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Why is the FR2-LE field recorder only 12 volts, when phantom power requires 48 volts?
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Oh okay, well there doesn’t appear to be a 10 db pad on the 4053b.
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[ryan elder] “Oh okay, well there doesn’t appear to be a 10 db pad on the 4053b.”
You are mistaken. The official data sheet says:“The microphone is also equipped with a switchable 10 dB pad that lowers the microphone’s sensitivity, thus providing higher SPL capability for flexible use with a wide range of users and system configurations. To engage the 10 dB pad, slide the switch toward the -10 position.”
In your case you do NOT want the -10dB pad engaged. Again, take a few minutes to become more familiar with your gear and experiment with all the options, switches, settings, etc. Download all the data sheets and user manuals and study them.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
“I have to turn gain up to about 90% and the volume up to about 85-90%, so it that normal, or is that unusually high?”
Yes, that is unusually high IMHO.
Are you absolutely 100% certain the -10db pad is NOT engaged on your AT4053b, microphone?Note that the lower priced “pro-sumer” recorders like the Fostex FR2-LE are not noted to have particularly good mic preamps. They don’t have as much gain as more professional gear. And they don’t have the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of higher-end gear.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
“Oh well I took a course at the Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon, and they said it’s gotta be 48 volts and that if I am having low quality, than that’s likely my problem if the pre-amplification is not going high enough.”
That is simply not accurate. Either the instructor didn’t know what he was talking about or perhaps you didn’t remember it properly?
The only significant factor the phantom voltage can affect is the “headroom”, or how loud the audio can be before the microphone itself “clips”. Many microphones will handle high-amplitude (“louder”) signals when operating from 48V. But you are talking about the OPPOSITE end of the spectrum. Your issue is the performance of the microphone at LOW amplitude (“quieter”) . It is very unlikely that phantom voltage will affect the low-end performance of any microphone.
Now, it may be that some microphones may have poorer signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or sensitivity when operating at reduced phantom voltage, but neither of your microphone models are known for that issue. Unless they are broken or defective which seems unlikely.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
“does this mean that the Zoom F8 is a better field recorder cause you don’t have to turn the pre-amps up as high to power the mics, and therefore less gain and less noise floor cause of more power?”
Yes, but it has nothing to do with “power”. The Zoom F8 is a significantly better category of product compared to your Foxtex FR2-LE
The Zoom products have long been favored by budget-constrained (read: “cheap” or “poor”) users because of their low price. But the quality of their mic preamps (notably the available gain and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have always been an issue of disappointment. So Zoom developed the F8 and F4 recorders with notably better mic preamps (along with other improvements). But better quality mic preamps come at a higher price.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
[ryan elder] “Oh, sorry, what I meant was is that level of sensitivity good quality wise? Do they make for cinematic quality microphones based on those levels I mean.”
Yes, the AT4053b is well respected as a very good hyper-cardioid microphone for dialog pickup on a boom for interior use. It is not the very best (read: “most expensive”), but it is widely respected and used.
Rode is an up-and-coming maker of good microphones and is giving the “old school” companies a run for their money. The NTG3 is often favorably compared to the old-school brands and models.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
Then maybe it’s a counterfeit. That might explain the poor performance.
Where did you buy it and how much did you pay for it?
Regards,
Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum LeaderWant better production audio?: Ty Ford\’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford\’s Blog -
Okay thanks, but there is no 10 db switch on the mic. Back when I ordered it, they asked me if I wanted the 10 db pad and they said it was a separate component that screws on in between the mic, and the mic capsule, they said.
But there is no 10 db switch already on the mic, at least not that I can see.
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Here is a photo of the mic. It’s the same mic as mine and it shows a sign on it that says -10. But there is no switch that you can actually push on though.
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Perhaps that is a switch to activate the -10 db, but I was never able to push the switch before. If it’s a switch, how do you move it, since it doesn’t seem to be able to be moved?
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