"i'm_tired" <it_isnt_valid@emailaddy.edu> wrote in message

news:VwAYb.53251$jk2.177754@attbi_s53...

> How long is the turn around time when sending a VX2000 in to Sony for the

> repair?

Couple of weeks, if there really is a problem... VX2000 "hiss" is

evident when monitoring from the headphone jack (noisy amplifier,

with probably some HF peaking added - and headphones often

are rough and/or peaked in the top end, exaggerating the

"appearance" of hiss, which may not be evident at all at monitored

at good levels with good speakers from the line-outs). While the

audio S/N of most Mini-DV camcorder audio sections is not great,

mismatching of gains can make the problem worse...

>Anyone know the hiss range to filter in Cool Edit Pro off the top

> of their head? (second question not nearly as important as the first...

> might save me a few minutes, though)

Do a simple test, recording with the gear you normally use, at

levels you normally use, in a large, quiet space. Add sounds that

are familiar. Run tests in Cool Edit to see what works best for you.

Save the resulting fft file and settings list for future use (the help

files in CE are excellent for guiding with settings - but confirm

with listening to files with/without NR to see if familiar sounds are

"damaged" by the use of NR with your settings).

> Can the hiss be overcome with manual mic level control? Can the hiss be

> overcome with a better mic? (or is it a grounding problem etc?)

Yes, if the mic gain is high (matching, for best S/N...;-), and,

yes, the mic and mount will make a difference in noise level

from inherent hiss, mechanical vibration pickup, and pickup of

nearby camera noises (see

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm).

> I noticed a lot of motor noise when doing a couple of planned "fast-zooms"

> in a shot today. The motor noise was particularily bad when using the

> rocker rather than when using the ring, but it was still evident when using

> the ring. Are the hiss and the motor noise related? If the camera is

> reqaired for the hiss, will the motor noise also be fixed, or is that just

> something I'm stuck with?

These are not usually very evident at normal playing levels with

smooth-response playback gear, but they can occasionally be

heard. Mic and monitoring gear characteristics will exaggerate

or minimize these effects. You need to be aware of basics of

sound recording (and the general means used to optimize S/N

in the recording chain...).

> I tried a Sony ECM-HS1 zooming mic today in a couple of short outdoor

> scenes. The zooming feature works, but doesn't seem to be very practicle.

> Leaving the mic on shotgun produced expected but really unacceptable results

> due to enhancing the hiss. Is this model of mic crap? (seems cheaply made

> etc... I won't be too surprized by a "yes" answer).

If this is your standard for claiming noisy audio with the VX2000...;-)

The HS1 is generally regarded as a poor mic choice...

>Can the hiss be

> decreased with manual mic control rather than the auto settings? I didn't

> have much luck with it, but if there is a trick to it, I would appreciate

> the knowledge.

Use a better, quieter mic match - and don't neglect trying the

excellent AGC on this camera (it works VERY well for many

types of recordings, and it can "save your bacon" much more

often than it gets you into trouble...).

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com