[Ty Ford]

Hello Peter,

No songs in public domain? That sounds unimaginable. Can you please elaborate for us?

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Todd and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

The ME66 is an interference tube shotgun. I think you’ll find, as most have, that interference tube mics are relatively omnidirectional at mid to low frequencies. The ME66 is a bit edgey relative to its higher quality (but also interference tube) siblings; the 416 and MKH 60 and 70.

A lot depends on the dimensions of the stage. If your stage exceeds a certain width, micing from the edges as you suggest may not reach the center of the stage. As the action moves to the edges of the stage, the volume and clarity will increase.

If the stage is relatively small, you may have some success if the walls in the audience area are acoustically treated. Without knowing the specifics of the architecture of the space, it’s difficult to suggest options.

Please let s us know how you do.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

You can probably find a cheap VOM (volt-ohm-meter) at radio shack.
About the measuring. Not my best area, but I think you have to have the input and/or output terminated (connected) while measuring. That way the circuits are “under normal load.”

I’m pretty sure “parallel to the load” would be measuring across pin 2 and pin 3.

Tell you what. Call Shure. They have a very good service shop. Let them help you with this.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Craig,

Thanks for your patient reply. I’ve fed PD 150s before with no problem. I forget, perhaps it was at mic level. My Canon XL2 only takes line level though the unbalanced RCA jacks. So for it I always use the balanced mic level XLR inputs. I know that line level is a better defense against electrical/rf noises, but so far I have not had any problems.

So two thoughts. I think my calibration would work for the PD170 if you go mic level out of the mixer to mic level in on the camera. (wasn’t there some other gotchas about noise with the PD 170? Seems I remember something but that was 3-4 years back. I think that may have been part of the reason I went with an XL2.)

When you tire of carrying around the extra pads, know that my Sound Devices 442 mixer has mic, -10 and line level output switches on two of its three stereo outputs.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Craig and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum,

Couple of questions. When you say the FP 33 is too hot for your PD170, how are you calibrating the two?

The FP33 manual says begin tone and set the master for a 0 VU reading, then adjust your camera audio input controls.

The FP 33 manual also says clipping occurs at +18 dB on the mixer and that you can set the limiter from 0 to +17 dB.

Call me crazy, but here’s what I’d try if I had your rig here.

Set the limiter threshold of the FP33 at +14 dB.

Set tone on your camera with the mixer master set at 0 VU. Now, DON’T CHANGE THE MASTER. Leave it at 0 VU.

Adjust your camera audio inputs to -18 for the tone.

With this calibration, I “THINK”, you’ll run out of headroom on both the mixer and the camera at the same place. And, setting a +14 threshold for the mixer’s limiter will knock down the audio to the camera a bit more. Some limiters sound better than others. Shure’s on the later models sound OK. But I haven’t heard an FP33 in a long while.

Some sounds like hand claps, tongue clicks, three-ring binder opens and closes, etc., will probably sneak through the limiter. By setting the threshold at + 14, you still have another 4 dB as a safety net before the mixer clips at +18 dB.

To find out if the limiter sounds OK, after setup, stick a boom mic right in your face and talk. Turn it’s channel up enough light the limiter light. Also check the camera meters to see if they are OK. If it all works as I THINK it might, the limiter will catch the peaks, the camera inputs won’t go into distortion and you’ll get a chance to hear how good or bad the FP33 limiters sound. (I tickle the limiters on my Sound Devices 442 and those limiters sound very good.)

Your VU meters may be pegging, but more importantly, watch the peak meters on the mixer, listen to the audio and watch what happens at your camera input meters. Your big concern is not VU level, it’s what the peaks are doing.

Let me know if you try this and what the results are.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Larry and a belated welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

Lectro’s service is pretty much gospel, especially if you talk to Larry Fisher. If you ever have a problem or question, he’s probably answered and then some.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Kent and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum;

Sounds like you ran afoul of the line/mic problem. Scroll on down the audio forum a few posts to my “Cautionary Tale” post and see if that doesn’t help you in the future.

In addition. …….

Setting tone to -12 for most dialog is not what I’d want to do for digital camcorders. I strongly suggest 0 dB tone at the mixer to -20 on the camcorder. Use the camera audio input controls to get to -20. Afterwards, DO NOT ADJUST THE MIXER MASTER OUPUT. Run the mixer meters in PEAK reading mode and adjust channel levels as needed.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Please allow me to be more specific.

This is (typically) a VHS tape brought to me that I need to get into the system.

Not something shot on a VHS camera (if they really exist anymore.)

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hi Jerry,

So in addition to Linking being selected in the menu, the figure eight in the window also has to be selected?

Why would you have (or use) two linking controls?

Thanks!

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Craig and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

There are three, maybe four, that’ll work for you.

Schoeps cmc641, cmc64
Sanken CS-3e
Sennheiser 8050, 8040

Oops! That’s five.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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