"twobirds" <notareal@eaddy.com> wrote in message

news:h-2dndcdctgmEDvdRVn-gg@bresnan.com...

> I've tried a few shotgun/condenser mic's lately. Monitoring the audio while

> shooting (with headphones) puts audio in both channels, although I would

> assume it is mono as I am not using any stereo mic's.

>

> Files captured from the tapes indeed only have audio in the left channel,

> but analog playback through the camera either to a TV or just listening with

> the headphones and there is audio in both right an left.

>

> Is this normal? I can't find anything in the menu's to indicate external

> microphone recording should be left channel only. I also can't seem to find

> anything in the documentation that says if there is or is not a way to force

> audio to both channels while recording.

>

> I guesse I just don't understand why I can hear audio in both right and left

> while monitoring the recordings, but only get left channel audio on the

> tape. I also don't understand why I would have audio in both right and left

> during analog playback of the tape but not in a firewire captured files. If

> I use the built in mic, both right and left are A-OK in the captured files

> and analog playback.

>

> Helping me to understand this would be greatly appreciated.

I think the camera will record mono to both left and right

channels if you use a mono mini-plug, or a stereo mini

plug with "hot" mic connection to both "hot" terminals on

the plug. You can also get a dual-mono-in-to-stereo-out

and a mono "Y" adapter from Radio Shack and make

connections to the camera that you know are "stereo"

starting with the mono mic (the one-piece mono-to-stereo

adapter they sell has never been reliable for me...).

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

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