Do you turn on mic ATT for wedding reception? at DVinfo.net

Taky Cheung · August 7th, 2009, 10:52 PM

I have a Canon XH-A1 with Rode NTG-1 mic. I never turned on the mic ATT feature on the camera. Does anybody do that? I'm wondering should I turn it on and keep it on for the entire reception to filter more ambient noise.

Your thought?

Matt Barwick · August 7th, 2009, 11:12 PM

Same combo as you Taky.

I wouldn't have it on for the entire reception. I only turn have it on at the reception when there's particularly loud audio eg loud music during dances etc. - particularly if I'm positioned near the DJs or bands speakers.

Cheers,

Matt.

Taky Cheung · August 7th, 2009, 11:18 PM

Matt, actually, that's my setup =)

one XH-A1s as main cam with NTG-1
one XH-A1 as Roll-B with NTG-1 and NTG-2 pointing at different direction
one HV30 on merlin for steadicam shot and as backup. The HV30 also used as playback deck at home to capture video. =)

I am going to try to have ATT on tmrw for the entire day.. =)

Chris Harding · August 8th, 2009, 12:35 AM

With me it depends on the DJ!!! If my ears hurt then it's time to switch the ATT on and turn both channels down to almost zero. Some DJ's are reasonable but some only seem to have one volume "max" On a Rode I would kick in at least -20db if the DJ is a loudness freak. Otherwise I just run everything as normal. Actually most wedding DJ's are quite reasonable but you do get the odd blast master!!

Chris

Travis Cossel · August 8th, 2009, 01:47 PM

Taky, you don't need to turn on ATT for the entire day. Attenuation doesn't filter out more ambient sound, it simply drops the overall level of the sound you're recording.

We only use ATT for the parts of the reception where the DJ is playing music, because most of them tend to play it quite loud and if you end up near one of the speakers you can damage your mic. I did this last summer. Not fun.

Don't forget you have audio levels on your XHA1. If they are spiking 'hot' then it's time to turn on the ATT. If they are normal, leave the ATT off.

Don Bloom · August 8th, 2009, 02:20 PM

for receptions only...for introductions and speeches I leave my hypercaroid set to 0 and my drum mic in front of the DJs speaker is set to -6. that helps for speeches with non pro people handling the microphone (they have no clue where to hold it) and keeps the music from overloading. For dancing, I set the hypercaroid to -10 and set a -10 attenuator to the drum mic for a total of -16. That setup has worked well for me and really helps to keep post time to a minimum.
YMMV.

Galen Rath · August 9th, 2009, 09:54 AM

Don't rely only on the audio meter on the XH-A1 if you are in manual audio control--you can get distortion even if the meter isn't peaking--I believe even the manual says this--so wear headphones always when in manual mode in loud environments.

Peter Manojlovic · August 9th, 2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galen Rath

Don't rely only on the audio meter on the XH-A1 if you are in manual audio control--you can get distortion even if the meter isn't peaking--I believe even the manual says this--so wear headphones always when in manual mode in loud environments.

Yes, i've also experienced this...

Unfortunately, sometime's the music's so loud, that even headphones can't help me deterimine weahter sound is coming from the camera or DJ speakers...

Oren Arieli · August 9th, 2009, 02:55 PM

Travis hit the nail on the head. If you're riding the audio in manual (which is really the better option), you can easily tell when the audio is 'too hot'. If your pots are set very low and the audio is peaking, it is time to attenuate. In general, you want the pots on the A1 to be at the 9pm position (mid way) to assure that you have proper adjustment to raise and lower the levels as needed. Running in Auto mode for audio is asking for trouble at louder events. You'll never realize your audio is distorted until you get it back home and listen in a quiet environment. I find it helps to have earbuds that knock down the exterior noise by 20 dB or more so you can hear the camera audio better.

August 7th, 2009, 10:52 PM	#1
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Do you turn on mic ATT for wedding reception? I have a Canon XH-A1 with Rode NTG-1 mic. I never turned on the mic ATT feature on the camera. Does anybody do that? I'm wondering should I turn it on and keep it on for the entire reception to filter more ambient noise. Your thought? __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

August 7th, 2009, 11:12 PM	#2
Matt Barwick Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kingscliff, Australia Posts: 196	Same combo as you Taky. I wouldn't have it on for the entire reception. I only turn have it on at the reception when there's particularly loud audio eg loud music during dances etc. - particularly if I'm positioned near the DJs or bands speakers. Cheers, Matt. __________________ www.mattbarwickfilms.com / wedding videos gold coast / my stuff on Vimeo

August 7th, 2009, 11:18 PM	#3
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Matt, actually, that's my setup =) one XH-A1s as main cam with NTG-1 one XH-A1 as Roll-B with NTG-1 and NTG-2 pointing at different direction one HV30 on merlin for steadicam shot and as backup. The HV30 also used as playback deck at home to capture video. =) I am going to try to have ATT on tmrw for the entire day.. =) __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

August 8th, 2009, 01:47 PM	#5
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Taky, you don't need to turn on ATT for the entire day. Attenuation doesn't filter out more ambient sound, it simply drops the overall level of the sound you're recording. We only use ATT for the parts of the reception where the DJ is playing music, because most of them tend to play it quite loud and if you end up near one of the speakers you can damage your mic. I did this last summer. Not fun. Don't forget you have audio levels on your XHA1. If they are spiking 'hot' then it's time to turn on the ATT. If they are normal, leave the ATT off. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

August 8th, 2009, 02:20 PM	#6
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	for receptions only...for introductions and speeches I leave my hypercaroid set to 0 and my drum mic in front of the DJs speaker is set to -6. that helps for speeches with non pro people handling the microphone (they have no clue where to hold it) and keeps the music from overloading. For dancing, I set the hypercaroid to -10 and set a -10 attenuator to the drum mic for a total of -16. That setup has worked well for me and really helps to keep post time to a minimum. YMMV. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

August 8th, 2009, 12:35 AM	#4
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	With me it depends on the DJ!!! If my ears hurt then it's time to switch the ATT on and turn both channels down to almost zero. Some DJ's are reasonable but some only seem to have one volume "max" On a Rode I would kick in at least -20db if the DJ is a loudness freak. Otherwise I just run everything as normal. Actually most wedding DJ's are quite reasonable but you do get the odd blast master!! Chris

August 9th, 2009, 09:54 AM	#7
Galen Rath Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 323	Don't rely only on the audio meter on the XH-A1 if you are in manual audio control--you can get distortion even if the meter isn't peaking--I believe even the manual says this--so wear headphones always when in manual mode in loud environments.

August 9th, 2009, 02:55 PM	#9
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 919	Travis hit the nail on the head. If you're riding the audio in manual (which is really the better option), you can easily tell when the audio is 'too hot'. If your pots are set very low and the audio is peaking, it is time to attenuate. In general, you want the pots on the A1 to be at the 9pm position (mid way) to assure that you have proper adjustment to raise and lower the levels as needed. Running in Auto mode for audio is asking for trouble at louder events. You'll never realize your audio is distorted until you get it back home and listen in a quiet environment. I find it helps to have earbuds that knock down the exterior noise by 20 dB or more so you can hear the camera audio better.