Audio never peaks on the EX 1???

[Steve Wargo]

When we use the 44B, we set the impedance to -60. Don’t know how that would effect the max sound level but we have peaked the audio before.

Also, you might turn that wind filter off.

Shouldn’t the EXT audio be set to ch1 and ch2?

You might head over to audio pros and ask Ty Ford. he knows everything.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .

[Clay Porter]

Hey Steve,

For impedence are you refering to the Trim Ch-1 and Trim Ch-2 settings?

When you say “Shouldn’t the EXT audio be set to ch1 and ch2?” are you refering to Monitor CH in the Audio Output Menu?

Is Audio Pros a website?

Thanks for the help.

Cheers,
Clay

[Steve Wargo]

Yes

Yes

It’s a COW Forum.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .

[Stephen May]

I think this is probably old enough of a post that you’ve gotten to the bottom of your question, but if not, then I’d say that Steve is talking about the the switch on the back of the EX1 that assigns the ch.1 INPUT and Ch. 2 INPUT to INT (internal on-board mic) versus EXT (external input at side of camera).

Once you plug a lavaliere into the side XLR input, you must move the switch on that channel to EXT so the camera listens to the XLR input to that channel and not it’s internal on-board mic. Further, you must set the input for that external XLR input to the proper level; LINE, MIC or MIC w/Phantom (condenser microphones require voltage to power the element, unless the condenser mic has on-board batteries, such as a shotgun mic, sometimes referred to as a ‘stick’ mic. The selector for the input level is below each XLR input channel on the side of the camera next to the external shotgun mic mount.

Again, you probably know all of this, but I’m just giving you the basic run-down. It’s easy to miss a single aspect and not get good results. Watch your levels on the meters on the side of the EX1, and they will read your true levels, and they’re a great way to make sure you’ve selected the correct inputs. I always make my selections and then snap my finger in front of the on-board mic while watching the side meters to see if they respond to my snap. I usually have the wireless lavaliere patched into CH.1, and I hold that transmitter in my right hand very low to my side when I snap my fingers to make sure that the reading isn’t getting my snap. If it is, then somethings wrong. If I’m accidentally still set to the onboard mic, that snap will clip my level on Ch. 1.

Next, I’ll clip myself quickly and speak normally and make my level adjustment on Ch. 1. before I lav my subject. I generally use Ch. 2 as a shotgun, or NAT sound channel. Same thing there, check the level on Ch.2 by spinning the shotgun away from yourself and speaking normally, and then again by spinning it back to your mouth and quietly speaking again. Levels should react accordingly.

Finally, be careful when using AUTO LEVEL. If you select AUTO LEVEL, you will certainly not peak, however, the resul is that your background levels will rise when the source is not speaking, and then when your subject speaks, the level will automatically lower to compensate for the signal presence.

The best way to go is to adjust your levels on each channel to the source volume, for example setting your input level to manual, and adjusting it to never exceed -6 db maximum peak when your person is speaking at the loudest volume. If any of this sounds acceptable to you, then make sure you always capture or ingest your clips as two separate mono channels, and not as a stereo pair, so you will be easily able to mix them according to your needs later in the editing sequence. There are simple and effective methods for getting lost volume back to healthy strong signals, but there is not real way to repair a hot peaking clip. If you’re interested to know more on that just write to me. Suffice to say that NORMALIZE is not the way to go.

I hope any of the basic direction is not offensive, and I hope you get great audio out there in the field!

-Stephen May

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Emma Greave]

I realise this is a very old post but I am out in Africa with an EX1 that I have had since Xmas (and up until then has been working fine) and am now having the same problem with my sound. Using external mics (1 radio and 1 gun mic) the audio won’t peak. I believe we have a everything on the correct settings. Both Ch1 and Ch2 are set to external. The gun mic to mic+48v and the radio mic to line.

You can just about hear it through the head phones but it never peaks and the rushes are too quiet. As I say I have shot before using the same set up and not had any problems. I am unsure if this is a camera fault or a setting somewhere that I have missed.

Any help would be much appreciated.

thanks

[Craig Seeman]

It could be you’ve changed output settings on the mic as well as the input mic input gain setting on the EX and it’s hitting the internal limiter. It’s hard to say which but you can’t disable the internal limiter.

One way to test is bring down the EX internal mic input gain settings so that a setting of 5 on the external dial gives you enough room to bring the level up a bit based on a “typical” sound source through the mic.

[Emma Greave]

Thanks for the response Craig.

The gun mic doesn’t have any output settings on it so I don’t think it could be that and our radio mics are pretty basic, the settings all look very normal so we don’t think it is any of the output settings on any of the external mics. The sound is slightly better on auto rather than manual but still far too quiet, even at 10 on the external dials barely peaking.

I think it must be a problem with the camera or the settings but not sure where the issue lies. When using the internal mic the sound is fine and levels normal on both auto and manual settings. It also doesn’t give us the option to change the internal mic trim on the camera settings.

I’ve seen quite a few posts around about problems with the ex1 limiter, it’s just strange that the problem has only just started on the camera now (while we’re shooting!)

any help much appreciated, thanks

[Craig Seeman]

[Emma Greave] “I think it must be a problem with the camera or the settings but not sure where the issue lies. When using the internal mic the sound is fine and levels normal on both auto and manual settings. It also doesn’t give us the option to change the internal mic trim on the camera settings.”

But the camera does have trim control of the external mic. The idea is to set that internal trim at a good level so that the EX1 dial gives you full range in its 0 to 10 control more or less.

[Emma Greave]

Thanks again for another response. I’ve tried having the trim on -41dbu and 23dbu and neither seem to have helped. I’m sure I’m being a total idoit but do you have any recommendations on what the trim should be at?

[Craig Seeman]

Don’t forget where the external dial is is critical. I’d start with it at 5 while setting trim. You want room to bring the sound up as well as done without hitting any walls.

The trim setting itself depends on the mic and may even depend on the sound environment. Shooting nature scenics might not be the same as shooting a punk rock band in a small loud club.

Basically you need to know the range the mic can handle, how the EX preamp will handle it (adjust trim), the range of the dial given what it’s being fed from the internal preamp. You need to hear when the limiter is being hit. You’ll hear either the “pumping” or the “wall” when that happens.

Since the mic may be a constant (as in your case . . . but note with wireless there’s the transmitter and the receiver) you can find an idea trim setting.

You might design you’re own “home” methodology for testing. Put mic near a very loud sound source. Set dial to 10 since this will be the absolute max you want to go without crashing the limiter, back down on trim until the limiter isn’t slammed. Of course the very type of test may not work when you’re dealing with quiet sources or sources with wide dynamic range. That’s why your circumstances (subject being shot) is important.

If you say stuff is too quiet and you’ve got the dial up to 10 then your trim isn’t set right for that environment.