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audio workflow
I am recording a three mike set up going into a sound devices 302 and shooting with a SONY z7u. What would be a better workflow for audio? Going into the Z7u from the mixer and HDMI out to the Ki Pro for both audio and video or use HDMI out only for video and send my audio from the mixer directly into the KI Pro?
I’ve been doing some experimenting and I’ve run into a couple of problems. One is when I try to monitor the sound out the headphone port of the ki pro being sent to the mixer’s RTN port the sound is not that good. When i tried plugging mics directly into the Ki Pro I learned why. The Ki Pro’s headphone amp seems very poor. You can up the volume all the way and it doesn’t seem all that amplified and the sound is pretty poor as if you are using cheap headsets which I’m not.
My second problem is calibration. If I send tone out the mixer to the ki pro, what setting do I use on the Ki Pro? The meters are just lights with no indication of levels.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
4 Replies
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Keep in mind that the Ki Pro features an audio switch for Line/Mic/Phantom audio levels. You might check this switch to be sure that it is in the appropriate setting for the type of audio that you are sending to the Ki Pro. If the audio out of the headphone seems “weak,” it may be because the audio switch is not set to the correct setting. Also, keep in mind that the Ki Pro can only adjust audio levels for the analog inputs, not the digital audio inputs such as HDMI or SDI. This may be a consideration if you decide to use the analog audio as an audio input to the Ki Pro. However, you may also find that sending a single cable to the Ki Pro for both audio and video signals is convenient by comparison.
If you have questions about your audio configuration, don’t hesitate to contact AJA Technical Support for additional assistance via phone or email.
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AJA Video Systems
+1 (530) 274-2048 Intl.
(800) 251-4224 US
sales@aja.com -
Thank you,
The switch was set correctly. The sound devices 302 sends a line level signal. When the mike was plugged directly into the ki pro the switch was set to phantom power since the mike needs that.
Either way the headphone amp seemed weak. It seems to reach its loudest level at 12 o’clock on the dial. Which is fine except it does not seem to power the headphone well. When I was sending the headphone signal back to the mixer via RTN it also sounded weak.
However I’m more concerned with final quality. Does the Ki pro record higher quality audio when the signal is sent directly to the Ki Pro from the mixer (analog) or if the signal is passed through the SONY via HDMI?
The SONY is a HDV cam and HDV has weak audio characteristics and I was hoping the Ki Pro could improve on this as it does the video. If I am going HDMI out am I bypassing this compression?
It’s hard for me to find the time during the day since I teach 6 hours but if need be I’ll get to it.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
Typically, setting the headphone adjustment knob to the “noon” position will produce audio volume loud enough for use with headphones when performing general audio monitoring.
The Ki Pro records 24-bit 48kHz quality audio. This is typically equal to – or better – than the audio that may be recorded by the camcorder.
If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact AJA Technical Support via phone or email for assistance.
—
AJA Video Systems
+1 (530) 274-2048 Intl.
(800) 251-4224 US
sales@aja.com -
I determined there was some sort of interference where I had it set up. With the same settings in a different location the audio sounded fine and the RTN to the mixer did as well. No need for higher than noon position, but it does pretty much stop getting any louder after. Oh my mixer, by contrast, I often have it lower than noon and higher will blast your ears off.
I plan to record xlr in form the mixer while capturing the visual HDMI from the SONY.
Any estimation on the next firmware update? Would really like firewire to computer implemented.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.
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