302 into Camera

[Ty Ford]

Welcome to the Cow Audio Forum Rick,

Set the 0 VU output of the SD 302 mixer to -20 on your camera.

Also please make sure you have the correct mic or line level positions on each device,
Line out to line in or mic out to mic in.

If your camera only has mic level inputs, always use the mic level output of the 302.

Also, also, put the 302 meter in peak and RMS mode and watch the peaks. Remember, in this mode, seeing +18 peaks on the mixer are hitting the camera at 2 dB below clipping.

Also, also, also set the 302 output limiter to +16 to catch unexpected peaks.

Good choice in mixers, btw.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
Watch Ty play guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Rosh Kadri]

thanks ty. final question, i read ideally dialogue should peak at -12 leaving the extra headroom between -12 and 0 for occassional loud sounds?

[Ty Ford]

Hello Rick,

-12 on your camera (which would be +8 on the 302) is a little low for peaks of regular conversation; like narrator stuff. I like peaks up around -6 on the camera (+14 on the mixer). Maybe a dB or two hotter. Again, set the 302 output limiter threshold to +16.

If you’re doing dramatics and you know there will be excitement, then -12 might be OK for unattended operation. If you have someone mixing as you record, then the should be riding gain unless the ambient noise is so high that you really hear the noise get sucked up when you increase gain on a pot.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
Watch Ty play guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Rosh Kadri]

ty, thanks for the response, i did a test recording yesterday with weird results. I turned on tone on the 302 at its default of 0 db and fed it into the hvx200 through line input and set the cameras input at -20. i recorded tone for a few seconds then
proceeded to do a test recording. when dialogue was an ok level it sounded alright, but when a yell came into the picture, it sounded horrible, as if the limiter was not fast enough.

so should the mixer settings be changed, like reference level or limiter level. please explain.

should i have the tone setting on the 302 at -20 then the camera setting at -20, or 0 on the mixer and -20 on the cam (thats what i did)

thank you

[Ty Ford]

Were you looking at the meters at the time of the yell?

We’re they reading overs?

Are you positive you had the line/out/line in or mic out/mic in settings on the mixer and camera set properly?

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
Watch Ty play guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Rosh Kadri]

yes i had line input on the camera set. my question is should the 302 be set to 0 (default) then camera to -20 or
-20 on the 302 and -20 on camera.

[Ty Ford]

Well first, please read the manual.

As I said before, 0 on the 302, -20 on your camera meters.

The 302 has a two stage input. You set the big channel pot to 12 o’clock and tweek the little channel pot one so your PEAKS read about +12 on the 302 meters.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
Watch Ty play guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Rosh Kadri]

thanks ty,the funny thing is i read the manual three times and set the mixer for 0db and -20 on camera, loud dialogue sounds distorted, the inputs are set correctly to line on the cam, the limiter is on on the 302 and off in the camera. everything is correct. thats why i was thrown off.

now i know iam sane, thank you again.

[Ty Ford]

Well it’s important to know WHERE the audio is distorted.

The mixer input, the mixer output, thr mixer headphone output, the camera input.
Trying to power a 48 V DC phantom poweerd mic with on 12 V Phantom, etc.

Through a process of elimination, you will find the problem.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
Watch Ty play guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Will Salley]

The 302 should be at it’s default (0db) and the camera to -20db.

However, I use that same camera/mixer combination often and prefer the following settings:

Mixer: line level out with reference tone @ 0db
limiter on mixer is on with threshold set to +10db
Camera: line inputs @ -14db

What this accomplishes is a slightly higher signal between mixer and camera – with the drawback of more likelihood of clipping in camera – but the 302’s built-in limiter is far superior to the one in the 200. The worst part of the whole thing is the line delay in the headphone out of the 200, which needs to be monitored at all times.