 31st, 2003, 10:18 AM	#31
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	here is a good place to start: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm or http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/webapp/ModelInfo?m=0&sm=0&p=2&sp=11&id=57126 or here if you want the manual http://www.sony.ca/dvcam/manuals/DSR-PD150.pdf There are plenty of high-end Stereo microphones available. Go to the web sites of the microphone manufacturers to find them. Audio Technica's URL http://www.audio-technica.com/guide/type/index.html#stereo The XLR connectors are the only audio inputs. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

April 2nd, 2003, 08:23 PM	#34
Garret Ambrosio Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 263	I guess I can add to this discussion. I actually own 9 cameras and they are all still in my possession. To hit the proverbial bullesye on the first hit, wow. But come to think of it had I simply saved for several years I'd probably have two PD150's in my aresenal. :) CCD-TRV65 (2) One was a gift and the other I bought used from a client of mine while consulting (networks). DCR-TRV330 DCR-TRV11 DCR-TRV30 DCR-VX9000 DCR-VX2000 Panasonic DV252 Panasonic VHS-C After getting the VX2000 that's when the hobby became a little more than that. I really don't use all of them, I guess I'm sort of a pack rat for Camcorders. The TRV30 for vacations and regular family stuff. The TRV65 was because of the interesting fact that the Nightshot saw through clothes, but was too afraid to buy the IR filter...darn would have been great here in the financial district of San Francisco because it is starting to warm up...:) j/k anyway, back to what I was saying I have disciplined myself to not buy another cam atleast until this hobby starts paying off some of the accumulated costs, but I got my eye on either the PD150 or its replacement (depending whenever this may be), a Canon XL1S(again or it's replacement) or a Panasonic AGDV100. (I think the model number is correct). :) __________________ "USA Today has come out with a new survey - apparently, three out of every four people make up 75% of the population." -David Letterman

May 6th, 2003, 01:36 PM	#38
Mark Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Abergavenny, Monmouthshire Posts: 34	I don't understand setting sound on pd150 the manual doesn't explain to me all that I want to know about this camera. I have a few questions: 1. ok the camera offers two separate sound channels while recording - for two mics or for a dub. A) how do you switch to each channel on playback? b) what will two channels on one mic do? 2. does higher audio (48k) affect the picture? 3. will using the AA Battery in my Me66/k6 mic for Phantom Power make my Lithium Battery last longer during a shoot?

May 6th, 2003, 01:42 PM	#39
Stylianos Moschapidakis Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Cambridge, MA/Crete, Greece Posts: 189	Mark, take a look at this link: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/pd150sound.htm Hope it helps... __________________ Stelios G.M.

May 10th, 2003, 10:21 AM	#40
Rob Katz Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: new york city, new york Posts: 594	does my pd150 have a "hiss" problem? just purchased a very lightly used pd150. (less than 10 hrs head time) i tested the camera the best i could. picture was perfect, every function performed as should, the camera felt very tight along w/the purchase came the senn66 shotgun. during my testing i plugged the senn66 in, monitored sound via a pair of sony v6 headphones and all seemed well. i've had the camera week. yesterday, i bought a used sony lav from a local sound guy. (ecm 55b) i plugged both mikes into the 2 channels, was able to "hear" the difference from each mic and was satisfied. when i disengaged both mics from the pd150 and while i still had the headphones on, i was surprised to "hear" a discernible amount of noise. it was as if the floor level was too high. i turned down the level in the headphones to 1/2 of what it was, but the sound was still there. now i wonder if i have the dreaded "hiss" problem. nothing was plugged into any audio and still there was noise when i thought there should have been dead silence, nothing, nada. if any of u pd150-ers powered up, put on standby, plugged in a headphone but NO mic, what would u hear? sound/noise or dead silence? i shot some footage this morning without plugging in any mic. i patched the pd150 into my monitor. i then screened this mos (mit out sound) footage. if i turned up the monitor to 90% full (very loud) i could hear the noise floor. is this the dreaded "hiss" problem? if so, can i ask/beg sony to "fix" the problem? will they perform the fix, w/o me having the original sales receipt? approx cost of fix? any idea of turnaround time? does sony do the fix in one specific location or any of the 3 sony business repair centers? i feel pissed at myself for not "hearing" this sooner. but what is done is done. now, i need to fix the problem if i actually have a problem is your pd150 dead silence w/phones on but no mic? any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. thank u in advance be well rob katz harvest film nyc

April 2nd, 2003, 05:59 PM	#32
Eivind Vaa Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Norway Posts: 35	<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : You don't say if you've got a VX or a PD Mark. If the former then you'll need a Beachtec DXA-4 so that you can independently vary the input levels to the audio. tom. -->>> I didn't quite understand this. What's a "Beachtec DXA-4" and why do you need it to manually control input-levels on two mics (wireless or not) while recording? The PD150 gives you full control of audio-input while recording, and if set to "ch1" both channels are recorded separately and should remain seperate after capturing to disk for editing. Perhaps this differs from one editing suite to another, but I haven't tried that many.

