Audio Distorted – Kona 3

[Ramona Howard]

Frederic,

Haven’t seen this issue on our side*. Proper Ref and ref settings play a huge role in getting this all right and can cause a variety of issues, something i’m sure you already know.

Cheers,
Ramona

*We develop our own product using the AJA line of boards

[Ramona Howard]

Forgot to add:

We are passing both multi channel files (up to 16 embedded) and single channel with no issue out of the board and into decks or any other devices.

One item to consider that hasn’t been mentioned is Dolby E. This has to be passed bit for bit otherwise you will have issues. The AJA hardware supports the passing of Dolby E, how FCP handles that I can’t help with but maybe someone can chime in that can.

Cheers,
Ramona

[Frederic Lumiere]

[Ramona Howard] “Haven’t seen this issue on our side*. Proper Ref and ref settings play a huge role in getting this all right and can cause a variety of issues, something i’m sure you already know.”

Thank you Ramona – Looks like Steve was right on, Genlock was on refin in Kona, switching it to Freerun seemed to solve the issue.

I do have blackburst going into the BOB.

Frederic

[Bob Zelin]

WAIT ! There is absolutely no reason why you should operate any way other than with your Black reference going into your AJA Kona 3 BOB Reference IN, AND the same black reference going into the REF Video input of your HD VTR (and your VTR set for this reference signal – most HD VTR’s have selections on the menus for 59.94 or 23.98). Weevie was correct in suspecting a reference issue. I ASSUME that you do have a reference signal going to your HD VTR, and I assume that
your STOP button on the HD VTR is not flashing (indicating no, or improper reference). Is this correct ?

This is not magic – reference your equipment properly and you should have no issues.

Bob Zelin

[Steve Covello]

Bob “the King of Sync” Zelin –

Oh, how I long for the simple days of Avid 11.x, with Ref in to everything and it just works.

Phooey! Not anymore. I tried setting everything to Ref In [AJA, decks] and had OK playback on monitor, but it would not output to DBeta. Had to switch the deck to Video Input, then switch it back to Ref in case someone wanted to output from the Avid [we had both for a while].

Same headaches when we got our HDCam deck. Granted, we were using SD ref in, but there were no issues with playback, striping or digitizing. Only output to tape, no matter which format/frame rate we used e.g. 23.98, 29.97, 59.94 — which fostered the above solution to this original post.

The necessity to keep the Control Panel in Free Run defies all that I assumed to know up this point with regard to reference sync. Ideally, if I just SPENT THE MONEY [as you would say] for a tri-level sync, I probably wouldn’t have any HD problems. But until recently, there hasn’t been an affordable product. Thus, my inconvenience.

Surely, you have a solution for my inconvenience, but I’ve sliced and diced the issue a lot of ways already, and it seems no one solution works all the time. Beat me over the head if you wish.. It is your dharma.

steve covello

[Bob Zelin]

1) need affordable tri level sync – the AJA GEN 10 for $390 list price – available now ! Buy it.

2) if you have trouble with genlocking a Digi Beta VTR and the AJA Kona, and it only seems to work when you free run (I had this issue also) – DO NOT LET IT GO – this is either your crappy existing black generator, or a problem with your AJA Kona card. DO NOT LET AJA EVER GET AWAY WITH GENLOCK ISSUES – CALL AND COMPLAIN (I have). Magic work arounds are NOT acceptable – the Kona MUST be able to lock to house sync. If the answer is the new Gen10 – so be it – but you should NEVER accept “free run” as a workaround answer.

No one ever said it was going to be easy.

Bob Zelin

[Frederic Lumiere]

[Bob Zelin] “WAIT ! There is absolutely no reason why you should operate any way other than with your Black reference going into your AJA Kona 3 BOB Reference IN, AND the same black reference going into the REF Video input of your HD VTR”

What do you recommend you set the Genlock option in AJA to?

Yes, it doesn’t look like the deck is complaining about the reference.

[Frederic Lumiere]

[Bob Zelin] “2) if you have trouble with genlocking a Digi Beta VTR and the AJA Kona, and it only seems to work when you free run (I had this issue also) – DO NOT LET IT GO – this is either your crappy existing black generator, or a problem with your AJA Kona card. DO NOT LET AJA EVER GET AWAY WITH GENLOCK ISSUES – CALL AND COMPLAIN (I have). Magic work arounds are NOT acceptable – the Kona MUST be able to lock to house sync. If the answer is the new Gen10 – so be it – but you should NEVER accept “free run” as a workaround answer.”

I never thought I had a genlock issue – the issue I had was that once in a while the audio would get scratchy for no reason. Another try would usually fix it. Going “free run” seemed to have fixed my scratchy audio issue.

I’ll get the Gen10 and give that a shot.

Frederic

[Bob Zelin]

I recommend that you set your Kona Control Panel to EXT REF, and not Free Run. If you purchase the GEN10 and own a Kona product, and you have the VTR referenced to external genlock (the GEN10), and your Kona is set to EXT REF (Control Tab in the Kona Control Panel), and you still get audio distortion, complain to AJA.

Bob Zelin

[Frederic Lumiere]

Thanks Bob – will give it a shot.