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Why is the FR2-LE field recorder only 12 volts, when phantom power requires 48 volts?
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[ryan elder] “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?”
It is not a “push” switch. It is a slide-switch. When you slide it “up” towards the head of the mic, it engages the 10 dB pad. And when you slide it “down” towards the XLR connector, it takes the pad out of the circuit.
This is the kind of thing you need to discover when you play around with all your gear “offline”. It may seem trivial, but in the heat of battle it could be a matter of win or lose.
In the photo you cited, there is ALSO a low-cut switch right next to it. WHen the switch is “up”, then it rolls off the low frequencies (like wind noise, etc.) And when it is “down” then it provides a flat frequency response down to its lower limit. Very handy if you are recording pipe organs with 32 foot pipes, or steam engines, or flamenco dancing on hardwood floors. Otherwise, probably better to leave the low-frequency rolloff switch “engaged” for normal dialog recording. Nobody’s voice goes that low. And taking low-frequency noise out of the recording after the fact could be near impossible if there is any intermodulation. THAT is why microphones have low-cut switches. So that the (usless) low frequencies don’t overwhelm the mic preamp and ruin what you are trying to record.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
Okay thanks, that is good to know. However, the switch does not slide at all. There doesn’t seem to be a movable switch on it. The labels are there in words such as -10 db, but there is no slide-able switch on the mic to activate it. Could the switch have perhaps not come with it, when it was suppose to, during shipping or something?
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There is actually two slots, but no switches. Is there suppose to be a switches in the slots?
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The switches are recessed inside the mic body. You must use something small and sharp (like a toothpick or the sharp end of a safety-pin) to move the slides toward the head or toward the foot (the XLR end) of the mic body.
This is one example of why you really need to spend some quality time with your gear., Do you have anyone in your neighborhood who is familiar with microphones? The switches are somewhat stiff (so they don’t move around during use), but don’t use excessive force that would damage the small delicate switches.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
Okay thanks, thank you very much, I didn’t know they were switches! So I would use the -10 db pad to give me extra pre-amplication, and use the other switch to cut down on low frequences such as background noise, like a furnace, etc. If I am understanding that right?
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[ryan elder] “So I would use the -10 db pad to give me extra pre-amplication,
No. exactly the opposite. if you need more gain (which you seem to be asking about), then you do NOT want the -10dB pad engaged. You only need the -10dB pad when you are recording very loud sounds that would cause the microphone to clip otherwise.and use the other switch to cut down on low frequences such as background noise, like a furnace, etc. If I am understanding that right”
Correct.
Again, take time to experiment with your gear. Try the microphone with each of the switches in each position so that you can hear how they work.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
Oh okay thanks! When I asked about a -10 db pad at the store, the person told me it was a separate component that I would have to order, but I guess not. Thanks!
So the Rode NTG-3, doesn’t come with those options, does it make it the lesser mic to use in a lot of situations then?
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[ryan elder] “Oh okay thanks! When I asked about a -10 db pad at the store, the person told me it was a separate component that I would have to order, but I guess not. Thanks!”
There ARE “inline” pads that you plug in between the microphone and the mic preamp. They will work with any microphone (or any XLR source). That is probably what the vendor was thinking of. If they didn’t know that there is a built-in pad on the microphone it rather indicates that they don’t know enough about pro audio gear to be a reliable source of advice. You have never revealed where you bought the microphone, but it is probably not an official Audio Technica dealer.
[ryan elder] “So the Rode NTG-3, doesn’t come with those options, does it make it the lesser mic to use in a lot of situations then?”
No, it does not make it a lesser microphone. The NTG3 is a “long shotgun” which is used almost exclusively for longer-distance applications like capturing dialog outdoors on the end of a boom pole. It is almost never the case where that kind of application requires any kind of padding. Typically you will need MORE gain, not LESS gain. OTOH, the AT hyper-cardioid mic is designed to be used in many applications where it may be subject to rather loud sound-pressure levels (SPL). So it is much more likely that if you have it stuck at the bell of a trumpet or something, you will likely need some padding to keep the mic from clipping even before it gets to the mic preamp.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
Oh okay. I ordered the mics from Long & McQuade. I was told by other filmmakers that I should use a hypercardiod mic when booming indoors, and they said that the 4053b was a good hypercardioid for indoor shooting. Is that true though, or is the distance on it, not far enough? I’ve been using for a few years now and it seems to be working fine, unless I’m wrong?
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