- Posts: 1435
- Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:28 pm
- Location: Toronto, ON
Ok, have I mentioned how much I hate audio? No really....
Received all my audio purchases from B&H, very quickly. Great! Unpack everything and start hooking things up. Then the wheels feel off...
1. I bought a short coiled XLR to go from the Rode NGT1 to the Azden mixer that would be mounted on top of the camera. Problem is, it won't plug in. I notice one of the pins on the Rode is ridiculously longer than the rest. Almost 4mm. It sticks out the bottom of the mic. You can't stand it on it's end. Surely a defect. Call Rode. Nope, by design. Something about having the ground contact make connection first. Ok, fine...but why doesn't the cable it? Don't know...any "quality" cable should work. Awesome...hard to tell such things over the internet. Back it goes.
2. Grab a different XLR cable from the office and try that. Run the mic into the mixer and then into the Marantz661 recorder (which I already own). Really couldn't get any decent levels at all. The XLR output was LINE, not mic. Still ****. Well, after 20 minutes of screaming I discover I've used rechargeable AAs, instead of Alkaline. Education tip number 2. Rechargeables only output 1.2V...for phantom power you need 1.5V. Seriously....wtf?! Levels are now decent in a quiet office.
3. I also bought, in case I changed my mind and grabbed the Juicedlink RA222, a stereo 1/8 to dual mono 1/4 cable that is listed as an accessory for the RA222 on the B&H website. The Azden also has stereo 1/8 output...so I try that. This outputs mic level instead of line, which I find weird...but anyway. The audio is really "tin-y". Lost all depth. The level is fine, same as the XLR, but the quality of the audio is gone. $^&$&#$% A few more phone calls and the cable is being blamed by more than one source. To figure that out, I would need the RA222 delivered by Friday, as I leave for Australia on Saturday. The cable is also unbalanced...so is that the problem?
So is it the cable, or the mixer? well, I get good audio out of the Azden's XLR, so since I have a working solution, I stuck with the Azden. Going to try and find another 1/8 stereo cable around...pieced together from radioshack and see if the audio quality is the same. For this trip, I will run one XLR into the BMCC and duplicate ch1 to ch2.
4. Low level. So....what level should I expect from the NGT1? Running through a phantom powered mixer? Running the NGT1 into the Azden SMX22, input set to "lo" gain, input level set to max and gain set to 90%...outputting through a balanced XLR to TRS 1/4 plug...recording on ch1, line level, at 85%. In a quiet room, 20'x20', microphone 4.5 to 5 feet from my mouth...I get very clean audio...but it's averaging between -21 and -15 with some peak reaching -12.
I've read that most audio guys want their audio to average around -12...so I'm assuming that means my audio level is still too low. Correct? Does anyone with the Riggy (Frank tell me what level they get out of the RiggyAssist using a Rode NGT mic, through the BMCC?
I boosted the signal in post using Audition CC, and it came up quite cleanly. I was happy with the results...basically, they'll do for the trip but I'd like to know if the output on the Azden is just too low.
I tried setting the input to "hi" mode, but the audio sounded like crap...of course, I tried setting the mixer up with the limiter already on (when set at 0) for the first hour...so maybe I should try figuring out the hi mode again.
I just want to plug 1 cable from the mic to the mixer and one from the mixer to the camera. Done. Why isn't it that simple?
I hate audio...
BTW, here was my shopping list:
Coiled XLF cable....going back.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584258-REG/Remote_Audio_CAXJCOIL2RTMF_Coiled_3_Pin_XLR_Angled.html
Juicedlink breakout cable...going back too
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/884871-REG/Remote_Audio_CAB_M1_4_Unbalanced_Stereo_Breakout.html
Awesome balanced XLR cable
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/828650-REG/Hosa_Technology_HXS_001_5_HXS_001_5_Balanced_3_Pin_XLR.html
The Azden FMX22.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838946-REG/Azden_FMX_22_FMX_22_Portable_Field_Mixer.html
The Rode NGT1
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367746-REG/Rode_NTG_1_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html
Received all my audio purchases from B&H, very quickly. Great! Unpack everything and start hooking things up. Then the wheels feel off...
