Headphones « Videomaker Community Forums

compusolver
Member

This is sort of the right forum, since it refers to equipment, if not actually a camera -

I missed the fact that one of my mics stopped picking up audio during a wedding last weekend (thankfully, we had a dr tapped into the sound board AND a shotgun nearby), because my headphones weren't working and I couldn't even tell.

So this post is to ask what you all use for headphones and what the pros and cons are for the model you use. (And it will also fill the blank "Last post" block for this forum which has been blank since a spammer was banned).

I just ordered a pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones, hoping this will solve my problem. You see, whenever there is a loud sound system, the sound from outside the headphones overpowers the phones and I can't tell one source from the other.

The VX2100 gives visual cues, but combined - not for each separate channel. Since the groom's mic was picking up the minister quite well, the meter levels still looked good (typically, the groom's mic is tuned a bit louder than the minister's).

I figured it out after a few minutes, but had to use the soundboard sound for that part, then gradually blend my mic's sound in.

I'm hoping to find some headphones that will let me hear the sound from my mic, even if the same words are being blasted through speakers nearby. Any suggestions?

Posted 5 years ago #
Video-maniac
Member

compusolver,

I use Sony headphones that have that noise canceling feature. I donÂ’t know what model they are for theyÂ’re at home and IÂ’m at work. They aren't the top of the line studio quality version but they do work out well for us. I think I paid like $50.00 or $60.00 a piece for them. That canceling feature while IÂ’m not sure how it works is pretty neat. There is a small battery that is embedded in the headset with a switch that you turn on. The thing about using these is that because you can set the volume for the headphones via the camera, that doesnÂ’t necessarily indicate that you are picking up the correct sound levels from within your camera. ThatÂ’s why the meters are so important.

On the GL2 there are several places that you can get this visual queue. When you have the viewfinder door flipped open you will see it on the bottom of the LCD screen as well as through the eyepiece view finder when looking through that. The GL2 also has a hard LCD version built into the side of the camera. Each channel is represented separately by its own dotted bar so you can tell if one channel is off or not. But as I was saying you have to some how get the volume set comfortably in your phones and then make sure your sound levels are in line too. This way if you donÂ’t hear anything, you can assume that the camera isnÂ’t picking anything up either and vise versa. If itÂ’s sounds too loud in your head you can assume youÂ’re clipping.

To be honest with you though, I just use the headphones as a reminder and to make sure that I hear sound period. If I donÂ’t hear anything, that will force me to look at the camera meters and make an adjustment. If that doesnÂ’t work then something has gone wrong. ThatÂ’s when I feel like getting sick. :-//

BTW: I'm surprised that the VX doesn't breakout the volume channels seperatly. How can they make such a nice camera and not do that?

RAM

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

RAM -

Thanks for the post!

I ordered Sony MDR-NC50 off of eBay for $79. I hope they work as well as yours.

As for the VX2100 metering - the "Pro" version, PD-170 has separate channel metering. I'm thinking that there must be some little box you can buy to run a mic cable through that would give vu-metering, but I haven't found any.

It seems that only the most expensive mixers on B&H have LED metering and nearly none have analog VU-meters. Beachtek now has an adapter with LEDs but its more expensive and I already bought the older version that doesn't have them.

Maybe I need to have someone custom-build a contraption that would zap me (like a cattle prod) when a sound channel goes null ! X-D

Posted 5 years ago #
Video-maniac
Member

Maybe I need to have someone custom-build a contraption that would zap me (like a cattle prod) when a sound channel goes null ! X-D

That's what my wife does! Maybe she'll let you use hers. X-D

Those head phones you ordered will make a big difference. You'll just have to make sure you listen in both ears carefully along with your meter and you'll be OK.

RAM

Posted 5 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Hank,

I have a slightly similar (and older) set of Sony headphones similar to what you bought. You're gonna love em.

It's actually pretty spooky when you put them on. They cancel out a LOT of noise! Truth be told, if the wife's vacuuming or whatever while I'm editing a video, I'll go grab them and use them, and all is well.

Nothing will eliminate 100% of the noise, but these do a great job. The reason I actually bought the set I have is because the church I worked for used them with the camera that was in the middle of the orchestra pit (big church-they had a full orchestra every Sunday!). With those mics on, you could still hear the sound that the booth was feeding your earphons even with the instruments being all around you.

They also give you a great excuse when the wife accuses you of not listening "Oh sorry hon. Had those headphones on again!" :D

The one downside for me is that my ears seem to perspire a lot in these headphones. We did several outdoor weddings in a row last month, during a scorching heat wave. At the end of one, I pulled off the headphones and it felt like a river flowed down my face. Minor issue, but for the quality, it's worth it.

By the way, if anyone wants to know the secret behind sound-dampening circuits, it's actually quite simple. Sound travels in waves. I.e.:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

A dampening circuit reverses the waves, giving you:

\/\/\/\/\/\/

The result is that the colliding sound waves cancel each other out, leaving you with:

------------

It's actually the same way that mufflers on a car work, except in the circuit, the reverse wave is digitally created, while in a muffler it's done acoustically by reflecting the sound off the internal cylinders in the muffler.

Okay, I though that was neat, anyway :D

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Thanks, guys!

I was a bit unsure when I bypassed the only Sony headphones in the B&H Summer 2006 catalog for these on eBay that were nearly the same price.

I feel a lot better about the purchase now.

Posted 5 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Be sure to let us know how those headphones work out for ya, Hank! :)

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Hey, Jim - they just got here this evening. I tried them out and they're great! I think these are going to do just fine.

Posted 5 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Don't forget, ask your better half to vacuum so you can "test them out". In fact, if there's any other noisy housecleaning activities, like running the dishwasher, etc, she can try those too! :D

I'd imagine that those have to be nice headphones. Like I said, I have an older version of them, and I'm immensely happy, myself.

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Your better half VACUUMS? Jean told me that vacuuming and dish washing were mens jobs.

Posted 5 years ago #