April 2nd, 2003, 06:45 PM	#33
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	> I didn't quite understand this. What's a "Beachtec DXA-4" The Beachtek is a little box with XLR plugs and level controls. It is used to enhance camcorders that don't feature builtin XLR inputs, like the Sony VX-2000 (close cousin of the PD-150). I've got one and have been very happy with it. But with the PD-150 you don't need a Beachtek.

April 2nd, 2003, 08:48 PM	#35
Jeff Natalie Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Erie PA Posts: 29	Glad to hear about hitting the mark.... Hi all, new to this forum, been posting for a couple of weeks over on the Canopus site. Looks like I have something in common with you all, went out bought the PD150 for the same reasons, especially the low light ability. Also bought the Canopus Storm2 plus to put in a shiny new P4 2.66 computer. Hoping to do some wedding work on the side, maybe give up the day job (I'm a therapist, lots of hard work there for sure). In any case, always wanted to be creative and love computers, seems like a good match. Hope I can find a place here with you all.

April 3rd, 2003, 07:56 AM	#36
Eivind Vaa Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Norway Posts: 35	Aah....I'm sorry Tom, I just read your post wrong, I thought you said that the PD needed the XLR enhancement. You're obviously quite right.

April 3rd, 2003, 08:43 AM	#37
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	That's OK Eivind, I could see your skip reading wasn't up to par :-)

May 10th, 2003, 11:08 AM	#41
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	If you had the sound turned off how could the "dreaded ' hiss be sony's fault. Go to your high end stereo and turn on the amp and preamp with no input, crank it. You'll hear hiss Jack headphones into any audio device and listen. with no input and the gain up, you'll get a hiss I really doubt that you have the dreaded hiss. This problem was resolved several years ago. Read through the literature in some of the companion links they do list a serial number cut off.

May 10th, 2003, 11:30 AM	#42
Derek Beck Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 50	This site: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/hiss.htm says the serial numbers after 1001579 don't have the problem. __________________ Derek Beck

May 10th, 2003, 11:57 AM	#43
Rob Katz Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: new york city, new york Posts: 594	what do i do IF i have the "hiss" problem? my serial number is: 1000510 does that mean i have the hiss problem? did ALL pd150s below the cut off number have the "hiss" problem? what do i do IF i have the "hiss" problem? anyone know how to contact sony? what is their responsibility to correct this defect? will they correct without an original sales receipt? any and all info would be greatly appreciated be well rob <<This site: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/hiss.htm says the serial numbers after 1001579 don't have the problem.>>

May 10th, 2003, 12:55 PM	#44
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	Have you run any audio tests. Play the tests back on something other than your Camera (your stereo) and use the main speakers. Don't just look at a seial number and panic. Relax the PD150 is a great camera. If you still have a problem contact Sony. Just be nice to them , you are the second ownera nd you really don't know if you have a problem. Most of the people that stir this hiss cr@p up don't own sony's and have never actually heard the problem. petty jealousies I guess.

May 10th, 2003, 01:27 PM	#45
Rick Spilman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Jersey City, NJ Posts: 366	One question - can you record the "hiss" on to tape? If the answer is yes, you have a problem. if the answer is "no" you have no problem. I suspect the answer is "no". The dreaded "hiss" in the PD150 is/was a specific problem related to turning off the AGC. When you turned it off, the amount of hiss rose dramatically. Note: you could hear a hiss with good earphones with the AGC turned on or off, it just went up when it was turned off. Hiss over the earphones is neither unusual nor necessarily a bad thing. I have an early PD150 and the hiss definately goes up when the AGC is off. I talked to a Sony tech type about and he convinced me that it was a good thing, though I can't clearly recall why (something about dynamic range.) What is important to me is that I cannot record the hiss to tape. I tried really hard and I can't. If it doesn't record, as far as I am concerned it ain't there. So back to the initial question - Can you record the hiss? If not, don't worry about it.