sony pd 170 (audio) « Videomaker Community Forums

Iluvideo
Member

I am trying to record my church service. I plan to buy xlr cable to go directly from the sound board to my camera. I heard that this might be too powerful for my camera. Has anyone ever done this? Or does anyone have any suggestions?

Also how do you adjust the audio once you have a mic hooked up?

Any help will be appreciated!!! I plan to start recording this sunday... christmas eve!!!

THANKS

Posted 5 years ago #
Tom Scratch
Member

Hi,

Page 54 of the instruction manual tells you how to adjust sound recording levels. The cam comes with default of AGC (automatic gain control). You must turn this off for each channel in order to manually control levels.

Give yourself some dry runs several days ahead to figure out the connection issues between sound board and cam. On the Videomaker Forum, Compusolver has addressed this issue many times; read his lessons learned from experience and follow his advice.

I'd consider getting digital audio recorder and run a feed from sound board to that. These are not cheap but "priceless" for what they can add to your work. That way you'll be able to move your cam around (or have that option anyway) and not worry about the cable tether. B&H still has time to deliver whatever connections/gear you need by event time. http://www.bhphotovideo.com

Don't screw up; it's only Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

REGARDS ... TOM 8)

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

A couple of things -

First, I suggest plugging into a soundboard only as audio backup. Not only can things go wrong (I once had a sound tech accidentally turn on a local mic while he ate Potato chips during a wedding and chatted with his girlfriend). Another reason is that the house mics just don't do as good a job as my own mics (Shure & Sony). By using your own mics, you get to decide mic placement and you're in charge of quality.

However, if you must go with the soundboard, look for RCA jacks that say "Tape Out" or "Line Out", etc. Otherwise, you need to be aware of whether your output is preamped. For instance, you certainly wouldn't want to connect your camera audio jacks to a cable designed for speakers.

Like Tom said, a digital recorder is ideal for this - whether connecting to the soundboard or using a couple of Shure mics on mic stands, etc. I use my Marantz 660 to record 44.1k PCM wave files. This way I get CD quality audio, which is great for performers, musicians, etc. You can use cheaper digital recorders (MP3) to capture voice, if you're sure you'll get clean sound and won't have to edit the audio.

I've hooked to a lot of soundboards. I've used 1/4", RCA and mini-plug, but I don't think I've ever hooked XLR from a soundboard, so be careful! - and remember, 3-prong XLR is only one channel.

Posted 5 years ago #
Iluvideo
Member

First thanks for the suggestions.

Unfortunately purchasing a digital audio recorder is not an option, nor is using my own mics. I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I have.

I want to hook up directly to the sound board because in the past using the on camera audio didn't work so well. The audio wasn't good at all.

I just don't want to blow the audio in my camera it's okay if it's only on one channel.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Posted 5 years ago #
kfox
Member

A note about XLR audio. An XLR jack is a Balanced audio line. Comp is right that it is always mono. Unlike 1/4" or RCA, an XLR jack uses two wires for audio (+ and -) and a seperate "shield" for ground. This arrangement allows for longer cable runs without interference. (It's much more technical than that, but that's the gist). The PD-170 has an excellent audio interface to handle a Balanced line. Be sure of a couple of things. Set your phantom power switch (on the channel you connect to the camera to) to off (the +48V) as you may damage the sound board by returning voltage to an output. This is used to power condensor microphones (ie-the shotgun that came with your camera) only. Next set your input level on the camera channel to LINE. Every sound board is a bit different, but most good boards will provide you with a +4 level that should be well within your range to adjust. Good points on turning off the AGC in the camera and using the manual mode to set level. Also good idea to test in advance as you may need to adjust the level of the feed on the sound board output. Try to hook to a MONO or SUM out if the board has this. If not, either left or right will work fine, but be sure the mix is panned to mono or you will only get the channels panned to your output. Mackie boards are very popular but have some quirks as to channel routing, so be sure to test in advance.

The last thing to check is for what's called a "ground loop". This is a hum or buzz that you cannot get rid of except by unplugging the feed or turning down the input in the camera. It is caused by interference on the grounding system. Without going into about 3 volumes of electrical theory, just watch for them and know they are very difficult to get rid of. Easiest solution is to run the camera on battery and avoid pluging the camera to anything other than the sound board that is plugged in to electric power.(this may or may not be an option, just an easy fix if you encounter the problem.) If you have this problem, check with someone knowledgable in sound systems and see if they can find you/make you an XLR cable with a ground "lift". This will usually knock out the source of the problem. (It's just a circuit that disconnects one side of the ground to break the "loop".) You can also try Broadcast Supply Worldwide (www.bswusa.com) to see if they still have a "ground lift" adapter??

Hope this helps.

Best for the new year!

Kfox

Posted 5 years ago #