On Tue, 27 Feb 2001 23:02:35 -0000, "news.freeserve.net"
>I noticed some old threads on VX2000 hiss. Was there a problem with early
>VX2000 models? if so, is there a list of serial no's affected and is there a
>warranty fix for this?
Dunno - I have never encountered it... The headphone amp is
noisy, and the record/play audio-gain ranges offered by the
controls can get you into high-noise situations easily (but
unrealistically...). At line out, with normal levels set,
the noise levels of my two VX-2000s are very low...
>Otherwise can anyone help or add their experience with the following:-
>
>1) My experience of the internal mic is that it is OK for close up use or
>noisy enviroments (bands, discos etc.) but sound levels are too low for
>anything else. Has the mic sensitivity and AGC levels been delibrately set
>low to avoid picking up noise from the noisy tape motor? I wonder!
No - raising the levels in post does not produce motor
noise. The levels are unusually low, I suspect to permit
relatively higher peaks without AGC pumping... It does make
for more work in post, though, to raise the average levels
without clipping the peaks...
>2) External Sennheiser MKE300 shotgun gives much better sound levels and
>picks up distance sounds that the internal mic fails to pick up, but:-
I find mine overloads the AGC - I prefer a pad between it
and the input to get levels more like the built-in mic when
using AGC - otherwise the sound is pretty compressed...
>3) External mic is mono and contrary to my thoughts the mono plug does not
>bridge the 2 contacts inside the VX2000 stereo mic socket, therfore records
>sound to 1 channel only. Weird thing is that if you monitor with earphones
>or out of analogue stereo phono outputs sound comes through on both channels
>OK. On the other hand when capturing using the firewire connection, sound is
>only on 1 channel? Footage on the same tape recorded with the internal mic
>captures through firewire OK to both channels? What do I have to do to get
>mono sound recorded from an external mic to L&R channels to save messing
>about at post?
I normally use two mics, connected through a
dual-mono-to-stereo gizmo - which can also be used with
one mic if you add a "Y" to double the mono mic output...
>4) The above mic is made entirely of plastic and does not have any shock
>absorbing feature built in. It subsequently picks up excessive background
>noise from the tape motor due to vibrations through the camera body through
>to the shoe adapter. I still pick up motor noise (albeit slightly better)
>when mounting the external mic onto a 2nd shoe attachment bracket that I
>have that attaches to the tripod fixing. Does anyone have any mic fixing
>solutions that work and isolate the vibration/noise from the camera body?
Maybe we hear the same thing, and call it different things,
but I hear no motor noise, but do sometimes hear low-level
hum when using the MKE-300s. I remove it in post with
Cool Edit noise-reduction (www.syntrillium.com). The Sony
ECM-Z157 short-shotguns sound better (not set "tele"...),
and have less noise problem, but they are no longer made,
alas...
>5) AGC is slow to react. I have filmed 3 weddings now with this camera and
>noticed particularly during the speeches, when the guests applaude and the
>AGC cuts back the levels to the mic it takes 3-4 seconds or so for the
>levels to resume after the guests have stopped applauding. The result of
>this is that the first few seconds of the next line of the speech is
>recorded at very low levels and difficult to hear. Anyone else noticed this?
It is normal for AGC, to minimize rapid "pumping"...
You can correct it during editing...
>I have a Sennheiser K6/ME66 XLR shotgun mic and am contemplating buying a
>beachtex box. I don't know if this is going to solve all my issues listed
>above?
No.
>I am also contemplating selling the VX2000 and buying the PD150?
It is very similar, but with a bit more sound control, and
XLR inputs...