1. I bought a short coiled XLR to go from the Rode NGT1 to the Azden mixer that would be mounted on top of the camera. Problem is, it won't plug in. I notice one of the pins on the Rode is ridiculously longer than the rest. Almost 4mm. It sticks out the bottom of the mic. You can't stand it on it's end. Surely a defect. Call Rode. Nope, by design. Something about having the ground contact make connection first. Ok, fine...but why doesn't the cable it? Don't know...any "quality" cable should work. Awesome...hard to tell such things over the internet. Back it goes.
2. Grab a different XLR cable from the office and try that. Run the mic into the mixer and then into the Marantz661 recorder (which I already own). Really couldn't get any decent levels at all. The XLR output was LINE, not mic. Still ****. Well, after 20 minutes of screaming I discover I've used rechargeable AAs, instead of Alkaline. Education tip number 2. Rechargeables only output 1.2V...for phantom power you need 1.5V. Seriously....wtf?! Levels are now decent in a quiet office.
3. I also bought, in case I changed my mind and grabbed the Juicedlink RA222, a stereo 1/8 to dual mono 1/4 cable that is listed as an accessory for the RA222 on the B&H website. The Azden also has stereo 1/8 output...so I try that. This outputs mic level instead of line, which I find weird...but anyway. The audio is really "tin-y". Lost all depth. The level is fine, same as the XLR, but the quality of the audio is gone. $^&$&#$% A few more phone calls and the cable is being blamed by more than one source. To figure that out, I would need the RA222 delivered by Friday, as I leave for Australia on Saturday. The cable is also unbalanced...so is that the problem?
So is it the cable, or the mixer? well, I get good audio out of the Azden's XLR, so since I have a working solution, I stuck with the Azden. Going to try and find another 1/8 stereo cable around...pieced together from radioshack and see if the audio quality is the same. For this trip, I will run one XLR into the BMCC and duplicate ch1 to ch2.
4. Low level. So....what level should I expect from the NGT1? Running through a phantom powered mixer? Running the NGT1 into the Azden SMX22, input set to "lo" gain, input level set to max and gain set to 90%...outputting through a balanced XLR to TRS 1/4 plug...recording on ch1, line level, at 85%. In a quiet room, 20'x20', microphone 4.5 to 5 feet from my mouth...I get very clean audio...but it's averaging between -21 and -15 with some peak reaching -12.
I've read that most audio guys want their audio to average around -12...so I'm assuming that means my audio level is still too low. Correct? Does anyone with the Riggy (Frank tell me what level they get out of the RiggyAssist using a Rode NGT mic, through the BMCC?
I boosted the signal in post using Audition CC, and it came up quite cleanly. I was happy with the results...basically, they'll do for the trip but I'd like to know if the output on the Azden is just too low.
I tried setting the input to "hi" mode, but the audio sounded like crap...of course, I tried setting the mixer up with the limiter already on (when set at 0) for the first hour...so maybe I should try figuring out the hi mode again.
I just want to plug 1 cable from the mic to the mixer and one from the mixer to the camera. Done. Why isn't it that simple?
I hate audio...
BTW, here was my shopping list:
Coiled XLF cable....going back.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584258-REG/Remote_Audio_CAXJCOIL2RTMF_Coiled_3_Pin_XLR_Angled.html
Juicedlink breakout cable...going back too
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/884871-REG/Remote_Audio_CAB_M1_4_Unbalanced_Stereo_Breakout.html
Awesome balanced XLR cable
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/828650-REG/Hosa_Technology_HXS_001_5_HXS_001_5_Balanced_3_Pin_XLR.html
The Azden FMX22.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838946-REG/Azden_FMX_22_FMX_22_Portable_Field_Mixer.html
The Rode NGT1
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367746-REG/Rode_NTG_1_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html